New Media in Theory and Practice
Spring 2003 Syllabus
New Media in Theory and Practice
Communication 6380, Spring 2003
200 One Park Place South
Monday 11:00-11:50, Wednesday 10:45-1:45
Class Home Page: http://intvid.tedfriedman.com
Professor Ted Friedman
Office: 738 One Park Place South
Office Hours: M/W 4:30-6:30 and by appointment
Email: tedf@gsu.edu; Phone: (404) 463-9522
Home Page: www.tedfriedman.com
Course Description
We live in a moment of transition between old and new media. Computer technology has opened up new horizons of creative expression. Web sites allow creators to communicate with surfers around the world. Computer games make entertainment interactive, blurring the boundary between text and player. Digital video and animation bring the tools of Hollywood to anyone with a PC.
At the same time, multinational media corporations are doing their best to exploit and control these new technologies to maximize profits. As dotcom mania fades, the new frontier of technology is in danger of being closed off. Struggles rage over the fate of cyberspace – in the courts, on the web, and in the minds of users and creators.
What new possibilities – for art, for storytelling, for democracy – does this moment of transition open up? How might we better understand and engage these battles to define the future? This class will pursue these questions in two complementary ways: through theory and practice. On Mondays, we’ll discuss readings on the semiotics, aesthetics, and politics of new media. On Wednesdays, we’ll get hands-on experience with the tools of new media production.
Readings and Resources
The following books are available at campus bookstores and online:
• Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics
• Scott McCloud, Reinventing Comics
• Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media
• Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
• Janet Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck
• Manuel Castells, The Internet Galaxy
• Lawrence Lessig, The Future of Ideas
• Robin Williams, The Non-Designer’s Web Book
You may also choose to purchase reference books on Dreamweaver and/or other programs. I recommend browsing the Computers section of a Borders or Barnes & Noble to find the manual that best fits your needs. (One excellent series is Visual Quickstart.) I will also bring a range of guides to class, and can loan out specific books depending on interest and need.
Another excellent resource is eTraining, available to all GSU students at http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwwbt/. The site contain well-designed tutorials on a range of software We will work through several eTraining tutorials in class; I recommend exploring the site further to pick up additional skills.
Labs and Software
This class presumes no previous experience with any media production technology or computer programming. (If you do have any experience, of course, it will be a welcome contribution to the class.) We’ll start with basic web design, and move on from there to more complex forms of multimedia production. We’ll cover HTML, the language behind the web, then learn Dreamweaver, the leading web design program. We’ll also look at music production software, streaming video technology, and animation tools. While final projects can be produced with only a basic knowledge of Dreamweaver, more experienced students will have the opportunity to learn and use the more advanced tools as well.
Lab work will include instructor-led training, interactive tutorials, and assigned projects, culminating with work towards your final project. The lab period will also be when we examine new media texts, conduct presentations, and screen films. Because you will often be working on projects involving sound, you will need to bring a pair of walkman-style headphones to the lab on Wednesdays.
A $20 lab fee is required for all students. Lab fee cards can be purchased at the bookstore, and should be handed in during the first week of class.
Because all work can be saved to webspace, it will not be necessary to use the computers in 200 PPS outside of class. All GSU Macintosh lab computers include Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and other multimedia programs. For more advanced needs, the Digital Aquarium (on the third floor of the Student Center) is an excellent resource, containing DV decks, DVD burners, and high-end multimedia software. In addition, many programs are available for trial download and/or student discounts, and most can be run on PCs as well as Macs; check with me for more details depending on your interests and needs.
Email Group
You will be automatically signed up for the class email group through your GSU student account. I will regularly forward computer industry news, new media criticism, and other useful information to the list. In addition, you’re welcome to use the list to continue discussions from class and share further information.
If you do not regularly check your student account, you should arrange to have email forwarded to your primary account. Messages can also be read online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/intvid. Likewise, you can post a message from the web site, or send it as an email to intvid@yahoogroups.com.
Outside Screenings and Readings
Some weeks, outside screenings or readings will be assigned. The assigned films can be rented at any video store or viewed in the GSU library. Comic books can be picked up at most newsstands and bookstores, as well as specialty stores such as Oxford Comics & Games (2855 Piedmont Rd NE) and The Comic Company (1058 Mistletoe Rd). Shareware computer games can be downloaded from http://www.download.com.
Assignments
A. Project – 70% of grade
You have three options for your project:
1. Individual project, research focus: Write a 15-page scholarly paper on an aspect of new media culture, and develop a small website (with Dreamweaver) to publish and supplement the paper (with pictures, links, etc).
