2021 Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate major in Engineering Sciences and Design
Communication Design: Theory & Practice
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Engineering Sciences and Design
- Instructor(s)
- Miki Saijo
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 9-10 Tue
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- ESD.C404
- Number of credits
- 110
- Course offered
- 2021
- Offered quarter
- 1-2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Communication design defines why and who you want to do what (or what you want to achieve with who), suggests and implements approaches for achieving this goal, reviews the results, and provides feedbacks. Communication design is a design for achieving cooperation among people who do not share the same contexts.
In the course, the instructor introduces several cases of communication design: diffusion of photovoltaic generation in rural area; healthcare for frail elderlies; dilemma of engineers. These case studies offer occasions to let students consider and discuss how to overcome the communication problems and find ways to achieve goals. Moreover, students are requested to create their communication designs to solve their own problems.
Course description and aims
_To know that daily communication cannot be designed fundamentally
_To understand the definition and meaning of the communication design
_ To clarify the roles of the communication design for problem solving of public issues
_ To figure out the process of problem solving by creation of the communication designs for student’s problems
Keywords
Science communication, Energy, Elder people,Care,Harassment, Communication design
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
For each class:
・The instructor (1)answers the questions and comments from students on the contents of the previous class, (2)clarifies the essential points on the lecture unit and (3) facilitates the group works. Reading a textbook is highly recommended for active participation in the class discussion and group works.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to Communication Design What is Communication? Symbols,targets, meaning and language | Understanding of the concept of Communication and Communication Design |
| Class 2 | Pinpointing the problem and setting objectives.Creating a GPIO cycle. | |
| Class 3 | Audience Design- Who might be audience? | Explain the difference of two models of audience designs. |
| Class 4 | Speaker's Design - Language skill for avoiding harassment. | |
| Class 5 | Joint Construction Model of Communication | |
| Class 6 | Difference between dialogue and persuasion -Case study of scandal over fake mail | |
| Class 7 | Communication Design : Case Study 1 | |
| Class 8 | Communication Design : Case Study 1 | |
| Class 9 | Communication Design : Case Study 2 | |
| Class 10 | Communication Design : Case Study 3 | |
| Class 11 | My Communication design: 7 step Process | Applying GPIO cycle to understand your own problem. |
| Class 12 | My Communication design: Comment map | |
| Class 13 | My Communication design : Presentation and feedback (1) | Visualizing your own problems through the 7-step process;presentation;class discussion. |
| Class 14 | My Communication design : Presentation and feedback (2) | Visualizing your own problems through the 7-step process;presentation;class discussion. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Communication Design Miki Saijo Kuroshio Shuppan
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Other reading materials will be noted in class as necessary.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Group work and presentation, home-work: 70%
Mid-term report: 30%
Related courses
- ESD.A402 ： Design Thinking Fundamentals
- ESD.B401 ： Engineering Design Advanced
- ESD.E406 ： User Interview Theory and Practice
Prerequisites
Non required.