History and Culture of Games
GSAS 1600
Fall 2017; Spring 2018; Fall 2018; Spring 2019
Students gain a critical understanding of the medium of games through a combination of historical research and critical approaches to contemporary games. The history of games and automation is emphasized, from the early Islamic automata of the 8th century to today's video games. The related histories of play, ritual, and performance are also discussed. The core of the course illuminates the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic impacts of games across time.
Students gain a critical understanding of the medium of games through a combination of historical research and critical approaches to contemporary games. The history of games and automation is emphasized, from the early Islamic automata of the 8th century to today's video games. The related histories of play, ritual, and performance are also discussed. The core of the course illuminates the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic impacts of games across time.
AR Design for Cultural Heritage*
ARTS 4962 / 6962
*Activities in this course are supported by an NEH Humanities Connections Grant
Fall 2018
Students work in interdisciplinary teams to design and develop functioning prototype mobile augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) applications for cultural heritage. This semester students will collaborate with the Museum of Science and Innovation (MiSci) in Schenectady, NY, as well as SUNY Albany Professor Janell Hobson, to tell the story of American hero, Harriet Tubman, whose history is often under-told. Students with backgrounds in computer science, games, visual media, sound design, HCI, architecture, and storytelling are welcome.
Spring 2018
Students work in interdisciplinary teams to design and develop functioning prototype mobile augmented reality (AR) applications for cultural heritage. This semester students will collaborate with the City of Cohoes to develop a series of interactive murals to accompany new parks in the historic downtown district. Students with backgrounds in computer science, games, visual media, sound design, HCI, architecture and storytelling are welcome.
Students work in interdisciplinary teams to design and develop functioning prototype mobile augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) applications for cultural heritage. This semester students will collaborate with the Museum of Science and Innovation (MiSci) in Schenectady, NY, as well as SUNY Albany Professor Janell Hobson, to tell the story of American hero, Harriet Tubman, whose history is often under-told. Students with backgrounds in computer science, games, visual media, sound design, HCI, architecture, and storytelling are welcome.
Spring 2018
Students work in interdisciplinary teams to design and develop functioning prototype mobile augmented reality (AR) applications for cultural heritage. This semester students will collaborate with the City of Cohoes to develop a series of interactive murals to accompany new parks in the historic downtown district. Students with backgrounds in computer science, games, visual media, sound design, HCI, architecture and storytelling are welcome.
World's Fairs: Technology, Design, and Society
IHSS 1961
Spring 2017; Fall 2017
This course focuses on the history of technology and design at World’s Fairs and Expos, and the relationship between these events, artifacts, and society. Students explore technological and architectural innovations from major Fairs from 1850 to the present, and as a final project, create an exhibition that incorporates design strategies and techniques from the World’s Fair legacy to tell the story of this history to a public audience. Intersections with museum studies, architectural history and design studies are included.
This course focuses on the history of technology and design at World’s Fairs and Expos, and the relationship between these events, artifacts, and society. Students explore technological and architectural innovations from major Fairs from 1850 to the present, and as a final project, create an exhibition that incorporates design strategies and techniques from the World’s Fair legacy to tell the story of this history to a public audience. Intersections with museum studies, architectural history and design studies are included.
Game Studies: Theory and Praxis
COMM 4960/6960
Spring 2017
Students are introduced to major theorists in the field of game studies and topics including theories of play, space, narratology, ludology, identity, representation, culture and society. Students make integrative connections between theory and practice with a semester-long iterative design project, including critical writing, paper prototyping and peer feedback.
Students are introduced to major theorists in the field of game studies and topics including theories of play, space, narratology, ludology, identity, representation, culture and society. Students make integrative connections between theory and practice with a semester-long iterative design project, including critical writing, paper prototyping and peer feedback.
Mobile AR Design:
COMM 4969/6960
Spring 2014; Fall 2016
Students design and create mobile augmented reality (AR) experiences, using GPS or computer vision based tracking. Final projects will be implemented off campus, with potential for long term public installation. Students with backgrounds in design, architecture, and visual storytelling are welcome, as are students with significant programming or computer graphics experience.
