Interactive Telecommunications Program
Spring 2012
Course Descriptions
|
TIER 1- FOUNDATION COURSES Comm Lab: Web
| H79.2003.1 Call#19314 |
Thur 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Ioana Staicut |
| The web has become the most basic technology of interaction – between people and machines, people and data, and, most importantly, people and other people. Though the core web interaction is simple – a client sends a request to a server, which replies – services of incredible sophistication and scale have been built around it. In this class, students will learn to lay out a web page; make the page responsive to the user; embed a form for taking user input; and create a simple server to receive, store, manipulate, and return that input. Students will use HTML+CSS, the design language of the web; Sinatra, a programming language specially designed for interactive web services; and JQuery, a a Javascript tool for making web pages more interactive. Section 1 of this two-credit course meets in the first seven weeks of the semester |
Introduction to Computational Media
| H79.2233.1 Call#6227 |
Thur 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Liesje Hodgson |
| What can computation add to human communication? Creating computer applications, instead of just using them, will give you a deeper understanding of the essential possibilities of computation. The course focuses on the fundamentals of programming the computer (variables, conditionals, iteration, functions, and objects) and then touches on some more advanced techniques such as text parsing, image processing, networking, computer vision, and 3D graphics. The Java-based 'Processing' programming environment is the primary vehicle for the class. The course is designed for computer programming novices. Although experienced coders can waive this class, some programmers use ICM to acclimatize to the ITP approach and for the opportunity play further with their project ideas. Weekly assignments are required throughout semester. The end of the semester is spent developing an idea for a final project and implementing it using computer programming. Syllabus |
Introduction to Physical Computing
| H79.2301.1 Call#5998 |
Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Scott Fitzgerald |
| This course expands the students' palette for physical interaction design with computational media. We look away from the limitations of the mouse, keyboard and monitor interface of today's computers, and start instead with the expressive capabilities of the human body. We consider uses of the computer for more than just information retrieval and processing, and at locations other than the home or the office. The platform for the class is a microcontroller, a single-chip computer that can fit in your hand. The core technical concepts include digital, analog and serial input and output. Core interaction design concepts include user observation, affordances, and converting physical action into digital information. Students have weekly lab exercises to build skills with the microcontroller and related tools, and longer assignments in which they apply the principles from weekly labs in creative applications. Both individual work and group work is required. Syllabus |
TIER 2 Advanced Animation Studio
| H79.2923.1 Call#19429 |
Wed 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Eyal Ohana |
| Animation is the magic of giving life to objects through motion. Whether through linear story-telling, or through interactive experiences when another sense of wonder is achieved.
This course is focused on advanced animation techniques and principles, to further add character and expression, to animated objects. We learn the differences between linear and real-time, generative animation, and how we can harness both to create a seamless experience. The discussion includes the integration of such animations, across different kinds of platforms, such as, installation based, web, and mobile. The main animation tool to be used is Adobe After Effects, and experimentation with code generated animation using processing is also demonstrated and encouraged. This is a production class, with short studies, and two main projects at mid and end term, required.
Prerequisite: is ITPG-GT 2002 Comm Lab: Animation or equivalent knowledge in basic animation and video production. Syllabus |
Animals, People and Those In Between
| H79.2936.1 Call#19430 |
Thur 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Marina Zurkow |
| This class will use animals, humans, and other creatures as a way to think about art-making and character representation . Claude Levi-Strauss’ observation that “Animals are Good to Think” is the starting point from which we will make, discuss, and examine the ways in which art works imagine the interrelationships between the human, the animal, and our environment. If we can only perceive these things through mediation (media representations), then how we represent them is the fundamental question, reflecting our ideologies, prejudices, hopes, and fears.
Do we speak for animals, and if so what are we saying for them? Are they friends, pets, environmental equals or beasts? How are hybrid monsters (chimera) created and what do they mean? How do we understand our places as subjects in a landscape or a datascape? How can anthropomorphic cuteness be subversive? This class focuses on questions of intention, relation, and subjectivity, through critical engagement with representations of people, animals, monsters, and mutants, in their respective environments. The class is further focused on the use of character in context, via toy design, robotics, animation, video, image generation or data visualization. There will be introductory texts on character development, and generally an emphasis on literary, philosophical and natural history texts Syllabus |
Appropriating New Technologies
| H79.2937.1 Call#19690 |
Fri 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Kyle McDonald |
| What do you want your world to look like? This class will focus on
creating the future by appropriating new technologies with
openFrameworks. openFrameworks is a C++ toolkit designed by a global
community of media artists, with an emphasis on real time interaction.
Because it's C++, it provides an easy bridge to a huge variety of low
level tools like OpenCV and FaceTracker -- which makes it easier to
develop otherwise impossible projects, like the EyeWriter, or to
explore cutting-edge ideas like real time face substitution. In this
class, we'll work with technologies surrounding face tracking, eye
tracking, 3d scanning, computer security, privacy, and sharing. We'll
spend a lot of time understanding the intricacies of openFrameworks,
with the goal of creating seamless, mind-blowing experiments,
installations, and performance pieces that hijack new technologies to
create the future we want to see.
Prerequisites: A deep love for code, an intense passion for
democratization of technology, and the ability to geek out when
necessary. Or, at least, Introduction to Computational Media.
This two-point course will meet in the first seven weeks of the semester. |
Basic Analog Circuits
| H79.2728.1 Call#6025 |
Fri 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Eric Rosenthal |
| Today's mostly digital world also requires a basic knowledge of analog circuits. In this course students learn about the basic principles of analog circuits design and operation. Students learn about discrete components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes and transistors as well as integrated components such as operational amplifiers. In addition, students become familiar with the operation of basic electronic test equipment such as digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, function generators. The instructor lectures on, and demonstrates, basic analog concepts so that students can form a basic rule of thumb understanding of analog circuits, concepts and components. In the lab, students can integrate analog solutions into their project work.
