Design Thinking for Business
IESEG School of Management, Paris, France
Summer 2019, repeating in 2021 

Course Description
‍This course focuses on design thinking strategies and tools that are particularly useful in a business setting. Design thinking has become a popular process used in organizations as varied as entrepreneurial start-ups, large established corporations, and government organizations. This alternative approach to traditional problem-solving combines empathy for the needs of the user and the context of a problem, with creativity in the generation of insights and solutions, and rationality in analyzing and fitting various solutions to the particular situation. The process guards against pre-conceived ideas about the user(s) or context so as to free the mind to discover more unbiased and alternate paths to reach a goal. As all innovative ways to reach a goal must meet both technical functionality and viability as a business strategy, the design thinking process is iterative as prototypes are designed and tested and often redesigned. These iterations lead to a final solution that best meets the needs of the user(s) within a particular context. 

The first goal of this course is to demystify the process of design thinking, develop an understanding of its tools and techniques, and offer guidelines for implementation. The second goal is to help change how we think about systems and problems, building from the analytic perspective and moving into the synthetic, empathetic, and creative perspective central to design thinking.

Learning Outcomes
‍· Define and identify the methods and terms of design thinking. (What is it?)
· Understand the importance of design thinking to business and innovation.(Why do it?)
· Assess a situation/problem/challenge via ethnographic research techniques.(What is?)
· Define the needs of the user based on observation tools. (What's needed?)
· Envision the future and identify what problem/opportunity inspires you and your user. (What if?)
· Develop a range of possibilities for solutions. (What wows?)
· Understand iteration and prototyping for testing. (What works?)
· Conceptualize a final solution based on user input. (What's best?)

Experiencing Arts and Culture
Paris, France
Summers 2013 and 2015

Professors
Peg Faimon, Lead Faculty, Art/Design
Harvey Thurmer, Music (co-lead in 2015)
Julia Guichard, Theatre
John Weigand, Architecture

Thematic Sequence Description
‍Students travel domestically or abroad to a particular urban location(s) (e.g. New York, Paris, Milan, Prague, etc.) for an immersive thematic sequence (3 courses connected by theme or topic) focused on the global importance and impact of the integrated creative arts (e.g.: architecture, interior design, theatre, studio arts, graphic design, music, etc.). This intensive, experiential program helps students from any major develop a general knowledge of cultural history, and an understanding of the theories and application of various forms of the creative arts. This sequence assumes no prior knowledge and is intended to make the creative arts interesting, accessible, and valuable for all majors. Instruction is provided by a multi-disciplinary team of faculty from the College of Creative Arts.

Course Descriptions
CCA 121 Introduction to the Integrated Arts & Culture
‍This course focuses on learning basic arts vocabulary, concepts and principles, with an emphasis on those words and ideas that are common to all the arts. (e.g.: syncopation, rhythm, pattern, etc.) Students will be exposed to the fundamental steps of the creative process that are integral to various art forms. This vocabulary and process will be examined within a historical and cultural context of a particular urban location.

CCA 221 Immersion in the Integrated Arts & Culture
Students learn about various forms of art (architecture, theatre, design, music, etc.) gaining an understanding of their unique characteristics, while simultaneously learning how they are interconnected, integrated, and situated in a specific cultural context. Learning will take place through lectures, discussion, projects, as well as individual and group explorations. 

CCA 321 Application in the Integrated Arts & Culture
This course focuses on the application of knowledge regarding the integrated arts within an environmental/site specific condition. A team-based project will place students in multidisciplinary groups that collaboratively research, create and present a particularly important environment/site that demonstrates arts integration. In addition, there will be an individual project that chronicles the student’s learning process and asks them to reflect upon the connection of the creative process to their personal experience/environment.