FALL 2018 Courses
Courses satisfy one of the following areas:
A. Integrate digital media as tools for research and dissemination in traditional scholarship
B. Examine cultural, social, ethical, or theoretical implications of new media technologies
C. Apply digital technologies to practical applications involving problem-based learning
D. Develop knowledge and skills in new media and multimedia composition
Digital Studies Program Offerings (209):
DESIGN THINKING
50:209:220
Section 01 – TTH 9:35AM – 12:30 FA-119 – Espiritu
Section 02 – MW 8:00AM – 10:50 FA-119 – Leech
An introduction to various aspects of graphic communications covering design concepts, typography, and composition. This course offers students both practical and theoretical experience with graphic design.
Required for the major in Digital Studies
COMPUTATIONAL THINKING
50:209:230
TTH 3:35PM – 4:55 FA-217
DuBose
How do we use computation to solve problems? What kinds of problems are solvable with computation, and what kinds aren’t? This course offers students both practical and theoretical experience with computer programming. No previous programming experience is required.
Required for the major in Digital Studies
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL STUDIES: VIDEO ARCHAEOLOGY
50:209:302
TTH 9:35AM – 10:55 FA217
Emmons
Video Archaeology is both a theoretical and practical course addressing the history of the video image. The course begins with a survey of the emerging field of media archaeology which attempts to understand new and emerging media through close examination of the past. New media theorist Jussi Parikka writes: “Media archaeology exists somewhere between materialist media theories and the insistence on the value of the obsolete and forgotten through new cultural histories that have emerged since the 1980s. I see media archaeology as a theoretically refined analysis of the historical layers of media in their singularity—a conceptual and practical exercise in carving out the aesthetic, cultural, and political singularities of media… Media archaeology is a method for doing media design and art.” Following Parikka’s final notion, the course will predominantly concentrate on creating video essays, using old or “dead” video tools, to address current issues in media archaeology, the video image, as well as how one negotiates the use of new media in contemporary life.
SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL STUDIES: DIGITAL TRASH
50:209:303
MW 9:35am-10:55am FA217
Brown
It’s easy to consider digital life in terms of abundance. Photos are immediately saved to the cloud, and even spam is archived in our Gmail accounts. The “Trash” icon on our desktop is left over from a time when hard drive space was a concern. But the notion that the digital offers infinite resources is a fiction. The Internet is not an unlimited space of pure virtuality; it is a collection of server farms gobbling up energy spewing carbon dioxide. Digital devices are constructed from mined materials that exploit workers and economies, and those same devices are dumped without much concern for environmental impact. And the content we produce on various social media platforms attracts attention, which is itself a precious commodity. This course will ask students to consider the cultural, ecological, and political consequences of digital trash. What kind of trash are we producing, and should we be considering more sustainable approaches to not only the digital devices that end up in landfills but also the text, images, sound, and video we distribute online?
INTERNSHIP IN DIGITAL STUDIES
50:209:305
Hours by Arrangement
Emmons
DIGITAL STUDIES CAPSTONE
50:209:401
W 12:30PM – 3:20
Brown & Emmons
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN DIGITAL STUDIES I
50:209:405
Hours by Arrangement
Brown
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN DIGITAL STUDIES II
50:209:406
Hours by Arrangement
Emmons
Interdisciplinary Major Electives:
These courses can be counted towards the Digital Studies Major and Minor
50:940:391 SPECIAL TOPICS IN SPANISH: READING AND TOURING LATIN AMERICAN LANDSCAPES
This course casts a panoramic view on representations of landscapes in the literature and cultural production of Latin America, from the pre-colonial times to the globalized present. We will focus on modes of geographic perception and artistic representation, exploring the intersections of nature and culture in a variety of landscapes and literary contexts. We will examine how landscapes are represented in Latin American with particular attention to the relationship between landscape and identity. The class will use OmeKa for the final project (http://guides.library.illinois.edu/omeka ).
50:080:264 Digital Photography
50:080:201 Social Media Photography
50:080:213 Intro to Computer Graphics
50:080:214 Interactive Art
50:080:264 Digital Photography I
50:080:388 3D Modeling and Printing
50:080: 448 Character Animation
50:080:490 Kinetic Media
50:163:350 Kid’s Media Cultures English
50:350:261 Texts and Film
50:989:315 Theory and Practice of Tutoring French
50:420:355 Topics in Contemporary French Media Marketing
52:630:361 Digital Marketing Strategy
50:700:301 Sound Thinking
50:700:499 Audio Post-Production
50:965:125 Introduction to Video and Film
50:965:357 Special Topics in Theatre Sound Design