Category Archives: Spring 2026

Introduction to Databases (CS-UY 3083)

Credits: 3
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu
Credits: 3
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu,Mon,Wed

This course introduces database systems and their approach as a mechanism to model the real world. The course covers data models (relational, object-oriented), physical database design, query languages, query processing and optimization, as well as transaction management techniques. Implementation issues, object oriented and distributed databases also are introduced. | Prerequisites for Brooklyn Students: (CS-UY 2134 or CS-UY 1134) and (CS-UY 2124 or CS-UY 1124) (C- or better) and MA-UY 2314 | Prerequisites for Abu Dhabi Students: (ENGR-UH 3510 or CS-UH 1050) (C- or better) and CS-UH 1002 | Prerequisites for Shanghai Students: CSCI-SHU 210 (C- or better) and CSCI-SHU 2314

Computer Science (Undergraduate)
3 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Programming & Data) Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (BMS-UY 1001)

Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Wed
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Wed,Thu
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Wed,Thu,Fri
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Wed,Thu,Fri

This laboratory accompanies the lecture course BMS-UY 1003 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology. This laboratory course is required for BMS and CBE majors taking BMS-UY 1003, but is optional for other majors. | Co-requisite: BMS-UY 1003

Biomolecular Science (Undergraduate)
1 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Physical Science OR Life Science Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (BMS-UY 1003)

Credits: 3
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu

The course covers the fundamentals of biology with emphasis on cell and molecular biology. The course material includes introduction to biomolecules and bioenergetics, basic organization and functioning of living cells and general principles of genetics and reproduction.

Biomolecular Science (Undergraduate)
3 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Physical Science OR Life Science Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (CM-UY 2221)

Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:
Credits: 1
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:

This laboratory stresses complex preparation, purification, characterization and identification of organic compounds by chemical and physical means. It introduces instrumental methods of analysis and identification. Lab fee required. | Prerequisite: CM-UY 2211, Co/prerequisite: CM-UY 2223.

Chemistry (Undergraduate)
1 credits – 15 Weeks

Spring 2026 Undergraduate

The New Arcade (ITPG-GT 2063)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu

With platforms like Steam and Itch.io making independent games more accessible to the public, we’re starting to see a movement toward physical installations of indie games as well. The New Arcade pays tribute to arcade cabinet designs of the 80’s and 90’s, but infuses them with new interfaces and digitally fabricated components. In this class, students will learn how to use the Unity game engine to design a simple arcade game. They’ll learn about aspects that separate an arcade game from other types of games, and interface their game with different kinds of hardware using microcontrollers. In the second half of the class, students will use Fusion360 to construct a new arcade experience using digital fabrication tools like laser cutters, and CNC machines. The class will culminate in a physical installation that showcases their game in a public gallery. Prerequisites: Physical Computing About Mark Kleback: https://wonderville.nyc

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Media & Entertainment) IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces) Spring 2026

Introduction to US Education (HSED-UE 1005)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Wed

This course introduces students to the central themes, issues, & controversies in American education. What is the purpose of “school”? How did schools begin, in the United States, & how have they evolved across time? How do children learn? How are they different from each other, & why & when should that matter? How should we teach them? & how should we structure schools & classrooms to promote learning? Liberal Arts Core/CORE Equivalent – satisfies the requirement for Society & Social Sciences for Steinhardt students.

History of Education (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 Liberal Arts & Sciences - Electives Societies & the Social Sciences Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Interactive Narrative (MD-UY 2314)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu
Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue,Thu,Thu

This course introduces students to the complex relationship between interactivity and storytelling. Students analyze how an interactive structure creates narrative. Works explored in this course range from nonlinear novels, experimental literature, audio narratives, theater/performance to film as narrative databases and games. The study of the structural properties of narratives that experiment with digression, multiple points of view, disruptions of time, space, and storyline is complemented by theoretical texts about authorship/readership, plot/story, and characteristics of interactive media. | Prerequisite: EXPOS-UA 2, EXPOS-UA 9, EXPOS-UA 22, ASPP-UT 2 or WRCI-UF 102. Note: Satisfies HuSS elective.

