A study of the interaction between technological change and artistic expression. Early historical examples will be used to establish fundamental principles of art and technology as sources of cultural value. The course will emphasize twentieth and twenty-first century developments; topics may include imaging, film, code, data, and digital art. Students will produce their own examples of traditional and electronically mediated art. Meets The Arts SUNY General Education Requirement.
The course will investigate the relationship between technology and art through reading, writing, and creative projects, with particular attention to how technological developments affect culture. Class time will be used for lectures, workshops, discussions, critiques, and student presentations.
Below is the bibliographical information for the full list of readings that are relevant for this class. PDF and printed copies of all the required readings will be provided to all students.
Susan Sontag ‘In Plato’s Cave’, in On Photography. Rosetta Books LLC, Electronic edition, 2005 pp. 1–19.
Walter Benjamin ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, in Illuminations, edited by Hannah Arendt, translated by Harry Zohn from the 1935 essay, New York: Schocken Books, 1969.
James Paul Gee. "Video games, design, and aesthetic experience." Rivista di estetica 63 (2016): 149-160.
Ivan Illich. "Silence is a Commons." CoEvolution Quarterly 40, no. 4 (1983).
Noam Chomsky, Ian Roberts, and Jeffrey Watumull. "Noam Chomsky: The false promise of chatGPT." The New York Times 8 (2023).
Jiang, Harry H., et al. "AI Art and its Impact on Artists." Proceedings of the 2023 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society. 2023.
Claire Bishop. “Information Overload: Research-Based Art” in Disordered Attention: How we look at art and performance today. Verso Books, 2024. pp 1-37
Claire Bishop. “Seizing the Moment: Interventions” in Disordered Attention: How we look at art and performance today. Verso Books, 2024. pp 113-155
Kwastek, Katja. “Interactive Art – Definitions and Origins” Aesthetics of Interaction in Digital Art. MIT press, 2013. pp 1-39
John Berger. Ways of seeing. Penguin UK, 2008. Online version: https://www.ways-of-seeing.com/ (NOTE: Chapter 1 outlines the ideas in Walter Benjamin’s essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” in a much more accessible way. I recommend reading this chapter to help you understand the ideas in Benjamin’s essay.)
For details about each assignment, along with due dates, please go to the assignments page.
This scale is used to translate letter grades into point values, and vice versa, when calculating your final grade:
All assignments for this course must be presented physically in person to the instructor, and/or submitted directly to the instructor via email. Each assignment has specific submission details. Please follow them.
Late submissions will be penalized by the equivalent of one full letter grade (10% of grade). You may submit assignments as late as, but no later than, May 2.
For creative projects, you must present what you have at the critique dates. You will be penalized a full letter grade (10% of your grade) for submitting your work without presenting it to the class.
If you submit your work late, and you do not present it, you will be penalized for both. This means: 10% penalty for late submission + 10% penalty for not presenting = 20% total penalty.
There is no extra credit in this course.
No make-ups for missed check-ins or quizzes. The lowest two scores will be dropped to excuse a maximum of two absences.
Student exchange is an important part of this course, and it is therefore imperative that you be courteous to one another. Disrespectful language and rude behavior will be explicitly addressed at the time of occurrence, and it will be addressed if subsequent reactions to the behavior arise. Bad manners and inattentiveness will negate participation points, and threatening behavior will be reported.
Pay attention to one another at student presentations. Don't use your phone or do homework for another class while your peers are presenting.
We want to maintain a respectful classroom environment in which ideas can be discussed freely and developed collaboratively; therefore, be mindful of whether you should and how you share anyone else's contributions or comments outside of class parameters (the room or online). When in doubt, it is always best to seek their explicit permission.
You are expected to be engaged in class activities during class time. Students who use class time to work on homework for other classes or who are clearly engaged in out-of-class activities during class time will see this reflected in their participation grade.
The following plagiarism policy extends to visual works, as well as written works. Submissions for creative projects in this course must be original work done by YOU.
