Syllabus

Integrated Digital Media | Technology, Culture & Society Department

COURSE MEETING TIMES

Mondays and Wednesdays

4:00 PM – 5:50 PM 

Room 307@ 370 Jay Street

Course website 

Discord: https://discord.gg/4DccsN7T

INSTRUCTOR

Claire Hentschker |clairehentschker@gmail.com

Office: 355 @ 370 Jay Street 

Office hours by appointment  

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this class, the creative process will be investigated in order to generate ideas for art, design, technology, and business endeavors. The course will show how ideation, design-based research and prototyping, can inspire, inform, and bring depth to what one ultimately creates. Students will expand their arsenal of design research skills, learn how to think critically about their audience, content, form, and processes, as well as, understand the importance of utilizing more than one research and design strategy.

PROGRAM GOALS

The following Integrated Digital Media program goals are introduced and reinforced within this course. Students will:

  • develop conceptual thinking skills to generate ideas and content in order to solve problems or create opportunities.
  • develop a research and studio practice through inquiry and iteration.
  • develop critical thinking skills that will allow them to analyze and position their work within cultural, historical, aesthetic, economic, and technological contexts.
  • develop collaboration skills to actively and effectively work in a team or group.

COURSE GOALS

To facilitate students to:

  • develop a rigorous, iterative process for looking, questioning, thinking, making, and communicating that challenges assumptions and preconceived ideas
  • use their imagination to create something entirely new & innovative OR to reinvent an old idea into something new
  • introduce students to the many research & design methodologies available to them
  • develop skills of description, research, analysis, visualization, design and critical thinking.
  • think critically about their audience, content, form, and processes
  • improve writing, documentation, and presentation skills
  • facilitate collaboration

OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course students will be better equipped:
To identify and analyze inspirational and research material, search and spot ideas, and transform invisible ideas into visible realizations. Bring ideas and thoughts into the physical/tangible space, incorporate feedback into their production process.

SYLLABUS AS A LIVING DOCUMENT 

This syllabus is a living document, meaning it can grow or change over time to better fit our needs. Any changes will be updated here and on the class blog.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course will closely follow a studio model, with students actively creating and sharing work in class. Creative production will be supplemented with lectures, screenings and critical discussions of required readings. The topics and techniques covered in the course can be grouped into four categories, (which sometimes overlap): Inspiration, Research, Iteration and Prototyping. Smaller assignments are designed to improve student skills in these four areas, and to contribute to a framework of understanding which students can draw on when approaching larger projects. 

/Inspiration/ 

-Observing, watching, seeing, reading, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, feeling 

-Collecting, cataloging, obsessing, hoarding, exploring, questioning

/Research/

-Analyzing and learning from inspirations

-Reading scholarly research, popular media, and fiction

-First hand observations, interviews, sketches, notes, photographs, recording and video

-Establishing framework and research questions

-Designing experiments

/Iteration/

-Brainstorming, automatic writing

-Modifying/repurposing/building on existing

-Material experiments and tests

-Sketches, photos, models

-Sharing/presenting work, checking ideas in relation to framework and research questions, repeating the iteration process.  

/Prototyping/ 

-Modifying/repurposing/building on existing objects, models, images, audio, and video

-Creating renderings, images, 3-D models, collages, textures

-Draft models: paper, cardboard, wire, paper maché, fabric

-Rapid prototyping: 3-D printing, CNC milling, Laser cut stencils, slice forms, signs  

-Performing, testing, documenting in context

–Checking results in relation to research questions, repeating the prototyping process.  

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Schedule your time (keep a calendar of some sort)
  • Come to class on time, and be prepared to listen, engage and make work, (dress appropriately on lab days, no headphones unless for Zoom)
  • Devote at a minimum 4 to 8 hours per week outside of class, fulfilling homework assignments, reading, and studying concepts covered in class.
  • Complete all assignments by due dates
  • Acquire and read all assigned readings before they are due
  • Schedule a meeting to talk to me in person about issues and problems. 
  • Have patience, persistence, and discipline
  • Have self-confidence and pride in your work
  • Take risks & be fearless in your projects
  • Have fun!

