Digital Arts & Media
Bridging Disciplines Programs allow you to earn an interdisciplinary certificate that integrates area requirements, electives, courses for your major, internships, and research experiences.
Students in the Digital Arts & Media BDP explore the rapidly evolving intersection between digital technologies and creative artistic and media production. The presence of advanced computer technologies in nearly every aspect of the entertainment sector and media production points to the need for creative professionals who not only have the skills to use these technologies, but also the creative vision to use these tools in new ways and a critical perspective on the social contexts within which digital arts and media are created and consumed.
The Digital Arts & Media BDP is designed to guide students toward careers in this dynamic field by providing a unique mix of courses from fine arts, communication, computer sciences, humanities, and engineering. The BDP provides a framework for students from across disciplines to explore and create work that pushes the boundaries of traditional disciplines and media, bringing their own knowledge and perspectives together with tools for creative production. The foundation courses provide the conceptual scaffolding for exploring new media and developing new skills, while the strand courses allow students to pursue individual interests in games and entertainment, image and film, mixed media, music and audio, or other areas.
Game Development Emphasis: Students in Digital Arts & Media may earn their certificates with an emphasis in Game Development. Students who want to receive this recognition must apply and be admitted to one of the Game Development Capstone courses (C S 354S, 354T, or cross-listed sections in other departments), and either propose the course to count for their Creative Project or use the course to fulfill a Strand Course requirement. The emphasis will be recognized on students’ paper BDP certificates and may be listed on their resumes. Contact a BDP advisor for more information.
Upon completion of 19 credit hours from the options listed below, you will earn a certificate in Digital Arts & Media.
Note: Course descriptions available here are from a recent offering of the course, and they may not reflect the description for the next offering of the course.
Forum Seminar Courses (1 credit hours)
All students in the Digital Arts & Media BDP are required to take the Forum Seminar.
DAM Forum
BDP 101 Exploring Digital Art & Media
Exploring Digital Arts & Media is a Bridging Disciplines Forum Seminar and one-credit course that aims to present a broad survey of digital art and media. For most of the seminars there will be a guest speaker and lecture/discussion period based on the presenter’s work and on the general topic. Students in this course will learn about the many areas of specialization that the phrase “digital art & media” covers ranging from the Internet to game design. In recent semesters, this course has met for one hour per week for the full semester, and not for two hours a week during the first eight weeks of the semester (like most other BDP 101s).
Foundation Courses (9 credit hours)
Foundation Courses introduce key methodologies and issues related to Digital Arts & Media. Choose one course from each of the following categories.
Theory & Practice
AET 304 Foundations of Art/Entertain Tech
This course presents a broad overview of digital media technologies, software and applications along with the fundamental concepts of digital representations of images and signals. Students will study an assortment of entertainment concepts or experiences, discover the underlying technology involved and learn how this technology is delivered to the participant. For example: What is the relationship between circuit-bending and DIY electronics? How does interactive art work? How do robotic lights move? How can a dancer’s body movements affect the music that accompanies the dance? What goes on behind the scenes of a large-scale live musical performance? How are 3D printers changing art, manufacturing, and medicine? In pursuit of answers to such questions students will also consider the cultural, philosophical, ethical and practical aspects of entertainment technology.
MUS 319D Foundations Digital Sound/Mus
*Music students only.
Introduction to the practice of creating music with computer technologies and the basic techniques of recording, editing and producing digital audio tracks, including introduction to musical acoustics and psychoacoustics, fundamentals of audio recording, editing, mixing, and processing, MIDI, digital audio workstations, and syncing sound to video. Fine Arts 310 (Topic: Foundations of Digital Sound and Music) and Music 319D may not both be counted.
RTF 329C Digital Media Production
The tools and techniques of Animation, Visual Effects, Digital Painting and CGI are used to produce
content for a variety of formats including film, traditional and 3D animation, motion graphics and GUI,
real time rendering and video games. Through hands-on CREATIVE ASSIGNMENTS, you will learn
these techniques and define your identity as a digital media producer. Are you a specialist or a
generalist? Are you a CGI simulations expert or a traditional character animator? Are you a concept
artist or an augmented reality designer? Perhaps you are something we have never seen before.
Foundations
For students with no background in programming, choose AET 310, C S 303E, J 326C, J 335J, or RHE 314. For students with a background in C S, Engineering, or MIS, choose RTF 307 or a second course from the Social Issues list.
AET 310 Fndtns of Creative Coding
Foundations in Creative Coding is a hands-on artist’s guide for expressing original ideas directly in computer code using the graphics language Processing. Students will learn to make computer tools for implementing their own artistic visions. We’ll explore the computer’s role as artist’s medium in the context of major ideas in contemporary art, and we’ll work on original coding projects with skills developed in regular classroom exercises.
C S 303E Elements of Computers and Programming
Problem solving and fundamental algorithms for various applications in science, business, and on the World Wide Web, and introductory programming in a modern object-oriented programming language.
J 326C Intro Coding for Journalists
*Instructor Approval Required
Learning how to code opens all kinds of doors for journalists. It offers the ability to tell stories in new ways – from simple things like interactive news graphics to more sophisticated tools like machine learning and necessary business functions like the newsroom content management system and ad delivery. But coding can also be frustrating and, at times, maddeningly complex. This course will guide you through many of the most basic elements of writing code – specifically code for the Web – and introduce you to many of the fundamental technologies that are essential elements of online news presentation. More importantly, in doing so you’ll be learning how to troubleshoot, debug and solve problems like a coder, which can turn all those frustrating moments into challenges followed by satisfying accomplishment. This class won’t make you computer scientists and you won’t be able to go out and code your own news website from scratch after taking it. However, you will have a much better understanding of the technologies at the core of the Web and you’ll know enough to bend most websites to your will and create a very basic news interactive.
J 335J Intro to Mobile Programming for Journalists
*Instructor Approval Required
This class is an introduction to user interface design, programming and software development for Apple's iPhone and iPad devices for journalism students. The class will be taught with the Swift language, which is a beginner-friendly programming language for iPhones and iPads from Apple. No knowledge of software development is required before the class. Students will work together in small teams to complete assignments throughout the course of the semester.
Students who complete all of the work for this course will be familiar with how mobile applications are developed for the iPhone and iPad. They will also understand some of the key concepts that go into building mobile applications for journalism, both to consume and to produce content.
RHE 314 COMPTR PROGRAMMG HUMANITIES
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of computer programming and
provides practice in computation as a rhetorical activity. Working through in-class
lectures, readings, discussions, exercises, and course projects, students will gain
familiarity with programming concepts and practice in computational processes.
Designed for Liberal Arts majors with no programming experience, the course aims to
introduce computational processes through exercises in encoding (Markup/Markdown);
programming (Python); and physical computing (Arduino and Processing).
RTF 303D Media and Culture
This course surveys the role of media in our society through understanding economic, social, political, organizational, ideological, and global contexts. We will discuss themes relevant to media representation, audience interpretation, and social consequences.
Social Issues
You must complete at least one course that addresses social issues related to new technologies, including (but not limited to) inequality of access to technology, representations of social identities such as race and gender, and representations of violence. Below are just a few examples of courses that address these issues. If you wish to take a course that is not listed here, you may submit a petition to the faculty panel.
AAS 320 Race, Internet, & Soc Media
AET 336C Game History and Crit
(Fall 2015) Just as a good novelist benefits from reading widely, and as a painter benefits from a deep knowledge of art history, so too does a game developer benefit from a rich and critical understanding of theory and the history of video games. This course aims to provide a foundation for thinking critically about where games have been and why games matter from a variety of industrial, technical, artistic, and social perspectives.
AFR 322D Race and the Digital
Is the Internet a trashfire (like Logan Paul’s Suicide Forest video?). Is it one big click-bait to get us to part with our biometric data (think Google Arts & Culture Face Match app or Snapchat)? A site of abuse and trolling? Or does it offer us a means of political organizing by way of various “digital counterpublics”? This seminar takes up these questions and more through an examination of
race and digital technologies. Attention will be placed on forms of popular culture, social media, black cultural production and political action. Students will become more skilled in written communication and expression, reading, critical thinking, oral expression, and visual expression.
AFR 372C Black Studies & Social Media
Student will explore and actively participate in the social media universe through the lens of Black Studies. In addition to considering traditional Black Studies issues as they play out in the social media context, students will also engage professional development activities and service learning. Through activities, discussions and readings students will: (1) Develop a clear understanding of the emerging social media landscape; (2) Develop a clear understanding of Black participation in the social media landscape; (3) Develop and implement a personal/professional social media engagement plan; and (4) Experience the possibilities for social media participation as a community benefit.
AMS 370 ART DATA IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Long before the advent of digital platforms such as Facebook, Google, Instagram and Twitter, artists and activists began questioning the growing production and commodification of “data bodies.” Groups such as Critical Art Ensemble helped highlight the ways that surveillance, power, new technologies, and bodies interacted with one another. They’ve called for new ways of contesting and understanding politics in, what some in the public sphere call, the digital age. Data and bodies were and continue to be crucial vectors of governmental, corporate, and scientific intervention. This course asks, what shapes do data and bodies take in digital environments? Conversely, how have computing cultures and networks been shaped by data and bodies? What kinds of politics can be performed in such conditions? Informed by feminist Science and Technology Studies as well as American studies, students examine how users, artists, and activists have addressed issues around power, surveillance, migration, digital labor, and innovation, among others. As a final project, students will reflect on course themes and topics by producing a digital performance or artifact of their choice, such as a data visualization, video, website, blog, or a video game.
ANT 325G TECHNOCULTURE
This class examines the many technological mediums that saturate daily life, asking how they shape our selves and our interactions with others. We begin by dissecting attention—what do we focus on, for how long, and with what affects? Attention is more than a personal matter; it has many collective forms, as well as biological dimensions. We’ll think about how we value some forms of attention and deride others, depending on social contexts and cultural sensibilities. Then we’ll sift through the layers of technological mediation that alternately facilitate, channel, or diffract our abilities to attend to relationships, objects, and the world around us. With these patterns and tendencies established, we’ll turn to analyze how media systems and technological infrastructures intentionally organize and mine collective forms of attention—online, certainly, but increasingly in real-world settings. We will sample various ethnographic techniques and methods—digital and traditional—then try these out in developing brief analytical accounts of the cultures of technologies that permeate social worlds today. We’ll conclude with some reflections on how the human and the social are being actively redefined today. The aim of this class is to encourage new forms of intellectual engagement; no technological expertise is required.
C S 349 Contemporary Issues in Computer Science
This class examines ethical frameworks, modern ethical concerns related to computer science and technology, and clear oral and written communication. Topics we will explore include policy vaccuums created by new technology, copyright and patent, software bugs and liability, freedom of speech, privacy, security, employment and job markets, warfare and state-building, wealth discrepency and consumerism, environmental impact, and changing cultural norms and social contracts. Students should come prepared to discuss and debate these issues, as well as provide peer- review and critique of other students' papers and presentations. Students should come out of this class with a better understanding of their impact on the world as well as better communication skills and technical writing.
C S 378 Behavioral Ethics: Digital Age
This course will examine why seemingly good people sometimes make unethical choices. We will explore real-life ethical dilemmas, challenge our decision-making processes, and seek to describe our ideal behavior for the future. Since this is an Academic Service Learning course, we will also partner with corporations (like Google, Inc.), the City of Austin, local non-profits, and other local universities to engage in service projects, giving students the opportunity to use real-life problems and tasks to increase learning breadth, depth, and retention.