Plagiarism - passing off someone else's work as your own is not just a violation of academic integrity or ethics: it is a crime. Reasonable penalties for violations can include failure for the assignment, the permanent placement of a letter describing the incident in the Office of the Provost (“Chief Academic Officer”), or even failure for the course (note: students may challenge these decisions before the Academic Integrity Board).
Procedure for dealing with violations of academic integrity:
(1) For the first violation of academic integrity, the student will receive a 0 for that assignment.
(2) If a second incident of plagiarism or violation of the Academic Integrity Policy should follow, the student will receive an F for the assignment AND the course. Written documentation of the event will proceed as described in the Student Handbook.
Your access in this course is important to me. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, SUNY Polytechnic Institute is committed to ensuring comprehensive educational access and accommodations for all registered students seeking access to meet course requirements and fully participate in programs and activities. Students with documented disabilities, temporary, or medical conditions are encouraged to request services by contacting Student Accessibility Services (SAS) or filling out the Request for Accommodations form. Please note, requesting accommodations is only the first step. You must provide documentation to SAS and meet with staff before receiving accommodations. Please do this as early as possible 1) because accommodations are never retroactive and 2) so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodation/s. Once SAS creates your accommodation plan, it is your responsibility to provide me a copy of the accommodation plan.
Office of Student Accessibility Services
SAS@sunypoly.edu
(315) 792-7310
Peter J. Cayan Library, L112
SUNY Poly is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, including those who are pregnant or experience pregnancy-related conditions. In accordance with relevant federal and state laws, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, students who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are dealing with pregnancy-related conditions are entitled to equal access to educational opportunities.
If you are pregnant or experience a pregnancy-related condition, please reach out to me as soon as possible to discuss any accommodations you may need to support your participation in the course. Accommodations may include, but are not limited to, adjustments to class attendance policies, extended deadlines, or arrangements for makeup exams.
The university ensures that pregnant students will not face discrimination or be excluded from any educational programs or activities. Any concerns related to pregnancy and academic participation will be addressed with respect and confidentiality.
If you have questions or would like to request accommodations outside of what is being offered in class please contact the Title IX Coordinator, Kathie Artigiani, at artigik@sunypoly.edu.
The SUNY Poly Help Desk is in the Cayan Library on the first floor. You can contact them by phone at 315-792-7440, by email at helpdesk@sunypoly.edu, or by submitting an online help ticket on their website.
If the SUNY Poly Help Desk is closed, you can obtain assistance from the Open SUNY Help Desk by calling 1-844-OPENSUNY (673-6786). The Open SUNY email is OpenSUNYHelp@suny.edu or you can submit an online help ticket.
The SUNY Poly ITS website has information about software and hardware that you can access as a student, as well as links to software you may need in your classes. Students are encouraged to save all work in multiple locations. MS Office OneDrive is available for use. For assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@sunypoly.edu or 315-792-7440.
The Writing and Communications Center (WCC) is there to support all of SUNY Poly’s writers: students, staff, and faculty. They offer one-on-one in-person and remote consultations for writers working on a range of projects at any stage of the writing process (from idea generation to final revisions). WCC consultants will work with writers on idea development, brainstorming, content development, structure, source use, style, grammar, punctuation, and more. They offer strategies and resources writers can use to compose, revise, edit, and proofread their own work. Note that they do not provide a proofreading or editing service, and they do not comment on grades.
The WCC is located on the first floor of Cayan Library. You can learn more about the WCC or make an appointment by visiting their website.
SUNY Poly has a 24-hour hotline, called Snowline, to inform students, faculty, and staff when severe weather prompts the cancellation of all classes. Snowline can be reached by calling 315-792-7385. In the event of severe weather, Snowline will announce only the cancellation of ALL classes. The cancellation of all classes will also be posted online and broadcast on radio and television stations in the Utica-Rome and Syracuse areas. The SUNY Poly website also maintains a list of individual class cancellations.
In addition, all SUNY Poly students and employees are enrolled in the Rave Alert emergency alert service. You can visit the SUNY Poly Rave Alert website to learn more and to adjust your notification preferences.