Syllabus |
Be Here Now: Wares for Sharing
| H79.2898.1 Call#6059 |
Fri 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Sonali Sridhar |
| Humans first developed tools for survival, then for personal pleasure and finally for social engagement. These three phases are the topic of this course, in which we will research and design for how natural human impulses shape our current social tools. With a focus on physical activities, functional garments, location tracking, and social media students will create new products or services that aim to embrace the very moment in history we’re living in.
The final assignment will be for individuals or groups to present their concept in a convincing manner using proof materials such as sketches, user scenarios, design boards, demo videos and working prototypes as needed.
Syllabus |
Big Games
| H79.2454.1 Call#6005 |
Fri 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Gregory Trefry |
| What happens to games when they escape the boundaries of our tabletops and desktops and VV TV screens and living rooms? From massively multiplayer online games to networked objects that turn the city into a gigantic game grid, new forms of super-sized gaming are expanding at an alarming rate and opening up vast new spaces in which to play. Whether these games are measured in terms of number of players, geographical dimensions, or temporal scope, they represent a new trend in which the "little world" created by a game threatens to swallow up the "real world" in which it is situated. This class is a hands-on workshop that is focused on the particular design problems of large-scale games. In this class students: develop a foundation of basic game design understanding from which to approach the specific issues particular to big games; analyze existing digital and non-digital large-scale games, taking them apart to understand how they work; as interactive systems; and work on a series of design exercises that explore the social, technological, and creative possibilities of large-scale games. Syllabus |
Biomechanics for Interactive Design
| H79.2924.1 Call#19432 |
Thur 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Dustyn Roberts |
| This class is designed to equip students with basic knowledge of biomechanics and human movement, as well as of sensors that can be used to track, visualize, or measure different aspects of it. The study of human movement dates back before the days of da Vinci, and readings covered throughout the class will give students an appreciation of the evolution of this field as an art and a science. Materials covered in class will range from basic anatomy and vocabulary used to talk about motion, limits of human athletic performance, balance, how human joints function and how muscles create movement, human factors in product design, etc. The lectures will serve as a foundation for a midterm project in designing a system to track, measure, or visualize some aspect of gait, and a more open-ended final project that will deal with exploring human motion through a physical system or expressing understanding of biomechanics through other mediums like video, sound, generative artwork, and more. Both individual and small group work will be required.
Prerequisite: Intro to Physical Computing Syllabus |
Boxes and Lines for Rods and Cones: Video Programming in Max
| H79.2935.1 Call#19433 |
Thur 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Scott Fitzgerald |
| Building on the skills learned in "Intro to Dataflow Programming" this course will explore the possibilities of real time video compositing and manipulation. Somewhat different from audio and signal manipulation, video control in Jitter is based around matricies. We will discuss how video works in a matrix, issues around optimization of video formats and live feeds, and how to setup patches that are ready for performance and installation. We will also explore some of the related OpenGL and 3D tools. While the "Intro to Dataflow" course used Pd, we will be working with the Jitter package in Max/MSP. The concepts we will be covering can be applied to other dataflow environments, like Quartz Composer and Gridflow for Pd, though it is not as directly applicable as Pd to Max.
The prerequisite for this two point course, which meets the second seven weeks of the semester, is "Intro to Dataflow Programming", which meets the first seven weeks, (or equivalent experience). |
Collective Storytelling
| H79.2706.1 Call#6023 |
Wed 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Marianne Petit |
| This production course is centered around the examination and creation of collective storytelling environments. We survey a wide range of storytelling environments including site-specific works and environments, community-based arts projects, user-generated and participatory environments, and transmedia storytelling. This course requires field trips, weekly assignments, student presentations, and a final project. Syllabus |
Comics
| H79.2925.1 Call#19434 |
Wed 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Tracy White |
| Comics are more than a narrative form they are a communication medium. Using words and images to tell a story is a skill that is applicable to almost everything we do. In this class you will learn the language of traditional comics so you can hone your storytelling ability, and clarity of thought. We will breakdown the sequential narrative process into the techniques necessary to develop a compelling tale and look at how the audience and the medium help to shape the final presentation of our ideas.
Students work on several projects to build up their skills that will
culminate in the creation of a short feature comic written/drawn/programmed
by each student that can be based on a previous assignment. This class does
not teach specific programs or programming rather this class provides an
opportunity for students to thoughtfully and creatively apply their skills
toward specific assignments.
You do not need to be a trained artist to take this class you do need to be
willing to take chances with your work.
This two-point course will meet for the first seven weeks of the semester.
Syllabus |
Computational Cameras
| H79.2546.1 Call#6014 |
Mon 11:00am to 1:55pm |
Daniel O'Sullivan |
| Computers should see. We depend most heavily on light to sense the world. As our experience is increasingly mediated through networked computers, it is not surprising that cameras have become an integral part of them. These camera/computer combinations have become small, cheap and ubiquitous in laptops, cellphones and microcontrollers and have gained coverage of every corner of life. This class looks at the possibilities and the computer software for getting a hold of the signals coming in from these cameras. Unfortunately what is trivial for our vision system is really hard in software. This class attempts to side step these very difficult problem of computer vision by working in fairly contrived environments such as art installations, eye tracking rigs, and ant farms. First the class will cover programming required to process or analyze each pixel of the incoming image for such things as background removal, finding edges, or tracking objects. As a sensor, the video camera is appealing; delivering up to 36 million bytes every second compared to maybe 3 bytes from a keyboard but this volumen of data also presents a nice coding challenge for students. After covering the basics of pixel manipulation, the class will turn to higher level libraries for things like face tracking, multitouch, Wii, Kinect and augmented reality. The course uses Java in the Eclipse environment which is a good next step from the Processing environment. We look at implementing these techniques across platforms, including the desktop, the cellphone and even on a microcontroller. The class requires ICM or similar programming background. Syllabus |
Connected Documentary
| H79.2926.1 Call#19435 |
Thur 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Ben Moskowitz |
| The term "documentary" was coined by John Grierson, father of the documentary film, as the "creative treatment of actuality." Distinct from journalism, documentarians strive to reflect the world through their own creative lens.
