Category Archives: IMA Electives (Legacy Structure – Art & Design)

Courses that count in IMA’s Art and Design category

Art and the Anthropocene: Material-Based Activism (INTM-SHU 141)

This course will focus on Eco-Materialism (circular design principles — reuse, recycle, renew & rethink) and emergent practices based on principles of Gaia theory, symbiosis, and other systems-centered theories in conjunction with some of the origins, influences, theories, processes, and manifestations of art installation. We will read, watch, and discuss perspectives on Eco-Materialism genres and installation art written/created by artists, curators, art historians, and critics and view work by eco artists and installation artists. Students will create their own installations and writing, experiment with diverse biomaterials, and learn and combine craftsmanship and digital techniques to explore and create their own materials. Do-It-Yourself activism and Critical-Making will enable students to participate in new modes of civic engagement. Moreover, the course will motivate them to remain independent from pre-determined structures, assuming active roles in the art making rather than passive consumers. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: IMA elective; IMB IMA/IMB elective, Visual Arts elective.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)


INTM-SHU 141-000 (3197)09/02/2024 – 12/13/2024 Wed2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Early afternoon)at ShanghaiInstructed by Godoy, Marcela · Lin, Monika

Advanced Lab: Mixed Reality and Cultural Heritage (INTM-SHU 308)

This course offers an experience with the intersection of technology and culture through collaborative teaching offered by faculty from Interactive Media Arts (IMA) and Global China Studies(GCS). Throughout the semester, students will dive into the world of Mixed Reality (MR) design, mastering space scanning technology, documenting historical sites, and conducting in-depth historical research. Students will use Unity, a cross-platform game engine, to craft immersive MR experiences that bring historical narratives to life. What sets this course apart is the real-world testing component, where students will refine their designs at actual historical sites. By the end, students will produce a digital immersive time-travel architecture, creating MR experiences that bring cultural heritage to life for modern audiences. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above. Fulfillment: IMA Advanced Elective; IMB IMA/IMB elective; GCS Elective: Media, Arts, and Literature.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)


INTM-SHU 308-000 (5223)09/02/2024 – 12/13/2024 Tue2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Early afternoon)at ShanghaiInstructed by Zhang, Xingchen · Zuo, Lala

Topics in IMA: (INTM-SHU 200)

Topics in Interactive Media Arts courses are courses within the broader field of emerging media, covering a wide range of topics depending on the expertise of the current course instructor. This course will cover a specific emerging media topic from a practical and/or theoretical perspective. Students will learn about the topic from readings, discussions, and writings, as well as through hands-on assignments and projects. Students can enroll in multiple “Topics in IMA” courses simultaneously in one semester and receive full credits for each course. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: IMA elective; IMB IMA/IMB elective.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2024)


INTM-SHU 200-000 (5213)09/02/2024 – 12/13/2024 Tue,Thu9:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Morning)at ShanghaiInstructed by Brumley, John Thomas


INTM-SHU 200-000 (5214)09/02/2024 – 12/13/2024 Tue,Thu11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at ShanghaiInstructed by Suss, Solveig Sarah


INTM-SHU 200-000 (5215)09/02/2024 – 12/13/2024 Tue,Thu6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)at ShanghaiInstructed by Tripaldi, Laura

Innovations in Arts Publications (ARTS-UG 1655)

The ever-inventive world of arts publications encompasses a dazzling range of subjects, mediums, materials, and methods: from ancient illuminated manuscripts, political manifestos, and one-of-a-kind artists books to high-end glossies, handmade zines, posters and print multiples to the infinite possibilities of the digital realm. This workshop will introduce and explore many of these forms through guest lecturers, field trips to specialized collections and museums, directed readings, and hands-on work, which will culminate in final group and individual projects. Readings may include Posters: A Global History; Action Time Vision; and Design: the Invention of Desire.

Arts Workshops (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


ARTS-UG 1655-000 (9415)09/02/2025 – 12/11/2025 Mon2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Friedman, Lise

Images (PHIL-UH 2416)

Images depict, words describe. A picture of the cat of the mat depicts the cat as being on the mat. The sentence ’the cat is on the mat’ describes the cat as being on the mat. Both represent the world as being in a certain state, but they do so in different ways. What is the difference in these ways of representing? What does it take for an image to depict? This course covers most major theories of depiction, including resemblance, experience, recognition, pretense, and structural theories. We then expand the scope of inquiry to include topics such as systems of depiction, analog vs. digital representation, maps, film, comics, maps, mental imagery, and relations to the cognitive science of vision.

