• Undergraduate Course Blogs
    • Graduate

    • DMS 505 Ethnographic Media

      Elder:: T 11:00am – 2:50pm :: CFA 235
      Reg# 24294 – production
      Reg# 24295 – theory

      This graduate seminar examines the work of ethnographers and artists who work at the intersection of media art and the social sciences. Ethnographic media documents the visible and invisible practices of human cultures, societies and the individuals within them. It informs much of contemporary media.

      Students from the departments of Media, Anthropology, American Studies, Visual Studies, Sociology, Geography, Gender Studies and English are encouraged to take the course as we investigate the borders of these disciplines and bring contemporary media practices into closer proximity to ethnological inquiry. The course explores contemporary creative documentary practices in relation to visual research and innovative ethnographies. We look at ethno fictions, experimental ethnographies, ethno animation, non-linear digital works, indigenous media as well as classic works in texts and ethnographic film.

      The course looks at the artistic, historical and theoretical development of ethnographic documentary, visual anthropology and the ethical and political challenges that come with the visual representation of human communities. Students will gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in methods of ethnographic media, including fieldwork praxis, concept visualization, negotiating access, collaborative/participatory methods, image/audio recording, ethics, interviewing and editing for cultural meaning.

      This course is designed to inspire and support the academic and artistic goals of each student. No previous technical experience is required. This course is appropriate for both advanced and entering graduate students. Work for the course may be integrated into thesis work. Students should register for either the theory (THE) or production (PRO) section of this course. Accordingly, for your final project, students may write either a research paper or produce a final media project in video/audio/photography/internet site/e-text or installation formats. Students may work in teams.

    • DMS 512 FILM THEORY

      Roussel :: MW 1:00PM – 2:50PM :: CFA 112
      Reg # 16785 Grad

      This course is an exploration of the principal theories of film through a critical reading of texts and a close examination of films. The texts to be perused comprise several groups. Classical film theory includes Munsterburg, Kuleshov, Pudovkin, Eisenstein, Balasz, Arnheim, Bazin, and Godard. The critique of classical film theory includes Burch, Perkins, and Henderson. The course will also explore semiotics, psychoanalysis, and poststructuralism, in Barthes, Eco, Metz , Pasolini, Baudry, Heath, and in feminist film theory, including Gledhill, Mulvey, Silverman, Modleski, Doane, and Studlar. A section on avant-garde theory will include Vertov, Epstein, Deren, Brakhage, Sitney, and Michelson. These topic areas will be set in interaction throughout: e.g., Soviet editing and antirealism are continued in the avant-garde; rhetorical figures such as metaphor, metonymy, ellipsis, condensation, and displacement, can be traced in very different theoretical contexts and in close readings of individual films.

    • DMS 515 Wearable Media

      E. Conrad :: Friday 11:00am – 2:40pm :: CFA 246
      Reg# 26149 Grad only

      This production course explores the expressive potential of soft circuitry and wearable media. We will explore the materials and construction techniques of “soft computing” (conductive fabrics, yarns, etc.) to create expressive objects and interactive fashions. Technologies are not merely exterior aids, but interior changes of consciousness. They affect how we understand ourselves by co-structuring possibilities of thought. The focus of this course will be the interaction and interrelationship between soft technologies and bodies. There are no prerequisites – introductory electronics and sewing techniques will be reviewed. $100 Lab Fee.

    • DMS 515 Graduate Studio

      Tony Conrad :: TR 3:00 PM – 4:50 PM :: CFA 235
      Reg# 11830

      A graduate level only production class concentrating on critical review of all genre of production interests to include film and video, (narrative, non-narrative, experimental and documentary disciplines), sound design, installation, animation, and media sculpture. Students will engage in the direction of their own discipline and produce work for critical review on a weekly and/or bi-weekly basis. The intention of the class is to provide a spirited, concentrated period of time for grad students to present and refine their thesis ideas before and during their production year. Interaction between disciplines and newfound collaboration between students will be selectively encouraged. Students will gain knowledgeable insight from weekly discussions on art making practices as well as direct exposure to a variety of production disciplines.
      LAb fee is $100.

