Model of Graduate Program

The model for the DM Graduate Program illustrates the interrelationships among humans and their environments. Specifically, the program addresses how people shape and are affected by the near environment (i.e., interiors and dress as environments for the self and/or others).

A brief explanation of the interrelated contexts included in the model is provided below.

Relationship of Contexts to the Near Environment

Economic: The relationship between soft goods, interior environments and

• the economic and social well-being of countries, commercial enterprises, and individuals
• global trade and political policies

Environmental: The relationship between the design, distribution, and consumption of near environments to

• historical preservation
• sustainability
• production issues (e.g., minimization of pollution/waste)

Global: The interrelationships among the development, production, and distribution of soft goods and interior environments and

• the technology that enables globalization
• the economic and social well-being of countries, commercial enterprises, and individuals
• the political policies that govern trade among nations
• the intermingling of cultures

Historical: How people in diverse time periods have used and modified the near environment (i.e., interiors and dress as environments for the self and/or others) to

• express themselves
• develop personal identity
• create meaning
• facilitate interactions
• frame the future

Political: The relationship between government policy regulating the development, production, and distribution of soft goods and interior environments and

• the economic and social well-being of countries, commercial enterprises, and individuals
• relations between and among countries and trade organizations

Socio-Cultural: How humans

• shape and are affected by the near environment (i.e., interiors and dress as environments for the self and/or others)
• use soft goods to "design the self" by combining products engendered with symbolic meanings to communicate identities within varied societies and cultures
• use spaces, soft goods, and appearances to facilitate interpersonal and group interactions
• interpret the meanings of spaces, soft goods, and appearances and how these meanings are shaped by historical, technological, political, global, and economic conditions of diverse societies and cultures

Technological: The relationship between technology used to create soft goods and interior environments and

• the functional and aesthetic value of these products for humans
• the impacts upon the near environment and nature
• the economic ramifications for diverse constituents