Gridlocked: The Structure Behind Culture

Crosswords. Department stores. Transit systems. How do these grid-based cultural artifacts orchestrate how we think, how we desire, and how we connect? In this seminar, students will conduct multimedia, creative deep dives into three case studies of grid-based artifacts that have shaped modern life. Students will construct a crossword puzzle and design a department store; in the final assignment, they will re-invent Princeton's Dinky.