Media Arts and Science – Education (BA)

Using a variety of media arts tools, students create their own hands-on, project-based learning curriculum that integrates science, technology, engineering, math and arts, often called STEAM. Students explore how principles of science, mathematics, visual arts, music, and computation can be utilized in media arts and design and how to translate these principles into project-based learning curriculum. Aimed at future and current educators and community leaders from many disciplines who teach in a variety of formal and informal settings, including schools, libraries, community centers, after-school and outreach programs. Course activities provide exposure to, and foundational knowledge of, many resources available to the community including creative coding languages, open source media-making tools, makerspace tools and hardware. Students use these tools while carefully reflecting on larger ideas of interdisciplinary learning principles of creativity, community, problem-solving, empathy, embodied learning, collaboration and aesthetics. STEAM education provides avenues for learners to explore complex or difficult societal or science issues in an embodied way, either through providing explicit artistic or expressive end-goals that require computational means to achieve, or by providing approachable metaphors or embodied actions which allow the student to more closely relate to the complex issues. Emphasizes using widely accessible cross-platform and open source (free) tools.

Examines the effects of digital technology on the way we live, communicate, learn, and create. Proposes that we are moving towards a hybrid (physical-digital) existence and culture. Traces that evolution, looks at current examples of hybrid cultural processes and outcomes, and discusses possible future trends. Discusses how these changes are influencing the work and career possibilities of people involved in all aspects of human culture. Comprises diverse readings, media products, class interaction, group discussion and hands-on collaborative projects exploring concepts covered in class. Also includes a number of guest lectures from ASU faculty.

How do you build your dreams? Explores speculative design and inspirational prototyping as a way to imagine and organize worlds. These prototypes do not have to be functional or material, but they must be functional stories, effectively communicating the creator's vision with others. Surveys a number of creative paradigms for imagining alternative worlds that are more ethical and sustainable, and experiments with techniques for physical, digital, literary and artistic prototyping.

Introductory-level course in practical aspects of programming systems for media arts. Explores techniques in programming in the context of images, sounds, interaction, networking and data visualization. Uses the processing programming language, an accessible yet powerful environment for learning how to program. Students create images, animations and interactive programs, and learn how to use images, movies, sound files, microphones and cameras in their programs.