    • DMS 516 KHI – Social Media and the News Cycle

      Session J
      Khilji :: Online Course
      reg#12498
      This class attempts to analyze the connection between today’s news cycle and social media. What does the age of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, cellphone cameras and blogs mean for the field of journalism? Is there something to be learned from Web 2.0 or is it something to be shunned and feared? What is the place of traditional journalism? Is it to adapt, or push harder to hold on to its strengths?

      The course will have several readings each week and students will be expected to participate in a discussion board about the readings. They will also be required to report on a current news story each week… both in the form of a blog and a more traditional approach (a written or video piece). The course culminates in a final project/paper exploring some of the topics covered.

    • DMS 516 Scriptwriting: All Media

      Anstey :: MW 11:00am – 12:50pm :: CFA 235

      In this production workshop students will concentrate on writing and editing text/script elements for their media projects. The course will explore both traditional and experimental methods for generating and structuring text for fictional and documentary work. Texts may include original writing, interview material, collaged or found fragments, that will be performed, heard or displayed in the final piece. The texts may be linear, non-linear, interactive, poetic … This opportunity to focus on the text is for students at any stage of a project (conception through finishing); in any media (film, video, animation, performance, interactive); and those working with English as a second language or with translated material.

    • DMS 517 Food And Emerging Media

      Session J
      Bardin :: Online Course
      reg#11020
      A course dedicated to exploring the role of emerging media and new technology on the exploration and articulation of topics focussing on the many facets of food. We will be looking at artists who utilize technology to explore and in many cases expose issues within our tightly veiled food production systems. These artists include /The Critical Art Ensemble/ and their “Free Range Grains”/ / project which explores the topic of genetically modified food, /The Yes Men/ and their piece “Re-burger” which addresses issues of starvation in third world countries and the/ //Future Farmers/ who create work that challenge current social, political and economic systems. The course will also focus on issues of /Sustainablity/ and artists who are currently using their practice to explore ways of improving upon food production and distribution models. We will also be looking at the ways chefs, academics and independent acolytes use the Internet to publicize their work, writings and interests and how this medium has influenced the gastronomic landscape. These platforms include the /Association for the Study of Food and Society/ (ASFS) listserv, MIT’s /Counter Intelligence Group/ which focuses on technological approaches to functional, cognitive, and social support in the home and sites like /Ideas in Food/ where Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot write in detail on their experiments in flavor and composition. Through a rigorous practice of watching, investigating, talking and writing about artists, chefs, culinary scholars and DIY individuals who utilize media in their discussion, research, profession and practice of food related endeavors, students will gain insight into how these emerging technologies and artistic practices influence the realm of gastronomy as well as the food we eat.Fulfills Advanced Analysis or Media Study Elective

    • DMS 517 Large Scale Sensor Networks 2

      Bohlen :: M 5:00pm – 8:50pm :: CFA 246
      Reg# 16671

      “This graduate level course is the sequel to DMS 604 Large-scale sensing
      systems I. The goal of this second course is to drill deeper into the
      many questions surrounding biosensing in everyday life discussed in the
      first course. With the SiReBi web portal (www.sirebi.org), students will
      define a research question and attempt to address it over the course of
      the semester with instructor and external experts’ guidance in an
      iterative fashion resulting in a short but well-crafted research paper,
      to be submitted for review to one or more publication venues.”

    • DMS 518 On the Road: Media Geographies

      Summer 2012
      Session M July 26 – August 10
      Rueb / Lavenstein
      reg# 12500

      “A traveler! I love his title. A traveler is to be reverenced as such. His profession is the best symbol of our life. Going from ___ toward ___; it is the history of every one of us.”  — “Summer” (Henry David Thoreau)

      The recent convergence of film, video, and sound as delivered via mobile media is explored in this field-based production course that literally takes place on the road.  Students and faculty travel together and work in small teams to create mobile media works that engage the interrelationship of media, movement, and geography as they learn about and experience the landscapes, histories, and cultures of the United States.

