49-759 Integrated Innovation for Large-Scale Problems

12 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Step into an in‑person, studio‑style course where you'll join peers from design, business, and engineering to grapple with society's most tangled wicked problems. Instead of jumping to solutions, you will slow down to map these problems as living systems: who is involved, how power and incentives flow, and how today's decisions shape tomorrow's realities. Across three immersive modules, you will use systems thinking, futures studies, and design‑led methods to explore both present dynamics and long‑term trajectories. You'll engage in debates, stakeholder role‑plays, and co‑design activities that culminate in short experiential "future scenarios" and facilitated workshops with real stakeholders. The emphasis is on deep problem understanding, strategic framing, and collaborative sense‑making, skills that underpin responsible software and product innovation at scale. Seats are limited and enrollment is by application/acceptance, as the course depends on sustained participation, preparation, and a high level of curiosity.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2025

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