Continuing Professional Education

PSU’s Graphic Design Program offers continuing education classes to working professionals in the Portland and PNW community. These non-credit courses are aimed at helping working professionals continue to develop and hone their skills, while also providing for the opportunity to address contemporary issues in the industry.

GD 411: Interaction Design and Ethics
Being offered Summer, 2020

Just about every day in the news, companies are being pressed with ethical questions and challenges. We are all having to wrestle with the tricky and complex landscape of ethics as it exists in our digital, connected world. In design, these challenges are not only pressing, but multifaceted, as many designers, agencies, and companies are balancing competing interests. The ability to make informed design decisions requires a comprehensive understanding of the current ethical landscape. 

This foundational course examines ethics from a variety of design perspectives. Students will be introduced to the emerging intersection of design and ethics, covering topics such as how the design of social media can facilitate or inhibit certain audience behaviors, to the laws and changing social mores on what the public will and will not tolerate, and more. Special emphasis is given to current events, as many precedents and conventions are being established now. 

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of this course, students will have gained the knowledge to:

The Learning Environment

This interactive course is held in person at PSU’s Center for Executive and Professional Education in downtown Portland and typically combines lecture, discussion, and individual and group activities.

Instructor: Meredith James