Contextual Innovation in Society

(3 Credits)

Why do innovations often differ across contexts? What are the elements of societies that shape and morph innovations? Does a society seed the innovation, or do innovations originate externally and independently from the context they grow into? This course will help students define and explore "contextual innovation”: how the bi-directional relationship between context and innovation can fundamentally determine its impact. Undertaking practical fieldwork in Abu Dhabi, students will leverage the city’s unique cultures to generate, design and pitch empathetic, culturally-competent, and context-specific innovations across industries and fields with a specific focus on transportation and medicine. Readings will include theoretical approaches from design and engineering, sociology, and anthropology. Case studies will include historical examples such as cars and airplanes, as well as contemporary examples including medicines and Uber. By the end of this course, students will have co-developed a framework for empathetic, contextual innovation translatable to other projects in their careers.