      The course begins with a two-day workshop in Buffalo which includes short exercises to introduce formal and technical skills and techniques spanning experimental, non-linear, documentary, narrative and non-narrative forms, especially as they relate to locative media, film/video and site-specificity.  Students then break into 3-5 teams to follow separate itineraries as they create works that explore their experiences of place and people. Each year a unique itinerary will be determined based on faculty interest and student enrollment.

      For Summer 2012 we will follow a trajectory that takes us to sites of significance in the writings of Henry David Thoreau.  Using the texts “Walking,” “A Yankee in Canada,” “The Maine Woods,” and “Cape Cod” as spring boards for our inquiry into itinerant art forms, we will travel by foot, railway, boat and car throughout the territory defined in the Champlain maps that so impressed Thoreau.  One such map sketched by Thoreau extends from the Great Lakes to Maine and down to Massachusetts.  Accordingly, we will travel from Buffalo to Montreal, Quebec, Maine (where students may optionally choose to climb Mount Katahdin) and finally to Cape Cod and Walden Pond in Massachusetts.

      Enrollment is open to graduate and undergraduate students. Students will be responsible for travel expenses, which will run approximately $800 per student (transportation and lodging) + meals. In addition to hostelling, we will camp at points along the way, so students should be prepared to bring and/or pool their equipment. Advance registration is recommended.

      Lab Fee is $100

      Instructors:
      Teri Rueb
      http://www.terirueb.net

      Hollie Lavenstein

      http://www.cla.auburn.edu/cmjn/people/faculty/hollie-lavenstein

    • DMS 524 PROGRAMMING GRAPHICS 2

      Pape :: MW 11:00am – 12:50pm :: CFA 242
      Reg # 16692

      This production course extends students knowledge of interactive and real-time graphics programming, building on the fundamentals learned in Programming Graphics 1. The course will cover advanced techniques for rendering, animation, and interaction. We will also look at the past work of established artists and technologists in computer graphics. Students will work individually or in small teams to produce a significant semester project, of their own choosing.
      Permission of Instructor required. Lab fee $100. Contact: dave.pape@acm.org

    • DMS 532 Graduate Seminar 2

      E. Conrad :: W  5:00 PM – 7:50 PM :: CFA 235
      Reg # 16692

      In this course we will strive for a self-reflective, creative
      setting that allows for critique and well-informed debate of your
      work.  We will investigate media art with both, the due euphoria and
      the necessary critical perspective.  The course will emphasize the
      professional presentation of work for each respective genre.  We will
      focus on framing your artistic vision and your critical discourse,
      articulated through writing projects and iterative critique.  As
      preparatory to your thesis work and your continuing practice in the
      field, the course culminates in the second year exhibition.

    • DMS 535 Scriptwriting for Independent film

      Session X
      Reissman
      reg#12071

      _FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION:How to develop a screenplay._

      This intensive summer course will explore development of feature films
      and the steps involved in transforming an idea to a screenplay.We will
      assess story ideas and their origination: will discuss character, theme,
      structure, plot.We will explore the use of log lines, treatments and
      script coverage, pitching and collaboration.The course structure will be
      comprised of exercises, lectures, and screenings.The daily schedule is
      subject to change.

    • DMS 538 New Media 2

      staff :: M W  6:00 PM – 7:50 PM :: CFA 244
      Reg# 10157

      New Media II addresses the practice and cultural questions surrounding the production of new media. This course introduces more advanced practices of web design (ActionScript, JQuery, Search Engine Optimization) as well as newly developed content management systems (Joomla). This course compels students to develop a critical framework for discussing the current state of networked culture and require students to actively participate on current social media platforms (including Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and blogs) in order to become more acquainted with the practices, theories, and histories related to new media. Students are expected to engage in and discuss class readings/projects concerning current issues of new media. Lab fee $100.

