Category Archives: IMA Electives

All courses that count as IMA Major Electives

The Future of the Music Streaming Economy (REMU-UT 1231)

On demand music streaming caused a major paradigm shift in the music industry and its monetization. The Nordic countries have since the beginning been at the forefront of this technological trend and has been a testing ground over the past ten years with services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. In 2023, the third year of Covid, the US recorded music industry generated USD $15.9 billions. Streaming music made up 84% of total American record industry’s revenue to a record high $13,3 billions. All major formats of music grew versus the prior year with the exception of digital downloads. On a global scale the digital music market has continuously expanded since 2008. And new market places develops fast. The average time spent listening to music each week has grown from 20.1 hours per fan in 2022 to 20.7 hours in 2023. 32% of that listening is on audio streaming services and 31% on video streaming services. The list of the most streamed artist in the world 2023 was led by superstar Taylor Swift followed by Drake. The world is streaming and the future looks both interesting and bright. We love music! It is still quite a young technology and for the users and creators a new experience. There is still little dedicated research and that gives way to a lot of strong opinions and views. Through this course we will closely follow the discourse that goes on outside academia and tap into ongoing research and exiting developments. Over the years streaming has been a hot topic in the music and mainstream media with high profiled artists such as Taylor Swift, Thom Yorke, The Black Keys, David Byrne and many others speaking out against the payout of streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora and Tidal. And with new ways to distribute money from the DSPs its looks like 2024 will be anything but boring. Through this course you will be guided through the history of streaming and the technology that made it possible. You will be introduced to the storefronts of online music made possible by this technology, and we will investigate how the digital marketplace can streamline both sales and marketing. Beyond exploring the effects of the technology on music and media startups, we will explore how artist development and career growth has been effected. Streaming offers exciting new opportunities and challenges when marketing and promoting music online, and you will learn specific techniques and tools to maximize your visibility, help you connect with fans and increase the chances to be discovered. You will master the techniques of the online streaming marketplace and working technology through “launching” your own release through The Orchard. This course will give you the wider historical context of the streaming economy and give you a broader understanding of this rapidly changing landscape. During this course, the students will meet guests with great knowledge and up-to-date insight on different topics.

Undergraduate

Class #
Section #
Meets

Class #: 2665
Section #: 001
Meets: MW 12-3:30p

IMA Electives Spring 2026 Summer 2025 Summer 2026 Undergraduate
Fall 2022 Fall 2023 Spring 2024

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

IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Art & Design) Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Undergraduate
Spring 2024

Writing with AI: Philosophy and Practice (INTM-SHU 142)

In this class, we will use AI as a writing and editing tool and study the history and philosophy of augmented and automated writing. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on workshops, we will explore the theoretical aspects of AI and writing with case studies and examples, as well as experiment with different AI tools and techniques. Prerequisite: None.

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
2 credits – 8 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)

INTM-SHU 142-000 (19975)03/18/2024 – 05/10/2024 Thu9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at ShanghaiInstructed by Konior, Bogna

IMA Electives Undergraduate
Spring 2024

Advanced Lab: Synthetic Media (INTM-SHU 306)

This advanced course investigates emerging trends in machine learning and artificial intelligence for generating media content – images, video, and sound. The course explores the idea of how artists, designers, and creators can use machine learning in their own research, production, and development processes. Students will learn and understand machine-learning techniques and use them to generate creative media content. We will cover a range of different platforms and models and also experiment with implementing the content with platforms for interaction design, such as Unity. Prerequisite: INTM-SHU 120 Communications Lab OR INTM-SHU 205 What’s New Media OR INTM-SHU 124 Emerging Technologies & Computational Arts

Interactive Media Arts (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 16 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)

INTM-SHU 306-000 (6121)01/22/2024 – 05/10/2024 Wed2:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Early afternoon)at ShanghaiInstructed by Didakis, Stavros

IMA Electives Undergraduate
Spring 2024 Spring 2025

Breaking the Code: Gender, Art, and Interactivity in the Digital Age (IM-UH 2517)

In this course, we will focus on gender as a central mode of identity exploration in contemporary art within the digital age, adopting a multidisciplinary and interactive approach. Over a course of six sections, we will analyze how contemporary artists, from diverse backgrounds, delve into various facets of gender identity within the context of digital art history. This exploration will encompass their interactions with new media styles, mediums, reception, and critical analysis. We will raise essential questions: How does technology in interactive art contribute to gender equality? To what extent does an artist’s gender identity influence the interpretation of their digital work? We will critically engage with gender studies, examine gender’s profound impact on digital creation, and explore the socio-cultural influences at play. Through weekly readings and group interactive activities, class discussions, and a final VR exhibition on a related topic of their choosing, students will explore gender’s relevance to digital art creation, examine materials highlighting how gender shapes digital art, analyze socio-cultural factors influencing gender and sexuality in digital contemporary art, and apply their insights to interactive media.

