DMS 259: Introduction to Media Analysis
Spring 2006
Course Info
When: Tuesday/Thursday 3:00 - 4:50 pm
Where: CFA 112
Instructor: Dave Pape
e-mail: depape@buffalo.edu
Office: CFA 250
Office hours: Mon/Tues 1-2 pm
Website: http://resumbrae.com/ub/dms259/
Course Description
Introduction to Media Analysis is a lecture class that gives an
overview of ideas by artists, technologists, and theorists, focusing on
modern digital media. We will look at the latest work being done in
tech-based arts, but will also examine where this work came from -
earlier media, technologies, and forms of communication and entertainment.
The class will consist of readings, lectures, guest lectures, and
screenings of videos, web-sites, installations, videogames, and other
works. Some of the themes that are likely to be covered are:
computer animation (abstract & representational), interactive
narrative, virtual reality, scientific visualization, games,
collaboration, and issues in intellectual property.
Textbook
The New Media Reader, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick Montfort, eds., MIT Press, 2003.
Course Grading
- 70% - weekly in-class quizzes
Each week (normally on Thursday) there will be a short quiz. The
quiz will potentially cover the reading(s) for that week, and the
lectures/screenings from the previous two classes. The exact form
and timing of the quizzes may vary over the course of the semester.
You must be in class at the time of the quiz to take it - no make-ups
will be given.
- 30% - attend a media art exhibition and report on a piece
At some point during the semester (by finals week), you are to
attend an exhibition of media art, and then write a report on
a work shown there (a video, an installation, whatever). It can be any
sort of show at places such as at Hallwalls, Squeaky Wheel,
Big Orbit, etc; not something like a mainstream movie or concert;
check with me if you're not sure whether a particular show will be
acceptable for this assignment.
The report should be at least 1.5 pages (single-spaced, 12 pt font,
pictures allowed if they're in addition to 1.5 pages of text);
you should describe the piece in reasonable detail, and give some
sort of analysis - e.g. a comparison to other, past works (such as ones
covered in class), or a discussion of whether the piece is successful
for you and why or why not.
You may repeat this assignment as many times as you wish during
the semester; the report that receives the best grade will be used
in computing your overall course grade.
Other details
E-mail
I will send any e-mail relating to this course to your official buffalo.edu
address. Be sure that you check this address. Do
not ask me to send e-mail to another address instead - if you
don't want to use the buffalo.edu mail system, forward your mail from
there to whatever system you do use.
Also, be warned that mail from free services like Hotmail or Yahoo has
a strong chance of being caught by spam filters. Hence, I recommend not
sending me e-mail from such an address, if you want to be certain that
I'll receive it.
Incompletes
(Borrowed from CS Department)
Generally, incomplete ("I") grades are not given. However, very rarely,
circumstances truly beyond the student's control prevent him or her from
completing work in the course. In such cases the instructor may give a
grade of "I". The student will be given instructions and a deadline for
completing the work, usually no more than 30 days past the end of the
semester. "I" grades can be
given only if the following conditions are met:
- An Incomplete will only be given for missing a small part of the
course.
- An Incomplete will only be given when the student misses work due to
circumstances beyond his/her control.
- An Incomplete will only be given when the student is passing the
course except for the missed material.
- An Incomplete is to be made up with the original course instructor
within the time specified by the appropriate University regulation (see
appropriate document above), and usually within the following semester.
- An Incomplete will not be given to allow the student to informally
retake the entire course, and have that grade count as the grade of the
original course.
Incompletes cannot be given as a shelter from poor grades. It is the
student's responsibility to make a timely resignation from the course if
he or she is doing poorly for any reason.
Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability (physical, learning or psychological) which may make it
difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined, and/or requires
accomodations such as recruiting note takers, readers, or extended time on exams
and assignments, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 25 Capen Hall,
645-2608, and also your instructor during the first two weeks of class. ODS will
provide you with information and will review appropriate arrangements for reasonable
accomodations.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is literary theft and a betrayal of trust. The term is derived from the
Latin word for kidnapper and refers to the act of signing one's own name to words,
phrases, or ideas which are the literary property of another. Plagiarism comes in
many forms, all to be avoided: outright copying, or paraphrase, or a mosaic or
disguised use of words and phrases from an unacknowledged source. To avoid
plagiarism, make it your habit to put quotation marks around words and phrases,
or to isolate and indent longer passages, that you are using from someone else's
writing. And be sure to cite the source, in a footnote or endnote, or within
parentheses in your text. The penalties for plagiarism can be severe: from an
F for the particular assignment, to an F for the course, to referral of the case
to the Dean of Undergraduate Education for administrative judgment. If you are
unsure about how to use and document sources, please consult with your instructor.