The web opens up massive potential for completely new kinds of documentaries: films that constantly update themselves with breaking information, movies that are built and shaped by users, and interactive narratives that let viewers chart their own path.
Web browsers are a great point of convergence for connected documentaries—creators can incorporate things like HTML5, WebGL, social graph and personal information, and open data APIs into their craft, liberating film from the constraints of runtime.
In this course, you'll conceive, shoot, and code a short-form, connected documentary of your own. You don't need to be a filmmaker or a developer, strictly speaking—just creative, bold, and interested in formal innovation.
This two-credit course meets every other week.
|
Constructing Generative Systems
| H79.2534.1 Call#6011 |
Thur 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Todd Holoubek |
| Generative Art
Generative Art creates a process of evolution, where most art imitates life, generative
art has a life of it’s own
Artists, designers, architects have use generative methods for creating many times
without knowing. How is it that we can create something that resonates with the user
on a level that cannot be quantified. It is by providing the work with the means to have
a life of it own. These are the generative methods. Techniques that are subtle, yet have
the greatest effect: simple rules that dictate the shape or function of a work adding to it
an inherent complexity that is both beautiful and intelligent.
In this class we will cover the generative methods and use them as tools for creating.
Syllabus |
Data
| H79.2927.1 Call#19436 |
Wed 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Mark Hansen |
| Far from virtual, inert quantities, data exert real forces in the
physical world -- They are incendiaries wielding the power of
once-secret diplomatic cables, mores initiated with the flip of a
privacy setting, and physical laws shaping urban structures with the
quiet, persistent action of zoning regulations. Data are bribes, calls
to action, and objects of coordination. Data build. Data destroy. Data
renew. Data rarely act in isolation, gaining power through
combination, "join"ing forces and moving into new terrain. Their
presence is thought to guarantee transparency, their absence is seen
as suspicious, and restrictions on their movement appear to be
temporary, at best.
This course will deal in data, its collection, processing and
interpretation. It is not meant to be a study in data visualization,
per se, although we will spend a lot of time looking at data. We will
examine a mix of techniques from the "data arts and sciences,"
crossing, for example, statistics, computer science and media
art. Work for this course might not have a visual component at all,
but could instead represent a new way to organize, search or publish
data. It might be a novel data collection strategy, a joining
mechanism that crosses databases, or even a new statistical model and
formal learning procedure. In short, we will examine the idea of data
as "material" supporiting creative pratices.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent
programming experience. Prior knowledge of statistics or experience
with data analysis is not required. Lessons will emphasize R and
Python.
Note: This two-point class will meet for the last seven weeks of the
semester. |
Data Representation
| H79.2888.1 Call#6049 |
Tues 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Jer Thorpe |
| The world is awash with data. In the last few years, a collision of
technologies has allowed us to record massive amounts of information.
The question that we are faced with now is: How can we make sense of
it? In this course, we explore traditional analysis and
visualization techniques, alongside novel strategies and exploratory
methods. We build tools to navigate through huge data sets, and
will learn how to represent data in visual, audial, and physical form.
Students work in Processing to design and build their own unique
data representation projects.
Syllabus |
Designing Conversational Spaces
| H79.2889.1 Call#6050 |
Mon 11:00am to 1:55pm |
Clay Shirky |
| The Design of Conversational Spaces starts with the observation that conversation is everywhere online, but that its quality ranges from excellent to execrable. The negative end of that scale is astonishingly bad – moronic rants, off-topic rambles, vitriolic attacks. (“dude just stfu nobody watches ur videos just gtfo out of you tube oh no were hurting his little feelings i feel soo bad”.) It's enough to make you wish for the enforced public silence of 20th century media. Yet not all online speech suffers this fate; many sites manage to host not just civil but productive conversations, from the talk pages on Wikipedia to the design conversations on github to political debate on Comment is Free. Programmers have contentious but respectful conversations on StackOverflow and #winprog; crafters on Etsy and Ravelry; mathematicians on Polymath; pop artists on DeviantArt. This class is about the design of environments that support or encourage good conversation. We explore what makes comments on YouTube so bad, and on Ravelry so good, a bundle of differences that includes the scale of the audience, the commitment of the participants to each other and to shared enterprise, and the willingness and ability of the participants police violations. The class is designed to explore three forces that affect online conversation: Forces that set conversational context (scale, homophily, identity) Forces that guide conversations (visual and verbal cues, social rules) Forces that restrict conversations (membership, karma, moderation) These will be your toolkit for thinking about conversational design. The goal of the course is to sketch out a "pattern language" for the kinds of choices designers make when creating conversational or interactive interfaces or tools, and to understand the inevitable tradeoffs involved. Syllabus |
Designing for Digital Fabrication
| H79.2890.1 Call#6051 |
Thur 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Daniel Rozin |
| The ability to digitally fabricate parts and whole pieces directly from our computers or design files used to be an exotic and expensive option not really suitable for student or designer projects, but changes in this field in the past 5 years have brought these capabilities much closer to our means, especially as ITP students. ITP and NYU now offer us access to laser cutting, CNC routing, and 3D stereolithography. In this class we will learn how to design for and operate these machines. Emphasis will be put on designing functional parts that can fit into a larger project or support other components as well as being successful on a conceptual and aesthetic level. In this class we will discover methods to design projects on CAD applications for total control of the result, and we will develop algorithmic ways to create designs from software (Processing) to take advantage of the ability to make parts and projects that are unique, customizable, dependent on external data or random. The class will include 3 assignments to create projects using the three machines (laser, router, 3D) and the opportunity to work on a final project.
