Family Science and Psychology Meets Design: Exploring Self-Awareness through an Interdisciplinary Lens

Society has become more global with strong connections transcending national borders and families have become more transnational in this modern world. The historical journeys that families have made across the globe, how they have made and kept homes, how their cultural values and familial dynamics have evolved, and how they maintain their cultural heritage all influence people’s everyday life in direct and indirect ways. An interdisciplinary course marrying the concepts within the disciplines of psychology, social science and design was constructed and will be presented in this case study. The case study examines how the interdisciplinary course was able to expand student’s self-awareness through learning about their family dynamics, history and historical family homes, current living space, and culture. The course included content such as family dynamics and family development, cultural psychology concepts, spatial development, architecture, and home design to illuminate the student’s unique historical and present context. The pedagogical methodology presented will be the infographic course map describing how the learning content from psychology, social science and design connect and build to increase understanding of self in relation to others and one’s home environment. This case study provides evidence of how students were able to learn about multidisciplinary factors of psychology and design to increase meaningful learning experiences.