Overview

This unit addresses the history of the industrial design discipline in the context of local and international developments. From the ‘birth’ of the discipline at the time of the Industrial Revolution, through two World Wars, and through times of innovation and international expansion, the unit looks deeply into products and inventions that have shaped the world, demonstrating the impact of the industrial designer, and poses questions to the future of the discipline in the context of societal needs, desires and the environment.

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  1. Articulate design history as a field between academic history and design practice
  2. Analyse the development and evolution of design history in Australia and selected international sources
  3. Evaluate the historical responsibilities of designing for and with people and the environment
  4. Construct an understanding of a material culture approach to design history, based on archival research and critical analysis of artefacts

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week
On-campus Class 36 12 weeks 3
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Various 55 12 weeks 4.58
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning 59 12 weeks 4.92
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULOs
Class Excercises Individual  20%  2,3
Research Project Individual  40%  1,2,3,4 
Exhibition Review Individual/Group  40%  1,4

Content

  • The suburban home as a site to explore industrial design practice and consumption
  • Australian design at world expos from 2010 Shanghai back to 1851 London and the Industrial Revolution
  • The evolution of design history in Australia and its responses to other national and world design histories.

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.