4.580
Inquiry into Computation and Design
Explores the varied nature, history and practice of computation in design through lectures, readings, small projects, discussions, and guest visits by Computation group faculty and others. Topics may vary from year to year. Aims to help students develop a critical awareness of different approaches to and assumptions about computation in design beyond the specifics of techniques and tools, and to open avenues for further research.
Fall 2006
Topics
- Introduction / Metaphor
- The Silent Game I
- Metaphors We Design and Compute By
- The Silent Game II
- Design, Rules, and Cognition I
- Design, Rules, and Cognition II
- Visual Calculating I
- Visual Calculating II
- Machine Computing I
- Machine Computing II
- Digital Fabricating I
- Digital Fabricating II
- Design Knowledge I
- Design Knowledge II
- Moving On
Readings
- Lakoff, G. “The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor.” In Metaphor and Thought . Edited by A. Ortony. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, November 26, 1993, pp. 202-251. ISBN: 0521405610.
- Habraken, N. J., M. Gross, et al. Concept Design Games . Book One: Developing . Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987, pp. 1-1 - 1-7, 2-1 - 2-15, and 3-1 - 3-11.
- ———. Concept Design Games . Book Two: Playing . Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987, pp. 0-1 - 0-5, 2-1 - 2-10, and 3-1 - 3-8.
- Reddy, M. J. “The Conduit Metaphor: A Case of Frame Conflict in Our Language about Language.” In Metaphor and Thought . Edited by A. Ortony (1993). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1979, pp. 165-201. ISBN: 0521405610.
- Minsky, M. The Society of Mind . New York, NY: Touchstone, 1985, pp. 133-135. ISBN: 0671657135. [Read sections 13.1, 13.2, and 13.3 (Reformulation, Boundaries, Seeing and Believing)]
- Stiny, G. “New Ways to Look at Things.” Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design (1998): 68-75. (Anniversary Issue)
- Knight, T. W. “Shape Grammars.” Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design (1998): 86-91. (Anniversary Issue)
- Bamberger, J. S. “Developing Musical Structures: A Reflective Practicum.” MIT Faculty Newsletter 17, no. 1 (2004).
- Knight, T., and G. Stiny. “Classical and Non-Classical Computation.” Arq 5, no. 4 (2001).
- Spiller, J., ed. Paul Klee: The Thinking Eye . New York, NY: Wittenborn, 1961. ISBN: 0571066828.
- Sutherland, I. “Structure in Drawings and the Hidden-Surface Problem.” Chapter 7 in Reflections on Computer Aids to Design and Architecture. Edited by N. Negroponte. New York, NY: Petrocelli, 1975. ISBN: 0884053059.
- Travers, M. D. “Metaphors in Programming.” Section 2.2 in Programming with Agents: New Metaphors for Thinking about Computation. Cambridge, MA: MIT PhD dissertation, 1996.
- Sass, Larry. “Materializing Design: The Implications of Rapid Prototyping in Digital Design.” Design Studies 27, no. 3 (May 2006).
- Minsky, M. “Why People Think Computers Can’t.” AI Magazine 3, no. 4 (1982). [Reprinted in: Technology Review (November/December, 1983), and in Donnelly, ed. The Computer Culture. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1985.]
- Bjork, B. C. “Basic Structure of a Proposed Building Product Model.” Computer Aided Design 21, no. 2 (March 1989).
- Forsythe, D. “Engineering Knowledge: The Construction of Knowledge in Artificial Intelligence.” Social Studies of Science 23, no. 3 (1993).
- Schön, D. A. Educating the Reflective Practitioner. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass, 1990, pp. 1-79, chapters 1-3. ISBN: 1555422209.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2006
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.