2. Individual project, production focus: Develop a multimedia project. (Possible tools include, but are not limited to, Dreamweaver, Flash, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Director, Cold Fusion, Photoshop, Acid and DVD Studio Pro.) Incorporate within the project (in a credits section or appendix) a 5-page essay discussing the relationship between the project and class readings on new media theory.
3. Collaborative project: Work with other students in the class and/or in other classes (depending on faculty permission) to produce a collaborative multimedia project. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, a website incorporating streaming video, an interactive DVD, or a computer game. Incorporate within the project (in a credits section or appendix) a 5-page essay describing your contributions to the project and discussing the relationship between the project and class readings on new media theory. (The project should include a separate 5-page essay for each participating student.)
Whichever option you choose, a 3-page proposal outlining your project is due in class Wednesday, March 19. During that day’s lab time, I will meet with you individually to discuss your project. In the subsequent weeks, most lab time will be devoted to working on projects.
The final project is due Friday, May 2.
B. Presentations – 30% of grade
You will give two class presentations:
1. New media analysis. You will sign up to give a presentation applying the ideas from one of the class texts to a specific new media object. More information will follow on a separate handout.
2. Project presentation. Discuss your work-in-progress, describing your production methods and the project’s relationship to the ideas of the class.
Syllabus
Unit I: Art - Aesthetics and Semiotics
Week 1
M 1/6 Introduction
W 1/8 Lab: The State of the Web
Read Williams, Part I
Week 2
M 1/13 Read Understanding Comics
Outside reading: Comic book of your choice
W 1/15 Lab: Intro to HTML and FTP
Read Williams, Part II
Week 3
M 1/20 Martin Luther King Holiday – No Class
W 1/22 Lab: Intro to Dreamweaver MX
Read Williams, Part III
Week 4
M 1/27 Read Reinventing Comics
Outside reading: Online comic or animation of your choice
W 1/29 Lab: More Dreamweaver MX
Read Williams, Parts IV-V
Week 5
M 2/3 Read Manovich, Ch. 1-2
W 2/5 Lab: Screen Sonic Outlaws
Week 6
M 2/10 Read Manovich, Ch. 3-4
W 2/12 Lab: Music Software
Week 7
M 2/17 Read Manovich, Ch. 5-6
W 2/19 Lab: Screen Time Code
Unit II: Storytelling - Narrative and Interactivity
Week 8
M 2/24 Read Stephenson, pp 1-200
Outside screening: Blade Runner
W 2/26 Lab: Streaming Video
March 3-9 – Spring Break – No Class
Week 9
M 3/10 Read Stephenson, pp 201-440
Outside screening: The Matrix
W 3/12 Lab: Flash MX
Week 10
M 3/17 Read Murray, Parts I-II; Friedman
Outside screening: Computer/video game of your choice
W 3/19 Lab: Projects
Proposal Due
Week 11
M 3/24 Read Murray, Parts III-IV
Outside screening: Groundhog Day
W 3/26 Lab: Projects
Unit III: Democracy - Politics and Economics
Week 12
M 3/31 Read Castells, pp 1-100
W 4/2 Lab: Screen Startup.com
Week 13
M 4/7 Read Castells, pp 101-210
W 4/9 Lab: Projects
Week 14
M 4/14 Read Lessig, Part I
W 4/16 Lab: Projects
Week 15
M 4/21 Read Lessig, Part II
W 4/23 Lab: Projects
Week 16
M 4/28 Read Lessig, Part III
The project is due by Friday, May 2.
Policies
Academic Honesty
The university’s policy on academic honesty is published in On Campus: The Undergraduate Co-Curricular Affairs Handbook, available online at http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcam. The policy prohibits plagiarism, cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, and multiple submissions. Violation of the policy will result in failing the class, in addition to possible disciplinary sanctions.
The Internet makes it easy to plagiarize, but also easy to track down plagiarism. Bottom line: Don’t plagiarize. It’s wrong, and it’s not worth it. There’s always a better way. Cite all your sources, put all direct quotations in quotation marks, and clearly note when you are paraphrasing other authors’ work.
Withdrawals
Students withdrawing on or before March 10 will receive a W provided they are passing the course. Students who withdraw after March 10 will not be eligible for a W except in cases of hardship. If you withdraw after March 10, you will be assigned a WF, except in those cases in which (1) hardship status is determined by the office of the dean of students because of emergency, employment, or health reasons, and (2) you are passing the course.
Incompletes
Incompletes may be given only in special hardship cases. Incompletes will not be used merely for extending the time for completion of course requirements.
Changes to the Syllabus
This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary.
Posted by tedf at February 27, 2005 05:28 AM