Intro to Computational Media 2023

MS053: Intro to Computational Media

Scripps College Media Studies, Fall 2023

Tuesdays / Thursdays 2:45 – 4:00PM

Steele 103

Xin Xin (any pronouns)

xxin@scrippscollege.edu

Course Description

Intro to Computational Media explores code as an expressive medium for art and media makers. The course provides a critical approach to thinking and working with computation by framing programming concepts within a social and historical context. Through an anti-oppressive and feminist lens, the course unpacks design biases embedded in pervasive technology while pointing towards community-centric ways of working with computational media. Both object-oriented and procedural programming will be explored, as well as, using input and output of files, generative techniques, and image creation through data processing.

Learning Outcomes

Apply critical thinking in writing and oral presentation skills
Analyze the social and cultural importance of computational media art
Use technical proficiency to create computational media art
Create a two-dimensional computational-based project

Community Agreement

The statement remixes the p5.js Community Statement, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the voidLab statement. We will discuss and make final suggestions to this statement on the first day of class.

Intro to Computational Media is a community of learners interested in exploring the creation of art and design with technology.

We are a community of, and in solidarity with, people from every gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, language, neuro-type, size, ability, class, religion, culture, subculture, political opinion, age, skill level, occupation, and background. This means that we will use preferred pronouns, respect self-identifications, and be mindful of special needs.

We like these hashtags: #noCodeSnobs (because we value community over efficiency), #newKidLove (because we all started somewhere), #unassumeCore (because we don't assume knowledge), and #BlackLivesMatter (because of course).

In practice:

We are not code snobs.
We listen to each other.
We recognize that people learn in different ways, therefore we don’t judge when someone asks a question.
We actively recognize and validate multiple types of backgrounds and perspectives.
We work together and help each other out when it’s within our capacity.
We keep our community respectful and open.
We are mindful and kind in our interactions.

A collaborative effort between students and the faculty is needed to create a supportive learning environment. While everyone should feel free to experiment creatively and conceptually, if a class member points out that something you have said or shared with the group is offensive, avoid being defensive; instead approach the discussion as a valuable opportunity for us to grow and learn from one another. Alternatively if you feel that something said in discussion or included in a piece of work is harmful, you are encouraged to speak with the faculty of this course or Scripps Media Studies Program Chair Carin Wing.

Assessable Assignments

#1 Lost and Found – DUE 9/14
#2 Face Generator – DUE 9/19
#3 Experimental Clock – DUE 9/28
#4 Face Generator V.2 – DUE 10/3
#5 Optical Illusion – DUE 10/12
#6 Data Portrait – DUE 10/19
#7 Autobiographical Game – DUE 11/7
#8 Intro to Computational Media Portfolio – DUE 12/5

Final Grade Calculation

Participation – 15%
Reading Discussion – 20%
Assignment #1~6 – 30%
Assignment #7 – 20%
Assignment #8 – 15%

Assignments #1~8 will be graded within one week after the initial submission. After receiving the initial grade, you have a second opportunity to improve and re-submit them before the last day of class.

Grading Chart

93-100 = A	90-92 = A-	88-89 = B+
82-87 = B	80-81 = B-	78-79 = C+
72-77 = C	70-71 = C-	68-69 = D+
62-67 = D	60-61 = D-	0-59 = F

Grading Rubric

Assessment	Needs Improvement	Satisfactory	Good	Excellent
Code	Does not meet the stated requirements. Is missing core components of the assignment. Contains significant errors that display a lack of comprehension or understanding of the material.	Ability to develop working functional code with limited errors. Demonstrates comprehension by building upon the technical concepts in submitted work.	Initiates learning beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment. Attempts to develop skills and takes risk without sacrificing legibility and functionality of code.	Creative solutions to nuanced and complex problems in programming. Code is formatted in an organized, highly readable manner, within minimum bugs and errors.
Craft	Design outcome shows a lack of intentions or does not respond to the assignment brief.	Visual and/or audio elements are intentional and motivated by the assignment brief.	Craft demonstrates an emerging level of care and consideration. Work shows strong potential with space for improvement.	Design demonstrates a well developed sense of aesthetics or form through execution. The work demonstrates mature consideration of the relationship between concept and execution.
Critique	Engages superficially with the conceptual material delivered each week.	Evidence of engagement with the conceptual material delivered each week.	Demonstrates engagement with the conceptual material beyond the minimum requirements for the course. Shows emerging fluency in utilizing concepts within their own work.	Demonstrates fluent grasp of conceptual material presented. Is able to skillfully integrate concepts into their own work. Ability to build compelling narratives around individual assignments.