Syllabus |
Drawing without Ego
| H79.2406.1 Call#19704 |
Tues 09:30am to 12:00pm |
William Sullivan |
| Drawing is often the beginning of relaying an idea. It constitutes the most intimate form of making and is the testing ground for new thoughts. “Drawing without ego” means letting go of fears of what you think drawing should be, and just letting it happen – feeling comfortable enough to use drawing as an alphabet to build thoughts visually, like language is built from letters. The course encourages the student to experiment and develop a visual idea, more than to create finished work. Assignments include sketching out proposals for new work – storyboarding, etc. – building a visual vocabulary through various forms of improvisation, as well as the more conventional practice of drawing from the model and still life. Students bring their knowledge of interactive telecommunications to drawing and find ways to let drawing enter into their design work. In this introductory drawing class students are urged to draw anything they want, exploring the freedom of expression that comes f
rom playing with one's imagination and memory and creating convincing imagery with or without references. The class will have informal critiques, and will visit galleries to look at contemporary art. Weekly assignments are required.
This two-credit course will meet the last seven weeks of the semester. Syllabus |
Dynamic Web Development
| H79.2296.1 Call#5997 |
Tues 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
John Schimmel |
| If you ever had a need to collect information from users on the web or use external data in your project, understanding web development will make your life much easier. The class will explore interaction between server-side and client-side of web development using JavaScript. On the client-side, we will cover traditional JavaScript and the jQuery library to manipulate browser content, create and trigger page events and make AJAX data requests. Developing with NodeJS on the server-side, we will explore receiving input from a user then querying and saving that data to a database, and finally, returning the appropriate content to the client, i.e. HTML or JSON. The websites we use today are rarely on a single database, we will focus on consuming data APIs from websites like Foursquare (for location information), Facebook (for social graph) and Twilio (for SMS and telephony). Going further, we will create custom data APIs for use at ITP and open to the public. Students must have prior HTML & CSS experience or be willing to learn it outside of class. Introduction to Computational Media or prior object oriented programming knowledge is required. |
From Pixels to Polygons: Coding 3D Worlds
| H79.2928.1 Call#19438 |
Tues 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
James George |
| This course introduces programming 3D geometry to create images interaction between physical and virtual space. We'll learn how to generate geometry with code, import and control animated models, shader and lighting design, interfacing with hardware and networks, and projection mapping onto physical objects. Emphasis will be placed on the narrative potential of imagining virtual environments and their interaction with physical space. The course will be taught in Unity3d, a powerful, free and industry-standard game production environment. All coding will be done in Javascript.
This two-point course will meet in the first seven weeks of the semester.
Syllabus |
Games and Play in Education
| EDCT-GE 2500.1 |
Thur 6:45pm to 9:00pm |
Frank Migliorelli |
| Introduces theories of learning, learning through play, & the role of technology in education. Students will encounter a wide variety of game genres through critiquing & playtesting current & historic video games. Students will do preliminary game design with history, theory, learning outcomes & learner characteristics in mind. This special edition of this course will focus on designing playful learning exhibits for the New York Hall of Science and is jointly offered by ITP and the Digital Media Design for Learning Program. Introduces theories of learning, learning through play, & the role of technology in education. The course will be co-taught by Frank Migliorelli, ITP alum and DMDL adjunct faculty, and Dr. David Kanter, Director of the Sara Lee Schupf Family Center for Play, Science, and Technology Learning at the New York Hall of Science.
ITP students who wish to take the course for 4 units should contact the Steinhardt School Educational Communication and Technology (EDCT) program at ectdmdl@nyu.edu to add a 1 point independent study (EDCT-GE 2300 section 4).
|
Giant Stories/Tiny Screens
| H79.2830.1 Call#6038 |
Tues 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Daniel Liss |
| What kinds of video narratives does the Internet allow or encourage? How does the intimacy of millions of viewers sitting alone at home change the possibilities for public story-telling? What thrives? What fails? And why? And maybe most importantly: what kinds of stories get told, when the financial pressure of needing a vast audience is removed? We explore existing work (including talks with some of the leading makers in the field) and create our own - with a goal of challenging traditional media and crafting the kinds of stories we ourselves would like to see. Part production (a brief overview of camera/editing technique) part studio, this class explores the ways technology can enhance and inspire the creative act. Prerequisite: H79.2004 Communications Lab or equivalent Syllabus |
HTML5
| H79.2892.1 Call#6053 |
Tues 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Daniel Kantor |
| HTML5, the next generation of the web's programming language, will transform the web from a document-based medium to a fully interactive one. This course will cover everything from the new HTML elements available to new Javascript APIs, as well as new ways to style and display content using CSS3, Canvas and SVG. Each week we will cover a new set of APIs with weekly assignments set to reinforce the concepts learned in class. Later in the semester, we will cover building for the mobile web as well as building browser extensions. Students are encouraged to iteratively build towards a midterm and final project of their choosing. Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent programming experience is required. Students are also expected to have fluency in HTML with prior experience in Javascript and CSS.
Syllabus |
Interpretive Exhibition Design: Creating Experience in the Museum Space
| H79.2894.1 Call#6055 |
Thur 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
David Harvey |
| Interpretive Exhibition Design is the creative process by which spaces become designed environments in which the visitor is engaged in an orchestrated experience—one which inherently and explicitly imparts meaning and perspective, engages the emotions, may offer contemplation, encourage curiosity and afford discovery and learning. The creation of exhibition experiences in the museum, and alternative spaces, is a growing and fascinating field; one which increasingly draws upon new interactive technologies, and seeks to encourage social dynamics.
Understanding the interpretive role of design as a mediator between content and the audience, is helpful in both planning and deciphering underlying messaging and values embedded in any exhibition experience. The interpretive exhibition design process is important in developing a deeper appreciation for and understanding of expression in art, science and the natural world, time and history, society and of ourselves.