Philosophy (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 16 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)


PHIL-UH 2416-000 (5805)01/22/2024 – 05/10/2024 Tue,Thu11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Abu DhabiInstructed by Rabin, Gabriel

User Experience Design (ITPG-GT 3017)

“This 2-pt course aims to provide students with the critical thinking and practical skills for creating effective and compelling interfaces. We will dissect what a compelling user experience is, apply proven research techniques for approaching and defining UX problems and apply design frameworks including mapping and testing techniques. The class format will include lectures, discussion, in-class design exercises and a final project. Week 1: what is UX Week 2: inclusive research methods Week 3: frameworks for defining a problem Week 4: understanding behavior and motivation Week 5: mapping flow and visual strategies, final project intro Week 6: testing methods and future UX Week 7: final projects”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


ITPG-GT 3017-000 (11383)09/05/2025 – 10/17/2025 Fri12:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Su, Peiqi

Low-fi/High-impact (ITPG-GT 3012)

Lo-fi/High-impact is a hands-on workshop for learning rapid response prototyping and distribution techniques. We’ll look at examples of zine makers and artist and activist collectives, like the Guerrilla Girls, Dysturb, and the Illuminator, who create campaigns and interventions with purposeful urgency, and then flex our own creative muscles for getting ideas out of our heads and into our hands. Leveraging materials within reach, we’ll explore three paper-based methods of production: foldable books, enclosures, and wheatpasting. Using the cameo table-top cutting machines, the color and B&W printers on the floor, and materials sourced from our recycling bins, students will have the opportunity to try various techniques and have guided studio time to develop their own creative application/s for what they’ve learned. We will move quickly and get a little messy, and the outcomes will be reflective of the process!

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)


ITPG-GT 3012-000 (21872)

Electronic Rituals, Oracles and Fortune-Telling (IMNY-UT 289)

According to anthropologists Filip de Boeck and René Devisch, divination “constitutes a space in which cognitive structures are transformed and new relations are generated in and between the human body, the social body and the cosmos.” In this class, students will learn the history of divination, engage in the practice of divination, and speculate on what forms divination might take in a world where the human body, the social body, and even the cosmos(!) are digitally mediated. Starting with an understanding of ritual and folk culture, we will track the history of fortune-telling from the casting of lots to computer-generated randomness to the contemporary revival of Tarot; from reading entrails to astrology to data science; from glossolalia to surrealist writing practices to the “ghost in the machine” of artificial intelligence. Weekly readings and assignments culminate in a final project.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


IMNY-UT 289-000 (21942)09/07/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Parrish, Allison

Animation: Methods of Motion (IMNY-UT 288)

This course explores the fundamentals of storytelling through animation and takes students from traditional animation techniques to contemporary forms. In the first part of the course, students will focus on traditional animation, from script to storyboard through stop motion and character-based animation. The course then examines opportunities afforded by new technologies, such as interactivity, projection mapping and game engines. Drawing skills are not necessary for this course, however students will keep a personal sketchbook.

Undergraduate

Modern Artifacts: Interactive Public Art for the People (ITPG-GT 3005)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu

In an era of remote everything, how can we create artwork that brings us back together IRL? This course explores our connection to physical objects within the context of community. How can sculpture, installation, immersive, and public art nurture our neighborhoods via collaboration, play, ritual, self-expression, and awe? Students will work collaboratively to radically imagine bold, sculptural, immersive works using innovative and lo-if techniques integrated with technology. Hands-on workshops include experiments creating found sculptures, AR prototypes, projection mapping, real-time interactive multimedia content, and more. We’ll reference ancient monuments, sacred objects, NYC relics, street art and contemporary works to envision new artifacts that create awareness by reflecting the needs of our communities. Prerequisite: Comm Lab: Hypercinema About Ali Santana: http://www.alisantana.com/bio

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Blockchain Aesthetics (ITPG-GT 2360)

This1-pt course examines the evolving paradigm of “Blockchain Aesthetics” using an interdisciplinary Art History and Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspective. Students will learn and discuss the dominant methods, concepts, and strategies of applied blockchain technology in contemporary digital art, and together attempt to analyze and theorize the potential affordances and harms of this new artistic medium as it intervenes in established visual art institutions and communities (e.g., from museums and galleries to auction houses, social media and the decentralized web). The class will also look backwards in history to situate “Blockchain Aesthetics,” and the wide artistic realm of “Crypto Art,” in a broad cultural and technological history beyond NFTs, highlighting how ideas around cryptography, contracts, reproducibility, decentralization, scarcity and financialization developed in modern and contemporary art. Approaching the blockchain as a novel artistic tool and a technology of power, this course considers recent aesthetic evaluations of Crypto Art against its sociopolitical, infrastructural, and ecological impact, centering its contested potential for—and negation of—equity.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 16 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 2360-000 (22318)

