Design of My Study

Design Studies 4 Reflective Essay

Title: The Modern World, Distinct from Religion

Response:
As I stated during my recent presentation, during this semester my direction of study changed quite substantially, however, the method and thought process behind my ideas did not. My approach was initially driven by a disgust towards sustainability and an effort to give content to an argument that would not necessarily be generally regarded as wholesome. My complaint towards the decline of religion and pure thought in an established western or ex-colonial context. As my study progressed I found it would be more acceptable to broaden my investigation, generalising religion as a system of social beliefs. This also meant I would be able to moot with representatives of a wider variety of alternative topics and create a more utilitarian outcome. Eventually I realised that due to my take on the subject I would be unlikely to develop a single conclusive argument. At this point I decided it could be interesting to compose a system, based on my research of many cultures and peoples, which would generate a more sustainable lifestyle for westerners. I was insinuating that western ways and colonialism are most of what is wrong with the world today however my research lead to the illusion of the noble savage; this was no help. From here my assignment lost structure and became more of a research free-for-all. This was vaguely disconcerting at first, however, I kept atop of the situation and eventually I saw arguments surrounding many of the aspects of research I had originally set out on. I feel that the resulting presentation represented this journey as well as the resulting content quite honestly.
If I were to continue or readdress this project I would start by establishing a clear agenda for my work and suggesting a breadth of research to further my understanding. I would then try to gather a group of similarly inclined people and create a conversation forum to develop fundamentally diverse solutions. It is likely that the outcome would eventually be in the form of a map based publication including explanations of specific parts of the work with case studies and illustrative logical experiments. I am interested in this area of study and I hope to one-day have reason to pursue the investigation. It is not likely that I will on my own as I am convinced it is a job for an established panel of researchers not someone in my situation.
Though I thrive on theory and lateral thought in general and hence design studies by default, I am less enamoured with the general approach that is taken at RMIT. I have enjoyed parts of these classes however I feel that the obsession with sustainability is doing little to develop us as designing thinkers, which seems the be the direction everyone suggests is ours. I feel that it may be a good exercise in thinking in ways one would prefer not to but we have been thinking with the same convolution for three semesters now. If this class was supposed to be purely sustainability evoked thought then perhaps it could be named more appropriately. I believe design studies is a more generally accessible subject. That said, I found your class quite informative and the ensuing conversations interesting. Similarly, the lecture series for your class included some intriguing speakers.