CMS 332D Digital Ethics
Explores the ethical issues inherent in the use of digital and online media. Discusses a range of current issues and subjects through the application of important moral theories, attending to how new technologies often challenge knowledge of morality, virtue, and the goodlife. Analyze case studies to encourage reflection and discussion over contemporary issues in digital ethics. Subjects include the ethics of hacking, Anonymous operations, online privacy, blogging ethics, online shaming and activism, revenge pornography, online free speech, social media and virtue, as well as other contemporary topics.
CMS 339L Social Interaction in Virtual Environments
This is a hands-on course in the use of new communication technologies. We will examine fundamental principles connected to the uses and effects of communication technology in everyday life. Students will apply these principles to different social contexts with the aim of influencing social interactions. Topics include how to signal politeness when communicating online, how to successfully use online dating sites, how people communicate socially through mobile phones, how to use social networking sites to mobilize action, how interaction occurs in virtual environments, and how to develop video games that appeal to broader audiences.
CMS 350C Crowds, Clouds and Community
Explores the use of social network theory and analysis to understand theconnectivity and complexity of teams, families, organizations, and communities. Consider examples of network analytic approaches to theorize, visualize, analyze, and understand, for example, criminal networks, professional service firms, government contracting, social media platforms, virtual worlds, interorganizational dynamics, post disaster recovery, and ad hoc organizational forms.
CMS 367 TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE
Technologies shape, disrupt and reflect our interaction with the world and with each other. From barbed wire (invented in Austin!) to the endless scroll of Instagram, human-built devices have shaped almost every aspect of our daily lives. But, technology doesn't just appear out of thin air. It is created by cultures of production and design. It is resisted and challenged by communities of users, audiences, and activists. In this class, students will learn the fundamentals of humanistic thought for both critiquing and creating innovation.
Formal Course Description
Explores the core theories of technological change in order to understand the impact of innovative work and identify key points of intervention in the technology production process. Students will learn methods for design thinking, brainstorming and futurism – methods of innovation. These practical skills will be deepened through critical inquiry into the values embedded in information technologies. Through considering the past and future of technology, this class seeks to inspire students to see our present as capable of change.
E 344T The Animated Film As Text
E 350V VIDEO GAME NARRATIVE CRITIQUE
We will, over the course of the semester, delve deeply into the history of video games; we will also consider the rise of specific genres (e.g., platform, first person shooters, sandbox, simulation, strategy, action, and open world releases), the prevalence of particular narratives, and past/present debates concerning social effect, problematic representation, and contested inclusion. Last, but certainly not least, we will consider the cross-cultural impact and cross-disciplinary influence of video games via intertextual readings of literature and adapted film.
E 350V DIGITAL THEATRES
This course is designed to survey and investigate the emergence and proliferation of digital theatre initiatives in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic -- from the new genre of “Zoom plays” to interactive digital theatre pieces to new advances in digitally recorded versions of live theatre productions. The theatre landscape, which had previously been slow in adapting to digital technology, has now been completely transformed. To take just one example: for the first time in its history, the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama was opened to include “plays produced and performed in places other than theaters, including online.” Not only will we be studying online plays, students will use our investigations to create their own digital theatre pieces. In other words, we will be studying online theatre and creating online theatre. (No previous theatre or acting experience is required.) Students will also be exposed to essays and other critical pieces that theorize the relationship of the theatre and digital spaces, drawing from the burgeoning critical field of digital humanities. Thus, we will continually reflect on our online theatre work even as we are in the process of creating online theatre work. Ultimately, the goal is for students to begin to understand and be a part of one of the most significant transformations in the American theatre in the last century, one that has particular implications for issues of representation, diversity, and access. The advent of digital theater is very much a revolution still in the making.
I 301 Intro to Informatics
This course will introduce students to informatics. Students will explore the foundations of the field, the core values and the concentration areas offered by the UT iSchool Informatics program. Overview of the information field as it relates to the technology-based world culture. Topics may include the idea of information, information in relation to technology and culture, information technology in education, information literacy and the "digital divide," information and communication technology, information and gender, public information policy, and information organization and preservation.
J 308N COMP CONCEPTS INTRNT TECHS-WB
An introduction to the scope, significance, history, and social implications of data processing on
systems and networks. Examine programming languages, elements of a software system,
databases, computer networks, and Internet security. Explore hardware concepts including number
systems, data representation, central processor, storage, input/output, and system configurations
J 351T TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE
"This course examines the context and significance of information and communication technologies in
contemporary life. It offers an overview of the social, political, economic, and policy dimensions of these technologies; surveys their historical development, uses, and effects; and addresses some of the most significant social issues and conflicts they raise. The course draws on technology studies and
communication studies to explore some of the complex relationships between communications
technology and society. We pay special attention to ongoing issues in contemporary communications
practice and policy, such as free speech, trust in media, the relationships between media and
governance, algorithmic cultures, privacy and surveillance, information ownership, and social
change."
J 355F Living In Information Age
Contemporary professional skills and techniques in the practices of journalism. An examination of communication and information technologies with particular emphasis on the Internet and how it is used by the Millennial Generation; how communication and information technologies evolve, and the cultural, economic, political, and social implications of such technologies for society; and how individuals, media organizations, and corporations employ the Internet for their benefit.
J 356R RACE DIGITAL MEDIA CULTURES-WB
The rise of digital media is one of the defining aspects of contemporary life. In this class
we will consider a range of issues related to the adoption of various digital media
platforms and experiences across the digital media landscape with a focus on this specific
questions: How is digital media culture influenced by race? We begin by exploring the
rapid spread of algorithms and artificial intelligence and consider how machines can
reproduce racism and racial inequality. Further, we explore the racial and social justice
implications of how artificial intelligence and other technology systems are shaping
predictive policing. Next, the class looks at how individuals and communities use of
digital media reflect notable racial and social patterns. The class considers how ideas
about race and institutional racism shape our experiences with digital intimacy—online
dating—and the “influence economy.” Finally, the course considers how citizens are
using digital media as a form of political agency. More specifically, we use a critical lens
to examine the rise and influence of the Black Lives Matter movement. We will use a
number of studies, recent data trends, and keen observations to inform our analysis of the
interconnectedness of race and digital media.
RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate
For topics courses labeled as “When Topic is Appropriate” on a BDP curriculum sheet, please note that all topics for this course number are not automatically approved to count toward your BDP. In advance of registration for a particular semester (and as part of the BDP seat request process), the BDP office will inform current BDP students of the topics for the course number that are approved for their BDP.
RHE 328 TECH COMM & SOCIAL JUSTICE
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of technical professional communication through its recent social justice turn. While TPC has traditionally focused on workplace writing, communication about technical and specialized topics (e.g., environmental impact statements), communication using technology (e.g., webpages, social media), and supplying information on how to complete tasks (e.g., instructions), its social justice turn has encouraged researchers and practitioners to identify ineffective or discriminatory communication strategies and design intersectional alternatives that can not only build for the participation of more users but also improve and save lives.
The main goals of the course are (1) to ascertain the larger role theories of justice can play in technical and professional communication practice; (2) to consider the role of audience(s) and their purpose(s) in reading and writing technical documents; (3) to integrate research, writing, and design in standard genres of technical communication; (4) to design effective technical documents with attention to text, visuals, and usability; and (5) to work with current technologies for document design.
RTF 301N When Topic is Appropriate
Past Topics - I Love Lucy, Television, and the 1950s - Are you an I Love Lucy fan? If not this is the chance to become one! This class traces the evolution of one of America’s funniest, most popular and longest running sitcoms from its inception in 1951 to its reincarnation as The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show during the 1957/58 TV season. By discussing the development of the hit series in chronological order, you will learn not only about the history of early television, but also the fascinating time period of the 1950s. During the semester we will explore a wide variety of interrelated topics such as basic structures of US commercial broadcasting, the evolution of the advertiser supported business model, the rapid rise of consumerism, and representation of class, race and gender in the 1950s.
RTF 303D Media and Culture
This course surveys the role of media in our society through understanding economic, social, political, organizational, ideological, and global contexts. We will discuss themes relevant to media representation, audience interpretation, and social consequences.
RTF 326C Technological Culture
This course asks big questions about the relationship between technology and culture, including how technology influences and is influenced by social factors and forces, and how US culture has framed technology through ideas about progress, convenience, determinism and control. The course will examine the design, development and use of several communication technologies through a technology studies framework, and consider contemporary problems and conflicts at the intersection of technology and culture.
RTF 327C Digital Remix Cultures
Within the digital age, media culture has become not only increasingly customizable, but
configurable, resulting in a robust remix culture. This course will explore digital remix as an
art form, mode of argument, and community of practice, while interrogating formal,
ideological, and legal constraints on these modes of media making. Drawing on scholarly
work from Lawrence Lessig, Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi, Roland Barthes, and
Henry Jenkins (among others), this course will consider the history and significance of remix
culture through the lenses of authorship and authenticity, copyright and culture, technology
and temporality, and pastiche and politics. Praxis assignments and lab exercises will require
students to inform their creative practices with course concepts, ranging from analog
experimentations with political remix (zine making), to more contemporary forms of digital
remix and culture jamming (image mashups, video essays, and audio sampling) using a range
of software. Lab time will be devoted to becoming comfortable with tools such as Audacity,
Photoshop, and Premiere and working on projects that will allow students to assert their
copyrights and critically reflect on the read/write culture championed by remix scholars.
Because this is a media studies course with media production components, emphasis will be
placed on the argumentative capacity of digital remix as a media form and a mode of public
scholarship.
RTF 328C Gender and Media Culture
This course provides an introduction to the critical and theoretical analysis of gender (femininities and masculinities) in media (film, television, new and emerging media). Students will engage dominant and oppositional practices of media production, representation, and reception to investigate the sociocultural mechanisms that shape individual and collective notions of gender in our media-saturated environment. Paying particular attention to wider questions of power, politics, and identity, students will read key texts in cultural, media, and communication studies, as well as influential theories within gender, feminist, and transgender studies. Although primarily focused on the mediated construction of gender, this course insists on an intersectional approach that examines gender in conjunction with race, class, sexuality, nation, and generation.
RTF 331P VIRTUAL WORLDS VIDEO GAMES
To play a game is to engage with another world, one which either abstracts the real world or
evokes an alternative reality. This course uses video games as a launching pad for a broader
survey of the narrative and creative process of world building. According to Jesper Juul, “the
emphasis on fictional worlds may be the strongest innovation of the video game”—creating a
compelling setting to explore has long been a goal for many game designers. Students will
read key texts on worldbuilding, examining theories of engagement, immersion, and
embodiment in order to examine the technological, industrial, political, and social contexts of
virtual worlds. This course is designed to help you understand and assess how storyworlds are built and consumed. We will be focusing primarily on digital gaming contexts, but what you learn in
this course will be applicable to a broad range of media forms. Our objective for the semester
is to interrogate popular assumptions about virtual worlds and gaming. These vast
storyworlds are where many of us spend much of our time—we should understand who
builds them, who inhabits them, and who owns them. This course does not require any design or programming experience, although some assignments may be tailored to those who wish to practice those skillsets. No specific gaming knowledge should be necessary to engage in course discussions. A major component of the course will be keeping a weekly gaming journal, so you should plan to budget time into your schedule to play games, if this is not already part of your routine. A list of some
recommended titles or genres will be provided later in the semester.