REQUIRED SUPPLIES

  • A Notebook or Sketchbook 
  • Digital Camera or Smart Phone
  • Laptop
  • Access to Adobe Creative Suite or Open Source equivalent
  • Headphones

ATTENDANCE

Unexcused Absence: You cannot participate if you are absent from class. If you are going to be absent from class you must contact me by email. A single unexcused absence will result in an email between the student, instructor, and program director. Each unexcused absence afterward will result in a 1/2 letter grade reduction (e.g., B –> B–) in your overall grade. The class is small so it will be obvious if you are not present. That said, I am also very understanding. If you are having a hard time please reach out.  

Excused Absence: One absence is allowed; if you need to miss any other class and feel like you have a legitimate reason for your absence, you may seek documentation through the engineering website: https://engineering.nyu.edu/campus-and-community/student-life/office-student-affairs/procedures-policies-and-forms. And/or contact Deanna Rayment – deanna.rayment@nyu.edu – the Coordinator for Student Advocacy and Compliance. (Example, extreme illness, death in the family. Please note that documentation is required).  

(Note the Course Drop deadline is February 10th,  and the Class Withdrawal deadline is April 28th). 

CRIT/CLASS PARTICIPATION

Students are expected to be prepared for class, to engage in conversations about required readings, and to engage in critiques. When discussing classmates’ work, it is important to be respectful and generous. We do not all have to agree, or share the same taste, but if you have an opinion, you are required to state it in an articulate manner that is appropriate for an academic context. (Tip: be specific in feedback: make points about material choices, color, aesthetic, function, target audience etc., as opposed to general emotive responses e.g., “I like it.”)

You may find it useful to read ”The Four Agreements,” by Don Miguel Ruiz, summarized here:

  1. Be impeccable with your words. Your words have power. Speak truthfully and carefully.
  2. Don’t take anything too personally. Each person is giving you feedback from their own perspective. Their experience will influence their feedback.
  3. Don’t make assumptions 
  4. Always do your best, but recognize that perfection is impossible. 

Other helpful ways of structuring feedback: 

  1. The Compliment sandwich:  “loved this, this part could use some work, but this part was great” 
  2. Relevant reference: “you might like the work of x, or find it inspiring, or relevant to your research”
  3. First Impressions/reactions: “this made me feel x, this made me nostalgic for y, this made me consider z”

A WORD ABOUT UNEXCUSED ABSENCES IN CRITIQUES

Sometimes, students who haven’t completed their projects skip class during critiques, because they are too anxious to come to class empty-handed. This type of absence is particularly self-destructive, and is one of the most objectionable things you can do in this class. Please have courage. Your participation on critique days is essential, even if your own project is incomplete or missing, because these sessions and conversations help you understand our class standards, expectations, and criteria for good work. Even if your own project is unfinished, you are still expected to contribute productively to the class discussion.

EVALUATION & GRADING POLICIES

  • All work assigned will be completed and delivered at least one hour before class on the date listed. If your project or assignment is late, you will automatically lose 50% of the possible points on the first day, and 100% after 24 hours. This applies to all of the projects and assignments in the class.
  • Makeup assignments are only available when discussed with and approved by the instructor in advance of the due date.

