November 11, 2008
In last Friday’s strategy session at IDEO, one of the exercises had us discussing various aspects of CCA’s learning culture along a number of spectra. One of the most memorable, at least for me, was a question about whether CCA is or should be more like Hogwart’s or the Lord of the Rings. By this, IDEO meant to challenge us to consider two opposite models: Hogwart’s, where students are protected from the outside world and allowed to focus on their studies without distraction or danger, and Lord of the Rings, where the protagonists start-off into the world, right away, on a journey supported by some knowledgeable and capable guides. These represent different approaches to learning and, admittedly, neither is probably preferable as the only approach. Also, different students may need different approaches, as my different majors. For example, design disciplines may be better learned while concentrating in one style while fine art and craft disciplines may be best taught in another style. Or, perhaps one style might work better in core and foundation courses while another in later or graduate courses.
The only consensus at the meeting was that, currently, CCA exists somewhere between these two poles and, when pressed to choose only one to emphasize (IDEO can be real task-masters), everyone in the group chose to emphasize the out-in-the-world experience of Lord of the Rings. However, this isn’t to say that the school is going to sell the campus buildings and send students on literal journeys through Bay Area on a quest to lear art, design, and crafts–well, at least not in the Winter.
So, which style suits you best, and why? Are you Harry, Hermione, Ron, Molly, Dumbeldore, McGonagall, Voldemort, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Legolas, Galadriel, Aragon, Gandolf, or Gollum? Or, is there a better film that expresses your ideal CCA experience?
- Nathan Shedroff, Program Chair, MBA in Design Strategy
November 13th, 2008 at 11:37 am
One small quibble. The students at Hogwart’s weren’t exactly protected. Harry and his friends regularly faced a slew of outside forces: Voldemort, bad Muggle relatives, Death Eaters, dementors, evil teachers, etc.
Both Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter deal with themes of journey, growth, and transformation–integral parts of the CCA experience.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
It is interesting this idea of a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings strategy because I recently thought of a structure based on the housing in Harry Potter, where it’s not about ‘protection’ from the outside, but more about the idea of different spaces for different groups within one major space, or in CCA’s case maybe class level or major. One thing that could come out from this is more “connection” with other people in the same major or class to further expand ideas and experiences.
Basically maybe the idea of a dorm in San Fran that has the spacial elements from Hogwarts, but not literally a castle. Although this is kinda thinking more architecturally, it does strongly affect the ‘learning culture’ of CCA more creatively productively, and more connectively
November 15th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Interesting comment, Jim. I wonder though, would housing separated by class level or major encourage further “segregation” by department though? One thing I’ve been hearing is a suggestion for more cross-discipline classes or project-based classes. Do you see a need for that?
December 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Good question. I’d say the only answer would soley depend on the architecture which I’m sure can be handled. In the world of “Harry Potter” there is a solid separation from different houses, but there are places they can meet and talk to each other. In a community such as CCA, I’m sure there would be no real segregation, but actually a little less than the current day. Hogwarts had separate areas of housing for the different groups, but in this case, majors, but all the housing areas were altogether connected through the castle.
As for cross discipline classes, I strongly see a potential for that especially in project based classes. Architecture+ Interior Design? Industrial Design+Graphic Design? I see potential in projects there. Architecture creating the exterior space and interior working on the inside Product design and advertisement. This idea of cross discipline is not so much an immediate necessity, but a very strong idea in changing the CCA community. I see the dorm idea more necessary in terms of convenience, productivity, and connectivity, and then follow up with the cross discipline, to further increase that.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:42 am
[...] from campus-to-campus for late-night studiers, and in another discussion surrounding “Howart’s or the Lord of the Rings“, a suggestion sprouted up for more cross discipline classes and projects. Do you think [...]