    • DMS 555 Access New York

      T. Conrad :: Days and time arranged
      Reg# 17202 Grad only
      This is an opportunity to network and utilize resources in New York City with Media Study Faculty. Most meetings will take place in Buffalo but students must be able to visit New York City at least three times during the semester at own cost. Permission of instructor

    • DMS 598 PROJECT SUPERVISION (1 – 6 CR. VARIABLE)

      Permission of Instructor
      A student may enroll for this course after completing course requirements and while working on the thesis project. This course is for non-written projects only. One to six credits of the “project supervision” may be applied toward the MAH degree. Course syllabus form should be prepared prior to semester start and one copy should be on file in the Media Study office. Lab fee: $100. For registration information, see Dean Sanborn in 231 CFA.

    • DMS 599 SUPERVISED TEACHING (4 CR. VARIABLE)

      Permission of Instructor
      See Dean Sanborn in 231 CFA.

    • DMS 600 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1 – 8 CR. VARIABLE)

      Permission of Instructor
      A student may enroll for this course after completing course requirements and while working on the thesis project. This course is for non-written projects only. One to six credits of the “project supervision” may be applied toward the MAH degree. Course syllabus form should be prepared prior to semester start and one copy should be on file in the Media Study office. Lab fee: $100. For registration information, see Dean Sanborn in 231 CFA.

    • DMS 605 GRADUATE MEDIA POETICS

      Glazier :: T 3:30pm – 6:30pm :: CFA 232
      Reg #16858 Grad only 

      COURSE OBJECTIVE. This seminar has the simple goal of invigorating your work as a graduate student in concert with individual objectives and learning strategies. This course aims to move you forward: stimulate your practice and writing projects, and expand your network of connections in the field.

      READING. This seminar offers a deep engagement with text approached through careful reading. It delves into areas of close reading as artists and thinkers about New Media. It will be focused on analysis, reflection, and understanding of texts with close interaction between the professor and students. The proposed seminar will offer a UNIQUE opportunity: reading as literary exploration. It empowers the student. It is meant to sharpen their reading and writing skills — for graduate-level writing, for creative work, or just as a form of language practice.

      STUDENT PROJECTS AND/OR WRITING. With support from the professor and with feedback from fellow students, students will make significant progress on an extended research or artistic project of your choosing, with particular emphasis on your thesis, dissertation, orals list, or First Year Review work. This topic is meant to be specific to your needs!

      NETWORKING. The course is based on direct intellectual and artistic interaction with current leading practitioners in digital cultural art-making. This occurs through the following major digital media events, continuing the success of this year’s “Digital Cultural Poetics” series. These events include:

      (1) Language to Cover a Wall: Digital Poetry Gala. Includes FEBRUARY 3: Digital Poetry & Dance Concert (Black Box Theatre with poets David Jhave Johnston, Ian Hatcher, Loss Pequeño Glazier), FEBRUARY 4: Digital Poetry Exhibition Panels (Jason Lewis, Amaranth Borsuk, and TBA), and FEBRUARY 4: International Digital Poetry Performances (David Jhave Johnston, Tammy McGovern, Ian Hatcher, Loss Pequeño Glazier).

      (2) Intensive class visits by distinguished artists presently shaping the emerging media arts community.

      (3) The preparation of “Digital Media Poetics Summer Intensive 2012″, including Fran Ilich (digital novelist dealing with Latino border culture and media poetics), David Jhave Johnston (Montreal digital poet, and video artist), Lizabel Mónica (Innovative Cuban electronic publisher and New York Times published blogger), Nick Montfort (Programmer, MIT professor, Electronic Literature Organization President, co-editor of The New Media Reader, MIT Press, 2003), and others.

      COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading will include works by and relating the visiting artists and theorists. The point is not one of simply attending events but to use these occasions for immersive engagements with the work and worldviews of these artists as a means to understanding their work and expanding your own ideas. In preparation for each visit, students will study, evaluate, and respond to works by individual visitors. This may also include reading of source texts and/or related New Media projects. Participants will also assist with visits in logistical support and on organizational levels.

