Human ecology school focus on life issues
It is perhaps the least understood school on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
And yet it aims to be the hub of problem-solving for some of the most basic issues of life - how to mindfully raise a child, how to design products and spaces that make sense, how to chart a path to financial self-sufficiency so college students don't end up living in their parents' basement after graduation.
The School of Human Ecology, housed in one of the sleekest, most ecofriendly buildings on campus, offers undergraduate majors in consumer affairs, personal finance, retailing, interior architecture (formerly interior design), textile and apparel design, community and nonprofit leadership, and human development and family studies. It also has several graduate programs.
The careers are familiar fields, but the school is working to reposition itself as turning out graduates with both practical skills and the so-called soft skills of critical thinking, problem-solving and cross-discipline teamwork that employers say they want.
If that sounds vague, Soyeon Shim, dean of the school since 2012, suggests using Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, as a model for understanding what human ecology is all about.
Jobs' genius was that he first focused on what would be intuitive and user-friendly for consumers, what would help them manage their daily life, what would appeal to them - aesthetically and practically - and only then did he bring to life products that consumers didn't even realise they wanted until they saw them.
"Design thinking and innovation go hand-in-hand," Shim said. "Think users first, and then prototype. It's a problem-based approach as opposed to teaching science."
Shim understands that the very name of the school may confuse people.
"Human ecology is a name ahead of its time," she said. "It's the study of the interaction between humans and environment to enhance quality of life. It's things you care about, day to day - good parenting, good nutrition, good exercise, good financial habits, good environment - all of the things that make us happy. When we accomplish what we set out to do, people will see we're the hub of science that truly puts humans - family, children and communities - front and centre."
How does that translate to the classroom?
Students in a new "Global Artisans: Design and Sustainability" are working with artisans in Ecuador, Mexico and Kenya to help them design high-end products such as jewellery, bags and accessories so the artisans in remote villages can earn money for education, health care and food.
Taught by design professors Jennifer Angus and Carolyn Kallenborn and Consumer Science faculty associate Dee Warmath, the course connects students with artisans who may not have running water but do have Wi-Fi that allows them to Skype and exchange email.
While design students work on the look and feel of the products, students in consumer science will develop business plans so the artisans can sell their products at a physical "shop" in the School of Human Ecology and via an online store.
"Generally in life, design is a team process," said professor of design studies Mark Nelson.
"Before, we were narrowly focused on skills. Now, the school is based on problem-solving and interpersonal relationships ... We're educating people not for their first job, but for their last job, so they have skills to learn throughout their lives."
