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::: SPRING 2005
::: ART 486
::: ADVANCED INTERACTIVITY

::: Mon & Wed 10:30Am - 12:20pm ::: FA 112 ::: SANTIAGO ECHEVERRY


Course Objectives

This course provides an in-depth exploration of advanced tools, theories, and applications of interactive media as they are used for creative inquiry, research and production. Projects are geared toward developing both creative and technical proficiency with advanced computational media including software and hardware. Particular emphasis will be placed on exploring interactivity as dynamic, socially engaged, and collaborative process that may or may not involve machines. In addition to addressing issues of space, form and experience, this class will explore the aesthetics of digital interactive artifacts with respect to discourses in the visual arts, communications and performance studies.

Readings / Requirements

Required Readings:
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald A. Norman
Breaking Up America, Joseph Turow - available as ebook for UMBC students - http://www.netLibrary.com/

Suggested resource books:
Interaction Design - beyond human/computer interaction, Sharp/Preece/Rogers

Other readings will be distributed throughout the semester. Critiques will frequently be initiated from various topics covered in the readings. In order to participate effectively you will need to have read the required texts and be able to articulate your responses to them within the context of class discussion and critique.

Update permanently your website on the UMBC Server with every single project you create.

Get your own USB mini storage card, such as SanDisks, memorysticks or others, get one that will be at least 256 MB. Students must have plenty of CD-R blank cds in order to store and transfer files. You can also use your own portable hard-drives or iPods, in case you have any.

You are also welcome to use your own laptops, please bring them to every class. Make sure you have an ethernet cable to connect to the network.

No email or chatting will be allowed during our sessions. All the cell phones should be silenced. NO EATING or DRINKING in the labs will be tolerated, unless it is required by a medical prescription.

No animals, persons or yourselves will be harmed during the production of your assignments and final project. Nothing can justify harming physically or psychologically a living creature - including yourselves. You are responsible for the respect of other students, and I count on your integrity for this.

Participation

A class is a multiway form of communication. I might be there as a teacher, but you are also there to make others understand, including me, other points of view. I am very open to a lot of proposals, and NO CENSORSHIP OR DISCRIMINATION will be tolerated or promoted. Consider the class as a brainstorming session. And please contact me during office hours, or send me an email, or give me a phone call so we can solve any problem before the class.

Grading

There will be several projects throughout the course, including papers, miniprojects, and others. From week to week, each student is expected to present a short project applying the concepts of what was seen during the previous class, and we will use parts of the class as workshops to develop specific projects.

Each one of them will be a part of the final 60% of the grading. If necessary I will do some pop quizes, depending on the students' participation and motivation, and depending on how certain classes work, I might add an extra work not listed in the syllabus. The final project will be 40% of the grade. Check the grading table for equivalences.

Attendance

NO EXCUSES, more than 4 absences you will have the chance to withdraw the class - if allowed by the academic calendar - or you will get an F.
I really consider that punctuality and assistance are the most important parts of a class. If you miss a class, you will never be able to experience that class again. I use the word "experience" because not all the information given during the class can be put in paper, or even videotaped. Classes are a question of communication, and communication implies many different ways of exchanging information, the feeling, the laughters, the collective experience... An absence for any reason is an absence. It is your responsibility to initiate and maintain communication with me in case of an unusual circumstance."



Students

ANDERSON, BRENDAN J. | bander2

HAN, CHRISTINA S. | chan2

JORDAN, JEFFREY A. | jeff2

KLINK, JAMES M. | james3

LIT, WAI Y. | wlit2

MOONEY, MICHAEL | smooney1

PALENCIA, ANNE C. | apa1

RICHARDS, CHRISTIE L. | cr2

TURTON, ANN C. | annt1

WIEGAND, EVAN C. | evanw1

WONG, MANDY | mwong1


D'AGOSTINO, BRITA | brita1

VAN_GORDER, NEIL | neil2




GRADING TABLE
A 100 > 90
B 89 > 75
C 74 > 55
D 54 > 40
F 39 > ...

WEEK Date Description
Assignments
1 Mon, Jan 31
Wed, Feb 02
Introduction - Syllabus, goals of the class, required readings. Presentation of the students. Director help, director overview. What is the difference (if any) between interactive and responsive media? 5 page (min) paper



Several mini projects illustrating the concepts discussed during our sessions



Absurd Project: inspired by "Waiting for Godot" / Samuel Beckett, "The Bald Soprano" / Eugène Ionesco and other creations belonging to the Theater of the Absurd, create an interactive video project. The script and story board should be posted on your website



The Interactive Marketing Project: create an interactive project promoting / selling / attacking one of the following characters / concepts / objects selected randomly : Leigh Bowery / Orlan / Divine / Madonna / Gilbert and George / Pierre et Gilles / David Bowie / Mariko Mori / Pipilotti Rist ...
2 Mon Feb 07
Wed, Feb 09
Tools, windows, graphics, ink effects, linear animation, film loops. Timeline, markers vs. scenes, information architecture. Assignment: Interactive Autospcopy.
3 Mon, Feb 14
Wed, Feb 16
Interface design, buttons, ease of navigation, message window. LINGO / JAVASCRIPT. Local Vs Global variables / Functions, Handlers, math applications. Assignment: Math Nightmare
4 Mon, Feb 21
Wed, Feb 23
Scripting in lingo, behaviors, movie scripts. Assignment: Do a movie that involves Locals/Globals, Movie Scripts, Frame Scripts and Behaviors.
5 Mon, Feb 28
Wed, Mar 02
Lingo, Hyerarchy and syntax, Loops, conditionals, cases.Lists, memory, user interaction. Assignment: Create a GAME
6 Mon, Mar 07
Wed, Mar 09
Parent / Child scripting 1
7 Mon, Mar 14
Wed, Mar 16
Parent / Child scripting 1 // Assignment: Explore and have fun.
8 Mon, Mar 21
Wed, Mar 23
SPRING BREAK
9 Mon, Mar 28
Wed, Mar 30
Examples of the Theater of the Absurd - Beckett. Examples of interactive video, ZKM. Writing for Interactive Media / Video, general notions of narration and storytelling, fragmentation of information.
10 Mon, Apr 04
Wed, Apr 06
Digital Video/Audio, definition, characteristics, compressions, weight, examples / Importing and properties of Video and QT Audio / Director aesthetic. Interactive video through lingo, manipulation fragmentation, Using lists to record the order of the fragments.
11 Mon, Apr 11
Wed, Apr 13
Interactive Video Projects workshop
12 Mon, Apr 18
Wed, Apr 20
Absurd Project Critique.

Concepts of marketing, the product, the concept, the aesthetic approach.
13 Mon, Apr 25
Wed, Apr 27
Interactive marketing, external interfaces, extending the capacities of the PC. Memory, real definition of Interactivity.

Watch:
Minority Report
Blade Runner
Artificial Intelligence

14 Mon, May 02
Wed, May 04
Interactive Marketing project workshop
15 Mon, May 09
Wed, May 11
Interactive Marketing project critique

Presentation of Final Project Ideas
16 Mon, May 16
Wed, May 18
Final project workshop
17 Mon, May 23
FINAL PROJECTS




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