taken by sharon de la cruz, in semester-1.
why:
it was mandatory. however, i like the premise of the class:
This introductory class is designed to allow students to engage in a critical dialogue with leaders drawn from the artistic, non-profit and commercial sectors of the new media field, and to learn the value of collaborative projects by undertaking group presentations in response to issues raised by the guest speakers. Interactive media projects and approaches to the design of new media applications are presented weekly; students are thus exposed to both commercial as well as mission-driven applications by the actual designers and creators of these innovative and experimental projects. By way of this process, all first year students, for the first and only time in their ITP experience, are together in one room at one time, and as a community, encounter, and respond to, the challenges posed by the invited guests. The course at once provides an overview of current developments in this emerging field, and asks students to consider many questions about the state of the art.
from the syllabus page.
update on 250913:
i currently don’t believe that the course sets students up to engage in a critical dialogue with leaders. the fact that the course is designed as a 116-student lecture-format, with the additional sprinkle of ‘q & a-s’ is not enough to foster critical dialogue; especially when dialogue is supposed to be two-way.
i believe there are better ways to execute this class, and more honestly meet the mission.