1 BFA Design and Technology: Thesis Studio 2 PUDT 4200 C –CRN 5064 Anezka Sebek, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Media Design, AMT Tuesdays + Thursdays, 12:10 - 2:50 - D1208 Make an appointment if you want to see me outside of class: [email protected]IMPORTANT DATES: Last Day to Add Feb 4 PRESIDENT’S DAY: Feb 19 Last to Drop Feb 25 Last Day to Withdraw Mar 25 SPRING BREAK: Mar 19-25 Last Day of Classes: May 14 Commencement May 16-20 ALL Communication for this course will be via Canvas Announcements. Our blog where I will link your learning portfolios is: https://bfadtthesis2.wordpress.com Requirements specific to my studio: BE ON TIME! Communicate with me if you will be late or absent—send me an email ahead of time! There are many Open Work Weeks this semester and it is easy to slack off and not you’re your self-imposed deadlines. Manage your time. I will be doing desk crits on D12 and/or The Making Center during Open Work Weeks. This is your last semester, make it count! The following syllabus may shift or change. I will notify you if it does. Course Description The BFADT thesis is a systematic investigation of a research question based in the domains of art, design, and technology. It requires students to identify an area of study, research its major assumptions and precedents, explain the significance and originality of their undertaking, set forth the process and method for proposing solutions, create prototypes, and offer a conclusion through the production of a body of work. The finished project must evidence originality and experimentation, critical and independent thinking, appropriate organization and format, and thorough documentation. The Thesis Project can take many forms, from fine art works to soft/hardware tools, interactive installations, online experiences, or social experiments. It should demonstrate the application of ideas within an applied context, whether it be in the areas of design, art, commerce, or theory. Thesis Studio 2 meets twice weekly. The Thesis Studio 2 course assists graduating BFADT students in the successful realization and production of their final thesis and the related documentation of the projects. The course concentrates on the development and further fine-tuning of student’s initial prototypes into a presentable and functional final project suitable for installation in the BFADT exhibition.
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BFA Design and Technology: Thesis Studio 2
PUDT 4200 C –CRN 5064
Anezka Sebek, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Media Design, AMT
Tuesdays + Thursdays, 12:10 - 2:50 - D1208
Make an appointment if you want to see me outside of class: [email protected]
IMPORTANT DATES:
Last Day to Add Feb 4
PRESIDENT’S DAY: Feb 19
Last to Drop Feb 25
Last Day to Withdraw Mar 25
SPRING BREAK: Mar 19-25
Last Day of Classes: May 14
Commencement May 16-20
ALL Communication for this course will be via Canvas Announcements.
Our blog where I will link your learning portfolios is: https://bfadtthesis2.wordpress.com
Requirements specific to my studio: BE ON TIME! Communicate with me if you will be
late or absent—send me an email ahead of time!
There are many Open Work Weeks this semester and it is easy to slack off and not you’re your
self-imposed deadlines. Manage your time. I will be doing desk crits on D12 and/or The Making
Center during Open Work Weeks. This is your last semester, make it count!
The following syllabus may shift or change. I will notify you if it does.
Course Description
The BFADT thesis is a systematic investigation of a research question based in the domains of art,
design, and technology. It requires students to identify an area of study, research its major assumptions
and precedents, explain the significance and originality of their undertaking, set forth the process and
method for proposing solutions, create prototypes, and offer a conclusion through the production of a
body of work.
The finished project must evidence originality and experimentation, critical and independent thinking,
appropriate organization and format, and thorough documentation. The Thesis Project can take many
forms, from fine art works to soft/hardware tools, interactive installations, online experiences, or social
experiments. It should demonstrate the application of ideas within an applied context, whether it be in the
areas of design, art, commerce, or theory.
Thesis Studio 2 meets twice weekly. The Thesis Studio 2 course assists graduating BFADT students in
the successful realization and production of their final thesis and the related documentation of the
projects. The course concentrates on the development and further fine-tuning of student’s initial
prototypes into a presentable and functional final project suitable for installation in the BFADT exhibition.
To what degree has the student demonstrated and developed critical thinking skills? Reflective judgment
not only asks the questions with concrete answers such as evaluative questions about form,
methodology, materials, utility, ergonomics, aesthetics, style, cultural, experience, research, and process
critique, but also attacks difficult problems of the world that require research and evidence to support
conclusions that can then be offered to the fields encompassed by design and technology.
Creative Process
Is the student incorporating a form- and project-appropriate methodology to their work? Can the student
evaluate how procedural decisions impact their projectsʼ successes and failures? Creative process may
include problem identification, brainstorming, generating ideas, analysis, research, writing of
specifications and constraints, real-world costs, feasibility, testing, iterating along a line of thinking and
then approaching the problem differently in the next cycle, evaluation of process and evaluation of the
form created, integrating and adapting new processes and ideas along the iterative design cycle.
Contextualization
Has the student been able to connect their work and ideas to historical and contemporary precedents,
and to situate their work within the larger discourse surrounding ideas of design and technology?
