DESB55 Social innovations for society

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/1. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Synchronous online teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Petra Kutálková, PhD. (lecturer)
Mgr. Alžběta Šašinková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Simona Kramosilová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Petra Kutálková, PhD.
Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Alice Lukavská
Supplier department: Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to orient the designer in the field of social innovations solving social problems and to prepare her*him for cooperation with non-profit organizations and public administration.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the student*student will
- have an overview of the roles and opportunities for a designer to address complex social problems,
- know selected design approaches appropriate for this field, their theoretical background and possibilities of application to practice, will be able to choose an appropriate strategy for a specific project,
- know what are the specific challenges in the design of social innovations, including issues of ethics and self-care,
- know the basics of evaluation in  projects and be able to suggest how to approach evaluation.
Syllabus
  • 1. What, who and how in the design of "social innovation"? (definition of frameworks, role of design, approaches and methods)
  • 2. Systemic design and improving youth well-being (theoretical framework and case study)
  • 3. Design for public administration (case study, guest presentation)
  • 4. Ethical aspects of design for social innovation and well being of the designer*designer
  • 5. Evaluation of social innovation, guest presentation
Literature
  • Monteiro, M. (2022). Design Is a Job: The Necessary Second Edition. A Book Apart. ISBN: 978-1952616263
  • Drlíková, J., Novotný, T., Bystřická, J., & Hruška, M. (2020). Průvodce evaluátora – sbírka evaluačních tipů a doporučení. Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj
  • MANZINI, Ezio. Design, when everybody designs : an introduction to design for social innovation. Translated by Rachel Coad. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2015, xiv, 241. ISBN 9780262028608. info
  • BASON, Christian. Leading public sector innovation : co-creating for a better society. Portland, OR: Policy Press, 2010, ix, 278. ISBN 9781847426345. info
  • SMUTEK, Martin. Evaluace sociálních programů. Vyd. 1. Hradec Králové: Gaudeamus, 2005, 132 s. ISBN 8070418117. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, exercises, individual assignment
Assessment methods
Individual assignment For the currently addressed project/product/service, prepare one of the following outputs of your choice: Ethical consideration, basic evaluation strategy, an assessment of the possible negative impacts of the project on the well being of the designer or team and a proposal for prevention/solution including personal inspiration from the field of mental hygiene. The curriculum will be available during the course of the course.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2025/DESB55