This course is a hands-on introduction to this kind of exhibit design: the interpretive process of creating experience in the museum space. Professionals from a range of institutions will come to the class to speak or take us on field trips in their institutions to expose the class to a range of experiences within their exhibition environments; relating how and why they are conceived and created. We will take a critical look at how effectively they realized their design intent and imagine other alternative possibilities.
The class will form an understanding of the range of the museum-based exhibition experiences, and a deeper understanding of the underlying interpretive exhibition design process. We will bracket this range of experience design with a visit to a commercial exhibition venue and a commercial art gallery. Students will keep a diary of their experiences and observations, and notes on the design process based on each visit, and this will be used as a basis for a midterm presentation. For the final project—deconstructing an exhibition experience— an exhibition will be chosen as a case study, giving consideration to all the design elements and their role in creating a potentially powerful and unique experience in the museum space. Students will present to a group of guest museum professionals at the American Museum of Natural History
Syllabus |
Intro to Dataflow Programming
| H79.2929.1 Call#19439 |
Tues 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Hans Steiner |
| Graphical dataflow programming languages like the Max family (Pd, Max/MSP, jMax, etc.) provide an intuitive approach to media programming and manipulation. This paradigm is based on mapping out the flow of the data, which more closely mirrors the experience of realtime media. This course introduces dataflow programming in Pure Data aka Pd: it starts with the basics of the language itself, core control structures and math, storing data and getting it in and out, working with various media formats, and ends with how to organize large projects. The Max paradigm is compared to text-based languages like Processing to develop an idea of their differences and similarities, as well as respective strengths and weaknesses. This course is structured around learning by doing, so students have regular assignments to explore the ideas covered in class, as well as a small final project. This course uses Pd, but it covers core concepts of the Max family, so the knowledge is directly applicable to Max/MSP. This two point course which runs the first seven weeks is designed to be paired with either "Programmatic Audio" or "Boxes And Lines For Rods And Cones", both offered in the second seven weeks of the semester
This two-point course will meet for the first seven weeks of the semester. Syllabus |
Making Pop-Up Books
| H79.2884.1 Call#6044 |
Wed 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Marianne Petit |
| This two-point workshop covers the basics of paper engineering techniques (including folds (symmetrical, asymmetrical, parallel and angle), generations, floating layers, V cuts, dials, and pull tabs) to make designs that pop that can be incorporated into your other work. Weekly assignments and a final project.
This two point course will meet for the first seven weeks of the semester. Syllabus |
Mobile Web
| H79.2938.1 Call#19691 |
Thur 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Sean Montgomery |
| The miracle of mobile computing has arrived. Exceedingly powerful computers, seamlessly networked and with a variety of in-built sensors... all right in your pocket.
This course will be a fast-paced, project-focused course to learn mobile programming in 7 weeks. We'll use the cross-platform compatible, html/javascript-based PhoneGap libraries to program Android phones. While the course will exclusively use Android as an example platform, the skills acquired will be broadly transferable to other platforms, including iOS.
Topics will include:
Using HTML / CSS / Javascript to write apps
Accessing device events and notifications
Monitoring built-in sensors (accelerometer, GPS, compass)
Local file storage
Media capture and playback
Extending PhoneGap with plugins (SMS, Bluetooth, etc.)
Students will complete weekly exercises and a final project of their devising. Bring your computer and your Android phone if you have one. A limited supply of Android handsets will be available for students to work with. This two point course will meet in the first seven weeks of the semester. Syllabus |
Political Uses of Social Media
| H79.2930.1 Call#19440 |
Fri 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Clay Shirky |
| The relationship between politics and media has always been complex --
the rise of newspapers accompanied the rise of democracy; radio and TV
have always been tools of propaganda, and so on. This course asks the
question "What difference does it make that citizens have access to
social media?", which is to say media tools that let them synchronize
their opinions, coordinate their actions, and document the results.
Though there will be background readings in the relationship between
media and politics (Habermas, Rossanvallon, Galloway), most of the
course will focus on discussions of political events of the last
decade where the insurgents (and, increasingly, the governments) used
social media to attempt to alter the outcome. These will include the
ouster of Estrada in the Philippines, the Belarussian 'flash mob'
protests, the South Korean 'Mad Cow' protests, the Tea Party, the Arab
Spring, and the Occupy movement.
There will be weekly readings on the topic of political uses of social
media, and a mid-term and final paper. You will also work in groups
to observe and discuss the operations of a contemporary group seeking
political change, and using these tools. |
Programmatic Audio
| H79.2931.1 Call#19441 |
Tues 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Hans Steiner |
| Digital audio has a vast array of possibilities far beyond music playback. Data sonification reinforces visualization. Processing sound can give you data like a sensor. Foley sounds to make a video sound alive. A soundtrack generated from the same data as the video tightly links the two. Extract data from music and make algorithmic responses. Realtime digital audio processing lets you synthesize a huge array of sounds, create your own sampler, and build your own musical instrument. All completely open ended, you define how it works. Sound provides an alternate channel of communication to other sense, with its own strengths and weaknesses. Humans are able to hear minute differences in time, its the most time sensitive sense. Huge amounts of audio processing happen in the background of our brains, we will hear our name mentioned in a crowded room with no effort. This class will introduce how sound works in the computer, our brain, and the physical world. In parallel, it will introduce how to shape, analyze and control sound. The aim is to provide a basic knowledge of principles and practices of digital audio from a creative perspective. While digital audio involves heavy math, this course presents a working knowledge over the normal detailed math approach to digital signal processing for audio. Pd has its roots in realtime audio programming and that is the core of the class. You will end up with a launching point for further learning, especially in interactive, non-narrative sound. The final project is an interactive or generated piece that uses or makes sound. This course uses Pd, but much of this knowledge is applicable to Max/MSP as well. The prerequisite for this 2 point course, which meets the second seven weeks of the semester, is the two-point course "Intro to Dataflow Programming", which meets in the first seven weeks, (or equivalent experience).