Media Studies (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Fall 2025 General Elective IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Seminar/Studies) Spring 2026 Undergraduate

Intangible Interaction (ITPG-GT 2055)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue

This course will focus on researching, designing, and defining Intangible Interactions together, and unveiling artistic potential in it. Intangible interactions are those that we engage in without involving direct physical contact. Some examples would be automatic toilets, shopping carts that stop rolling outside the shop, contactless thermometers, gesture-based interactions, theremin, artwork activated by your presence, and mid-air haptic experiences. Intangible interfaces don’t have a tangible form that explicitly instructs us how to interact with them, and these interactions utilize other forms of feedback than those we feel through touch. Hence, Intangible Interactions tend to be more nuanced rather than direct, and the system is intricately designed to read your intentions using sensors. While technologies used for intangible interaction–such as computer vision and sensors are now more available and accessible, knowledge around the design and implementation of effective intangible interactions is a much less explored subject. We will explore practical, artistic, and whimsical applications of intangible interaction and look at the ways it can enhance human-computer interactions in our everyday lives. For example, it can allow new ways to interact with educational exhibits, artifacts, and artworks. We will explore intangibility as a poetic medium that can open up possibilities for creating work that challenges human senses and perception. We will discuss what are cultural and social implications that we need to consider in designing intangible interactions—what does it mean for an interaction to be “intuitive” and what are some of the assumptions that are embedded into designs that we need to challenge? You will also be introduced to working with sound frequencies that are outside the hearable spectrum to create mid-air haptic feedback. Technical topics that will be discussed in the class include: non touch-based sensors including optical sensors; proximity sensing; presence detection; optimizing sensor readings on Arduino; extending capability of sensors with light pipes and lenses; body tracking with cameras; signals outside visible spectrums; environmental sensing; mid-air haptic. Assignments will include relatively small-scale production assignments, labs, thinking, ideating, and reading. For the final project, you will be prompted to conceptualize a project that is larger than a classroom scope. You will respond to a call-for-projects with a proposal along with a solid prototype for the project so you have fully fleshed materials to apply to resources such as grants and other opportunities in the near future. I want you to think big and equip yourself with practical and essential skills to build a sustainable art or design practice! A proposal writing workshop and structured peer reviews will be provided to support this process. Tags: intangible, interaction, artistic, poetic, physical, sensors, physicalcomputing, haptic, hci, research, art, design, environment, playful, fun, proposalwriting

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

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

Motion Design for User Feedback (ITPG-GT 2059)

Credits: 1
Duration: 1 Day
Dates:

Microinteractions are everywhere, you interact with them on a regular basis. Animated emojis, heart buttons that burst with love when you tap them or password fields that shake when you type in the wrong password – these are the tiny animations that produce delightful moments while providing users with valuable feedback. They can intuitively guide your users without having to explicitly write a set of descriptive rules. They are the soul and character of your interface, and if crafted well they can turn every interaction to a joyful moment while improving the user experience. Using Adobe After Effects and Lottie as our primary tool, we’ll learn how to design, animate and export playful SVG animations as interactive components. We’ll examine the basic principles of UI motion, cover how to create loopable animated states with fluid transitions between them.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
1 credits – 1 Day

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Art & Design) IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Media & Entertainment) Spring 2026

Big LEDs (ITPG-GT 2481)

Credits: 2
Duration: 7 Weeks
Dates: Thu

Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs are used creatively all around us. They have the ability to emit light at different colors and intensities instantly and from very tiny points. How can we make creative visual works out of these amazing devices? What construction methods can we use to make those works reliable? Big LEDs will cover the process of designing large LED systems. We will cover LED array hardware and how to map pixels from computer generated media onto them. We will go through every major part of the hardware – different styles of LED arrays, drivers and gateways, cables, data protocols, and how to safely power all of them. We will learn to use the pixel mapping softwares Enttec ELM and Madmapper. We will also cover the paperwork needed to furnish a professional LED installation, including drafting riser diagrams, plan, section, and elevation views, creating a bill of materials, and writing instructions for users and installers. This year’s final project will be a site-specific LED sculpture installed in a public space at 375 Jay St. The installations will be able to display student chosen media that can be viewed for one minute. Students will work either in groups or alone and can choose from one of four installation options to present on: – A prepared square section of 2.0mm pitch LED video tiles (approx 256px x 256px, 2’-6” x 2’-6”) – A prepared low-resolution sculpture with diffused linear elements (approx 500px, 2’-6” x 5’-0” overall) – A student conceptualized LED video tile project – A student conceptualized low-resolution project Because of this year’s pandemic, unprecedented changes have come to the professional world of LED installations. As a result, we will be using remote tools such as networked-based cameras, remote desktop applications, and virtual private network connections to watch and operate the final projects. We will spend class time setting these tools up together. The two prepared options for the final project will be installed and maintained by the instructor.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 7 Weeks

