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URSINUS COLLEGE
Spring 2008
MCS 220 – Intro to New Media
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM MW
12:30 – 1:20 PM M Lab
Office Hours : Tu•W•Th 10:30am-12pm
Professor Gregory Scranton
Office: Ritter Rm. 119
Email: gscranton@ursinus.edu[1]
T.A.-Tiffany Sparagana
Email: tisparagana@ursinus.edu[2]

Introduction to New Media Art: Practice and Theory

James Reston wrote in The New York Times (July 7, 1957)
A health director . . . reported this week that a small mouse, which presumably had been watching television, attacked a little girl and her full-grown cat . . . Both mouse and cat survived, and the incident is recorded here as a reminder that things seem to be changing.

After three thousand years of explosion, by means of fragmentary and mechanical technologies, the Western world is imploding. During the mechanical ages we had extended our bodies in space. Today, after more than a century of electric technology, we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned. Rapidly, we approach the final phase of the extensions of man - the technological simulation of consciousness, when the creative process of knowing will be collectively and corporately extended to the whole of human society, much as we have already extended our senses and our nerves by the various media. Whether the extension of consciousness, so long sought by advertisers for specific products, will be "a good thing" is a question that admits of a wide solution. There is little possibility of answering such questions about the extensions of man without considering all of them together. Any extension, whether of skin, hand, or foot, affects the whole psychic and social complex.

Overview

The above text introduces Marshall McLuhan’s 1964 prophetic work, “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man”. This text will also address, for our specific purposes, the fundamental beginnings of creating and understanding new media art. Along with various theories on media, we will explore different mediums, or more specifically, software, that will allow us as artists to interface with the computer in order to produce, edit, compile, rearrange, and in many cases, reproduce works of art.

We will be learning two primary software programs, Adobe Photoshop and Flash, along with other supplemental software such as iTunes, Quicktime Pro, and of course Apple’s OS X (10.4.10).

• By the end of the semester you will be expected to be proficient enough in these programs to compete tasks ranging in skill level from basic to intermediate.

• You will also be expected to have a strong grasp on the language necessary to describe, critique, and write about new media. (i.e. to be able to define what a “pixel” or “vector” is and explain the importance of each with regard to digital media.)

Some of these skills will be obtained through in-class demonstrations and the subsequent completion of your assignments, while others will be derived from the readings, screenings, lectures, and class discussions. It should be noted that this is NOT a “computer” course. The end goal is not solely software proficiency, but rather an expanded understanding and appreciation of the creation, critique, and effects of new media.

Assignments

You will be given 2 major creative projects to complete over the course of the semester. (We will also complete smaller in class exercises that are not graded.) You will generally be given a choice of two or three different assignments for each software. The projects you complete are designed to help you utilize the software while thinking creatively with regards to both concept and form. However, because I believe learning should be a democratic experience, you will always have the option of proposing a self-designed project. So if for instance you are not happy with the two or three options I hand out to everyone for the Photoshop assignment, you may propose your own unique project to me. This must however be documented in writing and handed in to me no later than two class periods (one week) after the assignment is initially given. If you have questions about this please come and see me. The percentage breakdown is as follows:

Class & College Policies

Grading

Below are the standards by which you will be evaluated and graded in this course.
A 4.00
Represents achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B 3.00
Represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C 2.00
Represents achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
D 1.00
Represents achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.
F 0.0
Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an Incomplete.

Grading Rubric

I do not grade your work based on whether or not I “like it”, this would not be constructive for either of us. I grade your work based on several criteria.

• First, was the project well conceived? In other words, did you develop an idea into a cohesive body of work or did the project lack structure and seem arbitrary? I understand some of you will work intuitively and others will be more methodical in your approach, the importance lies in your ability to create, edit, and connect your ideas, not in your chosen approach to do so.

• Second, is the content and form of the work interconnected or seemingly unaware of one another? I also recognize this may be your first media art class, so in this case content refers to the ideas and subject matter of the work, and the form is just that, the “formal” properties of the work. So for instance, does your Photoshop work look pixelated for a reason or are you simply using a low-resolution image appropriated from the Internet because it is “easier”?

• Third, how much time and effort did you put into your work and did you challenge yourself? This is the easiest factor for me to gauge, believe me. If you put forth the effort and invest the necessary time in your project, it will be quite evident in your final product. However, this does not necessarily mean that the amount of time spent on your project will alone dictate your final grade. Chances are it will take you all a varying amount of time to complete the same task.

