Ari Melenciano

In this course, students will explore and engage with Afrocentric design practices and countercultural theories when considering pedagogy, technology, community building, and speculative design. Through guided research, design exercises, conversations around readings and other media, students will be exposed to an omni-specialized and comprehensive methodological approach that cultivates radically imaginative futures. This course will introduce students to the philosophies and forms of Afrotectopia, a pioneering social institution developed out of ITP, and equip students with the skills to build thoughtful communities and spaces for creativity in and outside of the classroom. The course will culminate with students materializing their research into artifacts of the future (whether tangible like a physically computed object, intangible like a soundscape or short film, or experiential like a workshop or theatrical event) that realizes a new future and healthy societal order.