Required Software

Course Schedule

Week	Date	Agenda	Assignments
1	8/29	No Class
1	8/31	No Class
2	9/5	Artists and Hackers: Can a Programming Language be a Radical Community? discussion
2	9/7	p5 Web Editor, 2D Primitives, RGB Color Assignment #1 Lost and Found Overview	Complete Assignment #1 Lost and Found Part 1 (Due 9/12)
3	9/12	What is Code? Why Code? Data types, mouseX, mouseY User-defined variables Translate(), Rotate(), Push(), Pop()	Complete Assignment #1 Lost and Found Part 2 (Due 9/14) Read Code (Chapter 1~3) by Charles Petzold (Due 9/14)
3	9/14	Assignment #1 Lost and Found Peer-Review Reading Discussion random(), mousePressed(), keyPressed() Assignment #2 Face Generator Overview	Complete Assignment #2 Face Generator (Due 9/19)
4	9/19	Assignment #2 Face Generator Presentation Variables, Parameters, and Randomness IF, Else, Else if AND, OR Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Overview	Read Engineered Inequity: Are Robots Racist?, Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin and submit written feedback on Canvas discussion (Due 9/21) Complete Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Part 1 (Due 9/21)
4	9/21	Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Part 1 Share-out Boolean variables second(), minute(), hour() map() frameCount(), frameRate, millis()	Complete Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Part 2 (Due 9/28)
5	9/26	Reading Discussion Glitch Portfolio Setup Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Q & A
5	9/28	Assignment #3 Experimental Clock Presentation p5 Functions vs. User-Defined Functions Argument and Parameters Assignment #4 Face Generator V.2 Overview	Complete Assignment #4 Face Generator V.2 (Due 10/3) Read Algorithms of Oppression (excerpt) by Safiya Umoja Noble (Due 10/3)
6	10/3	Reading Discussion Illusion as Tactics Assignment #5 Optical Illusion Overview	Complete Assignment #5 Optical Illusion (Due 10/12)
6	10/5	for Loop rotate + for Loop
7	10/10	Reading Discussion Nested for Loops Modulo
7	10/12	Assignment #5 Optical Illusion Presentation Array Empty Array Array + for Loop Assignment #6 Data Portrait Overview	Read one of the articles from the Data Feminism website by Catherine D'lgnazio and Lauren F. Klein (Due 10/19) Complete Assignment #6 Data Portrait (Due 10/19)
8	10/17	NO CLASS – Fall break.
8	10/19	Assignment #6 Data Portrait Presentation Reading Discussion Arcade and Console Games Classes & Objects Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Overview	Read Rise of the Video Game Zinesters, Chapter 1 (excerpt) by Anna Anthropy(Due 10/24) Complete Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Part 1 (Due 10/24)
9	10/24	Arrays of Objects Class and Objects - Collision Detection	Complete Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Part 2 (Due 10/26)
9	10/26	Mouse & Key Inputs - mousePressed(), mouseIsPressed, keyPressed(), keyIsDown(), keyIsPressed Switch Statement - Changing Scenes!	Complete Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Part 3 (Due 10/31)
10	10/31	Happy Holloween! 👻 JavaScript push(), pop(), shift(), unshift(), splice() Importing Image Assets	Complete Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Part 4 (Due 11/14)
10	11/2	Happy Cinco de Mayo! Importing Sound Group Debugging
11	11/7	Studio Work
11	11/9	Class Cancelled.
12	11/14	Assignment #7 Autobiographical Game Presentation (Zoom Link)
12	11/16	Field Trip: E.A.A.T.: Experiments in Art, Access, and Technology, Beall Center for Art + Technology, UC Irvine
13	11/21	Visiting Guest Lecture: Sammie Veeler (New Art City) Assignment #8 Intro to Computational Media Portfolio Overview	Complete Assignment #8 Intro to Computational Media Portfolio (Due 12/5)
13	11/23	NO CLASS – Thanksgiving break.
14	11/28	HTML and CSS External Libraries and APIs
14	11/30	HTML and CSS External Libraries and APIs
15	12/5	Final Presentation & Group critiques Rose Bud Thorn Excercise

Course and Institutional Policies

Attendance Policy

You may miss up to four classes and still pass this class. Note that 60 percent of the students' grade is given for work on in-class activities, and that these cannot be repeated except in extraordinary circumstances.

Participation Policy

You are expected to be attentive, ask questions, work alone and with a partner to complete your work.

Late Assignment and Missed Exam Policy

Labs and in-class activities will not be repeated except in extraordinary circumstances.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to abide by the Scripps College academic integrity code. You must submit work that is your own and which is original work for this class. Also, all sources must be documented. Omission of sources is considered plagiarism, even if it is an oversight and/or unintentional. All plagiarism will be reported to the department and Dean’s office for further action. For this course, collaboration is allowed in on lab activities and assignments IFF all contributions are documented.

Permissible cooperation should never involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in any form (e.g. email, Word doc, Box file, Google sheet, or a hard copy). Also, assignments that have been previously submitted in another course may not be submitted for this course, and I discourage you from finding solutions on Stack Overflow or other online forums to paste into your notebooks.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Scripps students seeking to register to receive academic accommodations must contact Academic Resources and Services Staff (ARS) at ars@scrippscollege.edu to formalize accommodations. Students will be required to submit documentation and meet with a staff member before being approved for accommodations. Once ARS has authorized academic accommodations, a formal notification will be sent out.

A student’s home campus is responsible for establishing and providing accommodations. If you are not a Scripps student, you must contact your home institution to establish accommodations. Below is a list of coordinators on the other campuses:

CMC - Julia Easley, julia.easley@claremontmckenna.edu
Harvey Mudd – Deborah Kahn, dkahn@hmc.edu
Pitzer- Gabriella Tempestoso, gabriella_tempestoso@pitzer.edu
Pomona - Jan Collins-Eaglin, Jan.Collins-Eaglin@pomona.edu

Inclusivity Statement

This class is an example of Scripps College’s commitment to changing the norms in Computer Science. Creating this initiative at a liberal arts women's college is both a bold step towards correcting gender imbalance in this field.

Our community represents a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. We are committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity.

Institutional Policies

Students are responsible for reviewing Scripps College’s policies on incomplete grades, sexual misconduct, adverse weather, as well as student evaluation of instruction, and days of special concern/religious holiday.