Interactive Media (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

IMA Electives Undergraduate
Fall 2023

Designing For: (GAMES-GT 310)

“Designing for” classes focus on working with a real-world client or partner, preparing students for professional collaborations with institutions, publishers and media companies beyond the game industry who partner with game developers on playable experiences. Outside partners have included museums, non-profit organizations, non-digital publishers and digital media platforms. In each version of this class, students will interact directly with representatives from one outside partner and collaborate with other students on a single semester-long project tailored to the client’s goals, developing an initial idea from conceptualization through pitching and prototyping, based on criteria and feedback provided by the partner. Students will learn to follow a structured process for ideation, collaboration and prototyping, while taking care to understand the audience, content and goals of the partner organization’s industry and the context of play. The semester culminates in a final presentation of playable prototypes to the partner.

Game Design (Graduate)
2-4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2023)

GAMES-GT 310-000 (25338)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by

GAMES-GT 310-000 (25353)09/05/2023 – 12/15/2023 Tue4:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Late afternoon)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Corbetta, Ramiro

GAMES-GT 310-000 (25349)09/05/2023 – 12/15/2023 Fri11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Parker, Matthew

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces) IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Seminar/Studies)

Bioart as Biopolitics–Genomics and Identity (ITPG-GT 3048)

Credits: 4
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Fri

“What does biology have to do with art? Bioart is a discipline in which artists use life itself as a medium for creative experimentation and reflection on the social implications of cutting edge biological science. Biopolitics describes the ways in which DNA and other forms of biological knowledge combine with the accumulation of data to segment, categorize, and predict our behavior. In this course we will take a tour of the materials and techniques utilized by artists in the emerging field of biological art, with a focus on genomics and its political and social implications. This hybrid art and science class will introduce concepts in personal genomics, genetic engineering, speculative design, bioart, biopolitics, critical engineering, and bioethics as sites for activism and artistic exploration. Students will extract and analyze their own DNA while discussing human evolution and the social construction of identity. They will learn how DNA extraction and sequencing works, how to analyze real genomic data, and will incorporate this in creative and critical projects. Regular readings and in-class discussions will supplement artistic projects.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 6 Weeks

Featured Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces) Spring 2026
Spring 2024 Spring 2025

On Permanence: The Lifecycle of Art in Digital Works (ITPG-GT 3045)

“What does it mean to make something that lasts? In this 7-week studio, we will attempt to understand the collective hallucination that is the Internet, while rationalizing the intersection of permanence, mutation, utility and ownership in creative digital work. To support this investigation, we will: – Use hands-on workshops to understand and build various forms of generating digital art – Consider the implications of storage and longevity – Have a working knowledge of marketplace capabilities, and their influence on the art that they contain – Expand on our understanding of verifiable ownership, blockchain and otherwise, and how it can have impact beyond the digital landscape Through this class, you will develop work that considers time as a critical axis, be it the longevity of the outcome, or the impermanence of the idea. Work may live on the blockchain, utilize generative ai frameworks, or manifest as a performance in a snowstorm.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2025)

ITPG-GT 3045-000 (12292)01/24/2025 – 03/07/2025 Fri9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by

Graduate IMA Electives
Spring 2024

Designing Your Voice: Synthetic Sounds From Circuits (ITPG-GT 3046)

Course Description: In this 14-week course, students will explore sound design fundamentals through modular synthesizers, leveraging the capabilities of microcontrollers. Modular synthesizers are a type of electronic musical instrument used to generate, manipulate, and shape sound through the interconnection of individual modules, or components. This course is designed to equip students with the skills and creative prowess required to craft their own unique devices that adhere to the Eurorack design format; a popular modular synthesizer standard. The curriculum blends the art of sound design with the technical aspects of hardware synthesizer architecture, building skills so that by the end of this course students will have the competence to bring their sonic visions to life in physical form through thoughtful interaction. By harnessing the modular nature of these components, students will work independently, taking into consideration the designs of their peers to ensure seamless compatibility between their devices, resulting in a distinct ‘voice’; a term used to describe a collection of components that define the signal path of a synthesizer. The first half of the course will focus on sound design coding techniques utilizing the Teensy microcontroller, with the second half dedicated to developing tangible hardware design skills. Prerequisites: Intro to Physical Computing No sound design/musical experience is required.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)

ITPG-GT 3046-000 (14811)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Mon9:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces)

Designing for Messy Humans (ITPG-GT 3047)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Mon

“How can we create services – digital or otherwise – that scratch psychological itches in ways that take into consideration the uncontrollable nature of users? In this course, we marry the art of design with the science of psychology. The offspring of this match is complicated, unexpected and never predictable – but indelibly informed by both its binary and analogue parentage. Leaning on a variety of international case studies that tickle our human passion for enquiry, for storytelling, for sensation, and for sense-making, plus short philosophical readings about the nature of the indefinable, each class will dissect what we know about something inherently human (from beauty to joy to elegance), and how technologists and machine-makers have tried to predict it. We will spend time in this course reverse engineering black boxes and imagining how they could have been designed otherwise. The final project will be an “”””engine”””” or machine – mock-up, paper design or working prototype – that proposes to produce the solution to a messy human question every single time. The course will be divided into three thematic sections of three classes each: a theory week, an analysis week, and a prototyping week. Each thematic section will examine single-topic human “needs” frequently designed for in apps and tech. Students will be expected to take part in group discussions, and brainstorming sessions that will imagine systems that could achieve that topic. Latterly, the last session will be workshops, in which students will work together or alone on their own projects based on one topic of their choice.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives Spring 2026

