ENROLL

Candace I Moore

This course focuses on the history, production, and consumption of cult television. The beginning of the seminar will be focused on critically examining a number of theoretical approaches to the study of genre and fandom. Building on these approaches, the remainder of the course will focus on cult television case studies from the last eight decades. We will draw on recent scholarship to explore how cult television functions textually, industrially, and culturally. Additionally, we will study fan communities on the Internet and consider how fansites, webisodes, and sites like YouTube and Netflix transform television genres.

Extra Time Required, evening screenings

Carol Donelan

The purpose of this seminar is guide students in developing and consolidating their conceptual understanding of theories central to the field of cinema studies. Emphasis is on close reading and discussion of classical and contemporary theories ranging from Eisenstein, Kracauer, Balazs, Bazin and Barthes to theories of authorship, genre and ideology and trends in contemporary theory influenced by psychoanalysis, phenomenology and cognitive studies.

Prerequisite: Cinema and Media Studies 110 or instructor permission

Eric C Alexander

Understanding the wealth of data that surrounds us can be challenging. Luckily, we have evolved incredible tools for finding patterns in large amounts of information: our eyes! Data visualization is concerned with taking information and turning it into pictures to better communicate patterns or discover new insights. It combines aspects of computer graphics, human-computer interaction, design, and perceptual psychology. In this course, we will learn the different ways in which data can be expressed visually and which methods work best for which tasks. Using this knowledge, we will critique existing visualizations as well as design and build new ones.

Prerequisite: Computer Science 201

Alican Camci

This course surveys computer techniques for analyzing, synthesizing, manipulating, and creating musical sounds. We'll study the basic components of digital sound: waveforms, oscillators, envelopes, delay lines, and filters. While we’ll explore the techniques and concepts of computer music in detail, our focus will be putting them to work in our creative practice, using open source computer music languages as well as digital audio workstations, according to the strengths and limitations of each music-making environment. We’ll show how computer music composition takes shape in a wide variety of styles and aesthetics, free to choose among them or create our own.

Prerequisite: Music 108 or Computer Science 111 or Instructor permission

Barbara Allen

Visual media offer an alternative method of framing political ideas and events. Images found in such texts as film, posters, and even in statistical tables can enlighten--or mislead. Readings in visual theory, political psychology, and graphic representation will enable you to read images and use these powerful media to convey your ideas and research.

1st 5 weeks