An intellectual history of the School for Designing a Society

Scott, Robert W.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/24073 Copy

Description

Title

An intellectual history of the School for Designing a Society

Author(s)

Scott, Robert W.

Issue Date

2011-05-25T14:59:30Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Darder, Antonia

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Darder, Antonia

Committee Member(s)

• Pak, Yoon K.
• Dhillon, Pradeep A.
• Ginsburg, Rebecca

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Adorno
• Alternative Education
• American Society for Cybernetics
• Anticommunication
• Atonality
• Black Mountain College
• Biological Computing Laboratory
• Brün
• Composition
• Constructivism
• Cybernetics
• Desire
• Design
• Experimental
• Folk School
• Freire
• Frankfurt School
• Highlander
• Heuristic
• Horton
• Illich
• Illinois
• Information Theory
• Language
• Maturana
• Music
• New Music
• Performers' Workshop Ensemble
• Politics
• Political Change
• School for Designing a Society
• Situationist International
• Social Change
• Society
• Systems Theory
• University of Illinois
• von Foerster

Abstract

This dissertation traces the roots of an experimental art school for social change called the School for Designing a Society. It focuses on the history of a group of intellectuals, and their ideas, during the latter half of the twentieth century. The composer Herbert Brün (1918-2000) formulated many of the original ideas used by the school in concert with his students and colleagues at the University of Illinois. This study focuses on how their ideas about composition led to the founding of a school. It begins with the turmoil of World War II, which influenced experimental artists such as Brün; the development of cybernetics as an interdisciplinary field; the attempt of Brün and cyberneticians to offer an experimental interdisciplinary course in 1968. As the 1960s faded out, a new crop of music composition students rallied around Brün. They formed an ensemble and renewed the bridge to cybernetics; the ensemble achieved a high level of professionalism and toured internationally. Elements of Marianne Brün’s course on Designing Society, and Susan Parenti’s skill at organizing an experimental arts ensemble led to a 1992 proposal to start a school. Members of the ensemble needed a discursive context to engage the political and social consequences of experimental art production. Rather than scatter to various university jobs, or wrangle with the local University’s structure, the group decided to create their own school, off-campus. The School for Designing a Society thus arose out of a necessity that was generated by desire.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24073

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Robert White Scott.

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