Presentation

Educational aims

Specific objectives: The 2nd cycle Degree Course in Design and Culture of the Territory is proposed as a further segment of a training chain starting with the 1st cycle, L-4 class course, active since 2002 at the University of Palermo, articulated on the different aspects of design s with interdisciplinary contributions and a strong characterization deriving form to the centrality attributed to the territorial issues and to the cultural aspects of the project. The main objective of the course is to train graduates with a solid knowledge about the process and product development for industrial production and advanced crafts, forms of communication and innovative services, starting from culture and specific design methodologies. The educational programme aims at interacting with the evolutionary scenarios related to the material and immaterial resources present in the territory, thus training designers able to contribute positively to the identification, enhancement and better use of these resources in the processes of economic and socio-cultural development expressing innovation, with particular reference to the different productive and entrepreneurial aspects related to agro-food, then to the cultural and productive peculiarities of the contexts that express the excellences, with a view to sustainability. The course will develop the skills and competences of an expert designer oriented to the enhancement of the culture of the territory; with specific attention to the cultural, social and productive dynamics expressed today by the production of food, as an expression of territorial and excellences identities, but also to the user awareness in the processes of sustainability and social innovation. It proposes a professional and scientific profile that fits fully into the potential for development and innovation of territorial production systems (in particular in the Sicilian territory and in the Mediterranean areas) expressed by the agro-food sector and in the strictly inter-connected areas of production of goods and services, such as tourism and catering, industries and cultural productions, care and enhancement of the environment and society. The designer will develop the ability to collaborate with various skills in the development of complex strategic planning processes aimed at articulating innovative production of goods, integrated and advanced communication products, technological services for sales proposals and responsible use of cultural products and offers, also in traditional production contexts characterized by the quality of their territorial productions in larger or global contexts. The educational objective of the Master's Degree Course consists of: - providing design methodological tools for the valorization and implementation of the productions and activities expressed by a territory and its cultural identity, also interpreting new needs and opportunities not yet expressed for territorial stakeholders; the used methodologies will test innovation processes in all phases of the project, from research to conception, from engineering to technical and environmental control of production processes, to product introduction in market dynamics, to social and cultural repercussions; - providing disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge to develop the ability to interact in complex and evolving territorial and sectoral contexts, also through the organization of work groups and project processes exploring the complexity of development scenarios, social and environmental sustainability and develop specific strategies for production, communication and integrated services, enhancing multidisciplinary contributions and exploring the dynamics of multiculturalism; - training a designer with a strong humanistic component, creativity and technical ability to manage the design of artefacts and systems for setting up public spaces, alongside communication processes rich in narrative elements designed to highlight and to interpret, with contemporary tools and languages, the identifying and immaterial aspects of the territory; - experimentation on the complex processes of sustainability, which are also based on the valorization and reactivation of complete supply chains in local production, especially focused on the production of food; thus developing analysis and research skills on project experiences and interdisciplinary sharing, within scenarios that reflect current socio-cultural issues; - in the ability to develop proposals for self-entrepreneurship calibrated on the potential of new products and new ways of using traditional products, on the qualitative expansion of the tourist offer integrated with the different aspects of hospitality, catering, use of goods cultural and environmental, including through the tools of e-commerce and social networks. In compliance with the indications provided by Ministerial Decree 270/2004, all the thematic areas (design, scientific-technological, historical-humanistic, economic-productive) that contribute to the definition of the educational programme are adequately represented through the contribution of teachers of four Departments of the University of Palermo and defined in relation to the characterizing profiles of each discipline. Each subject or thematic area assumes a well-defined role within the programme and with respect to its location and its development in the two-year period. The educational programme is articulated in disciplinary and interdisciplinary design laboratories, integrated courses and specific teachings providing in-depth analysis; it also provides forms of collaboration with companies, for the development of projects and prototypes, strategies and innovative services. The laboratories are distributed over the two-year period in a balanced manner compared to the weight of the other subjects of each year of the course. The educational programme is completed with different activities (internship, conferences, seminars, workshops, and elective subjects), integrating education through subjects related to other areas and the acquisition of context and sector-specific knowledge and skills, useful for entering the labour market as well as for the development of new business proposals. In the second year a laboratory expressly aimed at developing innovative and strategic project proposals for the territory is provided; in the laboratory, the student, also with the support of other subjects, will be able to develop in a critical and interdisciplinary manner his final project for the achievement of the 2nd cycle Degree. It will also aim to establish a close relationship among the final examination with and the issues addressed and the skills achieved during the internship period, encouraging the establishment of a concrete and non-episodic relationship with the productive fabric of the territory, but also with national and international companies.

work perspectives

Functions: expert designer, able to manage the whole process of designing and producing innovative goods and services, to organize and collaborate with multidisciplinary professionals involved in the design and industrial production processes, in the agro-food manufacturing systems, in tourism, in sales and catering activities, in the sectors dedicated to the production of technological services, in event planning, in cultural and creative industries. Skills: The professional and scientific figure of the graduate designer is an expert in the project able to relate to different contexts, sectors and aspects of production through a specific ability to establish virtuous interactions between industrial processes, technical-scientific innovation, territorial development dynamics, relevance of the social and cultural aspects in the productive phenomena affecting the territory at different levels. The main areas of expertise: - Preparation for exhibition spaces, reception and catering activities, sales areas; - Event planning (fairs, city events); - Processes and products for the agri-food industry: from the coordinated image to the packaging; - Web, interaction design, multimedia design; - Design of services; - Development of sustainable systemic projects and strategies for the agri-food sector; - Strategic design for territorial development - Development of strategies for innovative companies - Territorial marketing opportunities: Professional opportunities: - manufacturing industries; - provision of innovative and technological products and services in the field of information, communication and enhancement of territorial resources; - generation of innovative start-ups based on design-driven productions; - private research centers or universities where companies are supported, particularly SMEs, - professional offices and communication agencies. - public and private bodies responsible for territorial development and promotion actions.

Characteristics of the final exam

The final examination consists of the presentation of a thesis elaborated under the guidance of a supervisor and any correlators, with interdisciplinary character. The dissertation must express the capacity for experimentation and originality and must lead to specific design outcomes, presented in a broad and innovative cultural scenario. The thesis can be developed during an internship and express an innovative project proposal as a result of a concrete professional experience. The objective of the final examination is to verify the acquisition by the student of a solid and personal method of approach to the definition and solution of design problems in the disciplinary area and in the chosen themes as well as of a scientific ability which might be developed in further specific research training.