Massachusetts College of Art
SIM 4X2 - Words and the Web
Spring 2003
Wedsnesdays, 2:10- 6:30 p.m. | Room 308, Tower Building

Syllabus

Prof: Nita Sturiale
Email:nsturiale@massart.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:30 - 2:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 - 12:30 pm
or by appointment

~ To weekly schedule ~

Course Description

This class investigates words as a primary unit of communication on the web. Examples of web journals, email, dynamic news sites, eBooks, translation software, search engines, guestbooks, spoken word, and dynamic typography are presented. Students create web-based artwork that explores the idea of the written word and spoken language. Issues of conceptual development, visual language, intentionality and functionality, and future trends are presented. Necessary skills for web site publishing are introduced. This class is designed to provide you with an opportunity to immerse yourself in these tools - in all their complexity - as you use them for making your art.

Topics

• Campus Network
• Internet/WWW Architecture
• Current state of words and web
• Web Project Proposal Writing
• Storyboards and Click-throughs
• Image Editing, Compression and Resolution Review
• Dyanamic Typography
• Spoken word online
• Online Journals and Weblogs
• eBooks
• Accessability and the Web
• Search engines
• Newsgroups, Bboards and discussion sites
• Translation issues
• Idea exchange and democracy
• Going Live, ISPs, Host, Domain names, security, etc.
• Future of the Web

Course Requirements

We'll be together 4 + hours per week for 3 + months. Our goal is to learn things we don't already know towards the long-term goal of being effective and articulate artists. A teacher's responsibility is to present information, provocations and a structured environment that will help you learn. Your responsibility is to fully participate in this environment by voicing your interests, thoughts, and questions, as well as listening to your classmates. Class participation, discussion and attention is fundamental and required.

Artists express ideas, information, opinions, questions, thoughts, dreams, aesthetic sensibilities, etc. Digital media provides opportunities to express in faster, wider, more complex, and, just plain different ways. Learning how to use these tools is just as challenging as learning how to throw a clay pot without it collapsing or calculating the math involved in architectural drafting. It takes patience, a sense of humor and a willingness to try new things without fear. In most cases, you won't break the computer unless you throw it out a window (which you may want to do at times).

Also required is that you apply for, and use, an email account and that you become practiced at working online. Much of the course materials are online via the following URL - http://babel.massart.edu/~nita. The syllabus for this course is linked from this page and from there you'll find other specific links to course materials. Additionally you'll need to apply for MassArt Web Server Space with Fred WolfLink <fredless@massart.edu>

Please purchase a "how to" book for Macromedia DreamWeaver . If you are starting out, I highly recommend the Visual QuickStart Guides by PeachPit Press.

List of requirements and assignments:

• Get an email account. Let us know if you need help with this.

• Be present in body - come to class ontime - more than two absences and/or chronic lateness will result in a NC grade,

• Be present in mind and mouth - participate in class discussion and critique sessions,

• Participate in classtime workshops,

• Read the readings and be prepared to discuss them in class,

• Complete Assignments:

  1. Apply for MassArt Web Server Space with Fred WolfLink <fredless@massart.edu>
  2. A selection of your original writing in 6 parts in a digital slide show format
  3. Based on pencil sketches, created an HTML click-through of Web Artwork idea
  4. Web Artwork Proposal
  5. Web Artwork Proposal Revision
  6. Present Web Artwork Prototype in progress
  7. Mid semester self-evaluation
     (print from http://babel.massart.edu/~nita/eval/mideval.html)
  8. Present Final Web Artwork
  9. Final self-evaluation
     (print from http://babel.massart.edu/~nita/eval/finaleval.html)

   

Reading Selections

1. Berners-Lee, Tim. Weaving the Web, Harper, pgs. 123 – 141, 1999.
2. Burgy, Donald. "Information", 1989.
3. Couch, John S. "The Artist of the Future Is a Technologist", May 1997.
4. Hafner, Katie and Lyon, Matthew. "Casting the Net," The Sciences, pp. 32 - 36, Sep/Oct 1996.
5. Holland, John. "Knowledge", 2000.
6. Norman, Donald. "Emotion and Design", jnd.org, July 2002.
7. Swidey, Neil, "The Internet Search-Engine Culture", Boston Globe Magazine, February 2, 2003.
8. Various, "Back to the Future", Utne, pgs. 80 - 89, Jan-Feb 2003.
9. Gillmor, Dan. Google Buys Pyra: Blogging Goes Big-Time, February 15, 2003, SiliconValley.com
10. Johnson, Steven. Use the blog, Luke, May 10, 2002, Salon.com.

Stimuli - http://babel.massart.edu/~nita/stimuli.html

Resources - http://babel.massart.edu/~nita/resources.html