CIS/COM S 751: 
Media Research and Critical Design

This course gives an overview of the growing interdisciplinary field between computer science and media art, computer-related design, and cultural studies, in which computation is seen as a medium through which cultural issues can be and are expressed.  The technical focus of the course will be in two of the major areas where this work is happening: artificial agents (including agent architecture, life-like computer characters, and narrative intelligence) and non-desktop computing (including tangible media, ubiquitous or pervasive computing, and new technologies for the home).  We will interweave discussion of technical issues with critical tools that develop these technologies such as critical technical practice, art as research, conceptual design, and innovative user-centered design.

This course is open to students of a wide variety of backgrounds; some ability to read technical papers is, however, a must.  In case of doubt please contact the course instructor.

Textbooks:

Assignments and Grading:

• Two short papers (5-8 pages).
• One short paper on agents and critical technical practices (due Oct 7).
• One short paper on non-desktop computing (due Nov 13).
• A group project involving both technical and conceptual work in the areas covered by the class.  The topics for the projects will be worked out by the class, and roles will be defined according to each students' skills and interests.
• Class participation is essential to the success of this course.

• 20% short paper 1
• 20% short paper 2
• 10% final project presentation
• 35% final project paper
• 15% class participation

Readings and Course Schedule:

Note: this is a draft syllabus.  These readings are subject to adaptation over the course of the semester.
 

Week	Topic	Readings
Week 1	Introduction to Course	Core Readings Agre: Computation and Human Experience (1-26) Weiser and Brown: The Coming Age of Calm Technology Davis and Travers: A Brief Overview of the Narrative Intelligence Reading Group Selection A Selection B Related Readings	Sep 2	Sep 6
Week 2	Agents /  Critical Technical Practices	Core Readings Agre: Computation and Human Experience (27-178) Wilson: Art and Science as Cultural Acts Selection A Selection B Related Readings Agre/Chapman: What are plans for? Agre: Writing and Representation Agre: The Soul Gained and Lost: Artificial Intelligence as a Philosophical Project.	Sep 10	Sep 13
Week 3	Agents / Critical Technical Practices	Core Readings Agre: Computation and Human Experience (178-315) Selection A Brooks: Intelligence Without Reason Selection B Wise: Intelligent Agency Related Readings Brooks: A Robust Layered Control System for a Mobile Robot Wilson: Robotics and Kinetics Wilson: Robots Wilson: AI	Sep 17	Sep 20
Week 4	Agents as Art / Believable Agents	Core Readings Penny: Agents as Artworks Bates: The Role of Emotion in Believable Agents Mateas: Expressive AI Selection A Bates and Loyall: Real-Time Control of Animated Broad Agents Elliott and Brzezinski: Autonomous Agents as Synthetic Characters Selection B Wardrip-Fruin and Moss: The Impermanence Agent Related Readings Penny et al: Traces Mateas: An Oz-Centric Review of Interactive Drama and Believable Agents (up to and including "Why study believable agents?") Lester and Stone: Increasing Believability in Animated Pedagogical Agents Blumberg: Action-Selection in Amsterdam: Lessons from Ethology Wilson: Elaboration on the Approach of Art as Research Wilson: Artificial Intelligence Research as Art	class cancelled on Sept 24 - instead on Oct 1	class cancelled on Sept 27 - instead on a date to be announced in Week 5
Week 5	Introduction to Ubiquitous Computing	Core Readings Weiser: The Computer for the 21st Century Mann: Humanistic Computing Penny: Virtual Reality as the End of the Enlightenment Project Abowd and Mynatt: Charting Past, Present and Future Research in Ubiquitous Computing Selection A Selection B Related Readings Brumitt et al: EasyLiving: Technologies for Intelligent Environments Thackera: Design Challenge of Pervasive Computing Mann et al: Living as Cyborgs	(See week 4 for Oct 1)	Oct 4
Week 6	Tangible Media and Mixed Reality	Core Readings Ishii and Ullmer: Tangible Bits Dourish: Getting In Touch Crampton-Smith: The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Selection A Starner et al: Augmented Reality through Wearable Computing Fitzmaurice et al: Bricks Selection B Wilson: Motion, Gesture, Touch, Gaze, Manipulation, and Activated Objects Related Readings Ishii: Bottles as a Minimal Interface to Access Digital Information Jeremijenko: Living in Mixed Realities Sepulveda: Digital Shelters	Oct 8 Due: Paper 1 (Agents)	Oct 11
Week 7	Critical Design	Core Readings  Dunne and Raby: Design Noir (excerpts) Crampton-Smith and Tabor: The Role of the Artist-Designer Dunne: Hertzian Tales (Para-Functionality) Selection A Selection B Related Readings Hallnas and Redstrom: Slow Technology	Fall break	Oct 18:
Week 8	Critical Design	Core Readings Gaver: Presence Project Selection A Selection B Related Readings Gaver and Dunne: Projected Realities Gaver, Dunne, Pacenti: Cultural Probes	Oct 22 Class moved to Oct 21, 10:30-12:00	Oct 25 - Class cancelled
Week 9	Critical Design / Planning for Final Project	Core Readings Selection A Selection B Related Readings	Oct 29 (Continue Gaver)	Nov 1 Due: Plans for final class project
Week 10	Critical Design / Domestic Technology	Core Readings Dunne: Hertzian Tales (Psychosocial Narratives) Dunne: Hertzian Tales (Hertzian Tales and Sublime Gadgets) Kaye and Bell: Designing Technology for Domestic Spaces Selection A Kaye et al: PC Dinners, Mr. Java, and Counter Intelligence Selection B Dunne and Raby: Placebo Project (excerpts from Design Noir) Related Readings	Nov 5	Nov 8
Week 11	Domestic Technology	Core Readings O'Brien and Rodden: Interactive Systems in Domestic Environments Blythe and Monk.  Notes towards an Ethnography of Domestic Technology Selection A Hindus et al: Casablanca: Designing Social Communication Devices for the Home Selection B Gaver and Martin: Alternatives Related Readings Jeremijenko: Dialogue with a Monologue Gaver and Dunne: The Pillow Jeremijenko: Dumb Energy Meter	Nov 12	Nov 15 Due: Paper 2
Week 12	Narrative Intelligence	Core Readings Mateas and Sengers: Narrative Intelligence Strohecker et al: Tired of Giving In (pages 1-16) Davenport and Murtaugh: Automatist Storyteller Systems and the Shifting Sands of Story Selection A Mateas et al: Generation of Ideologically-Biased Historical Documentaries Selection B Domike et al: The Recombinant History Apparatus Presents Terminal Time Related Readings Mateas: An Oz-Centric Review of Interactive Drama and Believable Agents (from "Interactive Story" to end) Bruner: The Narrative Construction of Reality Schiffer: Rise and Fall of Black Velvet Flag	Nov 19	Nov 22
Week 13	Narrative Intelligence	Core Readings Sack: Stories and Social Networks Hook et al: Evaluating Users' Experience of a Character-Enhanced Information Space Dautenhahn: Stories of Lemurs and Robots Selection A Selection B Related Readings Bers: We Are What We Tell Sack: Actor-Role Analysis	Nov 26	Thanksgiving
Week 14	Final Projects/ Wrap-up	Core Readings Ehn: Manifesto for a Digital Bauhaus Selection A Selection B Related Readings	Dec 3 Due: Final project presentations ("crits")	Dec 6
				Dec 16 Due: Final project papers

URL: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/people/sengers/Teaching/MediaResearchF02/MediaResearchSyllabus.html