IAT 810 New Media Graduate Seminar
Critical Approaches to New Media History, Theory and Practice

Considering that all media was once new, in this graduate seminar students will explore a series of classic and contemporary texts that define pathways for thinking about our changing relations and understandings of media. Its objective is to provide students with critical frameworks that will allow them to interrogate what is new in the term “new media” and what term means for their own field of research.  In the process, students will be asked to think critically about how every media causes and reflects social, cognitive, spatial, and cultural shifts. They will also be asked to reflect on how distinct cultural, social and political contexts, technological innovation, academic disciplines and practices intersect the concept of “new media.”

Through out the course students will be required to lead weekly discussions of readings, present examples of new and old media works that relate to their own filed of research, attend workshops, visit galleries and, through a series of peer-review exercises, produce a final project.

This term we will partner with the New Media Gallery located in the Anvil Center in New West Minster. Students will meet with curators Sara Joyce and Gordon Duggan who will introduce them to the challenges of curating New Media art works and to their temporary exhibition Witness devoted to the concept of “machine vision.” In addition, students will also attend a printmaking workshop in the gallery in which they will learn how to produce a print-based zine.  Students will apply the concepts learned in class to analyze the artworks presented in the temporary exhibition entitled Witness and will draw connections with their own field of research.

The final project will consist of two parts. Students will collectively design a zine (print, web based or a combination of both) in which each of them will publish an individual final project. The individual final project is open and could take any form (as long as it can be published in the zine). If it is not a research paper, the individual final project should include a short written statement that explains the project and engages with in-class readings and the art works in the exhibition.

 

WEEKLY SCHEDULE*
* Please note that this is a draft. Changes to the weekly schedule will be announced in class.

 

Week 1. Introductions
Sep 5-9 / Friday, September 9.

Intro to course; setting-up course expectations; make discussions teams; etc …

Readings due on week 2:

 

 

 

Week 2. Approaches to Media I
Sep 12-16/ Friday, September 16

Gabriela will lead the discussion this week.
All students hand in reading summaries at the beginning of class and participate in discussion.

Readings due on week 3:

Other Recommended Readings/Resources:

 

Week 3. Approaches to Media II
Sept 19- 23/ Friday, September 23

One student will lead the discussion this week.
All students hand in reading summaries at the beginning of class and participate in discussion.

Readings due on week 4:

Other Recommended Readings/Resources:

 

 

Week 4. Aesthetics
Sep 26-30/ Friday, September 30

One student will lead the discussion this week.
All students hand in reading summaries at the beginning of class and participate in discussion

Reading due on week 5:

Pick one of the following extra readings:

 Suggested Readings:

 

 

 

Week 5. Light (as images/ vision/surveillance/image)
Oct 3 -7/ Friday, October 7

One student will lead the discussion this week.
All students hand in reading summaries at the beginning of class and participate in discussion.

Readings due on week 6:

Suggested Readings:

 

 

Week 6. Bodies (and machines as bodies)
Oct 10-14/ Friday, October 14

One student will lead the discussion this week.
All students hand in reading summaries at the beginning of class and participate in discussion.
Students visit the gallery during the week and start to think about what they would like to research/write about

Readings due on week 7:

 

 

 

Week 7. Talk with Sarah Joyce & Gordon Duggan
Oct 17-21/ Friday, October 21 (Gabriela is away)

No discussion this week but you need to hand in reading summaries.
Class will be held at the New Media Gallery in the Anvil Center in New West Minister (New West Minister Sky Train Station)
Students visit the gallery during the week and start to think about what they would like to research/write about.

Introduction to the Gallery (curator/directors intro, gallery mandate, curatorial approach)

  1. What are the challenges of exhibiting new media works
  2. What is new media? (This could bring into context some of the texts you will be reading in class)
  3. Exploration of works in the current exhibition (Sarah and Gordon like having more organic conversations, where they offer/receive insights into the works just as much as the visitor/student)
  4. Discussing individual works and the exhibition as a whole (context, concepts, lines of inquiry, etc.)

 

 

Week 8. Printmaking Workshop
Oct 24- 28 / Friday, October 28 (Gabriela is away)

No discussion or reading summaries this week

Printmaking workshop: students are given access to the printmaking press to create images using mono-printing, collograph or linocut processes.

  1. Students participate in a demonstration of the techniques and tools (no previous skills required)
  2. Introduction to materials (I can meet with them one-on-one and discuss their idea and how best to tackle it)
  3. All materials are the responsibility of the student.

Students visit the gallery during the week and start to think about what they would like to research/write about.

Due on week 9:
Student presentations of final project proposals.

 

 

Week 9. Student Proposal Presentation
Oct 21- Nov. 4 / Friday, November 4

No discussion or reading summaries this week.

Students present their final project proposal (what they will write about/ produce in relation to the exhibition and their own research).

Due next week:

Rest and work on your final projects, its Remembrance Day and we do not have a class!

 

Week 10. Remembrance day no classes
Nov 7 – 11 / Friday, November 11

There is no class on Friday.

Readings due week 11:

Recommended Readings:

Week 11. Matter (as Earth and Sound)
Sep 19-23/ Friday, November 18

Students lead discussion reading summaries are due
Peer Reviews are due at the beginning of class

Readings due on week 12:

 

Week 12. Archives (as Documents/Bodies/Technology)
Nov 14-18 / Friday, November 18

Students lead class discussion and reading summaries are due.

 

Week 13. Wrap Up
Nov 21-25/ Friday, November 25

Discussion of final projects and planning for in-gallery presentation and/or workshop.

 

Exam Week – December 6 to December 18

Final projects are due on December 16.
The final project is a response to one of the artworks in the New Media Gallery exhibition.
More details on the requirements of the response will be discussed during the course.