Biophilic Experiences – activating our sensory relationship to nature (ITPG-GT 2361)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Fri

As the scale of human impact on global climate and ecosystems deepens, we see the need to alter our trajectory, to be more inclusive of other species in our imagining of the future. This class sets out to investigate the relationships we humans have with nature and non-human animals, to dive deep into the meaning and utility of being in relationship, and ultimately to translate these ideas into tangible, multimedia experiences that expose a larger audience to a multi-species worldview. This class sits at the intersection of art, science, and technology. It combines studio practice and research with example case studies and critical texts. Together, we will meet artists, designers and scientists who build multispecies futures through urban ecology, biology, and public art. This class is for students who are eager to develop XD (experience design) and storytelling skills. The course follows a research-driven process that results in a design proposal and proof-of-concept that can be pitched to a public arts org. Keywords: bioArt, interactive installations, experience design, research, eco-activism

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Web Art as Site (ITPG-GT 2094)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue

WEB ART AS SITE addresses the history and practice of art made for and inseparable from the web, while teaching basic coding for the web. We explore key examples of web art from the early days of the internet through today, asking questions about this idiosyncratic artistic medium like: How do different forms of interaction characterize the viewer and/or the artist? What happens to our reading practice when text is animated or animates? How is an internet-native work encountered, and how does the path we take to reach it affect our reading? Who is able to see a work of web art, and what does access/privilege look like in this landscape? How are differently-abled people considered in a web artwork? What feels difficult or aggressive in web art, and when is that useful? How do artists obscure or reveal the duration of a work, and how does that affect our reading? What are the many different forms of instruction or guidance online? As we ask these questions, we exploit the internet pedagogically, collaborating online, playing with anonymity, and breaking the internet spaces we know. Students learn web coding through specialized online tutorials; most of class time is reserved for discussion (of web art and supplementary readings) and critique. Throughout the semester, students will produce two major works of web art. Students need only a standard laptop, and will not be expected to purchase any software or text (cost of materials: $0).

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sound Art: Listening (ITPG-GT 2328)

Listening is not something we do through hearing alone. Engaging with multiple perspectives, from Deaf studies and critiques of ableist hearing ideologies, to the possibilities and pitfalls presented through machine listening and imaginative sonic speculation, we will playfully deconstruct and question what it means to listen at all. Each week, readings will be assigned and students are asked to respond to prompts in the form of light-weight exercises that will orient most of our in-class discussion. Time will be spent discussing readings, presenting, and providing critique for each other’s projects in order to help draw connections between theory and practice. Through in-class presentations, we will encounter works by Christine Sun Kim, George Lewis, Pauline Oliveros and read from Jennifer Lynn Stoever, Tina Campt, and François Bonnet. The class has no technical prerequisites, and students are welcome to respond with works using tools and techniques from other classes (audio/video presentation, programming and physical computing, installation and fabrication, etc.). Through this work, we will unpack how the way in which we attend to the physical world and its inhabitants through our listening has real consequences. In much the same way our interpretation of the world is informed and influenced by factors outside of ourselves, our capacity to listen is conditioned through societal, political, economic, historical, and racial dimensions. We will disentangle listening from hearing and consider listening as a practice that begins not with how we hear sounds but how it allows us to (or prevents us from) interfacing and relating to our exteriors (and interiors). By the end of the class we will attempt to converge and coalesce our own ideas and perspective of what it means to listen.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2023)


ITPG-GT 2328-000 (22308)03/24/2023 – 05/05/2023 Fri3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Diedrick, Johann

Wayfinding: Graphic Design in the Built Environment (CADT-UH 1020)

In November 2014, Volvo Race’s boat Vestas did not find her way to Abu Dhabi port and got stranded on a reef in the Indian Ocean instead. What went wrong? Is it still possible to get lost today, in the age of ubiquitous and democratized GPS? What does it mean to find one’s way? How do different environments create unique problems, as well as provide solutions? How do we find those solutions ourselves, and how can we intervene in the design of our working and living environments, in the design of our navigational practices, in order to avoid getting lost? What tools do we have? How do they work? What can we learn from navigation before GPS? Informed by new technologies, the demand for sustainability, and the inputs from cognitive studies, “wayfinding” has grown to become a field of research in its own right, related to both architecture and design. It studies the ways in which people orient themselves via the organization of sensory cues from the external environment. The course explores visual design components and theoretical ramifications and will include workshops on campus signage systems, with a focus on accessible design.

