Media across cultures introduces undergraduate SIAT students to foundational literature reflecting on interdisciplinary approaches to art, media, technology, and design. It builds from theoretical and historical references in science and technology studies and broader societal implications of technologies. The course will enable students to interpret and engage contemporary media, art, and design with an awareness of the significance of the cultural, political and social difference. The course will be a reading-writing intensive combination of lectures and workshops that will provide students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as a foundation for future research in media and design practices. This term we will focus on key theoretical and historical debates on science, technology, and society to frame our discussions on media, design and art.
Course Goals
This course aims to help students develop an understanding of the cultural, social, political and ethical specificity of forms, contents, and contexts at the junction of art, design, media, and technology.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of key theoretical and historical debates on interdisciplinary approaches to art, media, technology, and design.
- Apply and evaluate these approaches across a range culturally specific new media, design, and art scenarios.
- Analyze and synthesize these approaches and major themes to develop a position within the discursive framework and apply these approaches to your writing practice.
Note: This term we will focus on key theoretical and historical debates on science, technology, and society to frame our discussions on media, design and art.
Students are required to write a final essay on one of the following five themes:
- Human and non-human relations mediated by technology.
- Technology and Science as a means to control different conceptions of Nature.
- Race and Gender as systems of exclusion or liberation under capitalism.
- Conflicting conceptions of technology and science.
- Possible Futures ruled by AI.
Requiered Texts and Materials:
- “Science, Technology, and Society: A Sociological Approach” by Wenda K. Bauchspies, Jennifer Croissant, and Sal Restivo. (Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub. 2006 )
- “Keywords for media studies,” edited by Laurie Ouellette and Jonathan Gray. (New York: New York University Press 2017) Online Book Available through SFU Library (Links to an external site.)
- Other text will be available through SFU libraries database or posted as PDFs on CANVAS.
- APA Citation Guide (6th Edition, 2010)
Available via SFU library: https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/apa* - A laptop with wireless connection and capacity to connect to CANVAS to answer quizzes in lecture. Laptops are available for rent via SFU Library.
Assessments
1. Reading Quizzes – 20%
Individual reading quizzes consist of multiple-choice questions on weekly readings. Quizzes will be answered on CANVAS during lecture. Their purpose is to assess comprehension on reading material.
Note: These quizzes are scheduled on Weeks 3 and 5. Students need to be present in the lecture to answer the quiz and participate in the follow-up activity. There are no late or extemporaneous submissions on quizzes.
2. In Lab Practice Workshop – 10%
- Workshop 1 – Argument -2.5 %
- Workshop 1/2 – Intro Paragraph- 2.5 %
- Workshop 3 – Supporting Paragraphs- 2.5 %
- Workshop 4 – Conclusion- 2.5 %
These workshops are mandatory. Students need to be present and participate in the workshops in lab to submit. There are no late or extemporaneous submissions on lab workshops. These workshops will prepare students to submit the paper outline for the final essay. Students that do not participate and submit all of the FOUR WORKSHOP activities will NOT receive a grade for their final essay.
3. Mid Term Exam 25%
This is a handwritten exam that will be delivered in a lecture on Week 7 (October 17). The midterm exam will be based on the readings assigned in week 1- 7.
4. Individual Term Paper – 45%
For your final paper, you will develop a concise argumentative paper about a cultural, social or political issue contextualized in the field of cultural production. The IAT206W writing process is an opportunity for you to critically engage a theme presented in the course, one that requires reading, research and reflection. You will formulate your own paper topic, but the topic must arise directly from the themes presented in the IAT206W course materials (see the list in the full assignment description). The paper will consist of a 1000-word essay (approx. 4-5 double spaced pages) and a complete list of References in APA style.
- It will include a minimum of 2 relevant images or graphics labelled as Figures and cited in APA (images must be discussed in the text to illustrate key points or illuminate arguments, not used or decoration.)
- It will demonstrate the ethical use of borrowed sources, including summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting and analysis of course material (2-3 internal sources) and 2-3 external sources relevant to the topic—all cited in-text with context in APA style.
Students will write the paper in the following stages:
4.1 Final Paper- Outline #1 10% – Week 9
This draft consists of a paper outline that states the theme of the essay, the main argument and a list of external and internal sources. No thematic changes after this point are allowed. It will be graded according to the research paper criteria and returned with written feedback. You will revise your work and submit a full draft in Week 11. All drafts and final submission of your paper should clearly show that you read, understood, and applied the feedback provided from your instructor, TA, and peers. Final papers and drafts with cursory or no revisions will be graded 0.
4.2 Final Paper – Draft #1 10% – Week 11
This is a full draft of your final essay. It will be graded according to the research paper criteria and returned with written feedback. You will revise your work and submit your final essay on week 13. All drafts and final submission of your paper should clearly show that you read, understood, and applied the feedback provided by your instructor, TA, and peers. Final papers and drafts with cursory or no revisions will be graded 0.
4.3 Final Paper 25% – Week 13
This is your final essay submission. It should follow the requirements in the assignment description and should clearly show that you read, understood, and applied the feedback provided by your instructor, TA, and peers. Final papers with cursory or no revisions will be graded 0.
* Attendance and participation in writing workshops and peer, instructor and TA feedback sessions are mandatory to obtain feedback for the iterative writing process.
5. BONUS POINT – Academic Integrity in Writing – 1%
The SFU Library Plagiarism Quiz consists of three quizzes which need to be completed by week 2 before the lecture. You will need to complete three quizzes before to participate in lab and lecture activity.