GRADING

10% Worthwhile Dilemmas Project Due 9/29

10% Mission Fabrication Project Due 10/27

10% Public Intervention Project Due 11/24

20% Remix/Refine Project Due 12/13

20% Creator/Content Reports

20%  Speed Project Participation

10% Attendance and Class Participation

GENERAL GRADING RUBRIC

  • A- Your project went above and beyond. You presented a compelling, well executed, well documented, novel idea that stemmed from the course content. You put in effort, had enough media and text to explain your work, and you made a blog post using the proper categories. You used the ideas and approaches we spoke about in class, or found your own solution in a way that demonstrated technical and/or creative mastery. You taught us something new/ made us feel something we hadn’t expected to/ brought to light something unexpected/ or generally wowed us with your work.
  • B- Your project is complete and stemmed from the course content. You used the ideas and approaches we spoke about in class, or found your own solution in a way that demonstrated effort, time and engagement with the course content. You made a blog post using the proper categories.
  • C- You tried to make a project that stemmed from the course content. Even if there were some issues with the execution, concept, or blog post, and there may be room for improvement, you tried your best and got something onto the class blog.
  • D- You did not make a good faith attempt to complete the assignment and/or you did not make a blog post.
  • F- You did not do the project.

TECHNOLOGY USE IN THE CLASSROOM

Laptop computers and other mobile devices are invaluable tools for students when used responsibly. However, this technology can also be incredibly distracting in the classroom. When in class, you may NOT use your laptops or other devices unless instructed to for activities pertaining to the course. These may include taking notes, researching material, discussions, making class presentations, etc. Do not take or post images of classmates’ work under any circumstances, unless you have their express permission. 

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Please review NYU’s School of Engineering’s academic dishonesty policy in its entirety. All work for this class must be your own and specific to this semester. Any work recycled from other classes or from another, non-original source will be rejected with serious implications for the student. Plagiarism, knowingly representing the words, media, or ideas of another as one’s own work in any academic exercise, is absolutely unacceptable. Any student who commits plagiarism must re-do the project for a grade no higher than a D. In fact, a D is the highest possible course grade for any student who commits plagiarism. Please use the MLA or Chicago Manual of Style for citing and documenting source material.

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS

If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at http://www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.

INCLUSION STATEMENT

The NYU Tandon School values an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students. I hope to foster a sense of community in this class and consider it a place where individuals of all backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious and political affiliations, and abilities will be treated with respect. It is my intent that all students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. If this standard is not being upheld, please feel free to speak with me, I value your input. 

PROCESS WEBSITE

Documentation of your creative process is an integral part of your creative work; it records the many steps in the creation of a work. This is important because process documentation:

  • allows you to review and reflect on the iterative journey of your ideas and their physical manifestations over time
  • can often be the catalyst for future projects that derive from some unexplored thread in the original idea
  • captures previous points in the life of a creative work that you may need to go back to if the chosen direction does not prove successful
  • provides ample material with which to communicate to a public audience the narrative of your work, the evolution of your ideas, and the morphology of materials and forms

With this in mind, throughout the duration of the semester each student must carefully document all of the work created in this class, from brainstorming sessions with post-it notes to pages in a sketchbook to rough prototypes. You will post this documentation on our class blog on a weekly basis. 

NOTEBOOK OR SKETCHBOOK
Acquire some kind of bound notebook or sketchbook to collect ideas, questions, loves, hates, inspiration, drawings, photos, visual and textual scraps, ephemera, fragments, imprints, rubbings, stains, odds and ends… Choose a notebook that is small enough that you will most likely keep with you (eg. pocket-sized or slightly larger) and use. Make it your own with stickers, markers, paint, collage, whatever. Carry this notebook with you at all times (as well as something to write with and a gluestick or tape) and use it often.

You will document your analog notebook through photos or videos and share relevant selections of notes/sketches on your project blog posts. If you choose to do this digitally, you can share evernote or paper entries on your blog posts. You don’t have to document every page, only key pages that help contextualize your creative journey for a given project.