This two-point course meets for the second seven weeks of the semester. |
Project Development Studio (Danny Rozin)
| H79.2564.1 Call#19322 |
Wed 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Daniel Rozin |
| This is an environment for students to work on their existing project ideas that may fall outside the topic areas of existing classes. It is basically like an independent study with more structure and the opportunity for peer learning. This particular studio is appropriate for projects in the area of interactive art, programing, physical computing and digital fabrication. There are required weekly meetings to share project development and obtain critique. Students must devise and then complete their own weekly assignments updating the class wiki regularly. They also must present to the class every few weeks. When topics of general interest emerge, a member of the class or the instructor takes class time to cover them in depth. The rest of the meeting time is spent in breakout sessions with students working individually or in groups of students working on related projects. |
Project Development Studio (Marina Zurkow)
| H79.2742.1 Call#6027 |
Wed 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Marina Zurkow |
| This is a workshop for students to develop an existing project idea. It is a combination of self-directed study, with the structure of a class and an opportunity for peer learning. This particular studio is appropriate for projects in the areas of installation art with a focus on the moving image, non-linear or multi-channel video and animation, and site-specific projects. Each class time is a chance to work on your project, share project development and critique. Students devise and then complete their own weekly assignments updating the class wiki regularly. They also present to the class every few weeks. Topics of shared interest are presented by a member of the class, or by the instructor. The rest of the meeting time is spent in breakout sessions with students working individually or in groups of students working on related projects. Syllabus |
Reading and Writing Electronic Text
| H79.2778.1 Call#6032 |
Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Adam Parrish |
| This course introduces the Python programming language as a tool for
reading and writing digital text. This course is specifically geared
to serve as a general-purpose introduction to programming in Python,
but will be of special interest to students interested in poetics,
language, creative writing and text analysis. Weekly programming
exercises work toward a midterm project and culminate in a final
project. Poetics topics covered include: character encodings (and other
technical issues); cut-up and re-mixed texts; the algorithmic nature
of poetic form (proposing poetic forms, generating text that conforms
to poetic forms); transcoding/transcription (from/to text); generative
algorithms: n-gram analysis, context-free grammars; performing digital
writing. Programming topics covered include: object-oriented
programming; functional programming (list comprehensions, recursion);
getting data from the web; displaying data on the web; parsing data
formats (e.g., markup languages); and text visualization with Processing.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent programming
experience.
Syllabus |
Recurring Concepts in Art
| H79.2586.1 Call#19331 |
Wed 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Georgia Krantz |
| As a response to developing technologies, artists working in areas of new/digital media are continually inventing new concepts for self-expression - interactivity, the passage of time and resolution, just to name a few. Yet these concepts are new only in the sense that they are being adapted to new media. For example, the notion of interactivity, frequently observed as original and specific to the user-interaction component of computer-mediated works, was equally, if differently, specific to Gianlorenzo Bernini's 17th-century Baroque sculpture and architecture. Indeed the very concept of new media, and the concomitant implication of critically significant artistic development, applies throughout history. Oil revolutionized painting in the Renaissance, as did house-paint (on canvas) in the 1950s; in the 1910s, the found object indelibly altered definitions of art, the importance of the object being subsumed by that of the concept in the 1960s. This course examines how artists working before the boom of digital technology utilized other media, techniques and approaches to effect formal, conceptual and experiential dynamics comparable to those being investigated by new media artists today. The objective of the course is to provide students with not only knowledge of the immensely rich history of artistic creativity, but also a platform through which that knowledge might be utilized to reconsider new media strategies of artistic expression. It is the goal that through observation, discussion, reading and projects (both written and hands-on), students acquire mental tools to approach their own work with an expanded understanding of artistic possibility. Organized thematically, each class focuses on a different concept derived from the field of new media production and examined with regard to artistic precedents. The course focus primarily, though not exclusively, is on 20th/21st-century art. It is conducted as a combination lecture/discussion class. Critical theory is incorporated into the readings and discussions, but this is not strictly a theory course. The course has been conceptualized and designed to enhance understanding through a variety of means, from basic observation, to exploratory conversations, to more rigorous thinking informed by lectures, readings and focused discussions. Syllabus |
Redial: Interactive Telephony
| H79.2574.1 Call#6019 |
Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Christopher Kairalla |
| New technologies, such as Voice over IP, and open source telephony applications, such as Asterisk, have opened the door for the development of interactive applications that use telephony for it's traditional purpose -- voice communications. This course explores the use of the telephone in interactive art, performance, social networking, and multimedia applications. Asterisk and low cost VoIP service are used to develop applications that can work over both telephone networks and the internet. Topics include: history of telephony, plain old telephone service (POTS), voice over IP (VoIP), interactive voice response systems (IVR), audio user interfaces, voice messaging systems (voicemail), text to speech and speech recognition, phreaking (telephone hacking), VoiceXML, conferencing and more. This course involves programming with PHP, Perl or Java. Some proficiency with one of those languages is required.
Syllabus |
Research Studio: Algorithms
| H79.2932.1 Call#19442 |
Thur 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Heather Dewey-Hagborg |
| Research Studio: Algorithms
In this research-based studio class students will choose an advanced computational topic to explore in depth. Work will be self-directed and monitored by weekly writing and bi-weekly class presentations with extensive feedback sessions. Students will be expected to exhibit a high degree of motivation in choosing and pursuing their research topic.
Students will choose a narrowly defined topic within their chosen subject area to research in depth, implementing examples in code, explaining the fundamentals in class and summarizing relevant research papers.
Sample research topics include:
"the use of Hopfield neural networks for image recognition"
"evolving self organized maps"
"simulating realistic plantlike growth"
"the use of grammar in machine generated text".
Students will begin by preparing a broad survey and literature review of their chosen subject. They will then craft plans for how to accomplish specific goals in the semester timeframe, culminating in final project presentations which will include implementations in code for demonstration.