Students design and create mobile augmented reality (AR) experiences, using GPS or computer vision based tracking. Final projects will be implemented off campus, with potential for long term public installation. Students with backgrounds in design, architecture, and visual storytelling are welcome, as are students with significant programming or computer graphics experience.
Playwrighting:
WRIT 2960
Fall 2016; Spring 2019
Students learn the basics of writing for the stage. Assignments include a variety of short plays, design sketching, and acting and directing activities. Final projects are one act plays, and will be presented on campus as staged readings. Students with interest in theater, writing for games, interactive media, or other creative writing genres are welcome.
Students learn the basics of writing for the stage. Assignments include a variety of short plays, design sketching, and acting and directing activities. Final projects are one act plays, and will be presented on campus as staged readings. Students with interest in theater, writing for games, interactive media, or other creative writing genres are welcome.
Mixed Reality Stage Design:
COMM 4966/6966; ARTS 4966/6966
Spring 2016; co-taught with Professor Pauline Oliveros
Students are introduced to the basics of dramaturgy and design with a variety of technologies for theatrical performance. Students will work in teams to produce functioning prototypes of scenographic elements, sound and visual designs for a staged reading of The Nubian Word for Flowers. This is an avant-garde opera currently in development by Prof. Oliveros and Ione, who will also join the course as a guest speaker. Students will also have the opportunity to collaborate with project team members located in Cairo, Egypt. The final project for the course will be a staged excerpt of the opera, performed in the immersive environment of the Rensselaer CRAIVE Lab.
Students are introduced to the basics of dramaturgy and design with a variety of technologies for theatrical performance. Students will work in teams to produce functioning prototypes of scenographic elements, sound and visual designs for a staged reading of The Nubian Word for Flowers. This is an avant-garde opera currently in development by Prof. Oliveros and Ione, who will also join the course as a guest speaker. Students will also have the opportunity to collaborate with project team members located in Cairo, Egypt. The final project for the course will be a staged excerpt of the opera, performed in the immersive environment of the Rensselaer CRAIVE Lab.
Game Design Theory and Praxis:
Independent Study
Spring 2015; Eric Walsh, Communication + Media PhD Student
This course provides an introduction to Game Studies and connections to the practice of game design by exploring core theoretical writings relevant to game design. The reading list ranges from the explicitly practical to the purely philosophical, and is intended to provide an overview of the field. This variety of theories are applied to the practice of game design in production of a set of game design documents and paper prototypes that are play-tested throughout the semester. The course culminates in a digital prototype that is accompanied by a final game design document incorporating the most salient ideas from the course readings.
This course provides an introduction to Game Studies and connections to the practice of game design by exploring core theoretical writings relevant to game design. The reading list ranges from the explicitly practical to the purely philosophical, and is intended to provide an overview of the field. This variety of theories are applied to the practice of game design in production of a set of game design documents and paper prototypes that are play-tested throughout the semester. The course culminates in a digital prototype that is accompanied by a final game design document incorporating the most salient ideas from the course readings.
Gender and Performance Studies:
Independent Study
Spring 2015; Britney Summit-Gil, Communication + Media PhD Student
An overview of major works in the overlapping fields of Gender Studies and Performance Studies, with a particular emphasis on theories of masculinity and identity performance in a mediatized culture.
An overview of major works in the overlapping fields of Gender Studies and Performance Studies, with a particular emphasis on theories of masculinity and identity performance in a mediatized culture.
Proposing + Persuading:
WRIT 4550/6550
Spring 2015
Learn to communicate your ideas in a professional, compelling manner with confidence and clarity. Students will learn how to propose and present research, write an effective industry pitch, win a place on a conference program, find funding opportunities and submit a grant, and how to write job and graduate school applications. Both oral and written presentation skills are emphasized. Students will have opportunities to write proposals on topics of their own choosing, both individually and in small teams, and will be encouraged to submit their writing externally.
Learn to communicate your ideas in a professional, compelling manner with confidence and clarity. Students will learn how to propose and present research, write an effective industry pitch, win a place on a conference program, find funding opportunities and submit a grant, and how to write job and graduate school applications. Both oral and written presentation skills are emphasized. Students will have opportunities to write proposals on topics of their own choosing, both individually and in small teams, and will be encouraged to submit their writing externally.
