Syllabus

Topics and Perspectives in Emerging Media
MTEC 3140-HD40 (17980)

Instructor: Chloe Smolarski
chloe.smolarski@gmail.com
csmolarski@citytech.cuny.edu

Office Hour: Friday 1:30 – 2:30 or by appointment

 

Course Description

An introduction to the study and analysis of emerging technologies and how this relates to and informs practical process. Students will examine how technologies have evolved historically and develop perspectives on how they would best be developed in the future. Core themes include: the history of information, human-technology interaction, technology and culture, and the ethical and social implications of new technologies as the world faces unprecedented precarity. Conceptual frameworks in the field of New Media and Studies of Emerging Technology will be explored through a series of readings, and screenings, which include articles, essays, and lectures that explore technology and its broader implications on society, ethics, and cultural production. Through the application of close reads, critical analysis and discussion; students will write and create multimodule projects that explore key concerns surrounding emerging technology and how they apply to their own media production and consumption. This class will function as an incubator, which nurtures discussion, multiple forms of writing and the sharing of ideas.

General Learning Outcomes

By the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an ability to write both an analytical paper and a technical paper.

2. Demonstrate an improved ability to discuss complex ideas and put them into a theoretical framework.  

3. Demonstrate a willingness to read, deconstruct and debate texts from the field of New Media and technology

4. Demonstrate participation in the process of creative thinking, collaboration and the iterative process.

8. Demonstrate an ability to analyze texts and to apply obtained knowledge to other contexts

Grading Policy:

– 20% Homework – reading responses and writing exercises

– 20% Paper based on qualitative research (interviews)

– 20% Mid-term – multimodular project – The life span of a technological object (Video essay/podcast or website. 

– 20% Final Project -Technical paper/Presentation

– 20% Attendance & Participation

Grading Rubric:

VALUES	Excellent (90-100)	Good (80-89)	Fair (70-79)	Poor (60-69)	Unsatisfactory (0-59)
Concept	Core concept in projects is intriguing, original, and well-explored	Core concept in projects is intriguing but lacking in examination	Core concept in projects t is present and supported by the work	Core ideas are scattered without consideration	No clear concept, or work doesn’t reflect it
Progress	Clear and consistent progress from ideation to execution	Progress was made, but was not consistent	Evidence of procrastination, “last minute” pushes or crunch	Lack of progress in 1-2 areas resulting in project deficiencies	Little to no progress shown on the project
Presentation	Concept is clearly presented and strongly supported through visuals, audio and video. Production value is deliberate and professional	Concept is supported through presentation, but 2 or more areas of the design are lacking or distracting	Concept is weakly supported through presentation, project meets requirements but production value is lacking	1-2 presentation requirements are not met.	3+ presentation requirements are not met.
Skills	Clear demonstration of skills in all development areas (design principles, visual, audio, and video editing, proficient in software)	Clear demonstration of skill in 2+ development areas	Demonstrates skills, but omits topics covered in class.	Evidence of skills, but underutilization of techniques learned in class	Does not use any techniques learned in class.
Collaboration	Consistently provides honest, supportive feedback to peers, responsible in meeting team goals, communicates effectively.	Generally supportive, responsible, and good communication, with a few issues	Multiple issues/problems with collaboration, meeting goals, or communicating	Little to no evidence of communication, goal setting, and collaboration in a team setting.	Disrespectful to fellow students work, with negative impacts to class/team dynamics.

Communications:

– To contact your instructor with a brief, private question or message, send a DM (Direct Message)

through Slack and Email.

– If you have a question that may be relevant to the group, post in the #general channel on Slack for all

to see and comment on.

– Use Slack for easy communications with your classmates as well—you can DM individuals or selected

groups.

– To discuss a longer matter with your instructor, make an appointment.

– If you have a tech question, post in the #techsupport channel or DM our CLT for assistance.

Required Readings:

* Assigned by instructor and posted to Openlab

Students are expected to read and prepare material prior to class.

Course Materials:

– We will be using OpenLab, Google Drive, and Zoom.

Participation Policy:

– The class meets in Zoom. Check Open Lab and Slack for the meeting link and password.

– It is critical for everyone to be fully present, participating, and engaging in the course.

– Your absences and lateness will have impact your grade. If late or absent, contact instructor.

– Absences may be excused in the following cases: illness, religious observance with advanced notice, and

on a case-by-case basis for other critical events and extenuating circumstances.

– If you are absent, it is your responsibility to catch up on what you missed.

Academic Integrity Policy:

Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other

intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing

sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility

for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and

is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the

College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalogue.

Academic Adjustments for Students with Disabilities:

In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations, students must first be registered with the

Student Support Services Program (SSSP). Students who have a documented disability or suspect they

may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with Ms. Linda Buist, the program manager of

SSSP (Phone: 718-260-5143, email: lbuist@citytech.cuny.edu). If you have already registered with SSSP,

please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her.

City Tech’s Counseling Center:

The Counseling Services Center supports the educational, emotional and career development of City Tech

students by providing opportunities for skill development, counseling and referrals that address obstacles to

success. The Center is currently available to students remotely. For questions and appointments, contact

the Center at counseling@citytech.cuny.edu or 718-260-5030.

Inclusivity:

This course consists of individual work and group discussion. We must therefore strive to create an

atmosphere of inclusion and mutual respect: all students will have their chosen gender pronoun(s) and

chosen name recognized. If the class roster does not align with your name, gender, and/or pronouns, please

inform the instructor. It is the intent of City Tech, the department, and this course to well-serve students from

all diverse backgrounds and perspectives, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of

class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as an asset, resource, strength,

and benefit, rather than a checklist item or worse, a hindrance. Materials and activities presented in the

course will respect diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race,

nationality, religion, and culture. Your suggestions and feedback are encouraged and appreciated. Feel free

to reach out to the instructor.

Course assignments and readings are subject to change and adjustments.  Please refer to Openlab for details.

Course Outline:

Week 1: Friday 08/26 (In Person)

Introduction to the course – Media transformations – the Mechanical and Digital

Lev Manovich – The Language of New Media –

“How Media Became New”pg 21-27

The Principles of New Media pg 27- 48

The Information by James Gleick ch.1

Week 2: Friday 09/09

Computing Machinery and Intelligence – Alan Turing –

Week 3: Friday 09/16

A Cyborg Manifesto: Science Technology and Socialist Feminism ? (Excerpt)

Donna Haraway / Nick Bostrom

Week 4: Friday 09/23

Systems Thinking

Week 5: Friday 09/30

The ethics behind machine learning and AI

Week 6: Friday 10/07

Big Data – Algorithmic Bias

Week 7: Friday 10/14

Blockchain, crypto currencies and the world of NFTs

Week 8: Friday 10/21

The Pluralverse versus the metaverse – future platforms

Week 9: Friday 10/28

technological perspectives: environment, biology, and medicine

Week 10: Friday 11/04 – cooperatives platforms, alternate models and sustainability

Week 11: Friday 11/11 –

Week 12: Friday 11/18 – predicting the future

Thanksgiving (11/24 –11/27)

Week 13: Friday 12/02   – Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek “MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.”

Week 14: Friday 12/09

Week 15: Friday 12/16 In Person: FINAL PRESENTATION & EVALUATION

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