RTF 331P Video Game Culture and Criticism
Games have always been an integral part of our culture, and studies of culture have long been fascinated by our propensity for play. Beginning with a brief historical overview of the inception of the video game industry and arcade culture, this course is centrally concerned with identifying the pleasures of play and engaging with the cultural and academic discourses and debates that surround video games and game culture. While video games have proven themselves as a dominant industrial force within over the past decade, the stigmas and social anxieties that circulate around video games persist. Consequently, one of the primary goals of this course is for students to both become conversant in these critiques and proficient in speaking back to them, acquiring the vocabulary to discuss and analyze the rules that govern our engagement with video games, and our experiences playing them. To this end, in addition to discussing video game aesthetics and mechanics, we will have themed weeks on war and gaming, gender and gaming, and game-based learning. In addition to course assignments analyzing gameplay and considering the representation of video games in film and television, students will be required to collaboratively design and theorize a game as their final project. No player or programming skill set is required, just a willingness to learn through (and about) video games.
RTF 331P Internet Cultures
Applications and potential effects of new telecommunications and information technologies in the home, workplace, and in education, social services, and politics.
RTF 347F HISTORY OF VIDEO GAMES
Video games and video gaming have changed through history—from the early attempts of developing games in the late 1950s to the complex game systems we have today. This course aims at exploring the histories and historiographies of games and gaming. We will start by analyzing history and its challenges as a discipline and well as discussing historiography and how to read historical documents. Then, we will explore the literature on games and gaming history, going from fan-based histories of games and gaming to current scholarly takes on the subject. We will discuss the roles of people and processes within the industry, minorities in the industry, histories of technology, and how players are integral parts of the game industry. Course assignments are based on papers, enabling the student to research histories of games, people, and technologies of video games.
RTF 365 LATINX MEDIA ARTS ACTIVISM
This course will investigate the ways in which Latinx activists use mainstream, alternative, legacy and new media, as well as other visual and performing arts to effect social and political change. We will investigate where/how the creative practices of socially/politically engaged artists intersect with the strategies and tactics that social movements employ to mobilize support and achieve their goals. Historical and contemporary examples of activism from the 1960s to the present day will illustrate the ways in which collective action can be facilitated through the use of media and the arts, and we will consider the ways in which the internet has provided new opportunities for connective action via social media networks that amplify the voices of underrepresented populations. Students will engage with a variety of materials, including scholarly articles and texts by artists and activists who have effected/are effecting change “on the ground," and consider how they shape and reflect the discourse around social and political issues in the United States. Students will also participate in critiques of various social movements’ utilization of activist media and art via personal blogs and the development of group projects. Some examples of topics we will explore throughout the semester include (but are not limited to): the Nuyorican Poets cafe, El Teatro Campesino, documentary film, political posters, Las Mujeres Muralistas, Ana Mendieta, the Zapatistas, Mujeres de Maiz, DREAMers and immigrant rights, storytelling for advocacy, Ricardo Dominguez and tactical media, the poetry of raúlsalinas, neoliberalism, globalization, Latin American solidarity, community building, radio activism, protest music, DIY activism, and zines.
RTF 365D Children, Youth and Media
In this course, students take an historical look at the uses of media and popular culture by children and teens. Particular focus is placed on recent trends in the uses of digital tools, cultural products, information and media produced by children and youth. An archive of media produced for children will be explored. The course also examines the way that media effects research has been used as a basis for policy, regulation and social movements that seek to both expand and restrict young people’s uses of media over time. Throughout the course, students will be asked to analyze, evaluate and creatively design media products intended for audiences of children and teens.
WGS 324C Gender & Media Culture
This course provides an introduction to the critical and theoretical analysis of gender (femininities and masculinities) in media (film, television, new and emerging media). Students will engage dominant and oppositional practices of media production, representation and reception to investigate the sociocultural mechanisms that shape individual and collective notions of gender in our media-saturated environment. Paying particular attention to wider questions of power, politics and identity, students will read key texts in cultural, media and communication studies, as well as influential theories of gender, feminism and transgenderism. Although primarily focused on the mediated construction of gender, this course insists on an intersectional approach that examines gender in conjunction with race, class, sexuality, nation and generation.
Connecting Experiences (3 - 6 credit hours)
Your BDP advisor can help you find faculty mentors for creative projects, internships, and research opportunities that connect Digital Arts & Media to your major. We call these opportunities “Connecting Experiences” because they play such an important role in integrating your studies and skills. Each Connecting Experience counts for 3 credit hours.
Required: Independent or Team-Based Creative Project
All Digital Arts & Media students must complete a creative project with a faculty mentor. In some cases, depending on the project, you may be asked to also find a second faculty mentor to provide a disciplinary perspective or skill set different from that of your primary mentor. Your BDP advisor will help you develop a proposal for your project, which must be approved in advance. Students may complete an independent project or participate in a team-based project such as the Game Development Capstone.
Optional: Internship or Research Experience
In addition to the creative project, you have the option to complete an additional 3-credit experience, which may be an internship or research.
For more information and for examples of past Connecting Experiences, visit the BDP website and consult your BDP advisor. BDP students must propose Connecting Experiences to the BDP office. Current BDP students should view the BDP Advising Canvas site for Connecting Experience resources and proposal instructions.
Strand Courses (3 - 6 credit hours)
In addition to your Foundation Courses and Connecting Experiences, you must complete 3-6 credit hours of approved Strand Courses, to bring your total credit hours toward the BDP certificate to 19 hours. Work with your BDP advisor to choose Strand Courses that will focus your BDP on your specific interests, and help you develop the skills and knowledge to successfully complete your creative project.
To create an interdisciplinary BDP experience, you must choose your certificate courses from a variety of disciplines, with at least three different disciplines (fields of study) represented within your Foundation and Strand coursework. A maximum of 6 hours toward your Foundation and Strand Courses may come from your major department(s). Only one of your Strand Courses may come from your major department(s), or from courses cross-listed with your major department(s).
College of Communication
ADV 339K Digital Graphic Communication
From presentations to content to case-study videos, today’s brand communicators must know how to create persuasive pieces, using a variety of digital software tools. This course introduces all students to the fundamentals of good graphic design, as well as production basics. Students will then build their digital design skills using industry-standard software, from print (Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) to motion (Adobe Premiere, AfterEffects) and interactive (HTML, CSS, WordPress). Assumes no prior knowledge.
ADV 364 IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
Immersive Experience (offered spring) – A cumulative course that brings it all together with the understanding of an audience, the language of development, and awareness of the affordances of each medium to use them effectively in designing immersive user experiences. Students will work on a real-world client project, which will also be prepared for entry into an immersive storytelling competition.
ADV 365 Audience Development and Engagement
Audience Development & Engagement (offered both fall/spring) – Understand and identify an audience’s intention, expectation, interaction, and relationship with space and emerging technologies to better understand affinities with brands and the varied ways to activate an audience. Conduct research to develop audience profiles and using the research, future forecast engagement strategies that leverage participation, agency, personalization, and digital currency.
ADV 367 EXPERIMENTAL STORYTELLING
As the media landscape becomes populated with more and more screens—from television and computer screens to mobile displays, but also virtual reality headsets, other wearable devices, and a rapidly growing Internet of Things—we have quite literally a whole world of possibilities for creating experimental storytelling experiences. These technologies offer unique potential for creating new and different kinds of experiences, including ones that respond with increasing precision to people’s behavior and input. So how might these screens (and the ecosystem within which they function) change the stories we share, but also how we share them? What might be the next step beyond the screen?
This course aims to introduce students to experimental storytelling that explores our senses, the physical and virtual world to create an immersive story experience. Using design thinking and human computer interaction, students will ideate, synthesize concepts, create user scenarios based on the story’s audience
and develop a POC (proof of concept) for feedback and entry into becoming new creators.
ADV 378 Psychology of Video Game Advertising
Objectives: · To change the way you think of games. · To become familiar with communication components (broadly defined) within game play. · Apply your understanding of communication processes within game play to better understand how advertisers can leverage games to reach consumers.
ADV 378 IMMERSIVE HACK LAB
Immersive Hack Lab is a 5-week summer course or full semester course that explores how emerging and mobile technologies are central to the way we engage in participatory practices of creating, communicating, collaborating and circulating stories. The goal is to better understand how these technologies work, in what ways do they afford new means of communicating and sharing information, what structures of control and power they embody, and how they might work differently for people in different contexts. This is a think & do course offering you an opportunity to learn through experimenting (a.k.a. hacking) and participating in sharing knowledge via special interest groups (SIGs). Within these SIGs, you'll acquire certificates in varied software platforms depending on the SIG's chosen emerging technology, skill level, and learning path design personalized within each group. From this experimentation, students will create immersive projects to showcase the final week of class.
ADV 378 DIGITL SOCIAL MEDIA PRODCTN
Digital social media mobile technology offers a creative and interesting new way to create
visual content. Mobile video on social media production is a major asset for businesses to
create brand awareness, share information, and engage targeted audiences. The goal of this
class is to provide students the required skills to plan, capture, edit, and produce digital social
media content. Students will learn how to use tools to create digital storytelling with mobile
devices. Students will come out of the course with expanded knowledge of industry editing and
motion graphics software for mobile devices. Students will produce high-quality video shorts in
a variety of contexts including advertising campaigns, interviews, site visits, events, products,
restaurant reviews, and news stories.
ADV 378 360 VIDEO PRODUCTION
*Instructor Approval Required
None
ADV 378 Immersive Hack Lab
Immersive Hack Lab (offered summer II) -- Explore how emerging and mobile technologies are central to the way we engage in participatory practices of creating, communicating, collaborating, and circulating stories. This is a think & do course offering you an opportunity to learn together through experimenting (a.k.a. hacking) and participating in sharing knowledge via special interest groups (SIGs). Within these SIGs, students will acquire possible certificates in varied software platforms depending on the special interest group chosen emerging technology, skill level, and learning path design personalized within each group. From this experimentation, individual students will create a solo immersive project to showcase the final week of class.
ADV 378 Experimental Storytelling
Experimental Storytelling (offered fall) – Understand the expansion of mythology and archetypes, explore a variety of emerging technologies that afford new ways of telling stories, and apply them to world-building scenarios and activations that offer customer personalization, interaction, and reward.
J 302F Digital Storytelling Basics
The digital revolution is having a profound impact on the way news stories are researched, reported, edited and distributed. Today’s journalists must be prepared to master a variety of digitally-based storytelling methods that go beyond the written word. This course will focus on the challenges of writing and reporting for the web, while providing training in multiple technologies for digital delivery of text, photos, audio and video news across journalism platforms. This course will cover a number of issues that relate to the student journalist, among them: • An exploration of digital/multimedia journalism and its impact on traditional media • An examination of “best practices” of digital/multimedia journalism • Learning to use text, pictures, audio and video to tell journalistically-sound stories • Effective use of online research, crowd sourcing and computer-assisted reporting • Developing better grammar, spelling and punctuation skills • Mastering the AP Stylebook • Understanding the Web as a news platform
J 336D Graphic Design for Online/Print
*Instructor Approval Required
Overview, design, and production of materials for online and print storytelling. Subjects include design principles, visual perception, typography, manipulation of images and photographs, and page design for media platforms.
J 339M Mobile News App Design
*Instructor Approval Required
Planning and building a mobile app, whether for Android, iOS, or web-based, and personal communication in the news business and in various other journalism-related topics.