Worlds on Display: Exhibition Practices + Immersive Spectatorship across Old and New Media:
IHSS 1961
Fall 2014; co-taught with Professor Tamar Gordon
TAs: Jason Coley, Laquana Cooke, Britney Summit-Gil
Worlds on Display invites students to explore the history, culture and technology of environments that “theme” aspects of the world through immersive techniques. The course is organized conceptually and chronologically around two overarching topics: a. the political, sociocultural and global narratives manifested in World Fairs of different eras and; b. the technological illusions that make marvels come alive, move people through space, and surround people with multi-channel sight and soundscapes.
Our cases will center on select World Fairs, from 1850-2012. We will simultaneously study the historical development of the forms and technologies that that appear within each Fair, including dioramas, panoramas, automata, architectural wonders, ethnic performance and living history museums. In the contemporary era, Fairs and Expos incorporate virtual environments and augmented reality, to considerable immersive effect. All the forms we are considering - predigital as well as contemporary -- traffic in desires for experiences that feel more “real” through the phantasmatoric, the simultaneous, the panoptical, the nostalgic and the modern.
TAs: Jason Coley, Laquana Cooke, Britney Summit-Gil
Worlds on Display invites students to explore the history, culture and technology of environments that “theme” aspects of the world through immersive techniques. The course is organized conceptually and chronologically around two overarching topics: a. the political, sociocultural and global narratives manifested in World Fairs of different eras and; b. the technological illusions that make marvels come alive, move people through space, and surround people with multi-channel sight and soundscapes.
Our cases will center on select World Fairs, from 1850-2012. We will simultaneously study the historical development of the forms and technologies that that appear within each Fair, including dioramas, panoramas, automata, architectural wonders, ethnic performance and living history museums. In the contemporary era, Fairs and Expos incorporate virtual environments and augmented reality, to considerable immersive effect. All the forms we are considering - predigital as well as contemporary -- traffic in desires for experiences that feel more “real” through the phantasmatoric, the simultaneous, the panoptical, the nostalgic and the modern.
Science & Technology in Theatre:
COMM 2960
Fall 2013
This course examines science and technology on stage in plays and musicals from American writers from the 1920s to today, in which science and/or technology figures prominently in the script. What are the functions of science and technology in these performances? What relationships between science and technology and society are revealed? How does the structure of the play relate to the content?
Assignments include brief reading responses, playwrighting exercises, design concept, production history short paper, and a final research paper. By the end of the course, students will have demonstrated understanding of the genre of science and technology plays, practiced basic playwrighting skills and amassed a portfolio of play starts, and investigated relationships between script and production in theatre practice.
This course examines science and technology on stage in plays and musicals from American writers from the 1920s to today, in which science and/or technology figures prominently in the script. What are the functions of science and technology in these performances? What relationships between science and technology and society are revealed? How does the structure of the play relate to the content?
Assignments include brief reading responses, playwrighting exercises, design concept, production history short paper, and a final research paper. By the end of the course, students will have demonstrated understanding of the genre of science and technology plays, practiced basic playwrighting skills and amassed a portfolio of play starts, and investigated relationships between script and production in theatre practice.
Introduction to Media Studies:
LMC 2400
Spring 2012, Spring 2013
This course offers an introduction to the historical development and cultural impact of various forms of media including print, radio, television, film, and interactive electronic applications. Students will gain familiarity with canonical texts and will develop the skills to analyze contemporary and historical media through various lenses.
Course themes include: representation, illusion, semiotics, structuralism, the uncanny, aura, mass media, modernism, reception, digital media, technological determinism, postmodernism, remediation, convergence, and mixed reality.
This course offers an introduction to the historical development and cultural impact of various forms of media including print, radio, television, film, and interactive electronic applications. Students will gain familiarity with canonical texts and will develop the skills to analyze contemporary and historical media through various lenses.
Course themes include: representation, illusion, semiotics, structuralism, the uncanny, aura, mass media, modernism, reception, digital media, technological determinism, postmodernism, remediation, convergence, and mixed reality.
