AD 406

Introduction to Responsive Arts

Schedule: Mon/Wed, 9-11:40 pm, Rms 3315 and 3320, A+A Building
Professors: Sabrina Raaf, sraaf1 (at) uic.edu and Drew Browning, drew (at) uic.edu
Office hours are by appointment only - please email professors for appointment

Lab System Admin: John Messer: jm2u (at) uic.edu
Lab Teaching Assistant: Tesia Kosmalski: tesiak (at) gmail.com

SYLLABUS

This schedule is subject to modification. Make suggestions on the depth to which various material is covered if the course is moving too quickly. The schedule will be updated online as the course progresses. You will be notified of any changes in assignment due-dates.

DESCRIPTION

This studio course introduces students to the theory and practice of Responsive Arts. Students will learn fundamental practices of electronic arts and interaction design such as basic electronics, circuit design, and programming for interativity. Through hands-on exercises, students will explore basic electronic techniques and use programmable micro-controllers to control interactive art, sound, light, and environments. In-class lectures, video, and web resources will illustrate issues of how to design and think about interactive art and environments today - as well as how to create them from a technical point of view. Group discussions will focus on students developing an aesthetic appropriate to electronic art and media. There are no prerequisites for this course.

COURSE GOALS

Draw inspiration from the history of artists and designers who explore ideas and applications of interactivity
Gain practical experience with basic electronics, coding, and other techniques of digital art production
Develop experimental art, interactive objects, and responsive environment projects based on conceptual assignments
Research digital and experimental art works and trends

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND REQUIREMENTS

Willingness to experiment and take genuine artistic risks.
Ability to be resourceful and seek out help when needed.
Participation in all class activities (discussions, workshops, labs, etc.) is very important and will be monitored closely.
Your participation in group critiques is vital to the experience of the class and your evolution as an artist. Each student will be required to give a verbal presentation of their work as well as critique the work of their classmates.
You are encouraged to share knowledge amongst yourselves during lab times - remember, there's much you can learn from each other. Please be respectful, however, if someone is working hard and needs to concentrate.
Taking notes in class is essential and will help you remember what you've learned when you are working on your own time.
Please do not read email or surf the web during lectures and discussions - it's distracting to all of us!

ASSIGNMENTS

This class focuses on the imaginative use of electronic tools in artmaking as well as surveying the recent history of new media and responsive arts. A series of assignments will be announced over the course of the semester that will support this focus.

READING MATERIALS

Various articles and excerpts from journals, conferences, and books covering topics such as critical theory, experimental new media art, and computer graphics will be handed out in class as reading assignments.
Suggested readings and supplemental materials can be found under the resources section of this site.

EVALUATION

Comprehension of concepts and integration of artistic goals and technical skills learned.
Participation in discussions, lab sessions, and all aspects of class.
Amount of time spent and depth of engagement with material.
Ability to use the techniques introduced in class in an innovative and inventive manner for creative assignments.
Personal initiative and artistic development over the length of the semester

GRADING

Participation is worth 5% of your grade, including lab time, workshops, discussions, critiques, and active engagement with all aspects of the class.
The conceptual art project assignments are weighted at approximately 35% of the total grade.
There will be practical homework assignments to help you gain technical skill and broaden your understanding of electronic arts media. They are worth 20% cumulatively.
The final project is worth 30% of your grade. The final project will consist of either a collaborative installation project or a 20 - 25 min presentation plus 5 - 7 page paper. Topics must be pre-approved by the instructor and ones not already covered in class by the instructor.
Blog assignments count towards 10% of your total grade and are graded upon the insight in your writing and the overall resourcefulness/ usefulness of the content.

Assignments submitted after the due date will be penalized one letter grade. No assignments will be accepted for credit later than one week beyond the the due date. However, you may still hand them in.
Extra credit will be given in the case where the work done goes well beyond the parameters of the assignment.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is MANDATORY as there are lecture topics that cannot be made up outside of class. The instructor will NOT be available to personally re-teach a class if you are absent.
Be considerate of other classmates and show up on time for class! Late arrivals are disruptive for everyone. Being late to class two times will be considered as one unexcused absence.
Even though the instructor keeps attendence records, it is the student's responsibility to also keep track of their absences and late arrivals. The instructor may - but is not obligated to - notify the student if their total number of absences is nearing critical.
Students are expected to utilize work time during class productively. If a student leaves class early without approval from the instructor, they will be marked as absent or tardy - even if it is a "work in class" day or the instructor's lecture is completed before the class period ends.

one absence	=	no penalty except for loss of instruction
two absences	=	grade lowered 1/2 letter grade
three absences	=	grade lowered one letter grade. In addition, a 20 minute presentation to the class on a topic not already covered in class and one that is pre-approed by the instructor will be required
four absences	=	whether the absences were cleared in advance or not, four absences will result in an automatic failure

LAB POLICIES

Please review the EV/ID areas' laptop policy. You can find a copy of it in the Pick Up folder of your class partition
There is a required laboratory fee for this course which is used for software updates, course supporting materials, and supplies.
No eating, or drinking in the lab.
You are responsible for your data! Back it up, store it in multiple locations, burn it to a disk, do whatever you have to do to ensure it's integrity. It is NOT recommended that you leave any data except for copies (not originals!) of the assignments on the server disk space of the lab.
Reconfiguring the system on any computer so that it is unusable to other students may result in dismissal from the course.

LAB HOURS (FALL 2007)

HOURS WILL BE POSTED ON THE DVL FRONT DOOR

DISCLAIMER

Projects created in this course may be used by the Department for purposes of promotion for students, the Department, or the University in general. The Department may also use these materials for instructional purposes in future courses.

FIRST DAY LOGIN:

Students with no prior DVL Account: Login using your NetID. (This is the character string before your @uic.edu e-mail address.) The password for your first login will be the word: password. Once you login, you will be prompted to enter a new password.
Students with a DVL account from a previous semester: You should be able to login with your old DVL ID and password. If not, try your NetID and the password: password