J 363D DIGITAL INNOVS CAPSTONE
It’s not enough for journalists to just use the cool products that others build
anymore. Now we must be idea people. We must be thinkers, planners and builders
of technology. Imagine if media companies could have made Craiglist or Ebay instead of letting those companies tear apart advertising revenue? Imagine media companies that have the best podcasts, the best YouTube video series, the best strategies for building digital audiences. The goal of this class is to get you into a position where you are an idea person. Where you can imagine a product and get it built. Where you can lead the way for the media. You’ll learn a little about a lot of things, including product management, technical skills, communication skills, brainstorming, design and more. There are journalism majors and non-majors in this class, and all of you will have an opportunity to work on cross-disciplinary teams – just like in the real world. Students will be able to pitch their own product idea or choose from one that has been pitched to the class by a news organization. In the past, students have built products for The New York Times, Univision, The Dallas Morning News, The Austin American-Statesman and more.
P R 364 IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
This is the final course in the Texas Immersive sequence. The goal is to offer students a full semester to design
and develop an immersive experience, bringing together their understanding of audience development and
engagement, experiments in novel approaches to storytelling with a good understanding of the affordances of
emerging technologies to support the experience. Together, through understanding the language of development
and through practice, students will work on a real-world client project for entry in an awards competition, conduct
applied research in blending the physical and digital realms through sensory media and gain a deeper
understanding of the next wave of representation and reality through immersive experiences.
P R 365 AUDIENCE DEVEL ENGAGEMENT
Traditionally, audiences for content were broken up into four simple quadrants – male, female, young and
old – but now it’s possible to develop much more nuanced audience models based on their intention,
expectation, interaction and relationship to the space the experience resides in. This nuanced
understanding of the audience allows media companies to gain a better understanding of why people are
accessing that content and design experiences accordingly.
In this course, students will have a chance to study an interest-based community they are passionate
about. They will learn to understand and identify this particular audience’s intention, expectation,
interaction and relationship with space. Students will demo and explore emerging technologies to better
understand affinities with brands and the varied ways to activate the audience they are researching.
Students will conduct research to develop audience profiles and use the research to design engagement
strategies that leverage participation, agency, personalization, and digital currency.
RTF 301N VIDEO EDITING NON-MAJORS-WB
None
RTF 337 EARS ONLY: AUDIO STORYTELLING
EARS ONLY has three prime learning objectives:
• to introduce skills for audio production and post
• to expand your ideas about audio as a creative medium, and
• to further experiment with traditional and non-traditional story structures.
This is a relatively new class and it continues to evolve and incorporate different ideas. That,
combined with the fact that there is a worldwide pandemic and possibly the most
consequential presidential election in living memory—means there will absolutely be some
adjustments to the syllabus and schedule in the semester
RTF 341 1-AUDIO PRODUCTION INTO POST
Introduction to production and post-production audio for picture. You will learn basic physics
of sound, production and post-production techniques and the ideas behind them. This will
include recording techniques, set and location protocol, basic sound editing, mix prep and
basic mixing. You will become familiar with operation and use of industry standard audio
recorders and microphones, as well as audio workstation software like Pro Tools.
RTF 341C Sound Design and Mixing
Sound design/Editing to a pre-mix. Course will cover dialogue editing, creating sound elements, Foley, ADR, ambiences, working with music, effects, and preparing for the mix. Students will also be expected to do their own mixes of a student or professiona
RTF 344M Interactive Media & Game Devel
The course will examine some of the basic principals of designing and creating a game with an emphasis on game architecture and logical structure of the story. It is intended for RTF students who have little or no background in computer programming and who would like to explore game creation. Topics will include – logical planning of a multi-threaded story, manipulation of objects and characters, interactive game play, screen management and other related technical issues. By the end of the course students will individually or in small teams develop some small games targeted at hand-held devices such as the iPhone.
RTF 344M Wri For Interact Games & Media
Video games and other interactive media increasingly require well-crafted storylines and strong characters. This workshop is designed to give aspiring game writers the skills, knowledge and techniques needed to write successfully for the games industry. Through the creation of original interactive games, students will focus on such fundamentals as premise, character development, story structure, and the creation of multi-level worlds.
RTF 344M Computer Graphics for Film & Games
This is a production course designed to introduce and expand your knowledge of the world of motion graphics and visual effects. In contrast to the animation course, this class will focus on compositing and techniques to enrich your video, stills, typography and to get exactly what you want to see on screen. You will not be required to draw anything (complicated). Consider this more of a course in design than art. We will take the elements of design: line, shape, value, texture, color, direction, size, perspective and space and add one more thing to them: time.
RTF 344M CONCPTS OF REALTIME RENDRNG-WB
Virtual Production and real-time rendering are here. Learn how to plan, layout, light, animate and render your ideas, concepts and art in real-time using Unreal Engine. Physically accurate cameras will simulate their real-world counterparts and give you the ability to learn and develop your real-world skills in a virtual environment or integrate your real-world skills into the virtual production environment. Final projects, which will be fully realized short-form pieces, will display an understanding of the methodology and creative potential of this game-changing workflow.
RTF 344M DIRECTING FOR VIRTUAL REALITY
While exploring the language of cinematic storytelling in Virtual Reality 360 Production, we will aim for
students to develop, produce and direct short immersive and in many cases interactive story
experiences geared for the Virtual Reality Medium in stereoscopic 3D.
While students will be exposed to best practices for shooting and editing stereoscopic 360 material, UX
and UI design for VR headsets, the main focus of this class will be on the development and directing of
effective stories. Further, students will be encouraged to think volumetrically as an approach for
cinematography and directing which will translate to their growth as filmmakers and story content
creators in general.
With safety in mind as our priority, we will aim for the students to complete a 2 to 5 minute piece that
can be experienced through VR headsets that take advantage of stereoscopic vision.
The students will have access to 360 cameras, fixed interaxial s3D cameras and Samsung VR headsets.
RTF 344M VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
None
RTF 344M Motion Capture
Students will learn the basics of volumetric motion/performance capture using a Vicon system for
capture, and Motionbuilder and Unreal Engine for editing and cinematics creation. By the end of the
class, they will have two finished pieces, one a collaborative edit on an abstract motion study or
narrative scene, the other a self produced and written short film captured in the volume and put
together in Unreal Engine.
RTF 344M VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION
Students explore the history, mechanics, aesthetics and cultural touchstones of video games through a wide variety of creative projects. Topics include writing story and dialogue, creating/acquiring/implementing audio and music, designing puzzles games and combat, drawing and painting, CGI asset creation and implementation, and more. The course is auteur focused (not collaborative), software agnostic, gamified and designed for RTF students, but open to all majors. No coding required. No prior art skills required.
RTF 344M Visual Effects & Motion Grphcs
This is a production course designed to introduce and expand your knowledge of the world of motion graphics and special effects. Credits, transitions, greenscreen, filters, masks, mattes, all sorts of things. In contrast to the animation course, this class will focus on advanced compositing and techniques to enrich your video, stills, typography and to get exactly what you want to see onscreen. You will not be required to draw anything (complicated). Consider this more of a course in design than art. We will take the elements of design: line, shape, value, texture, color, direction, size, perspective and space and add one more thing to them: time.
RTF 344M CONCEPTS OF REALTIME RENDERING
None
RTF 344M 3D ANIMATION DIGTL PERFORMANCE
3D Animation and Digital Performances introduces students to the principles of motion, animation, simulation and performance through creative-project based learning. Using Autodesk Maya and other software, students will explore techniques and methods for generating animation including but not limited to rigging and skinning, simulation and dynamics, motion graphics and procedural animation, motion capture, virtual cinematography, sequencing, and rendering. As we build fluency with the tools, we will explore the applications of 3D animation in animation, visual effects and interactive. No prior knowledge or experience using Maya or CGI required, only a passion for storytelling and animation.
RTF 344M VFX FOR STORYTELLING
In this hands-on course, students will be introduced to the new frontiers of VFX technology, including neural networks for VFX (deep learning), Style Transfer, Real-time rendering and mixed reality Stagecraft. These technologies, fast becoming industry standards, are not out of reach! Along with production elements, the class will have screenings and analysis of films that contain historical milestones in VFX, which have led us to the present state of VFX and the development of the industry. Whether you are interested in VFX as an additional skill in your filmmaker's toolkit or would like to become a visual effects artist and technician, you must understand the past to contextualize the present and the future of this art form. This class explores the production of contemporary and cutting edge VFX as well as both sides of this chronology, with the ultimate goal of creating a well-rounded understanding of where VFX started, and where it is headed.
RTF 344M DIRECTING FOR VIRTUAL REALITY
While exploring the language of cinematic storytelling in Virtual Reality 360 Production, students will develop, produce and direct immersive and interactive story experiences geared for the Virtual Reality Medium in stereoscopic 3D.
While students will be exposed to best practices for shooting and editing stereoscopic 360 material, UX and UI for VR headsets, the main focus of this class will be on the development and directing of effective stories. Further, students will be encouraged to think volumetrically as an approach for cinematography and directing which will translate to their growth as filmmakers and story content creators in general.
RTF 344M CG FOR FILM AND GAMES
This is a production course designed to introduce and expand your knowledge of the world of CG modeling, surfacing, lighting, animation, FX and compositing. It is a hands-on production based course. In addition to class participation, there will be assignments of varying scope. These projects will involve using the computers. If you feel that you lack the necessary skills to do any of the assignments, please talk to me. I will be happy to work with you during lab times, but you will be responsible for putting in the extra work that is necessary to complete the assignments.
Remember this is a production course and will require hours of work outside of class. (est 9 hours per week)
RTF 344M Intro To 3D Animation
3D modeling, surfacing and animation software like Maya and Blender (among others) allows authors, directors, creators and designers considerable freedom and flexibility to realize even the most fantastic vision. This hands-on production course explores different aspects of 3D animation, including but not limited to modeling, surfacing, lighting, simulation and performance. We will use state-of-the-art software, tools and techniques to produce a variety of media from 3D models, to game simulations to animation to visual effects for film.
RTF 344N Advanced Visual Effects
Advanced topics in digital media theory, design, and development. Production course that explores advanced topics, concepts and techniques in compositing, image and projection, digital painting, and animation.
RTF 344N Advanced 3D Animation
This course in 3D Animation is designed for students who seek an understanding of character performance in animation. It provides comprehensive artistic and technical training to help each student develop as an animation artist within the computer-generated (CG) environment. Using Maya the student will create character rigs, learn basic animation principles, and become familiar with the variety of animation tools found in Maya. We will also be exploring Motion Capture as an adjunct to more traditional animation techniques.
RTF 348 New Media/Emerging Entrtmnt-LA
New media platforms have become without a doubt the most exciting business opportunities for storytellers to create and extend their live-action and animated properties and introduce new dimensions of interactivity and game theory. The intention of this class is to examine the evolution of storytelling beyond traditional film and television formats and delve into rapidly emerging platforms and technologies that are shaping today’s and tomorrow’s entertainment content. In addition to lectures and in-class exploration of new media content, there will be special guest speakers, who will share their career achievements, challenges, and demonstrate advances in their area of the rapidly evolving new media and gaming industry. 20172 -What is new media? From a technical point of view, it’s the emergence of digital computerized or networked information and communication technologies. From an entertainment point of view, digital interactivity provides creative networks for young and old alike, in challenging, thought-provoking and entertaining gaming environments. This course will explore the burgeoning areas of digital entertainment including broadband, video-on-demand, interactive television, mobile entertainment, and interactive digital gaming.
RTF 351C Introduction to 2-D Animation
Theory and practice of digital graphics and animation techniques.