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

Playful Experiences (ITPG-GT 2467)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Thu

Forget the screen. People want to be part of the action. They don’t want to watch detectives and control superhero avatars. They want to solve the mystery and be the hero. They want to experience it. We see this craving for playful experience in everything from immersive theater to escape rooms to the Tough Mudder to gamified vacation packages. Designing live experiences for large audiences that demand agency offers a distinct set of challenges, from how much choice you give each participant to how many people you can through the experience. We’ll look at examples from pervasive games to amusement parks to immersive theater, examining both the design choices and technology that make the experiences possible. Along the way we’ll create large, playful experiences that put the participant at the center of the action.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

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

Technology, Media and Democracy: Addressing the Threats to an Informed Electorate (ITPG-GT 2184)

Credits: 3
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates:

Across the City’s universities, the Technology, Media and Democracy program will bring together journalism, design, and technical disciplines to understand the various threats to journalism and media, and attempt to address these challenges using technical and computational methods and techniques. The free press, journalism and the media are some of the most critical elements of our democracy, but have been increasingly under attack by political and market forces. These challenges include: dwindling resources and support for deep investigative journalism; smear, law and technical and even physical assaults of media organizations and journalists; challenges to credibility and reliability including fake news and discrediting campaigns; and shifting business models and income sources that threaten both local and national news organizations and coverage. This course will include various elements that will help frame the problem and build/prototype solutions.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
3 credits – 15 Weeks

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

Synthetic Architectures (ITPG-GT 2177)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Wed

For better or worse humanity is heading down the virtual rabbit hole. We’re trading an increasingly hostile natural environment for a socially networked and commercially driven artificial one. Whether it’s the bedrooms of YouTube streaming stars, the augmented Pokestops of Pokemon Go, the breakout rooms of a Zoom meeting, or even the “airspace” of Airbnb; we are witnessing a dramatic transformation of what occupying space means. The socially distanced measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have only accelerated this societal embrace of the virtual. So where are these dramatic spatial paradigm shifts occurring? Who owns and occupies these spaces? Who are the architects and what historical and ethical foundations are they working from? What world do they want to build for humanity and where does the creative individual fit into it? Will it be a walled garden, a role-playing adventure or a tool for creating more worlds? The course will ask students to embrace the role of virtual architect, not in the traditional brick-and-mortar sense of constructing shelter, but in terms of the engagement with the raw concept of space. However this virtual space must be considered and evaluated as a “site,” that is activated and occupied by real people and all the limitations of physical space that they bring with them from the real world. This is the foundation of synthetic architecture; simulated space met with biological perception. This conceptual architecture is free from the confines of physics but host to a whole new set of questions: How do we embrace the human factors of a dimensionless environment? How do we make or encourage meaningful interactions within the limits of current technology? New models of interaction must inform and shape the architecture of virtual space – what does that look like? How can architecture and aesthetics inform the creation of virtual environments and immersive narratives? How do we acutely consider the psychological and social impacts of the worlds we design and what is the metaphorical ground plane to make sense of this virtual world, unbound by physics? About Jonathan Turner: http://www.jonathanwilliamturner.com/about/

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

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

Light and Interactivity (ITPG-GT 2133)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue

We use light in all aspects of our lives, yet we seldom notice it. Most of the time, that’s no accident. Lighting in everyday life, well-designed, doesn’t call attention to itself. Instead it draws focus to the subjects and activities which it supports. In this class, you’ll learn how lighting is used for utilitarian, expressive, and informational purposes. We’ll consider the intersection of lighting design and interaction design, paying attention to how people interact with light. We’ll practice both analyzing lighting and describing its effects, in order to use it more effectively. On the technical side, you’ll learn the basics of the physics of light, its transmission and perception. We’ll talk about sources of light, both current and historical. We’ll work with computerized control systems for lighting and modern light sources, and we’ll create a number of lighting designs for different purposes. You’ll get practice building AC and DC electronic circuits, programming microcontrollers for physical interaction, and learning digital communications protocols such as DMX512 and HTTP and REST. Projects in this class will range from indicator lighting on devices to task and wayfinding lighting in everyday environments to stage and environmental lighting. We won’t spend time on projection or light used for purely expressive purposes, but will look at how to put light to work instead. We’ll focus our attention on lighting the subject at hand, whether that subject is a person, a living environment, or a workspace. This class will be production-intensive throughout the course of the spring semester. Second-year students will not be able to combine the assignments in this class with their thesis projects, though some of the skills may be complementary.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

