This course explores the interconnections between the history and ethics of design. The guiding framework of our exploration emphasizes that: (i) designers both reflect and shape history, (ii) designers are social actors, and (iii) all of design has an ethos, or set of values, that influences the design process and how the end products of that process are used. Since these values are embedded in larger (often socially inherited) ethical frameworks, this course introduces prominent frameworks, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. The course highlights the key advantages and challenges of each theory, the ways in which they shape a designer's ethos, and how they influence our conceptions of harm and justifiable value tradeoffs. The course emphasizes ethical reasoning as a foundational design skill, guiding students to (i) evaluate competing ethical perspectives on human problems, (ii) adapt and apply theoretical principles and concepts specifically in the domain of design, and (iii) to defend their ethical judgments about design choices using moral theories and frameworks. This course is required for undergraduate students in the Design Major and, as such, priority will be given to these students. If you are not in the Design program, instructor permission based on application is needed for enrollment.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-ER
This course explores the interconnections between the history and ethics of design. The guiding framework of our exploration emphasizes that: (i) designers both reflect and shape history, (ii) designers are social actors, and (iii) all of design has an ethos, or set of values, that influences the design process and how the end products of that process are used. Since these values are embedded in larger (often socially inherited) ethical frameworks, this course introduces prominent frameworks, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. The course highlights the key advantages and challenges of each theory, the ways in which they shape a designer's ethos, and how they influence our conceptions of harm and justifiable value tradeoffs. The course emphasizes ethical reasoning as a foundational design skill, guiding students to (i) evaluate competing ethical perspectives on human problems, (ii) adapt and apply theoretical principles and concepts specifically in the domain of design, and (iii) to defend their ethical judgments about design choices using moral theories and frameworks. This course is required for undergraduate students in the Design Major and, as such, priority will be given to these students. If you are not in the Design program, instructor permission based on application is needed for enrollment.
Offered in Winter 2026, Spring 2026 at Stanford University.