Otl Aicher"general education at the school of design"
The School of Design comprises five educational departments (vocational training): information, visual design, product form, architecture and urban planning. Lessons take place in the morning.
General education is conceived as a "school of politics" and is intended to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of sociology, economics, politics, psychology and philosophy. The students are to be educated
a) to be able to place each subject area in today's context from a coherent point of view of contemporary problems and
b) to participate responsibly in public life.
Teaching takes place in the afternoons in the form of seminars and working groups.
The department "Information" will be a link between the departments and general education. The lecturers in this department are more involved in teaching general education than those of other departments.
Four permanent lecturers are already planned for general education. These include a director, permanent staff and guest lecturers.
The following guidelines are decisive for selection:
1. Integration The teachers, especially the head, must guarantee the comprehensive consideration of the various fields of work through their knowledge and attitude. A solely professional attitude is insufficient.
2. Concretisation Theoretical education cannot be pursued for its own sake. It must always be related to concrete circumstances and should aim at practical work and action.
3. Humanisation The tasks must not be regarded as separate subject areas. They must always be considered in relation to people.
General education requires teachers to have special skills in addition to their subject-specific expertise. They must be able to meet the following guidelines.
1. Integration The subject areas of general education cannot be regarded and taught as separate faculties. They must be seen as a whole and placed in the context of today's life.
2. Concretisation The work in the general education subjects must start from real-life situations and lead to today's reality.
Instead of theoretical reflection, concrete thinking should be awakened, combined with the path to constructive practical activity.
The decisive educational factor is reality, which comes to life when it is grasped.
3. Humanisation The relation to the human being must become visible in every task and matter. Instead of non-committal objectivity, education should lead to responsibility.