This course provides an overview of media in historical, current and future contexts. Incorporating lectures and discussion with hands on work involving written and interactive media assets, students examine the role of written and visual media from theoretical as well as practical perspectives. The course also provides an introduction to interactive media development techniques, including digital media components and delivery environments. Students will be required to write formal analysis and critique papers along with digital modes of writing including collaborative editing and effective presentation design.

This course introduces web technologies commonly used in the production and distribution of both content focused web sites, and in the creation of interactive applications and games. Students will create web sites and web-native interactive experiences, and publish them to the web. Programming projects are required.

The rich variety and widespread adoption of gestural touch screens, motion-sensing devices, weight-reactive surfaces, wearable digital devices, and similar interface products demonstrates the demand for well-integrated devices and services that seamlessly couple people and environments. Such products can interface computers with real-world inputs and outputs, and give people new ways of controlling and experiencing their devices and information. This course provides a rapid technical introduction to basic electronics (components, circuits, microcontrollers, etc.) and emphasizes the application of interface design concepts to physically interactive and innovative product development. The course requires solo and team projects that blend electronics, programming, and design.

Students will design and build creative applications, while studying the history of computation in the visual arts, music, and other relevant areas. Technical topics include advanced audiovisual programming techniques, while theoretical topics include foundational discussions on artificial life, generative art, microsound, participatory and process-based art, programming as performance, and computational creativity. Individual and/or group projects will be required.

This course will focus on individual career preparation through topics such as resume development, job research, interviewing best practices, and creating or refining an online portfolio. Additional exploration and overviews will include the business aspects, practices, and workflows of the new media industry with a focus on designer/developer/client relationships. Students will integrate project workflows, management, team building, concept generation and prototyping through small team projects, and project research for New Media Interactive Development Capstone Il.

This course is designed to engage the New Media major in a capstone production experience. The instructor will form interdisciplinary student teams that will design, plan, prototype, and implement new media projects. Student groups are required to test their product with users and provide written feedback and analysis. Students will be evaluated on individual contributions and their team’s final capstone project.