This course introduces students to the basic skills and technologies associated with the ceramic studio; and ideas, language and contexts pertinent to contemporary ceramic design practice. It provides a setting in which students integrate theoretical knowledge, technical knowledge and skills with material, formal and contextual issues in ceramic design. Theoretical and practical enquiry highlights the conceptual, material and sculptural understandings of three dimensional object design in clay and associated materials. In particular, the course provides an introduction to the ceramic studio and addresses issues of identity, seriality, certainty, familiarity and the mundane, interrogating the meaning of the repeated object. In practical terms, it provides the opportunity to investigate techniques of replication, including the principles and applications of model and mouldmaking. Students are encouraged to develop and explore ideas in relation to the articulation, transformation and reproduction of objects using a range of ceramic materials. Elements of the design process - critical analysis, research, problem solving and design development - are undertaken to facilitate the resolution of formal, material, fabrication and design issues in ceramic practice.