Integration and Appropriate Use of Technology
Is the student making good choices about the form and type of technology they are using to express their
design concepts?
Iteration, Production, Time Management
Is the student able to scale their project to the appropriate time frame and resources at their disposal?
This takes into account the scope of the project, but also an honest assessment of the student’s interests
and skillset as well as available technical and material resources.
Project Display
Are students able to present the core concepts and experience of their project in an appropriate public-
facing form? This may be one or more of the following: exhibition, demonstration, performance, screening
and/or lecture.
Final Grade Calculation: Class Attendance, Communication, Participation 10%
Presentation 1 (week 3) 10%
Presentation 2 (week 5) 10%
Midterms: Presentation 3 (Week 7) with outside critics 20%
Exhibition design (Week 9) 10%
Presentation design (Week 11) 15 %
Final Presentation to critics (Week 14) 25%
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ATTENDANCE, COMMUNICATION, AND CLASS PARTICIPATION 10% If you are sick or unable to attend EMAIL ME before THE ABSENCE. Be on time out of respect for me and your fellow students. Class begins at 12:10. Be ready to learn at 12:10. Communicate all your problems to me. Problems are my domain. I will help you solve them. Participate and collaborate in class. Your input is invaluable to your colleagues. PRESENTATION 1 (WEEK 3) 10% Deliverables: Reflective five-paragraph essay: 1 page (all essays are properly sourced and cited, no exceptions) POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO for every presentation. The paper and the blog are part of your grade. Production/Technical Plan for full execution: How might I XXXX? Answer this aesthetically (beauty frames/mock video walk troughs), technically with research, precedents, main inspirations, previous tests, failures and successes of the first semester. PRESENTATION 2 (WEEK 5) 10% Reflective five-paragraph essay: (see format) 3 pages My thesis in context: where will it lead me? POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO Detailed presentation of a self-evaluation of aesthetic, material, technical, procedural (rule sets for gamers. Have you covered all your bases? Where are your weakest points? WHAT WOULD YOU PRESENT IF THESIS WERE DUE TODAY. Can I play your game and understand it? Can I use your product? Can I experience your film? Your performance? You will be graded by your colleagues in groups. PRESENTATION 3 (WEEK 7) with Critics 20% Reflective five-paragraph essay: 1 page POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO How might I? answer and Context, Content, Contribution Full Presentation WITH 2D/3D PROTOTYPES or playable game. Videotape of user tests and project in iteration with full project resolution parts. EXHIBITION DESIGN (WEEK 9) Reflective five-paragraph essay: 2 pages POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO Mock-ups, schematics, drawings, experience walk-through. Exact measurement of space for your work. Audio/video/electrical/technical needs PRESENTATION DESIGN (WEEK 11) Reflective five-paragraph essay: 3 pages POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO Final presentations are in 3 weeks. WHAT WOULD YOU PRESENT IF THESIS WERE DUE TODAY. Strengths, weaknesses of your project. FINAL PRESENTATION (WEEK 14) Collect your semester’s essays with a full bibliography or works cited. Illustrate your final document with photos of your works in progress and your final work. POST YOUR WORK TO YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO. Demonstrate your core argument and the most effective answer to the question. ---- Weekly Schedule
Week 1
01/22-24 Session 1 - Innovation Models (Ken Stevens on blog)and Design Research Introduction,
Work Groups, Production Methods and Documentation Learning Portfolios due (in class).
What are your personal goals for Thesis 2? Learning outcomes 30 min free-write in class.
Session 2 - Collaborative Ideation work on projects in small groups. Presenters will ask
one process question that is impeding their progress toward a finished thesis. The groups
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will be critical and brainstorm and suggest work-arounds and alternatives. Pecha Cucha
Presentations of each other’s projects. Work on Production Calendars and best practices
for doing the best and most innovative work. Identify which innovation model (Ken
Stevens) you are using (Also blog reference reading: Universal Methods of Design).
HAND IN PREVIOUS SEMESTER’S WRITING AND CREATE A LINK ON
YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO FOR THESIS 2. I WILL NOT GIVE YOU A
GRADE FOR YOU WORK UNTIL I SEE IT ON YOUR LEARNING PORTFOLIO.
SHARE YOUR THESIS 1 LEARNING PORTFOLIO WITH ME.
Week 2 INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS- Be prepared to answer: who is your audience and how well
01/29-31 have you tested your idea with them? How will your thesis contribute to their lives?
Please write and print a short user persona and user journey with an image. Do you
know your user community well? Who is your community of practice?
Week 3
02/05-07
PRESENTATION 1 and Essay 1* with Detailed Production Calendars and first rough
schematics of exhibition DUE – Ask and answer the Thesis Project Question: How might
I create a (content)? XXX in the context of XXX? This is my contribution XXX. (1 page
essay with your bibliography 20 current inspirations, books, exhibitions, performances in
correct Chicago Manual of Style citation).
