Course Description

Art and Technology is a lecture course conceived to provide a context for the development of art and its interrelations with technology. Students explore the definition of multimedia and its evolution toward what is currently known as hypermedia. Special emphasis will be placed on the creation and transformation of technology used in the twentieth century, such as radio, television, computers, the Internet, and networked environments. Developments will be related to historic art movements.

The main objective of this class is to expand the students' creativity through experimental and non-traditional projects.

Process and Strategy

The class will be divided into two main areas. The first half will be devoted to understanding the evolution of technologies currently used in the Art World.

In the second half we will explore the particularities of ecclectic artistic creations: artists, examples, movements, contextualizing the processes in a historical frame.

There will be a different assignment for each class, where the students will apply the concepts presented during the previous session, and a group critique in order to solve any misunderstandings and conflicts.

Readings / assignments / requirements

Required readings:

New Media in Art - Michael Rush, Thames&Hudson

Short readings will be distributed throughout the semester. Most of the information will be provided by the teacher or will be found freely online. Critiques will frequently be initiated from various topics covered in the readings. In order to participate effectively you will need to have read the required texts and be able to articulate your responses to them within the context of class discussion and critique. We will watch plenty of excerpts from movies and documentaries during the class that will also be considered as part of the material for the class.

Grading 

There will be several projects throughout the course, including papers, assignments, and others. Each one of them will be a part of the final 70% of the grade. If necessary I will do some pop quizes, depending on the students' participation and motivation, and depending on how certain classes work, I might add an extra work not listed in the syllabus. The midterm and the final project will each count for 15% of the final grade.

Possible last-minute changes

Although unlikely, it is possible that last-minute changes might be made to the dates for all assignments or class meetings, excepting only the final exam. In this unlikely event, I'll make all possible efforts to inform students with sufficient lead-time.

I reserve the right to modify this syllabus for any reason at any time.