Three Policies Department of Interaction Design Course
Purposes and Educational Goals (Diploma Policy)
The Department of Information Design was the first such department established at a Japanese art university. Information design is about taking information, which has no intrinsic form, and creating rich relationships among people, society, culture and the arts.
Since the department was established, the Interaction Design Course has produced many creative professionals who are active in the fields of information and media. Using all media, from the Internet to paper, students aim to design connections among all sorts of people, things, and phenomena in society, and try to make them more enjoyable while taking on the challenge of cutting-edge technologies that are still in the process of formation. To that end, students mobilize knowledge in various fields such as psychology, sociology, cognitive science and philosophy.
Building on the base of art education that the university has cultivated for many years, students in the Interaction Design Course learn design and technology, and the course aims to foster designers who lead a new generation of culture and art with bold ideas and tackle the challenges of designers in society.
The goals of this course are to build the ability to grasp various issues in society through observation and insight and to think empathically, to go beyond mere problem-solving and present visions and creative solutions for the future, and to implement various ideas and visions in society in an easily understandable and aesthetically appealing manner, making appropriate use of technology. Students who have achieved this goal receive bachelor’s (BFA) degrees.
Curriculum Policy
In the Interaction Design Course, work is based around small-group hands-on training and workshops, with distinctive, specialized course subjects established, and education in both theory and practice carried out. The course comprises the three specialized areas of "experience design," which designs the activities and experiences of people who interact with information, "society design" which links people and society more effectively with the power of design, and "media design" which creates communication through media.
Among the introductory first and second year courses, in the first-year introductory classes, students are required to learn visual arts techniques and computer languages, and acquire basic skills and knowledge. In the second year, students select practical subjects such as programming, infographics, images and information design from among the subjects offered in each special field, and construct a curriculum according to their interests and career aspirations.
In the specialized courses in the third and fourth years, students are able to study multiple specialized fields, so they gain a broad perspective and diverse expertise while deepening their command of their field of specialization. In joint projects with companies and NPOs, they can engage with cutting-edge thinking and technology. In the fourth year, they belong to seminars and work on graduation research and production, setting issues for themselves and proceeding with research and production, and verbally summarizing these processes and their thinking. In the second and third years, students choose from specialized seminar courses available to all students in the department, and acquire further specialized knowledge.
To evaluate the results of study, rigorous grading is carried out based on criteria specified in advance. These results are then utilized for further improvement of educational methods.
Admissions Policy
The field of information design is in constant flux as society develops and increases in complexity. A flexible attitude toward society, capable of responding to change, is required.
The scope of the Interaction Design Course is not limited to visual representation, and requires becoming aware of various perspectives through observation of objects, taking an interest in daily life and society, thinking about questions and problems from one’s own perspective, and expressing ideas and concepts in concrete form for a better society. The aim is to build a foundation for these skills by developing abilities to comprehend issues, produce ideas, conceive their execution, and express information effectively.
After enrolling in the Interaction Design Course, these four abilities (to comprehend issues, produce ideas, conceive their execution, and express information effectively) are cultivated, and the curriculum is designed with the goal of fostering designers and creators who create social value with high levels of expertise and broad perspectives. Through in-class studies, students sharpen their awareness and are evaluated on ability to think deeply and creatively, use technology appropriately, think widely about possibilities, and express things in a specific and aesthetically appealing manner.
The admission examination focuses on a range of knowledge and ideas related to information design, specialized training and thinking, as well as creative and compositional ability, and evaluates students in a multifaceted manner through writing and exams.
The course actively seeks students who have strong interest in and concern with the information design field, which is based on techniques of expressing information, conceptual ability, and diverse areas of specialized expertise, and aspire to cultivate their design skills, develop an information-based view of society, and make positive contributions to the future.