This class is platform independent but requires advanced knowledge of one or more programming languages.
Students should come to the first day of class with a research topic in mind. Research topics may or may not be tied to specific student projects like thesis.
Semester overview:
week 1. introduction, students present and discuss their research topics and current knowledge
overview of research methods and resources at NYU
week 2. literature reviews for chosen topics due
students present surveys of what they have discovered and discuss plans for how to attack their research project
in class time for developing timelines with concrete goals and discussing
week 3-12 biweekly student presentations of their progress (1/2 of the class each week)
feedback and discussion with the class
workshop time in class
each week blog posts documenting progress will be due
week 13. 1/2 students present final projects
week 14. 1/2 students present final projects
students hand in final papers Syllabus |
Sculpting Data into Everyday Objects
| H79.2933.1 Call#19444 |
Tues 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Esther Cheung |
| This course challenges students to combine Processing, Rhino 3D modeling and digital fabrication towards making an everyday data object. Some examples of everyday data objects might include: an ashtray shaped from lung-cancer statistics, a drinking glass based on clean water depletion, a lipstick case showing the growing number of women in parliament. While the first half of the course will focus on creating 3D data visualizations in Processing and Rhino 3D modeling, the second half will concentrate on integrating Processing and Rhino, as well as fabrication using the laser-cutter and 3D printer. |
Sensor Workshop
| H79.2522.1 Call#19332 |
Wed 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Thomas Igoe |
| Good physical interaction design relies on listening to physical action well. In this class, students will focus on the input side of physical computing by researching various sensors and sensing methods and developing examples for their use. Conceptually, this class sits in between the physical interaction design focus of Intro to Physical Computing, and the electronics focus of Analog Circuits.
Topics include:
- how to interface sensors to digital systems
- calibration
- how to convert the electrical output of a sensor into the terms of the energy it senses
- computational techniques for interpreting a sensor's datastream
- datalogging techniques
- environmental sensing
The class will assemble a library of sensor applications for interactive applications, and apply this research to applications in their classes at ITP.
There will be a number of one-week exercises that students will complete to demonstrate sensor techniques discussed in class. In addition, students will be responsible for a major sensor research project in which they will explain the operating principles of a given sensor and present a working example of the sensor in use. These research projects will be presented throughout the second half of the semester, and collected into an online reference site. There is no final application project, but students will be evaluated on the application of their research (or that of other students) in production projects developed for other classes.
Syllabus |
Spatial Media
| H79.2756.2 Call#19696 |
Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Jared Schiffman |
| H79.2756.1 Call#6030 |
Thur 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Jared Schiffman |
| Spatial Media explores the design issues that arise and technical complexities involved in the creation of interactive surfaces. This course takes as a premise that all architectural surfaces (tables, floors, walls, sidewalks, mirrors, etc) are potential dynamic displays. Students are then asked to conceptualize and design interfaces around such interactive platforms, taking into account the spatial and social context of the surface itself. Technical topics include display integration techniques, vision-based sensing and interface programming. Students work in pairs to complete two large projects over the course of the semester. Previous student projects include a reactive bathroom mirror, a musical train station bench and an interactive concierge desk. Projects are evaluated on both the quality of the design and the success of implementation. Additionally, there are weekly assignments that challenge students to consider a wide variety of spaces that are ripe for transformation through the integration of interactive media. Since this class involves programming on an intermediate level, a working knowledge of Processing or C is a prerequisite. This course will require a significant amount of time and effort on the part of all students. Syllabus |
Sustainable Energy
| H79.2466.1 Call#6006 |
Mon 11:00am to 1:55pm |
Jeffrey Feddersen |
| This class examines technology from the perspective of energy sources
and power flows. The course begins with a broad overview of the topic,
a definition of terms, and an opportunity to discuss political and
social ramifications. At the same time, students are introduced to a
handful of technical concepts that draw on skills learned in physical
computing (a prerequisite for the course) to gain a concrete
understanding of energy. These skills allow the student to evaluate,
monitor, harvest, and store small and/or intermittent sources of
(typically electrical) energy, such as those from solar cells,
turbines, and other sources. Students execute several small hands-on
projects and one larger-scale project using the concepts learned in
theclass. Syllabus |
The Da Vinci Code
| H79.2934.1 Call#19446 |
Wed 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Yael Karanek |
| What’s between Leonardo Da Vinci and code? In this seminar-studio course we tap into the polymath mind of the genius artist-engineer. His 7000 pages organized in codices serve as a creative framework for surveying contemporary digital art. We will built the syllabus collaboratively mining topics from Da Vinci's notebooks. We’ll compare the universe Da Vinci lived in with the universe we live in to consider a deeper insight into how the technologies we develop change how we know and experience the world.
As an "unlearnt” man, Da Vinci’s ravenous interests grew out of methods of observation, experimentation and invention. As we review digital art practices in the areas of his study and inventions warfare, flight, anatomy, robotic, geometry, architecture, painting and more, we will focus on exercising our own capacity to invent. Every week we will conceive a new object or approach, from the practical to the outrageous. These inventions will be drawn in the style of Da Vinci’s manuscripts.
Syllabus |
The Nature of Code
| H79.2480.1 Call#6008 |
Tues 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Daniel Shiffman |
| H79.2480.2 Call#6009 |
Wed 12:30pm to 3:00pm |
Daniel Shiffman |
| Can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? Can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world world help us to create digital worlds? This class focuses on the programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems. We explore topics ranging from basic mathematics and physics concepts to more advanced simulations of complex systems. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms. Examples are demonstrated using the Processing (http://www.processing.org) environment with a focus on object oriented programming.
Prerequisite: H79.2233 Introduction to Computational Media or equivalent programming experience.