Core: Arts, Design and Technology (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


CADT-UH 1020-000 (20464)

Beyond Picture Perfect: Personal Choice in a Digital World (ARTS-UG 1485)

This course covers the very basic techniques of photography and digital imaging. Beyond Picture Perfect explores the many choices available to today’s image makers. New technology combined with traditional photographic techniques will be addressed, enabling the students to realize their distinctive image-making vocabulary. Daily discussions include understanding hardware mechanics, choosing a personal color palette, and recognizing “your” unique composition key. We will debate the many analog and digital tools available to photographers vital to their artistic expression. These concepts will be supported by daily assignments and class critiques culminating in a final project portfolio. Students with interest in analog or digital formats will be encouraged to develop an understanding of their medium and form an original visual strategy. Readings may include selections from: Robert Adams, Why People Photograph; London and Upton, Photography.

Arts Workshops (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 2 Weeks

Sections (January 2023)


ARTS-UG 1485-000 (1154)01/03/2023 – 01/20/2023 Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Day, Jeff

Architectural Design and Drawing (ARTS-UG 1621)

This architecture workshop introduces the basic principles of design. It begins with an analysis of a house by an important architect that examines the design concept or parti of the building, historical and environmental issues, as well as function, circulation, spatial organization, site, zoning, light, proportions, structure, and materials. In developing this project, students are also introduced to a vocabulary of design terms and the process of creating an architectural concept. In the projects that follow, students create their own designs for various types of structures. The assignments might include a New York loft space, a house in the country, or a small public or commercial building. These exercises provide the experience of creating designs by applying the concepts learned in the analysis. The basic techniques of drafting, rendering, and using Sketchup or similar software are also discussed. Films, lectures and texts on architectural theory provide additional insight. Design experience is useful, but not required.

Arts Workshops (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


ARTS-UG 1621-000 (9413)09/02/2025 – 12/11/2025 Thu4:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Goodman, Donna

Internet Design (FMTV-UT 1123)

This course introduces the essentials of web design and production, emphasizing the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance learning and creativity. Students will build a solid foundation in HTML and CSS, learn to optimize graphics, design layouts, and develop the technical skills needed to launch their own websites. The class explores using social media platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram as promotional tools while incorporating AI to brainstorm design concepts, troubleshoot code, and refine messaging. We focus on the Internet as a promotion and distribution medium for the independent artist and filmmaker. A consistent and integrated communication strategy across digital channels is emphasized to prepare students for the demands of modern media. To deepen their learning experience, students will actively use ChatGPT to support various aspects of the curriculum. This includes generating creative ideas, drafting content, and exploring coding solutions. AI will also assist in tasks like creating compelling website copy, optimizing branding strategies, and scripting social media posts. By weaving AI into their workflow, students not only master essential web design skills but also gain hands-on experience with tools shaping the future of digital media.

Undergraduate

Electronic Product Design for Music and Audio (MPATE-UE 1017)

This is a multidisciplinary course in which students with previous experience with analog and digital electronics create a novel hardware–based electronic musical instrument, controller, effects unit, or other device related to their interests in music and audio. Student projects may be analog, digital, or a hybrid, and should be unique in some way from devices currently in the commercial marketplace. Students present their designs and functioning physical prototypes with the class as they evolve throughout the semester for feedback.

Music Technology (Undergraduate)
3 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2025)


MPATE-UE 1017-000 (10200)09/02/2025 – 12/11/2025 Fri11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Litt, Steven


MPATE-UE 1017-000 (10201)09/02/2025 – 12/11/2025 Thu2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Early afternoon)at Washington SquareInstructed by Litt, Steven

Design Your NYU Shanghai (IMBX-SHU 1)

Design Your NYU Shanghai is a first-year course to help you make the most out of your college experience. You’ll be introduced to design thinking as a creative approach to explore majors and interests, craft global opportunities, and engage in intercultural connections. This action-oriented course uses rapid prototyping and reflection activities to ignite personal growth as you navigate this transformative time of your life.

Interactive Media and Business (Undergraduate)
1 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2021)


IMBX-SHU 1-000 (27175)08/30/2021 – 12/10/2021 Tue9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (Evening)at ShanghaiInstructed by Tsiang, Emily