      This seminar seeks to obtain concrete results for participants through directly addressing your needs as a graduate student and through engaging the real world of Media practice and research. No previous technical experience or course prerequisites are required. This course is appropriate for both advanced and entering graduate students. COURSE TEXTS. In addition to work by visiting artists, analysis of a course texts will be additionally undertaken, most likely beginning with Flusser, Does Writing Have a Future?

    • DMS 612 ART OF VISION — Cancelled

      Caplan :: T R , 11:00 AM – 12:50 PM : CFA 232
      reg#24297

      In every production situation there are a series of questions, which detail a variety of aesthetic choice. Those issues have to do with camera placement, camera angle, and length of shot, exposure, framing, all light, sound and movement. The Art of Vision is a course structured to increase student sensibility toward the art of filmmaking. This course will examine and answer those production issues in an attempt to make the student aware of the range of possibilities when confronted with shooting on location, in the field or in a studio. Through intense weekly production, lecture, selected screenings, and a high degree of experimentation, students will be guided individually to develop their own filmmaking skill. Students will be responsible for choosing their direction of production, which can incorporate any number of genres, including thesis work. A high level of production will be stressed and students will work in digital video, film, photography and sound-only situations. Students who attend this class should be prepared to work hard to achieve results.
      Lab fee is $100

    • DMS 612 VIDEO ANALYSIS

      T. Conrad
      T 5:00pm – 6:50pm Sem CFA 112
      R 5:00pm – 6:50pm Lab CFA 232
      Reg #17061 SEM (3 cr.), #13862 LAB (1 cr.) Grad and undergrad

      Note: Students must enroll in DMS 612SEM and DMS 612LAB in the same term.

      A survey of contemporary video and media art. The aim of this course is to provide access to contemporary media arts information, and in particular to media work which is generally unavailable otherwise in Buffalo — and then to provide a forum for discussion, and for developing our own ideas. Most of the Tuesday meetings will comprise screenings of work. Then on Wednesdays the Undergrad and Graduate sections will meet separately to discuss the artists whose works have been seen and related topics of media arts interest. Some of the classes will be conducted via Skype, including interactive meetings with visiting artists whenever possible. Students should plan to take notes on the screenings and other activities, since a lot of ground will be covered rapidly. Assignments will include online viewing of other video works and short weekly written exercises in the form of terse commentaries with accompanying citations from online sources. Some assigned articles will be made available online, along with lots of recommended reading resources. Since access to the work screened in class is very limited, attendance is mandatory. There is no lab fee and no final exam – so regular weekly participation is especially important.

       

       

       

    • DMS 627 SUPERVISED READING (1 – 8 CR. VARIABLE)

      Permission of Instructor
      This course permits a student to do independent reading in an area where no course may be given. The instructor will set the guidelines for the course on an individual basis. Course syllabus form should be prepared prior to semester start and one copy should be on file in the Media Study office. For registration info, see Dean Sanborn in 231 CFA.

    • DMS 627 A-X SUPERVISED READING

      Staff *** :: ARR, ARR – ARR
      Reg.#000000

    • DMS 690 MEDIA ARTS INTERNSHIP

    • DMS 691 CAP CAPSTONE INTERNSHIP

      ARR :: ARR – ARR
      Reg.#000000
      Contact the Media Study Department for registration.

    • DMS 700 A – W THESIS GUIDANCE

      Staff *** :: ARR, ARR-ARR :: CFA ARR
      Reg.#000000
      Contact the department for registration.

    • DMS 700 STA THESIS GUIDANCE

      Staff *** :: Permission of Instructor :: ARR, ARR – ARR :: CFA ARR
      Reg.#000000
      A student may enroll in this course after completing course requirements and while writing the thesis. This course is for the written thesis only. One to six credits of  Thesis Guidance may be applied toward an MAH degree. Permission of the instructor is required. Course syllabus form should be completed before the semester s start, and one copy should be on file with the department. For registration info, see Luann Zak in 231 CFA.