Syllabus |
Thesis
| H79.2102.8 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Nancy Hechinger |
| H79.2102.3 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Kathleen Wilson |
| H79.2102.6 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Nancy Hechinger |
| H79.2102.5 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Despina Papadopoulos |
| H79.2102.4 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Katherine Dillon |
| H79.2102.2 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Heather Greer |
| H79.2102.9 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Kathleen Wilson |
| H79.2102.7 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Heather Greer |
| H79.2102.10 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Katherine Dillon |
| H79.2102.1 |
Mon 3:00pm to 9:00pm |
Despina Papadopoulos |
| This course is designed to help students define and execute their final thesis project in a setting that is both collegial and critical. It is structured as a series of critique and presentation sessions in which various aspects of individual projects are discussed: the project concept, the elaboration, the presentation, the process and time-table, the resources needed to accomplish it, and the documentation. Critique sessions are e a combination of internal sessions (i.e., the class only) and reviews by external guest critics. Students are expected to complete a fully articulated thesis project description and related documentation. Final project prototypes are displayed both on the web and in a public showcase either in May or the following semester.
|
User Experience Design
| H79.2275.1 Call#19353 |
Thur 3:30pm to 6:00pm |
Katherine Dillon |
| This class will focus on how to create interfaces that get people to take the action you intended them to take and how to make that interaction a compelling experience.
We will look at a wide range of examples of interaction design and explore different approaches to solving user experience problems across a number of platforms.
The class format will include lecture, student presentations, class discussion and in-class design exercises and some guest lectures. The class will be very hands-on with assignments each week that focus on a particular aspect of user experience design including research, wireframing, prototyping and visual design. Assignments will include research for a wayfinding system, the wireframing of a mobile app, the wireframing, prototyping and content mapping of an information-based website and the design of an interactive object.
Students will be active participants in the class and all assignments will be discussed and reviewed in class. Students should come to every class with a computer and sketchbook.
Syllabus |
Video Sculpture
| H79.2722.1 Call#6024 |
Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Gabe Barcia-Colombo |
| Video is the new marble. In this class we breathe new life into video as a medium for creating engaging interactive physical sculpture. Video is no longer a flat screen based medium. How do we create video sculptures that move, emote and react to our presence? The course takes video off the screen and into the world of three-dimensional space in the form of site-specific and or physical installations. Through a series of weekly experiments and assignments, students work with projection, tiny LCD screens, physical sensors and interactive software to hack video into interactive sculptures in the tradition of Nam Jun Paik, Tony Oursler and Camille Utterback. Class is divided between lectures, guest speakers and critical discussion/presentation of work. Previous knowledge of video production / editing is not required, but a mad scientist-like lust to bring video to life is highly encouraged.
Syllabus |
When Strangers Meet
| H79.2762.1 Call#6031 |
Tues 6:30pm to 9:00pm |
Kio Stark |
| Even the simplest exchange among strangers can contain a tangled accumulation of meanings: what transpires may have physical, emotional, social, political, technological and historical dimensions. This class takes an analytical approach to unraveling and understanding these charged moments. In the process of the studying how and why strangers interact in public, we address some of the abiding themes at ITP—urban behavior, spontaneous interaction, the pleasure of the unexpected, how technology can mediate and/or enable human experience—and we make a close and thorough examination of how they play out in this narrow slice of human experience. This approach is designed to bring students to a more concrete understanding of these larger abstract ideas. Classwork consists of readings, class discussions, field assignments (a series of assigned interactions with strangers that the students will document and discuss) and an analytical final paper. Students learn how the interactions of strangers have changed historically (and why), what the experience of interaction with strangers means to the participants, how strangers 'read' each other, how they initiate interactions, how they avoid interactions, how they trust each other and how they fool each other. Readings range from seminal works on urban sociology and public behavior (Georg Simmel, Stanley Milgram, Erving Goffman, Jane Jacobs, William H. Whyte, Elijah Anderson) to more lyrical examinations of strangers in cities (Tim Etchells, Italo Calvino, Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin, Edgar Allan Poe) to recent neuropsychiatric discoveries about trust, mimicry, and flash judgments. Because stranger interactions are at heart a means to interrupt the expected narrative of the everyday, we consider the works of artists and thinkers who show how such disruption, surprise, spontaneity, and play are fundamental to the pleasure and substance of urban life, for example: the Situationists and their descendents, Sophie Calle, Marina Abramovic, Francis Alys, Graffiti Research Lab, Robert Rauschenberg, Survival Research Labs. We also explore recent art/technology projects that specifically engage strangers, such as Familiar Strangers, the Listening Station, PostSecret, Oddible, Loca: Set to Discoverable, Following/the Man in the Crowd, Mobile Feelings, and others.
Syllabus |
Wildlife Observation Tools: Interaction in the Wild
| H79.2824.1 Call#6035 |
Wed 09:30am to 12:00pm |
Thomas Igoe |
| Wildlife tracking and observation presents a number of technological challenges.These challenges are related to common interaction design problems with humans, so understanding and mastering them is valuable experience for interaction designers. For zoologists, anthropologists, and veterinary researchers, understanding the technologies behind their tracking equipment, and the methods that technology designers use to develop these tools can benefit their research.
The goal of this class is to give students an introduction to the technological challenges associated with observing and tracking wildlife in remote environments. As a focal case study, students are presented with the practical problems faced by professorAnthony Di Fiore's primate research group, which is involved in studying several nonhuman primate species in the Amazon region of Ecuador. Students will discuss the research group's workflow, survey the state of the art in animal tracking, and work in groups to develop interactive prototypes to address one or more specific challenges facing tropical wildlife biologists.
In order to realize the goals of this class, students will be introduced to current tracking tools and remote observation tools, including radiocollars, camera traps, GPS receivers and other emerging technologies. This semester, we will place a greater focus on radio communications and tracking technologies and on understanding mapping technologies, to help focus projects on tracking applications. This class is part introduction and part interaction design lab with real-world end users. The goal is not only to understand the challenges, but to help develop solutions that could be used in the field in Ecuador and other places. Syllabus |
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