Arts Technology Program • University
of Utah
Policy Statement and Syllabus:
FA 4950 • Interdisciplinary Capstone Project in Arts Technology - Spring
2009
Monday & Wednesday 3:05
PM-5:00 PM
New Media Wing (Old Museum North of Art Department) - West Side Gallery
Instructor: Edward Bateman
Office: Art 269; Office Hours: See posted hours and by appointment
Office Phone: 581-7982; Personal Cel Phone: 554-0465
E-mail: e.bateman@utah.edu
Introduction:
In this class, you have the chance to make something that
the world has never seen before.
This requires you to be motivated, self-disciplined, and able and willing
to work with others. This class is about ideas and creativity. It focuses
on learning
the ideas and thoughts of artists whose practice involves the use of technology
- and then putting that knowledge to use in a collaborative project.
Required Text:
Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture
by Paul D. Miller (Editor)
The MIT Press (May 31, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0262633639 ISBN-13: 978-0262633635
(Available from Amazon at a 34% discount - but also available from other
sources)
Course Materials/Equipment: For your own convenience (and sanity) it is highly
recommended that you invest in an external hard drive.
Course Philosophy: The
capstone experience is defined as follows:
“ All the skills of research developed in earlier work should be marshaled
in a
project that demands the framing of a significant question or set
of questions, the research or creative exploration to find answers, and the communication
skills to convey the results to audiences both expert and uninitiated
in the subject
matter.”
The capstone experience allows students to organize and synthesize knowledge
and skills acquired in a wide array of settings and situations during the
course of their undergraduate career. Capstone experiences also typically
include an
opportunity to present the results of inquiry or creative engagement to a
larger audience. This audience may vary widely: a classroom symposium, publication
in
a student-run journal, participation at a professional conference, or presentation
as part of a student-initiated course. At the undergraduate level, the most
important criterion is the opportunity to communicate with a broader rather
than a specialized,
professional community.
The capstone experience needs to allow for collaborative effort whenever
appropriate to the discipline, so that undergraduate students can be better
prepared for
participation in the team projects they will encounter in professional as
well as private life. Additionally, the capstone course should prepare undergraduates
for the expectations and standards of graduate work and the professional
workplace.
It should also serve as the culmination of the inquiry-based learning of
earlier course work, broadening, deepening, and integrating the total experience
of the
field of study.
-Reinventing Undergraduate Education (Boyer Commission, 1998)
Course Objectives:
the student will:
1. Acquire a broader knowledge and understanding of the ideas, issues, and
practices of artists who use technology in their work.
2. Gain experience in working as a team on developing and presenting collaborative
projects
3. Create a research question(s) for collaborative creative exploration
4. Explore that question, and with the results, create a project that is
conceptually and aesthetically rich, meaningful, and engaging
5. Create an artists statement explaining the reasons behind the concepts
and creative choices embodied in the project.
6. Present the final project in a public venue
Course Requirements:
Consistent attendance. The nature of this course requires the students to
be present in class and in their group project meetings. Students
are allowed only three absences without affecting their grade. Each additional absence lowers
the student’s final grade one level (for example B+ to
a B). Please contact me immediately if an attendance problem
or other
class
issue
arises. Most problems
can be resolved if attended to early rather than waiting until
the end of the semester.
Completion of all assignments. Student will integrate the in-class lectures
and discussions into each completed assignment and turn assignments in on time. Grades
will be lowered for incomplete and/or late assignments. There will be
several smaller in-class assignments designed to provide experience with different
skill sets and to help the groups form effective teams. These assignments will
be ‘turned in’ on the day they are assigned.
Ethics and Behavior. Maintain professional ethics in working
with the group. Cooperation works to everyone’s advantage
and is necessary for a successful project.
Course Content:
The first part of the semester will involve an exploration
of the concepts and ideas used by artists involved with the exploration of
technology. This information will be used as a guide and foundation for developing
the class's final research projects. The second half of the semester will be
largely devoted to working in teams on these final projects.
This class will involve reading and writing assignments, which will come from
documents delivered electronically or passed out in class. There will also
be in-class discussions on this material where each student is expected to
contribute ideas and opinions.
Additionally, each student will prepare an in-class presentation on one if
the chapters in the class text. They will summarize the ideas and concepts
contained in the text and then propose three projects based on those ideas
for class discussion. The rest of the class is expected to be familiar enough
with the presented text to engage the presenter with relevant and challenging
questions.
Each team will design a final research project. Students will also work to
promote the class presentation of projects including the design of posters
and other promotional materials. The proposal for this project (3-5 pages)
is due on February 23, 2009. More details about this proposal and the final
project will be discussed in class.
As part of their project, each team will create a written artist statement
that will be presented with their project.
Each student will write a final paper discussing the semester’s activities
and philosophy on the uses of technology in the arts.
Grading:
Class participation and written assignments: 40%; Final Project: 60%. Grading
will be based on participation and completion of the group project including
the sophistication of conceptual issues embodied in the project choice as well
as the creative and technical components of the project. Student evaluation
of other team members will be one component of project grade. There will also
be additional writing projects on this class.
Course Schedule - subject to change
to meet student needs and class objectives
Week 1
Jan 12 Class Introductions. Media Demo - 77 Million Paintings.
Assigned reading: The Hypertextuality of Everyday Life - John Barth
First Assignment: Student presentations.
Jan 14 Student presentations; First writing assignment: What is Art?
Week 2
Jan 19 Holiday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 21 Discuss first writing project. New Readings: Eno
Critical writing on New Media: TV and Video - Arthur C. Danto
Second Writing project announced. Media Presentations: Art21
Week 3
Jan 26 Media Presentation, class discussion based on assigned texts
Jan 28 Textbook Presentations and discussion, Media Presentation, Guest Artist
Week 4
Feb 2 Textbook Presentations and discussion, Media Presentation, Guest Artist
Feb 4 Textbook Presentations, Media Presentation, Guest Artist
Week 5
Feb 9 Textbook Presentations and discussion, Media Presentation, Guest Artist
Feb 11 Team formation, research issues
Week 6
Feb 16 Holiday - Presidents Day
Feb 18 Brainstorming discussion
and exploration
Week 7
Feb 23 Project Proposals Due
Feb 25 Group discussion of Projects and troubleshooting
Week 8
March 2 Work on Collaborative Projects - ongoing
March 4 Work on Collaborative Projects - ongoing
Week 9
March 9 Work on Collaborative Projects - ongoing
March 11 Work on Collaborative Projects - ongoing
Week 10
March 16 Spring Break - No class
March 18 Spring Break - No class
...PROJECT WORK TIME...
Week 14
April 13 Work on Collaborative Projects - ongoing
April 15 Present works in progress to class for input
Week 15
April 20 Presentation of Works in progress - troubleshooting & promotional
issues
April 22 Public Presentation of Final Projects
Week 16
April 27 Class critique of projects
April 29 Final Paper DUE
ADA Statement: The University
of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities
for people with disabilities.
If you will need
accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to
be given to the, 162 Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with
you
and
the
instructor
to make arrangements for accommodations.
STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT: All students are expected to maintain professional
behavior in the classroom setting, according to the Student Code, spelled
out in the Student
Handbook (www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-12-4.html).