RTF 351D Advanced 2-D Animation
Students will use the basic 2-D animation skills learned in the 351C Digital Animation and Graphics class to focus on the production of longer animated projects. Additional techniques including some motion graphics, stop motion, and advanced 2-D will also be covered in class.
RTF 366K Creating a Web Series
This is a hands-on production course designed to create an original web series. The class will consist of lectures and workshops in which students will write, shoot and edit 3 episodes for season 1 of their original series. The production teams will consist of three students and each person will get to direct at least one episode. Once your web series is complete we will: *Screen the series to your classmates *Upload the series to Vimeo or Youtube *Submit your series to at least 1 web festival The class will then conclude with a professional feedback screening from Austin’s own ROOSTER TEETH producers!
RTF 366M Introduction to 3-D Production
An introduction to the aesthetics, science, theory and practice of three-dimensional production via lectures, screenings, and some hands-on production work in groups. No previous three-dimensional experience is required.
RTF 368 Immersive Media Production
This class introduces basic concepts of “Immersive Media” as it applies to virtual reality and stereoscopic 3D content. Relying on basic production techniques regarding spherical photography as well as more advanced completely computer-generated techniques, students create content in the virtual (computer-generated) and photoreal realm. All content created is intended for use on HMD (head mounted displays) such as the Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR. Qualified students should have had some experience with 3D software—Maya, Unity, or another game development program. The class will primarily use the Unreal Engine. Official prerequisites* include any one of the following classes and the consent of the instructor, Deepak Chetty: 344M – 3 Visual Effects and Motion Graphics 344M – 2 Comp Graph for Film and Games 366M Introduction to 3D production *Interested students who lack the prerequisites, may contact Deepak Chetty for more information.
College of Fine Arts
AET 320D MUSICAL ACOUSTICS
Explores the science of sound and how musical instruments work as well as principles of musical scales, hearing, architectural acoustics, and electronic music.
AET 320G Audio Coding I
AET 321C AUDIO PROCESSING
This course is designed to provide students with the concepts, tools, and evaluation skills to manipulate audio using a variety of methods. Students will learn to implement sound shaping tools, convolution reverb, noise reduction, and pitch and time editing to make precise corrections to audio. By the end of this course, students will understand a variety of audio processing concepts and tools, apply numerous corrective editing methods for common recording issues, utilize industry-leading plugins and software to edit audio, instill proper mixing practices and habits, and evaluate music and audio more effectively and with greater sonic acuity.
AET 324 THEMED ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN
AET 324D PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION-WB
Animation can bring characters, objects, and graphics to life. It’s the backbone of the computer graphics industry and plays an important role in film, visual effects, games, and motion graphics. This course is an introduction to the principles of animation for 2D and 3D systems. Students will use various techniques to convey a sense of weight, emotion, and story for simple and complex objects in both 2D and 3D.
AET 324E CONCEPTS OF VISUAL STYLE
The ultimate goal of this course is to prepare the student with the fundamentals of conceptual artistic style and applying it to their art techniques. New skills and concepts will empower the student so that they may be able to network with programmers, producers, and other artists. Students will be graded on their individual personal development. Individual and group instruction will address needs for proper presentation to the class and prospective collaborations.
AET 329F 3D PROJECTION MAPPING
This course is a lecture / lab course designed to introduce students to 3D projection mapping. The
primary focus is to explore core technologies, practices, and workflows utilized for the creation of
content and subsequent programming of media servers. Software covered includes disguise,
Vectorworks and Blender. Student activities include: design, 3D modeling, fabrication, content
creation, media server programming, projector calibration.
AET 330T 3D PROJECTION MAPPING
This lecture / lab course introduces students to 3D Projection Mapping. Students explore core technologies, practices, and workflows associated with programming Media Servers. Media Servers are specific hardware components designed to efficiently playback video content.
Learning Outcomes:
Create and implement original design ideas
Collaborate within small teams
Effectively program a Green Hippo media server
Successfully calibrate a 3D projection system
Critically examine presentation techniques
AET 330T MIXED REALITY FOR THE MASSES
The course presents a historical and technical overview of AR technologies, familiarizing the group with the
terminology, limitations, current uses, potential markets, and anticipated game-changing breakthroughs in
AR capabilities. Course activities involve reading assignments, research, ideation of narratives, prototyping,
programming, and working with sound assets, 3D models and animations, challenging students to envision
innovative AR-centered solutions for relevant topics and brands, distributed as digital experiences through
multiple AR platforms.
The hands-on development of interactive experiences will focus on social media AR for Instagram and
Snapchat, and AR experiences delivered via web browsers (WebAR). The projects will focus on applications
to support marketing campaigns and educational initiatives, using interactive and animated 3D elements in
AR to promote learning opportunities and branded marketing – beyond the widely available face filters and
camera effects.
No previous experience with programming, 3D modeling or animation is required. All 3D assets to be used
in the assignments may originate from existing free repositories. Students may also create their own 3D
assets, even though I strongly recommend adopting existing digital models to save time. Project concepts
and prototypes will be presented as slide decks. The final outcomes will include the project files,
screenshots of the interface, a short video and a QR Code for sharing the AR experience.
Reference examples for all the assignments will be provided by the instructor and reviewed in class.
AET 330T DIGITAL EXPERIENCE DESIGN
This course will delve deeply into themed and immersive entertainment and other experiences,
providing students an opportunity to see the creative possibilities through different forms of expression.
Students will explore Experiential Design, from large scale highly themed experiences, such as a museum
visit or theme park trip, to everyday interactions, such as stop at a coffee shop or gym. Why does magic
feel magical? Why do Haunted Houses scare us and why do we want to be scared? What about the DMV
could really use a make-over, and why? Class will focus on the necessary collaboration across disciplines
for success in the field, the “human” part of all experiences, and will include individual evaluation of a
variety of scenarios as well as original proposals / designs of visitor experiences. Facets of storytelling,
teamwork, research, human behavior, presentation skills, peer-review, and out of class explorations will
all be part of the curriculum. Class will integrate key University priorities related to Collaboration,
Entrepreneurship, and Critical Thinking as part of the semester.
AET 333 GAME CHARACTER ANIMATION-WB
In this course, students will learn the process of creating 3D gameplay animations, techniques to improve their animation workflow, and how to implement their animations into Unreal Engine.
AET 334 VIDEO GAME CHAR ANIMATION-WB
In this course, students will learn the process of creating gameplay animations, techniques to improve their animation workflow, and how to implement their animations into Unreal Engine. Animation is a very important step in the art pipeline, and the class will focus on creating a multitude of game ready animations, along with how to work with blendspaces, state machines, and other systems used by animators in the industry today.
What will I learn? In this class you will learn about the fundamentals of game animation and how it functions within Unreal’s systems. This class is geared to give you a good understanding of how to create the foundation of gameplay animation for a character, how to work within the iteration cycle that is used commonly in the games industry, and how to implement the animations done in Maya into Unreal - all finalized on a playable character.
AET 334C LEVEL DESIGN
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Design and build interactive 2D or 3D game levels (game maps) using an industry
standard tool such as Unity or Unreal. Explore the design pipeline for creating levels
from concept and layout, to whiteboxing, creating and integrating environment art and
sound, worldbuilding, and adding simple scripted interactions, animations, sound
effects, and VFX. Examine the different design process for small indie games compared
to big AAA games.
AET 334K VIDEO GAME PROTOTYPING
Explore rapid prototyping techniques for video game art and design using ideation,
storyboarding,
pitching, prototyping, testing, and documentation.
PREREQUISITES FOR THE COURSE
Arts and Entertainment Technologies 304 and 310, and two of the following: Arts and
Entertainment Technologies 305, 306, 316C, 315, or 318C.
Strongly recommended: Upper Division status and proficiency in game engines
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Understand the rapid prototyping process and its importance in game development.
Learn how to quickly create and iterate on game prototypes.
Evaluate prototypes and make necessary adjustments.
Receive and give constructive criticism on creative work
AET 335K VIRTUAL REALITY FOR VIDEO GAMES
Explores iterations on ideas for gameplay and game mechanics. Emphasizes ideation, storyboarding, pitching, prototyping, testing, and documentation.
AET 337D NARRATIVE DESIGN
In interactive and immersive media, users experience the narrative through their senses: visuals, sounds, tech, mechanics, dynamics, and feel. In today's AET fields it is important for all disciplines to know how to seamlessly integrate narrative this way, into all aspects of a project, and collaborate to translate those narrative elements into a single cohesive vision. Students will model the techniques used by professional narrative designers who work with cross-disciplinary creative teams in the development of experiences through narrative integration.
AET 337N Intro to Narrative
AET 339 DRAWING FOR DESIGNERS
None
AET 339 GENERATIVE AUDIO PROGRMNG
AET 339 DRAWING THE STORY BOARD
AET 339 PHYSICAL GAME DESIGN
AET 339 STORYBOARD CONCEPTS
None
AET 339 DES FAB ESCAPE ROOM
None
AET 339 DIGITAL PAINTING
AET 339 VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
None
AET 339 DIY SYNTHESIZERS
None
AET 339 SCENE PAINT ENVIRONMENTAL REND
AET 339 MOTION & ANIMATION
Motion and Animation provides fundamental to intermediate motion and animation foundations and targeted instruction for creatives
wanting to expand their research into advanced or specific types of 2D digital motion, animation techniques and processes. This
course will expand the student’s existing digital skills and further develop them to produce a clear and well-conceived understanding
of digital production processes and a learned vocabulary of animation and its respective nomenclature.
This course will develop concepts and skills by addressing assigned assignments and conceptual problems. These assigned problems
or “project modules” will help the student creatively consider the interaction of media, imagery, composition, content, and digital
manipulation methods. Individual technical and conceptual growth will be applied to each module and factored into the student’s final
grade. The Work Ethic and Participation module grade will be for the instructor’s use and is discretionary.
Research topics and readings are to be expected. Participation in assignments and class is expected and mandatory. Expect additional work outside of the specified class time. Expect additional Internet tutorials. With the exception of the grade and attendance
policies, parts of this syllabus are subject to change with advance notice, as deemed necessary or appropriate by the instructor.
AET 339 IMMERSIVE AUDIO
AET 339 INTERACTIVE ANIMATION
None
AET 339 USER INTERFACES
None
AET 339 VIDEO GAME AUDIO
None
AET 339 PRACTICAL SPECIAL EFFECTS
Working from historical storyboards and films, student teams will design and fabricate a practical effect to support a narrative moment. Students will then light and film the effect in collaboration with UT film makers. All students will create “demo reel” of their completed effect. Projects are student driven. Depending on project needs, students may receive training in fabrication methods such as carpentry, welding, mold making, and machining as well as digital technologies including, 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC machining. Final finish and surface treatments will be critical for all projects.
AET 339 Designing with Data
At its heart research is understanding how to make better decisions in a world of imperfect information. In this introductory course you will explore and practice practical applications of insight methodologies throughout the innovation and design process. Students will learn how to create insights, impact design and change habits through a broad survey of innovation and research practice areas including mental models, observational design, primary research, UX, behavioral change, and human centered empathic design.
AET 339 INTRO TO GAME AUDIO
None
AET 339 DES FAB CREEK MONSTER
None
AET 339 When Topic Is Appropriate
AET 339 Advanced Topics in Arts and Entertainment Technologies (When Topic Is Appropriate)
AET 339 DIGITAL PRODUCTION ART 3-D
None
AET 342C 3D MODELING AND TEXTURING
In-depth study and practice of 3-D modeling, surfacing, lighting, rendering, animation, compositing, and visual FX using Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop, and other programs. Knowledge of Photoshop or equivalent, and laptop computer for classroom use is recommended.