Special Topics in Science, Technology and Culture (STAC) Dramaturgy and Design for Digital Technologies in Story-Based Theater:
LMC 2813
Team-taught with Melissa Foulger (Artistic Director of DramaTech)
Fall 2012
In the first part of the course, students are introduced to basics of dramaturgical theory, theater design, and current academic debates about the role of media in theater. Students use a new dramaturgy based on work from Rouse's dissertation to create prototype stage and/or costume designs that integrate digital technologies for the Frank Galati play, "After the Quake," adapted from Haruki Murakami's short stories.
In the second part of the course, students work in teams to develop designs with the goal of having the digital technology elements fully functioning at the end of the term. The students are also involved in documenting and reflecting on the design process and the dramaturgical method.
The following term (Spring 2013) a full production of "After the Quake" will be produced in the student theater on campus, directed by DramaTech Artistic Director Melissa Foulger, using the designs and technologies from the course. There will be opportunities for the students from the course to be involved with the production if interested.
Visit the course website to see documentation of the student work produced.
Fall 2012
In the first part of the course, students are introduced to basics of dramaturgical theory, theater design, and current academic debates about the role of media in theater. Students use a new dramaturgy based on work from Rouse's dissertation to create prototype stage and/or costume designs that integrate digital technologies for the Frank Galati play, "After the Quake," adapted from Haruki Murakami's short stories.
In the second part of the course, students work in teams to develop designs with the goal of having the digital technology elements fully functioning at the end of the term. The students are also involved in documenting and reflecting on the design process and the dramaturgical method.
The following term (Spring 2013) a full production of "After the Quake" will be produced in the student theater on campus, directed by DramaTech Artistic Director Melissa Foulger, using the designs and technologies from the course. There will be opportunities for the students from the course to be involved with the production if interested.
Visit the course website to see documentation of the student work produced.
Mixed Reality Experience Design:
CS 4770/6770
Guest Lecturer for Professor Jay Bolter and Professor Blair MacIntyre
Spring 2012
This class, team-taught by MacIntyre and Bolter, considers the design and implementation of augmented and mixed reality experiences for education, entertainment and play. My lecture informed the class about the history of panoramic forms dating back to the Roman Empire, and discussed implications for augmented and mixed reality design applications today.
Spring 2012
This class, team-taught by MacIntyre and Bolter, considers the design and implementation of augmented and mixed reality experiences for education, entertainment and play. My lecture informed the class about the history of panoramic forms dating back to the Roman Empire, and discussed implications for augmented and mixed reality design applications today.
Communication and Culture:
LMC 3206
Teaching Assistant to Professor Jay Bolter
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011
In this discussion- and project-based course, the forms and functions of contemporary media are investigated through the theoretical lenses of both cultural studies and performance studies. Students design, execute and evaluate original research of such digital forms as: blogs, MMOs (Second Life, World of Warcraft, etc.), social media sites (Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), and other manifestations of remix culture.
Students learn to analyze digital media practices and applications with a view to their historical and cultural contexts, work together in teams to produce an original research project of such practices or applications, and further develop their research skills as well as written and oral communication skills.
Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011
In this discussion- and project-based course, the forms and functions of contemporary media are investigated through the theoretical lenses of both cultural studies and performance studies. Students design, execute and evaluate original research of such digital forms as: blogs, MMOs (Second Life, World of Warcraft, etc.), social media sites (Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), and other manifestations of remix culture.
Students learn to analyze digital media practices and applications with a view to their historical and cultural contexts, work together in teams to produce an original research project of such practices or applications, and further develop their research skills as well as written and oral communication skills.
AR Design Project Studio:
LMC 6650
Teaching Assistant to Professor Blair MacIntyre
Spring 2011
In this project-based course students explore the creative potential of Augmented Reality (AR), using primarily the Argon mobile AR Browser developed by the Augmented Environments Lab in the GVU Center at Georgia Tech. Students design, implement and evaluate original AR projects, drawing on a range of disciplines, reading and discussing articles on MR technology, HCI, location-based experience design, social computing, performance, museum studies and new media design.
Spring 2011
In this project-based course students explore the creative potential of Augmented Reality (AR), using primarily the Argon mobile AR Browser developed by the Augmented Environments Lab in the GVU Center at Georgia Tech. Students design, implement and evaluate original AR projects, drawing on a range of disciplines, reading and discussing articles on MR technology, HCI, location-based experience design, social computing, performance, museum studies and new media design.