This program is designed for both industrial design students and newcomers to the subject who wish to learn about the basics of design in Italy. Practical work sessions combined with direct contact with design studios and professionals will inspire students’ projects and enable them to understand the real meaning of project culture and the design system in Milan.


Program Components

Module 1: Design Toolkit 1
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

This section of the program focuses on developing the core skills required by designers to execute a project. Studio work is designed to build basic proficiency in hand drawing, model making, and computer design. In the drawing studio, students will be able to test their ideas out in 3D and to turn their plans into a realistic model—an indispensable tool for communicating a project. A digital photography workshop will introduce students to digital design, and further workshop sessions will explore the essential tools and techniques for successful project presentation.

Module 2: Italian Design History
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

An historical overview of the objects, spaces, places, and sensibilities that have helped create the “Made in Italy” phenomenon. The most significant Italian designers and brands will be presented and analyzed through a series of lectures using mixed media presentation techniques. By attending studio visits and lectures by architects and designers active in Italy and internationally, students will study the design process from client brief to concept development, design, and manufacture. Class work will be coupled with visits to showrooms, museum collections, retail stores, exhibitions, and the workshops of leading manufactures. Students will thus be given real examples of the Italian design industry in action in and around Milan.

Module 3: Industrial Design Studio
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

An introduction to the product design process. Working on a series of short, intensive briefs, students will research form, function, and materials to produce informed design solutions. They will improve their drawing and presentation skills while developing their analytical eye and investigating the roots of innovative ideas. Studio sessions will enable future designers to transform ideas on paper and 3D models into effective presentations for portfolio development. Studio sessions will focus on idea generation techniques and the mapping of the product and will also include workshops with materials and technology experts. Students will learn how to develop products using storyboards and will ultimately create their own models.

Module 4: Packaging Studio
Credit Hours: 3.0 Contact Hours: 45

Students will complete their design projects by working with professionals in the field of package design. This component introduces students to packaging, from the package intended as a simple container to transport goods to the package as the key to a product’s success. Various brand strategies will be analyzed, from the exploration of competitors in a given sector to brand differentiation to consumer loyalty to point of sale and “shelf life.” Students will receive information about materials, technical considerations, and the sustainability of products. After analyzing a creative research brief, students will design a product line in the model-making laboratory.

The 5th module of the semester program is the language course to be chosen, according to the admission requirement, between Italian 101 or Italian 102.


ITALIAN 101 LANGUAGE COURSE
Beginner/Elementary Level Course program

Objectives

After a 45 hours Italian language course students should be able to express themselves in the present and past tense, ask and answer questions about daily life, follow a simple conversation in common situations (in a train, in a café, in a shop, etc.), describe persons and places.

Methodology

In the direct method, the grammar and texts progress in such a way that the teacher can carry out his or her didactic approach directly in Italian, certain of being understood without the aid of translation. The course proceed through mostly communication activities, with conceptual and functional elements of the language gradually introduced. The themes used in the excerpts and reading are always selected in order to support and reflect the gradual learning of the morphosyntactic forms and structures.

Grammatical points covered

The verb to be (essere), this (questo), definite articles, there is and there are (c’è, ci sono)
The verb to have (avere), plural nouns and adjectives, the indefinite article
Regular present tense
Irregular present tense
Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives, comparative, buono, bello, invariable plurals
Simple prepositions
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
Interrogative, ci, superlatives, adverbs of quantity
Reflexive verbs in the present, progressive form
Conversation activities

Situations:

a) Greetings, introductions and identifying oneself
b) Description of common objects and places
c) Explanation of one’s profession, scholastic status, names of the main professions and trades
d) Dialogues and vocabulary relating to cafés and restaurants
e) Description of people and physical features
f) Dialogues and vocabulary relating to markets
g) Vocabulary relating to clothing
h) Street directions, describing the city
Listening comprehension, dictation, summarizing stories


ITALIAN 102 – LANGUAGE COURSE
ADMISSION REQUIREMENT: ITALIAN 101
Intermediate Level Course program

Objectives

After a 45 hours Italian language course students should be capable of using the main grammatical structures, the future tense, the imperfect tense, reflexive and passive forms. The students should be more accurate in the construction of sentences, able to use direct and indirect object pronouns, relative pronouns, impersonal forms … They are therefore able to conduct a conversation on common topics from everyday life (food, travel, sports, etc.) as well as confront more general topics, such as comparing the situation of employment, of education, of study, etc., in Italy with that of their own country.

Methodology

In the direct method, the grammar and texts progress in such a way that the teacher can carry out his or her didactic approach directly in Italian, certain of being understood without the aid of translation. The course proceed through mostly communication activities, with conceptual and functional elements of the language gradually introduced. The themes used in the excerpts and reading are always selected in order to support and reflect the gradual learning of the morphosyntactic forms and structures.

Grammatical points covered

Imperatives, irregular plurals
Simple future tense
Reflexive constructions
Relative pronouns with who (chi)
Imperfect indicative tense
Impersonal si, forms of courtesy, comparatives
Passive constructions
Partitive pronoun ne
Prepositions
Conversation activities

Situations:

a) Arrival in Italy
b) Hobbies and sports
c) Describing everyday activities
d) Trades and professions
e) Trips, vacations, visits
f) Italian cooking
g) Education in Italy
h) Shopping

Excerpts from newspapers and magazines, listening compehension, summarizing stories,dictation.