AET 342D 3D MATERIALS AND LIGHTING
AET 353 2D ANIMATION FOR GAMES
Learn the tools and comprehensive knowledge to create beautiful, functional, and dynamic art for video games. Explore a brief history of 2D animation in film and interactive media and discuss the differences between the two. Design, create, and animate visually stunning scenes, which will include everything from characters, background elements, particle effects, and even UI.
AET 353 GAMES FOR GOOD
Games for Good, an advanced team-based game design course, allows students to harness their skills to create experiences that improve lives. The class will dive into the realm of transformational game development, where creations can enhance health, advance scientific research, support therapy, bolster mental health, and revolutionize education. We will explore critical topics like defining your game's purpose, understanding your audience, envisioning player transformation, and overcoming unique challenges. Collaborate with researchers and subject matter experts to use your game design skills to make a meaningful impact. This isn't just about creating games; it's about using your creativity to build a better future.
AET 358 NEXT LEVEL ARCADE
ART 315K BEGINNING DRAWING
Topics that will be explored in this course include line, perspective, tonal value, abstraction, the figure, experimental approaches to drawing, etc. Alongside studio projects students will be exposed to a variety of artists from the past and present in order to inform and influence their own studio practice.
ART 316V TRNSMEDIA: EXPANDED MEDIA I
Students gain hands-on experience with digital and time-based media production, while strengthening conceptual, technical and digital media literacy skills. Emphasis is on experimentation, creating art projects for the gallery, digital platforms, and public space, and fostering critical thinking and art analysis skills. Course topics and tools change to keep pace with culture, current events, and research across fields of art, science, technology, literature and beyond. No prior experience is necessary.
- Workshops and demos are provided
- Course materials include readings, screenings, and digital resources
- Class time is divided between lectures, demos, workshops, group discussion, critique, field trips, meetings with the instructor and teaching assistant, guest artists, and project development
Two recent courses themes and technical processes explored::
- Culture of the Copy
- copy and paste, sampling, video editing and keying, AI models, and more
- the uncanny, bootlegs, memes, avatars, alternate reality, AI, and more
- Sonic Ecologies
- listening, field recording, Foley effects, soundscapes, electronics, sound objects, data sonification, and more
- perception, noise sound and its materiality, bioacoustics, and more
ART 318C Transmedia: Digtl Time-Art I
Study in digital video, sound, and animation, with emphasis on the exploration of movement, image, and montage. Guided inquiry into pertinent conceptual, perceptual, and practical skills.
ART 320L Drawing For Nonart Majors
This course investigates core concepts that serve as the foundation cornerstone in the discipline of drawing, the primary medium of visual thinking. We will explore drawing as an expression of a conceptual idea through effective and efficient interplay of tools, materials, and processes. A disciplined studio approach will be combined with an experimental lab environment. Assignments are designed to build technical confidence while using a range of drawing methods to expand aesthetic understanding. Weekly projects and a final project encourage students to exercise practical and theoretical working knowledge of fundamental principles and elements involved in visual communications. Group critiques allow students to engage in thoughtful exchange of ideas, to articulate responses, and to evaluate the outcomes of project objectives. Throughout the semester, we will work with a diverse range of tools, materials, and techniques. In addition to discussion about the formal, artistic, and technical content of the class, broad dialogue may occur regarding contemporary culture and its social and historic context as well as the expression of thought, experience, and ideas of contemporary and historic individuals.
ART 336V TRNSMEDIA: EXPANDED MEDIA II
Meets with ART 356V: Expanded Media III. Intermediate to advanced digital and time-based art projects for the expanded field of art, such as the gallery, microcinema, digital platforms, phone screens, and public space. Assignments include collaborative, collective and individual student-led projects. Course materials introduce relevant readings, screenings, and digital resources. Tools and software change based on cultural shifts and availability. Class time is divided between lectures, demos, workshops, group discussion, critique, field trips, meetings with the instructor and teaching assistant, guest artists, and project development. Some prior experience with digital media is recommended.
- Collaboratively decided workshops and demos
- Course materials include readings, screenings, and digital resources
- Class time is divided between lectures, demos, workshops, group discussion, critique, field trips, meetings with the instructor and teaching assistant, guest artists, and project development
Past course topics have included:
- Video Installation
- Performance, Media, and Location
- Network Art
- Augmented Reality
- Virtual Environments
- Moving Image Panorama
- Strange Attractors
- Avatar
- and more
Students in this course have completed projects such as augmented reality, web
projects, media-based conceptual art, photospheres in Google Maps, performance
video, media performance, 2d animation, 3d animation, moving image installation,
sound installation, projection mapping onto 3d printed objects, 360 video, visual
poetry, conceptual poetry, interactive print, conceptual art, social media art on Twitter,
Instagram filters, VR painting, virtual environments, and more.
ART 338C Transmedia: Digtl Time-Art II
Study in digital video, sound, and animation, with emphasis on the exploration of cinematic time and its time-based installation. Guided inquiry into the relationship between video and video projections, and technics and technology.
ART 358C Transmedia: Digtl Time-Art III
None
DES 321 Images in Communication
Studio course. Explores the selection and creation of images appropriateto specific communication goals and contexts, such as promotional images, infographics, logos, instructions, and/or narratives.
DES 325 Typography I
Studio course. Projects introduce the fundamental principles, conventions, and techniques of typography.
DES 334 Interaction Design
Studio course. Projects address the design of user experiences in interactive systems, such as web and mobile applications, services, environments, and/or other time-based media.
DES 335 Typography II
Studio course. Students apply typographic principles to complex print and on-screen publication projects.
DES 340G Branding and Visual Identity Systems
Studio course. Explores the purposes and constraints of branding and visual identity design, and creative systems that can be applied consistently across media and materials. In this course, students will learn about the role design plays in cultivating and maintaining a group or individual’s identity. They will engage in research to strategize, create, and implement an identity system through the careful and thoughtful use of typography, color, and imagery. Objectives and Assessment Instruments By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Verbally define brand and branding. (Assessment instruments: projects 1, 4) 2. Verbally articulate the elements of a visual identity. (Assessment instruments: projects 1, 2, 3, 4) 3. Analyze, in written and/or verbal form, the success of existing brands and identity systems. (Assessment instruments: projects 1, 2, 3) 4. Conduct interviews with clients to gain comprehensive view of the goals and needs of a specific identity project. (Assessment instruments: project 4) 5. Research comparable identities based on service, mission, location, history, and audience. (Assessment instruments: project 1) 6. Use an iterative process to develop an identity system. (Assessment instruments: projects 2, 3) 7. Verbally articulate how their design decisions fulfill and respond to the project brief. (Assessment instruments: project 4) 8. Apply a cohesive identity system across at least three different media and materials, such as print collateral, digital designs, signage and experiential graphics, etc. (Assessment instruments: projects 2, 3, 4) 9. Articulate the scope of contemporary branding efforts and how they might be executed across digital, physical, and time-based media. (Assessment instruments: projects 1, 4)
DES 346 Project Studio
*Instructor Approval Required
This studio experience will give students a feel for what it’s like to do a real-world design project.
This semester we’ll work with The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts again on a project that advances the community-building strategies from last Spring.
College of Liberal Arts Placemaking Strategy
Student teams will study the use of educational facilities and space to develop insights, ideas, and plans that improve the look, feel, and function of different environments such as exterior entries, rest/study and renewal areas, speculative classroom designs, and public information displays.
DES 349 Interaction Design II
Lecture/studio course. Students design visually pleasing, responsive, user-centered web and mobile interfaces. Note from Instructor: this description is a bit off as we aren’t primarily “designing pleasing interfaces” but moreso developing interactive responses based on human-centered research methods.
ITD 301D Introduction to Design Thinking
This class will examine requirements and best practices for teaching a course for the Center for Integrated Design. Design Thinking is a universal process for analyzing problems and offering unique and varied perspectives for resolving the problem. At the core of any design thinking pursuit is the enhanced prospect of uncovering distinctive and creative answers. This course. is an introduction to the tactics and methodology required to prepare the non-design major for analyzing and solving a wide range of problems by adapting and applying the process of design Thinking. By utilizing Design Thinking as the core pedogeological model, students learn to offer innovative breakthrough solutions to everyday problems.
ITD 370 When Topic Is Appropriate
*This course has an application process. Students must submit a letter of interest and resume to be considered.
MUS 329E Intro to Electronic Media
Introduction to the fundamentals of recording, tape editing, and electronic music synthesis.
MUS 329G Intermediate Electronic Comp
Continuation of Music 329E for music theory or composition majors.
MUS 329J Introduction to Computer Music
An introduction to the basic concepts of digital music synthesis and signal processing.
RTF 344N IMMERSIVE FILM MAKING
By relying on stereoscopic 3D production and post-production techniques as our foundation, the goal of this course is to explore different ways and techniques of what makes immersive filmmaking as it applies to 360 spherical video and/or Stereoscopic 3D. Students will complete at least one short piece to be viewed via a Head Mounted Display, a 3D monitor, or on the web.
T D 353T Intro To Creating New Media
The target students are actors, which is the main distinction from an RTF class with the similar content. Major Topics Image and Editing Grammar Pre-production Basics – Story, Vision, Planning, Working with available resources Production Basics – Camera & Sound, Organization of Labor Post-Production Basics – Editing Software, Compression Basic Legal Considerations Film Acting Basics Philosophy & Goals Resource (or Naked) Filmmaking – Exploit your current resources to make something. Embrace your constraints gives you creative freedom. Never wait to be employed. Everything in this business of show-business seeks to commodify the actor. Gain power and a voice as an artist by being directly involved in the creation of your own work. Learn by Doing - As an actor, there is no substitute for the experience of trying to get truly PRESENT under the pressure of camera, crew, time and technical constraints. The essence of filmmaking is problem solving. Working your way through practical problems is the only way to earn confidence in a creative process. Understanding the Medium – If we don’t learn the language/grammar and strengths/weaknesses of a medium, our ignorance darkens the creative path. A Creative Force for Change - With actor-generated content, we are not a slave to the limitations of mainstream casting breakdowns. If a talented actor doesn't have an easily identifiable commercial type, it doesn't matter. We create a story that asserts something compelling about them. We always have the choice to deal with the complexities of race, class, gender, and sexuality, which are too often sanitized away for popular consumption in mainstream media. The power to create real space for marginalized voices ripples out into the world.
T D 354T Design Skills: Digital Rendering
While there are many methods of rendering digital images, this class revolves specifically around the use of Adobe Photoshop as a tool for rendering theatrical designs (scenic, costume, and lighting). While we do explore cut and paste tools, layering tools, masking tools, etc., there will also be a great deal of work with Photoshop's "painting tools". For this reason some previous drawing experience is necessary and is the primary basis on which the prerequisite of "instructor consent" is granted. This is a "hands-on" skills class which meets in the computer lab in the Winship Drama Building
T D 354T 3-D Previsualization
2-D and 3-D drafting for previsualization solutions. Introduction to thefundamentals and skills of CAD Drafting in Vectorworks, the included Renderworks environment and subsequent integration of 3d files into previsualization software relevant to entertainment professionals. The focus is on skills required to generate and visualize accurate three-dimensional entertainment designs within software environments. Discusses CAD drafting practices, common terms, the 2d/3d workflow and integration of 3d objects in common previsualization environments for entertainment design professionals.