• And finally, how well were you able to use the tools? Did the work reflect a fundamental knowledge of the software? Please do not feel you need to utilize every bell and whistle a software package has to offer just to demonstrate your knowledge of it. If you have any questions at all about my grading please come talk to me.

Attendance

I am also required to inform you of the College’s attendance policy that we are all bound by.

In keeping with a strong liberal arts tradition that encourages active learning and complete participation in the education process, the college expects students to attend class. Specific attendance policies are set by individual instructors and indicated on the course syllabus at the beginning of each term. Warning slips will be issued by instructors for all students failing to meet the stated course attendance policies. Excessive absences by first year students and students on academic probation will be reported to the Dean’s office. Students may be dropped from a course with a grade of F for failing to meet the stated policy.

If you are unable to attend a class session you must let me know at least one week in advance. You are allowed two unexcused absence without penalty. More than two unexcused absence could potentially result in the lowering of your final grade by a third of a grade. (e.g. an A would become an A-) If you are absent the day of a critique (assuming you have completed the assignment and turned it in on time) your project grade will be lowered by one full grade (e.g. an A would become a B). It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that you attend all critiques; they are in essence your exams. We will talk more specifically about critiques in a moment.

Lab Rules

• Please turn off your cell phones before class begins (emergency calls are to be answered in the hall)
• Absolutely NO Texting or IMing during class
• Eating and drinking in the lab are not allowed (with the exception of bottled and capped beverages kept on the floor)
• Sleep (Apple Menu-->Sleep) your computers whenever we are engaged in class discussions, lectures, or screenings (you may also dim your monitors to zero if you're rendering)
• Upon leaving the lab shut down your computer (Apple Menu-->Shutdown), this will automatically log you out
• Push in your chairs and take any and all trash with you

Inclement Weather

In the case of inclement weather please check your email to see if the college or I have written to inform you of a class cancellation but please assume that we will hold class as scheduled.

Required Texts and Materials

• PDFs
  
• New Media Tech Terms
• Christine Paul: Digital Art (1 copy is on reserve in the library)
  

Highly Recommended Materials

• Flash Professional 8: Hands On Training
  
• USB Flash Drive
  
• Blank DVD+/-R and/or CD-R Media
  
• Sketch Book

Server & Storage Information

Workstation Login

Username: your UC email username
Password: last 6 digits of your SS#

• note: you will find an alias of your “Documents”, “Drop Box”, and “Content” folder in your Dock which will appear when you position your cursor at the bottom center of your monitor. We will discuss how to utilize these folders more in class.

Server Info

afp://ursaminor.ursinus.edu
smb://homer/fileshare (to access the :U drive)

Personal Webpage

http://ursaminor.ursinus.edu/~username

Any files inside your Sites folder will appear online. Simply replace the index file already in your folder, this is only a placeholder.

Lab Hours

You may gain access to Ritter Center's front door and to the lab via your Student ID card (magnetic strip to the right)

Monday through Thursday: 8am-10pm

Friday & Saturday: 8am-5pm

Sunday: 10am-10pm

Week before projects are due: 24hr access

NO DOORS ARE TO BE PROPPED OPEN during open lab. Please also access the door via your card each time you enter, do not open the door for others. This is for security purposes. If you do allow a student in you will assume responsibility for what happens in the lab so protect yourself. I don't anticipate this being an issue however.

Schedule

This is a guide for the semester and should be used as such. Please remain flexible with some of these dates as events will inevitably arise that require us to time shift the scheduled lesson plan for that particular day. Readings are expected to be completed for the class period immediately following the day in which they are assigned. Please also note that all days with the denotation of “(Lab)” next to the date means that the pre-arranged lab period of 12:30 to 1:20 is NOT optional and you are expected to arrive on time unless noted or discussed prior to that class date. If you have any questions at all regarding the schedule please see me after class, stop by my office, or email me.

 PHOTOSHOP EXERCISE

How Images Think Chapter 1 (pgs. 2-38)

post to wiki and discuss DIGITAL COMPOSITIONS

 La Jetée Visual Analysis Paper

turn in La Jetée Visual Analysis

"What is New Media?" in The Language of New Media 

quiz & discussion of '"What is New Media?"

Introduction and pages 67-83, 97-106, 125-138 in Digital Art 
begin research for Artist Presentation