CLASS OUTLINE
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE!*
CHECK DELIVERABLES ON THE CLASS BLOG FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION *

UNIT 1: Discovery / Inspiration / Research / Ideation / Brainstorming

WedSept8Going over wordpress, class structure, notebook
Brainstorming exercise

Utensil Exercise SPEED PROJECT:  Manual for Imaginary Utensil
MonSept13Sharing Manuals for Imaginary Utensils
Going over Content Reports Assignment

Speed project: mind mapping
WedSept15Laser Cutting demo
Lecture: WRONG ANSWERS ONLY approaches to conceptual art and creative ideas
MonSept20Lecture: Personal artistic practice. In class exercise/ Speed Project: Personal venn diagrams/ input maps. 
WedSept22Introduce Final Unit 1 Project: Instructional Creative Kits

Instructional Creative Kits: Taking inspiration from poetic ideation and creation tools like “Oblique Strategies” “Do it” and “Grapefruit” fluxus event scores, and arts and crafts kits, students will design their own poetic systems for introducing someone else to make/experince something new. These might take the form of a book, a card game, a worksheet a kit, a pdf etc.
MonSept27
In class work on Instructional Creative Kits
WedSept29 Instructional Creative Kits Crit/Playtest

Phase 2: Design / Sketching / Mapping

MonOct4Lecture: Building narratives/storytelling. Scott McCloud, Joseph Campbell et all

In class exercise: Storyboarding/ branching narratives
WedOct6Lecture: Secret histories of objects.
Intro to wireframing/design tools

Speed project: Interactive documentation of objects
TueOct12Lecture: Speculative Design Intro to wizard of oz/ paper prototyping
WedOct13Introduce Final Unit 2 Project: Mission Fabrication

Mission Fabrication: Taking inspiration from “Space Program: Mars” by Tom Sachs, you will fabricate evidence for a fictional mission of your choosing. You will use physical and digital fabrication methods to create ephemera, objects, tools, and any other elements needed to “sell” the story. You will document and share evidence of a mission that never happened. 
MonOct18In class work on Mission Fabrication 

Seed Project: paper/cardboard replicas
WedOct20In class work on Mission Fabrication
MonOct25Creator/Content reports Group 2
WedOct27Mission Fabrication Crit

Phase 3: Prototyping

MonNov1Introduce Final Unit 3 Project: Public Intervention

Public Intervention: You will work with partners or alone to identify an opportunity to augment the experience of a public place. You will then prototype, test, and then build this public intervention. 

Wed		Nov3 *Choosing and mapping the domain
MonNov8Ideating/prototyping/testing
WedNov10Ideating/prototyping/testing
MonNov15Documentation as an art form lecture 
WedNov17Showcasing / Documenting
MonNov22Creator/Content reports Group 3
WedNov24Public Intervention Crit

Phase 5: Positioning / Pitching

MonNov29Introduce Final Class Project: Remix/Refine

Remix/Refine: You will choose one of the three previous unit projects you turned in to remix or refine. You will make a meaningful improvement or addition to the project based on the feedback you received in crit. You will also choose an online platform to share this project on and document it in a clean, concise, and polished manner appropriate to the platform of your choosing. 
WedDec1Lecture: Positioning your work online

Work on project in class / check in 
MonDec6Work on project in class / check in 
WedDec8Creator/Content reports Group 4
MonDec13Final Project Presentations/ Celebration

REQUIRED READINGS

[The majority of readings can be found in the Google Drive as a PDF. For NYU E-books and online readings, links will be embedded directly].  

Sustainable/Ethical Design

  • Reading 01: Victor Papanek, Design for The Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change, Chapter 4 (2nd Edition), (Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers), 2000. ← in Drive

Drawing as a Research Tool

Creative Practice Research and Design Research Tools

  • Reading 03: Thomas Thwaites, The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance From Scratch (New York: Princeton Architectural Press), 2011. ← In Drive (Preface and Chapter 1: Deconstruction)
  • Reading 04: Lori Waxman, Keep Walking Intently: The Ambulatory Art of the Surrealists, the Situationist International, and Fluxus (Berlin: Sternberg Press), 2017. ←in Drive, Read pages 1-13 in PDF, additional sections optional
  • Reading 05: Bruce M. Hanington and Bella Martin, Universal Methods of Design, (Beverly: Rockport Publishers), 2012. (Choose 5 methods to read and respond to) ← NYU  Library Link

Human-Centered Design

Critical Design Studies 

Speculative Design