T D 354T Projection Design
This course is an introduction to projection design in the theatre. Although having only recently come to the forefront in theatre design, projected media has been used in various forms throughout history. This course will examine the history, technology and aesthetics of projection and media, and will also work on the creation of new media for the modern theatre. Towards that end we will work in a hands-on lab environment, creating projection material in class. We will learn playback systems, control systems, basic editing, and current equipment inventories used for projection. These works will be critiqued in class to enhance the understanding of art and design theory and the development of technical, creative and analytical skills.
T D 354T Media Creation for Live Performance
Still and moving imagery, projected or displayed is a common component of live performances and events today. This course will examine common technologies and aesthetics of media used in live performances in the context of theatre. Most significantly it will explore the approaches to the creation of original media and artwork particular to this field of work. All media is eventually processed by a computer and commonly previewed on a computer screen. The media designed for live performance however will commonly be integrated into a stage production with the use digital projectors which cast the imagery onto a surface that may or may not be optimized for such purposes. As a consequence special attention will be paid to the particular considerations that become important when projecting media. Techniques and approaches to creating original media vary widely. As a consequence we will examine a wide spectrum starting with original captured imagery and moving towards a realized design at the end of the class. This course offers an introduction to advanced techniques and skills that are required to master the common media design challenges that designers who work in live theatre and related fields of work face. You will design and produce a variety of different imagery using mostly Adobe Creative Suite applications and your imagination.
College of Liberal Arts
ANT 325I SONIC ETHNOGRAPHY
Sonic ethnography starts with listening, and listening to how people listen. Listening is a practice that people
do as a way of being in and knowing the world – it is something in which we are all expert, even if not always
acknowledged. Thus sonic ethnography investigates ways in which people orient themselves via the aural,
how expertise is enacted through listening, and how sociabilities emerge around attunement to sound. At the
same time, sound it is neither separable from other senses nor an object in and of itself. Instead, sound is, as
anthropologist Steven Feld suggests, a way of being in and knowing the world.
Themes of listening, silence, noise, sound worlds, and technology will organize discussion of topics that
include the history of recorded sound in anthropology, acoustics and environmental sound, the global
circulation of media, and the politics of song. Class meetings will be spent on discussion of readings, listening,
fieldtrips, guest lectures, audio workshops, and writing. The course pays particular attention to concerns of
writing sound, writing with sound, and writing about sound. Writing sound is approached as a practice, with
modes of inscription that might include writing or audio recording. With an emphasis on developing ways of
using written language to address sound as an ethnographic concern, we will also attend to the breadth of the
meaning of “phonography” by listening to ethnographic recordings and creating short audio pieces at the end
of the semester.
PSY 323 Perception
Theory and research in the ways we extract information from the environment.
PSY 355 Cognition
Theoretical and critical analysis of the development, nature, and function of the thought process.
PSY 355M Cognitive Psychology of Music
Cognitive foundations of music in terms of physics of sound, the psychophysics of musical experience, perceptual organization of musical scenes, the perception of time through rhythm, and the ways in which music reflects natural form.
RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate
For topics courses labeled as “When Topic is Appropriate” on a BDP curriculum sheet, please note that all topics for this course number are not automatically approved to count toward your BDP. In advance of registration for a particular semester (and as part of the BDP seat request process), the BDP office will inform current BDP students of the topics for the course number that are approved for their BDP.
RHE 312 Computers and Writing (All Topics)
None
RHE 312 Writing in Digtl Environments
As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, we find ourselves in a world in which many so-called New Media technologies have become commonplace and a part of our daily lived experience. Jane H. Murray notes that “the digital medium is as class logo man at computer writing in digital environmentsmuch a pattern of thinking and perceiving as it is a pattern of making things,” and this observation might succinctly capture the purview and structure of this course. We will examine “writing in digital environments” from two distinct, but intertwined modes: the ways in which new technologies/ environments have transformed traditional printed texts, as well as the process of actually “writing” (assessing, composing and revising) in an assortment of digital environments. We will explore a deliberately broad array of genres of texts including: articles (popular and academic), fiction, music, video, and animation both in print and digital format(s). The investigations conducted through the course readings and assignments will foster a greater understanding of digital rhetoric as well as develop multimodal compositional skills via experimenting with an number of key Web 2.0 applications. This course will thus be both varied and rigorous, but, I would hope—to quote Murray further, “we are drawn to this medium because we need it to understand the world and our place in it”—equally compelling and important.
RHE 328 WRITING FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
This course will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of digital writing through shared readings, discussions, and practically-oriented assignments of digital composition. Theoretically, we will expand our understanding of how and why writing in digital milieus is decidedly different than doing so in more traditional media, attending to the ways digital writing involves distinctive technical and social dimensions. Practically, we will exercise our rhetorical intelligence to develop ways of assessing and effectively responding to the constraints and affordances of rhetorical situations in digital spaces.
Note: While no prior experience with digital media is needed, a willingness to learn is required. Toward that end, the course will be organized as an ongoing project-based workshop (especially in the second half of the semester) and will require substantial work on the students’ parts to research and develop material to be used for their digital compositions. In addition to readings and discussions, several of our class meetings will provide opportunities for learning about and hands-on practice with digital composing tools. Please be advised that such work requires regular attendance, diligent preparation, and active participation.
RHE 328 APOCALYPTIC TECH WRITING
Did you know that technical writers will be our first line of defense in the apocalypse? It’s true! No matter the science fiction dystopia you imagine, effective communication of technical information, emerging hazards, and where to find safety will be a critical aspect of emergency response. Whether it's a zombie virus outbreak, robot uprising, or environmental collapse, emergency messaging in the form of informational fliers, advisory websites, and social media campaigns will be an essential part of saving lives.
Subsequently, the Fall 2018 edition of RHE 328 is devoted to preparing aspiring technical writers for their important role in the coming apocalypse. Students in this class will explore core concepts in technical writing, especially as relates to best practices in risk communication. Specific course units will focus on: 1) genre and media studies in technical writing, 2) information design and usability, 3) organizational issues for technical writers, and 4) socio-cultural concerns around emerging science and technology. Using these concepts and theoretical approaches as a guide, students will practice emergency communication in a variety of genres while responding to a range of apocalyptic scenarios drawn from contemporary media.
Although this course will include assignments involving writing for digital environments and video production, no prior experience with specific technologies is required.
RHE 330C RHET AND DATA VISUALIZATION
Decisions on public policy, business deals, and problems in your personal and social life all depend on numerical evidence. In today's political climate, quantitative data claims from experts are under fire and sometimes even rejected out of hand. Such challenges are not new. As Mark Twain said, "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics." Of course all forms of evidence are open for interpretation and challenge. But quantitative data may be the most persuasive evidence due to methods that are are open for inspection, correction, and debate every step of the way.
The first part of this class will build up the concepts and rhetorical strategies that underlie quantitative data. You will learn to interpret and evaluate the way data is presented across media, including words; static images, graphs and tables; and dynamic online presentations including interactive and animated displays.
In the biggest part of the class, you will practice producing and presenting data in valid and persuasive ways. In a series of assignments across the term, you will collect, code, analyze, interpret, and present data. The data-collection projects will involve your own attitudes and activities concerning writing in college, such as finding and reading sources, writing papers, and consulting with peers in the University Writing Center. You will work in a small group on one set of data to apply analytic techniques such as descriptive and inferential statistics and to design graphic representations of the data. The cap for the semester will be giving a presentation of your findings that includes graphics and visuals.
By taking this course, you will improve your ability to judge the data you see in other courses and in public and social media and to use data responsibly and effectively in your own work.
RHE 330C Women in the Digital Archv
None
RHE 330C MOBILE ENVIRONMENTS
Mobile computing devices have become ubiquitous in our communities. From cooking to navigation, their presence has improved the quality of our daily lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 64% of adults own a smartphone, and that number increases to about 80% when we consider 18-35 year olds. At a rate of 69% per year, we’re spending more time on our phones that ever before. Such a trend emphasizes the need to consider how we design mobile environments, especially as they interface with physical environments. This course focuses on principles of user experience (UX) design. Specifically, it focuses on the creation of low-fidelity mobile application solutions, which are designed to help users explore and create meaningful and personally relevant experiences within their environments. While this is not a graphic design, programming, or human-computer interaction course, we will cover techniques from those disciplines to guide our work. Our goal will be to engage with design as a rhetorical form that can transform how users understand and communicate in their environments.
No prior design experience is required. This will be a project-based workshop that emphasizes project management and collaboration.
RHE 330C ACCESS DESIGNED
This course will examine, explore, and exercise techniques for designing accessibility in digital writing and with physical computing devices. To accomplish these tasks, students will examine texts that foreground communication media as mediating bodies and technologies, which will include topics such as accessibility, universal design, disability studies, and media theory. We will explore these meditations by locating accessibility in how online communication circulates with and against bodies (digital documents and online sites) as well as how digital devices (i.e. arduino-based sensor projects) can assist how bodies circulate in space. In addition to course readings, case studies, and class discussions, the class will exercise accessible concepts by working together to design, develop, and deploy accessibility devices with accompanying documentation (e.g. user guides and project websites) that rhetorically respond to a site of contested access.
RHE 330C INFORMATION DESIGN
duplicate
RHE 330C When Topic is Appropriate
N/A
RHE 330C ACCESS DESIGNED
This course will examine, explore, and exercise techniques for designing accessibility in digital writing and with physical computing devices. To accomplish these tasks, students will examine texts that foreground communication media as mediating bodies and technologies, which will include topics such as accessibility, universal design, disability studies, and media theory. We will explore these meditations by locating accessibility in how online communication circulates with and against bodies (digital documents and online sites) as well as how digital devices (i.e. arduino-based sensor projects) can assist how bodies circulate in space. In addition to course readings, case studies, and class discussions, the class will exercise accessible concepts by working together to design, develop, and deploy accessibility devices with accompanying documentation (e.g. user guides and project websites) that rhetorically respond to a site of contested access.
RHE 330C RHETORIC AND ALGORITHMS
None
RHE 330C PODCASTS & PARADIGMS
None
RHE 330C USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
None
College of Natural Sciences
C S 313E Elements of Software Design
This is the second course in the Elements of Software series. I assume that you know a programming language (C / Java / Python) at the level taught in CS 303E. The emphasis of this course will be on software development using object-oriented methodology. We will learn how to analyze and design software. We will learn how to create reusable software components and to compose programs from already available components. We will learn about some basic data structures and algorithms and how to match the data structures and algorithms to problems. We will test and evaluate programs for their functionality and their performance. We will be following the text quite closely for the section on object-oriented software development. Supplemental notes on data structures and algorithms will be available on the web. Unlike the traditional lecture format, our classes will be a venue for solving problems, writing programs, and exchanging, ideas. Attendance to the lectures is mandatory. If you are not there for any lecture you need to send me an e-mail explaining why.
C S 324E Elements of Graphics & Visualization
Old Course Description: This is a hands-on class in computer graphics programming. We will concentrate on teaching the principles of three dimensional computer graphics, and we will explore these principles through a number of programming assignments in Java using the Java 2D and Java 3D APIs. We will also do some projects involving ray tracers and other 3D APIs. New Course Description: Basics of two- and three-dimensional computer graphics systems, modeling and rendering, and selected graphics software APIs. Other topics may include interactive graphics, animation, graphical user interfaces, and the graphical presentation of information. May not be counted toward a degree in computer science.