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

Exploring Concepts From Soft Robotics (ITPG-GT 2125)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Fri

Because the full potential of the emerging field of soft systems is unrealized, there are countless opportunities for curious innovators to discover or develop novel soft systems. Soft robotic skills and techniques also open up a world of possibilities for large scale or surprising artwork. This course teaches hands-on fabrication techniques for constructing simple pneumatic actuators from cast silicone and heat-sealed mylar, and challenges participants to design and build their own. Lectures and discussion center on concepts from soft innovation history, the current state-of-the-art, and sister disciplines of bio-inspired and hybrid (soft/hard) robotics. Consideration of both brand new soft materials, from a class visit to Material ConneXion library, and everyday overlooked soft mechanisms, found in average retail stores, will require participants to look at softness through a new lens. Final projects will be the development of an original soft/flexible/hybrid research or artistic concept presented with context, material swatches with justifications for choices, and physical or modeled proof-of-concept. About Kari Love: http://www.karimakes.com

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

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

100 Days of Making (ITPG-GT 2793)

Credits: 2
Duration: 6 Weeks
Dates: Tue

Iteration and its impact on your creative process is the theme of this class. The format of the course turns its head on the traditional class structure and instead of focusing on syllabus that builds to a final project, the course is focused on a daily, iterative practice. Students will identify a theme, idea or topic they would like to explore over the course of 100 days and must commit to making or producing a variation on that idea and posting social evidence of their work every day for 100 days. Projects can focus on building, writing, drawing, programming, photographing, designing, composing or any creative expression. In parallel to the making, in-class lectures will examine the work of artists whose work has been defined by iteration and discuss the role of discipline and routine in the creative process.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
2 credits – 6 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Art & Design) Spring 2026

Connected Devices and Networked Interaction (ITPG-GT 2565)

Credits: 4
Duration: 15 Weeks
Dates: Tue

The World Wide Web no longer stops at the edge of your screen. When it comes to products, if it powers up, it talks to another device. This class provides an overview of methods for connecting the physical world to web-based applications. We’ll consider what the emerging interaction patterns are, if any, and we’ll develop some of our own as needed. This class can be seen as a narrower and more interaction design-based complement to Understanding Networks. The latter class provides a broader overview of the dynamics of communications networks, while this class focuses specifically on the challenges of connecting embedded devices to web-based services. Neither class is a prerequisite for the other, however. This class will introduce network connection techniques for devices using microcontrollers like the Nano 33 IoT and MKR series or ESP8266 and processors running an embedded operating system like the Raspberry Pi. Prerequisites: Intro to Physical Computing and Intro to Computational Media, or equivalent experience with the topics covered in those classes. Learning Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of the basics of network programming for devices with limited computing power. They will learn about current protocols for communication between devices and networked servers, and about the rudiments of security for that communication. Reading: There will be an article or two to read each week, to foster discussion about the design of connected things. Assignments: There will be several one-week software and hardware assignments to get familiar with different technologies and communications protocols, and one hardware and software final application project.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Physical Computing & Experimental Interfaces) IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Programming & Data) Spring 2026

Playful Communication of Serious Research (ITPG-GT 2974)

Credits: 4
Duration: 14 Weeks
Dates: Mon

Exhibition design is the art of marrying experience and information. The best do so seamlessly; the very best surprise and delight you along the way. In this class you will explore the craft of interactive exhibition design through practice. Working in small groups, you will select an NYU researcher whose work is of interest to you and create an interactive experience that presents this research to a broader, public audience. In the process, you will learn to interrogate content and form, audience and environment, medium and message to create a meaningful and playful exhibit experience.

Interactive Telecommunications (Graduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Graduate IMA Electives IMA Electives (Legacy Structure - Art & Design) Spring 2026