New Portraits (ITPG-GT 3042)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Thu

“””Portraiture stands apart from other genres of art as it marks the intersection between portrait, biography, and history. They are more than artworks; when people look at portraits, they think they are encountering that person,”””” says Alison Smith, chief curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London. For thousands of years, artists have used cutting-edge tools and resources to create portraiture, giving viewers a glimpse into the subject’s life. A successful portrait embraces technology to bring the viewer closer to the subject but is not overshadowed by it. In this course, we will delve into portraiture through the lens of volumetric capture using the Depth Kit system. Through hands-on assignments, students will learn the entire pipeline of volumetric capture, from configuring the system to capturing our subjects and final output. Simultaneously, we will focus on fundamental aspects of portraiture, such as lighting, storytelling, production techniques, and historical foundations. The course will explain the techniques and considerations involved in creating volumetric portraits. We will explore various approaches to capturing subjects, employing advanced technologies to record their presence in 3D. Students will gain proficiency in the Depth Kit system to produce high-quality volumetric portraits that can be integrated into different mediums, including game engines, augmented reality (AR), or traditional 2D outputs.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Media & Entertainment) Spring 2026
Spring 2024 Spring 2025

Live! (ITPG-GT 3004)

This course focuses on designing, developing and delivering multimedia live performances via a virtual platform. The class will have an emphasis on experimenting with different possibilities of virtual performances, pushing the boundaries of the performative medium, and using emerging technologies to create experiences that allow for the unfolding of engaging narratives, and/or generate compelling visuals in real time. We will look at various examples of both online and offline performances, explore how we can apply the technologies we have learned to design performative systems, and discuss methods we can use to make our performances more engaging. Students will practice quickly coming up with ideas and performing in class. A few weeks into the course, students will propose final project ideas and then develop the performances in the following weeks with support from the instructor. The class will culminate in a virtual event featuring solo and/or group performances by the students.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2025)

ITPG-GT 3004-000 (11430)01/22/2025 – 03/05/2025 Wed6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Evening)at Brooklyn CampusInstructed by Wang, Carrie

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Media & Entertainment)

Intro to Curating New Media Art (ITPG-GT 3036)

Credits: 1
Duration: 1 Day
Dates:

In this course students will be introduced to the role of the curator with a very brief history of curation, followed by a focus on the particular challenges and approaches to curating new media art. The class will give an overview of practical approaches to exhibition-making both online and offline, looking at artist-led approaches to curation in particular. The class will include a hands-on practicum in which students will work towards creating a mock exhibition plan.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 1 Day

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Seminar/Studies) Spring 2026

Surveillance in the Simulation (ITPG-GT 3037)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Fri

“Surveillance is the most successful business model in cyberspace, maybe the most successful business model anywhere in history. But the internet is changing. New regulations, new technologies, new consumer preferences, new ways of making money, a new generation of technologists promising change. Will surveillance capitalism continue to be the dominant modality in the online world of the future? And if not, what would replace it? In this class we’ll examine the contemporary state of the surveillance industry and the technical infrastructures that underpin it, such as cookies, requests, and browser fingerprinting. And then look to the promised technologies of the future, from the cryptographic web3.0 to the metaverse to our own hypothesized models for the future of digital existence.”

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives Spring 2026
Fall 2020 Spring 2024

Magazines, Art, and Public Culture (CEH-GA 3028)

This course examines magazines as collaborative sites for artists and writers internationally, leading the way to a global, networked cultural sphere. We will consider periodicals as both commercial and artist-driven enterprises and as material objects to be studied through the lens of the history of photography, journalism, and design.

Center for Experimental Humanities (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2024)

CEH-GA 3028-000 (10923)01/22/2024 – 05/06/2024 Tue11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Morning)at Washington SquareInstructed by Cole, Lori

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Seminar/Studies)
Fall 2023

Performance and Technology (PERF-UT 304)

On blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Ello, Tumblr, email, SoundCloud, YouTube, and more, we are constantly performing using technology. Performance Studies has long been concerned with technology, but it is only recently concerned with questions brought to the fore by new technologies and new technological practices, particularly on the Internet. This survey course requires us to consider the relationship between Performance Studies as a discipline (one that incorporates performance theory, critical theory, feminist theory, queer theory, and other theoretical genres) with technology, particularly the Internet. Open to Non-Majors.

Performance Studies (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Seminar/Studies) Undergraduate