C S 329E Elements of Mobile Computing
This is an upper division course in the Elements of Computing series for non-CS majors. It is assumed that you have taken CS 303E and CS 313E or their equivalent. This course is an introduction to mobile computing on the Android operating system. The objective of this course is to develop an app for the Android market place.
C S 329E Elements of Web Programming
None
C S 329E ELEMENTS OF GAME DEVELOPMENT
This course provides students with the fundamentals of digital game creation. The course focuses on three areas: (1) learning html5, CSS, and JavaScript using the Phaser game engine, (2) general principals of game design and software engineering processes, and (3) development of 2D games. Prerequisite: Prerequisite: Computer Science 313E, 314, or 314H with a grade of at least C-.
C S 329E ELEMENTS OF DATA VISUALIZATION
This course provides an introduction to data analysis and visualization principles, practices, and technologies including: How to understand different data types from data analytics and visualization point of view, how to effectively use color and other visual encodings to create insightful visualizations, using python for data management and analysis, visualization software for working with 2D and 3D datasets. Lecture/Lab course format emphasizing direct participation and discussion. This course will be using real-world datasets for both Scivis and InfoVis and will walk students through the preprocessing, the design, implementation, and evaluation of the visualization.
C S 329E ELEMENTS OF DATA VISUALIZATION
The world is awash with increasing amounts of data, and we must keep afloat with our relatively constant
perceptual and cognitive abilities. Visualization provides one means of combating information overload, as a welldesigned visual encoding can supplant cognitive calculations with simpler perceptual inferences and improve
comprehension, memory, and decision making. Furthermore, visual representations may help engage more
diverse audiences in the process of analytic thinking.
In this course we will study techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from
graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. The course is targeted both towards
students interested in using visualization in their own work, as well as students interested in building better
visualization tools and systems.
C S 329E ELEMENTS OF DATA VISUALIZATION
This course is an introduction to key design principles and techniques for interactively visualizing data. The major goals of this course are to understand how visual representations can help in the analysis and understanding of complex data, how to design effective visualizations, and how to create your own interactive visualizations using modern frameworks. In this course we will study techniques and algorithms for creating effective visualizations based on principles from graphic design, visual art, perceptual psychology, and cognitive science. The course is targeted both towards students interested in using visualization in their own work, as well as students interested in building better visualization tools and systems.
C S 343 Artificial Intelligence
A survey of current artificial intelligence issues, including search, production systems, knowledge representation, knowledge-based systems, planning, natural language processing, and machine learning. Artificial intelligence programming projects are required.
C S 354 Computer Graphics
Introduction to techniques for human-machine communication through imagery. Subjects include display hardware, transformations, interactive techniques, geometric modeling, two- and three-dimensional display algorithms, graphics software systems architecture, and hidden-line and surface elimination. Projects are assigned and in-depth exploration is encouraged.
C S 354P GAME PROGRAMMING PARADIGMS
Explore game programming paradigms in C++ using the Unreal Engine. Examine event-driven, component-oriented and object-oriented programming, as well as collaborative software development using source control, bug-tracking, and code documentation. Develop and apply skills towards building a game on the Unreal Engine.
C S 354R Game Technology
An examination of major technological components of computer games and their integration, modeling and animation, physics simulation, networking for games, interface and interaction techniques, and special effects.
C S 354S Game Devel Capstone: 2-D Games
*Instructor Approval Required
*Application required.
The Capstone Game Development course brings together students from Computer Science, College of Fine Arts, and Radio-TV-Film to form small teams in which each student will contribute specialized knowledge to the group creation of 2D games for mobile, online, and social technology platforms. Students will gain a thorough understanding of the 2D game development process, through modeling of the environment and practices that are used in game studios.
C S 354T Game Devel Capstone: 3-D Games
*Instructor Approval Required
*Application required.
The Capstone Game Development course brings together students from Computer Science, College of Fine Arts, and Radio-TV-Film to form small teams in which each student will contribute specialized knowledge to the group creation of 3D games for mobile, online, and social technology platforms. Students will gain a thorough understanding of the 3D game development process, through modeling of the environment and practices that are used in game studios.
C S 371M Mobile Computing
An introduction to Mobile Computing with a strong emphasis on application development for the Android operating system. Students will complete a major project with the goal of releasing an app on the Android Market place. Topics will include Android Development Environment, user interfaces, multimedia, storage and SQLite databases, use of location and sensors, and others.
C S 378 Comp Intel in Game Dsgn I-FRI
The class uses the NERO video game (www.nerogame.org), an award-_Å]winning game AI project that has been featured on Slashdot, Games Digest, AAAI, KXAN, and other venues; and OpenNERO (opennero.googlecode.com), an open source game platform for AI research
School of Architecture
ARC 351R Digital Visualization in Design
This course is ideally suited for advanced beginner to intermediate level students who seek an opportunity to hone their skills in a controlled course environment. Lectures, demonstrations, and student projects will focus on the digital translation of spatial experience, including the visualization techniques associated with rendering texture, character and environment. The course is open to graduate and undergraduate students in the school of architecture in addition to qualified undergraduate non-majors in architecture. (Non-majors will require permission from the instructor) This course presents a sequence of digital visualization techniques that enable students to model three dimensional environments and motion with digital media. The founding principle of the course is to present students the underlying data structures and software environments that dictate representation choices. In other words, course participants are not trained in particular software but encouraged to embrace the infinite flexibility of digital models and data structures in the representation of the built environment. All demonstrations and laboratory sessions will be conducted on the Windows platform and using Windows computers. Course participants should anticipate using the following programs, AutoCAD, 3D Max, Rhino, Form Z, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere and have computers that meet the School of Architecture Design Student requirements: (http://soa.utexas.edu/apply/student-computer-policy). Course participants are also expected to have and utilize two active back up devices for coursework.
ARC 351R Rndring/Anmtn Built Envir
This course is ideally suited for advanced beginner to intermediate level students who seek an opportunity to hone their digital modeling skills in a controlled course environment. Lectures, demonstrations, and student projects will focus on the digital translation of spatial experience, including the visualization techniques associated with rendering form, texture, character and environment. The course is open to graduate and undergraduate students in the school of architecture in addition to Digital Arts and Media BDP participants and qualified undergraduate non-majors in architecture. (Non-majors will require permission from the instructor, and are required to meet at a minimum Autodesk Certified User credentials for AutoCAD or 3DMax.) Course participants required to have reliable access to a laptop computer that meets the recommended requirements of the SOA. (http:// http://soa.utexas.edu/apply/student-computer-policy)Note for Bridging Discipline Students:The course is also open to qualified students as part of the Bridging Disciplines Program at the University of Texas at Austin. RTF students with substantial modeling experience will not be challenged by the level of software immersion. The course is ideally suited for those with intermediate level experience 3d modeling or those interested in producing dimensionally accurate building and landscape models and their physical environments. This course presents a sequence of digital visualization techniques that enable students to model three-dimensional digital environments and motion with digital media. The founding principle of the course is to present students the underlying data structures and software environments that dictate representational/visualization choices.Over the course of the semester the class will focus on developing 3D, and 4D digital models. There will be nine short, but spirited, skill based assignments, supplemented by a semester project that seeks to balance skill development with the production of rich pictorial content that illuminates conceptual intent and spatial experience. The course will meet twice per week for lecture and lab session. Class size is limited by the teaching facilities of the SOA computing laboratory. Topics and Techniques: Modeling (Form and Volume), Navigation and operation in 3D space, Review of fundamental modeling operations that result in generation of complex surfaces and solids, Pictorial Compositions: Camera Creation and View composition, Rendering (Texture and Character), Depicting Environments: Simple to intermediate level light models, Entourage (figure and vegetation), Motion Models or Animation including Basic Camera Motion
School of Engineering
E E 316 Digital Logic Design
Boolean algebra; analysis and design of combinational and sequential logic circuits; state machine design and state tables and graphs; simulation of combinational and sequential circuits; applications to computer design; and introduction to hardware description languages (HDLs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
E E 371R Digital Image & Video Process
Digital image acquisition, processing, and analysis; algebraic and geometric image transformations; two-dimensional Fourier analysis; image filtering and coding.
E E 445S Real-time Digital Signal Processing Laboratory
None
ECE 351M DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
Signal processing deals with representation, transformation, and
manipulation of signals and the information they contain. It is a rich subject with tools that have
applications in a broad class of problems including communications, control, image processing,
biomedicine, sonar, radar, array processing, and digital video.
This course provides a thorough treatment of DSP including the fundamental theorems and
properties of discrete-time linear systems, filtering, sampling, and discrete-time Fourier analysis.
Furthermore, it explores connections between DSP techniques and methods for learning from
data, and introduces fundamental stochastic signal processing concepts. The emphasis in the
class will be on algorithms, their derivations, and their application
M E 210 Engineering Design Graphics
Graphics and modeling fundamentals for engineering design: freehand sketching, computer modeling of solid geometry, and generation of engineering drawings. Introduction to reverse engineering, computer-aided design, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing. Application of the design process to problem solving. Individual and team design projects.
M E 379M Musical Acoustics
Familiarity with a musical instrument is helpful but not required. The goal of the course is to help students develop the intuition, vocabulary, and basic physical building blocks of musical instruments in order to be able to read quasi-technical articles on the subject of musical acoustics.
M E 379N Engineering Acoustics
Principles of acoustics, with applications drawn from audio engineering, biomedical ultrasound, industrial acoustics, noise control, room acoustics, and underwater sound.
School of Information
I 310 User Research
This is an introductory course designed for undergraduate students of all majors who are interested in the topic of user research in human-computer interaction and user experience design. Throughout the semester, you will learn the basics of how to conduct user research (e.g., user research methods, preparation for research, and participant recruitment), as well as how to analyze and report your research results to inform product design.
I 310 When Topic Is Appropriate
INF 385P Usability
*Instructor Approval Required
*Graduate level; instructor consent required
The basics of user-centered design through the lifecycle of a software product. Includes perceptual, psychological, and other scientific underpinnings of usability and the justification for the application of usability engineering in software development. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.
Integration Essay
A 3-4 page essay in which you reflect on what you learned and accomplished through your BDP experience.
Important Notes on Fulfilling Your BDP Requirements
- PREREQUISITES: Some courses may have prerequisites. Please consult your BDP advisor to determine your eligibility for enrolling in specific courses.
- CROSS-LISTINGS: Note that many courses on this list may be cross-listed with other departments. You may take these courses under any of the cross-listed numbers. Please consult the course schedule or your BDP advisor for cross-listing information.
- GRADES AND GPA REQUIREMENTS: In courses taken for a letter grade, you must obtain a grade of C- or better to meet BDP requirements. The cumulative GPA of all courses counting toward your BDP certificate must be at least 2.0.
- PASS/FAIL: Only one BDP course, including connecting experience courses, may be taken pass/fail. Any exceptions will be considered by the faculty panel on an individual basis.
- SIGNATURE COURSES: Many of the First-Year Signature Courses (UGS 302 and UGS 303) that include significant content related to Digital Arts & Media may also count toward your certificate; please consult your BDP advisor for more information.
- PETITIONS: You may be able to count courses toward your BDP certificate that do not appear on this curriculum sheet, if enough of the course content relates to your BDP topic. Please consult your BDP advisor if you would like to petition for a course to count toward your BDP. See the BDP calendar for fall and spring petition deadlines. Current BDP students can find the petition form on their MyBDP dashboard.
For more information on courses, please consult your BDP advisor (bdp@austin.utexas.edu) or the course schedule.