DE7056 - Sustainability in Action 

In Sustainability in Action (DE7056) you will learn through a bricolage of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials and tutor guided independent learning. Acting as design researchers, you will work closely with academics and peers in their subject area to build a co-operative partnership in driving forward knowledge innovation. Situated within a postgraduate design research community, you will push boundaries in approach, process and execution to make a difference to both people and the environment.   

 

Furthering the theoretical knowledge developed in block 1, you will continue draw on the skills being developed in their Fashion Context and Relevance lectures to help inform and guide the development of responsible design strategies and alternative innovative approaches sustainable for the fashion industry. Leading on from the experimentation in block 2, you will begin to implement action to test ideas and generate outcomes. This will facilitate experimentation and development in preparation for block 4 in Project Thesis and Portfolio (DE7057).  

 

Throughout this module, you will continue to develop your design manifesto, reflective of their personal values in the generation of your ideas. This will concentrate on experimentation and the utilisation of appropriate design strategies and tools. This process will continue to be recorded in your year-long Personal Development Plan (PDP), continuing on from your PDP in block 1 and 2 to evidence the knowledge, skills and understanding attained from the learning in this module.  

Working within a design community, research excellence is positioned at the forefront of the support available, enabling you to work alongside academic leaders within their field who will disrupt thinking and facilitate debate amongst the postgraduate community. You will be encouraged to pose questions and challenge norms to drive forward academic quality and aid in the development of innovative propositions.  

 

If you choose to explore practice-based research avenues, you will be supported by the technical team.  

 

During discussions in both one to one tutorials and group critiques, you will be provided with verbal formative feedback providing the opportunity for improvement and revision prior to submission. Written summative feedback will be provided along with the opportunity for further verbal discussion to facilitate reflection and evaluation.  

 

Where appropriate, you will be supported in developing relationships with external communities to further which may include fashion brands, consumer groups, non-governmental organisations and charities.  

 

Further formal academic support is provided via information posted on E-Learning Portal. Where appropriate, you may also be directed to engage with Study Skills +, or other resources offered through the University Student Support Services such as Dyslexia Support. The Library is open 24 hours a day and E-Learning Portal houses all your module documents including your timetable. These services can be accessed on a range of devices .

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding (KU):    

Through practice develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the richness of your own capabilities in the context of your professional value. Display and critically apply expert knowledge and practice within areas of your discipline. 

Engage in critical discourse to assess and discuss ideas and issues shaping present and future design methodologies and practices. 

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities (IPSA): 

 Exhibit judgment and strategy in the selection and application of design approaches, research and development methods throughout all stages of the design process. 

 Personal Values Attributes (PVA): 

  Be able to think independently, understand and justify your own opinions  

Summative Assessment 90% 

 

Draft Chapters of Literature review and Methodology (3000 words) to prepare the student for semester 3 Project Thesis and Portfolio (DE7057). 

 

Portfolio Development (CPJ). An extensive body of development work will explore the application of responsible design strategies. This will include evidence of using appropriate research methods and the utilisation of theories and models discussed during the module. Development will be recorded using methods appropriate to the individual (process journal, primary research, sampling/prototyping etc.). 

 

Summative Assessment 10%  

Leading on from the work developed in Responsible Design Experimentation  (DE7054), the year-long Personal Development Plan will be revised and updated, providing detail for the area of inquiry for the final semester. This will evidence personal reflection and begin to map the implementation of personal values as a creative change-maker.  

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Sustainability in Action (DE7056) explores the world we design into. Fashion, and the world it inhabits, is changing quickly. This module looks to examine how the role of a designer will change as its surroundings evolve, and how designers can lead the change. Working within the Masters community, you will be able to examine how your projects interacts with developing landscapes.  

 

This module is a platform to act upon your ideas, consolidates project methodology through theory and practice, preparing you for your final thesis. You will act upon your self-directed project to build new knowledge, and to develop innovative ideas and insights that can create change for good. By bringing theory and practice together you will rigour test how sustainable value and new knowledge can be created, enabling you to move fashion towards a more sustainable future.