Week 4 Open critique in subject matter groups. User test each other’s projects.
02/12-14 Group Assessment and Evaluation with the Thesis 2 Rubric at the end of this
syllabus. How well are you fulfilling all aspects of the rubric?
PRESIDENT’S DAY: Feb 19
Week 5 Five Week Self-Assessment due
02/21 PRESENTATION 2 (critique groups with grade sheets)
Essay 2 – 3 pages My thesis in context: Why this thesis? Where will it lead me-in my life,
my career, my business? Visit the company of your dreams for an information interview
or create an art show/studio visit to see how well your thesis plays with the
audience you select.
Week 6 PRACTICE MIDTERM PRESENTATION
02/26-02/28
Week 7
03/05-07 PRESENTATION 3 PRESENTATIONS with Critics MIDTERM GRADE
Submit refined technical/space specs for exhibition with a model (can be digital or
physical)
How might I? Answer and Context, Content, Contribution Full Presentation WITH 2D/3D
PROTOTYPES or playable game. Videotape of user tests. Project: full resolution of your
entire project or the parts you have completed.
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FINAL EXHIBITION PLAN PRESENTATION IS NOW PART OF MIDTERM
INCLUDE:Mock-ups, schematics, drawings, user experience walk-through. Exact
measurement of space for your work. Audio/video/electrical/technical needs.
Week 8
03/12-14 Open Work Week-I will do desk crits REFLECTIVE ESSAY DUE: Self-critique
Reflective five-paragraph essay: 2 pages What is the audience/user take-away? Is the
project doing what it needs to do? Where are its strengths and weaknesses. Be critical.
What might you do to overcome these obstacles? ADJUST YOUR PRODUCTION
CALENDARS.
SPRING BREAK: Mar 19-25
Week 9 DESK CRITS PRODUCTION REVIEW – ASSESS WHERE YOU ARE.
Week 10 Week 10 Self Assessments due
04/02-04 Individual meetings
Week 11
04/9-11 SHOW PREP – LOOK AT THE SPACE AND MAKE SURE YOUR PLAN ALIGNS
Week 12
04/16-18 Individual meetings: bring all your writing to date printed out. We will be
assembling your writing for your final document.
Week 13 EVALUATION – in class assembly and group work on final presentations,
assembly of final documentation and process blogs.
Week 14
04/30/05-02 Open Work Week, desk crits
Week 15
05/07-09 Final Project Reviews. May 14 – All deliverables will be due (final party).
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REFERENCE READING: Universal Methods of Design (USE THIS AS A METHODOLOGY REFERENCE) https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/lib/newschool/detail.action?docID=3399583 For designers: Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
by Jake Knapp
For artists:
Art as Experience by John Dewey $12.99 on Kindle
Resources
The university provides many resources to help students achieve academic and artistic excellence. These
resources include:
● The University (and associated) Libraries: http://library.newschool.edu
● The University Learning Center: http://www.newschool.edu/learning-center ● University Disabilities Service: www.newschool.edu/student-disability-services/
In keeping with the university’s policy of providing equal access for students with disabilities, any
student with a disability who needs academic accommodations is welcome to meet with me privately.
All conversations will be kept confidential. Students requesting any accommodations will also need to
contact Student Disability Service (SDS). SDS will conduct an intake and, if appropriate, the Director will
provide an academic accommodation notification letter for you to bring to me. At that point, I will
review the letter with you and discuss these accommodations in relation to this course.
Making Center
The Making Center is a constellation of shops, labs, and open workspaces that are situated across the
New School to help students express their ideas in a variety of materials and methods. We have
resources to help support woodworking, metalworking, ceramics and pottery work, photography and
film, textiles, printmaking, 3D printing, manual and CNC machining, and more. A staff of technicians and
student workers provide expertise and maintain the different shops and labs. Safety is a primary
concern, so each area has policies for access, training, and etiquette that students and faculty should be
familiar with. Many areas require specific orientations or trainings before access is granted. Detailed
information about the resources available, as well as schedules, trainings, and policies can be found at
resources.parsons.edu. Faculty who are planning curriculum that makes use of specific resources should
contact the Making Center in advance to coordinate.
BFA DT Thesis Studio 2 Evaluation Rubric Please use the following rubric to evaluate the students in today’s critique. Definitions for each are on the back. The overarching
goal of BFA DT Thesis Studio 2 is the creation of a rigorously contextualized argument for producing a project that answers
problems in the human condition through the use of design, art, and technology.
Student Assessment Date
Reviewer
Excellent Good
Satisfactory Needs Some More
Work Needs Much More
Work
1.Concept
2. Communication
3. Critical Thinking and
Reflective Judgment
4. Creative Process
5. Contextualization
6.Integration and
Appropriate Use of
Technology
7.Iteration, Production and
Time Management
8. Project Display
Specific aspects especially worthy of note: Specific aspects that needed more work:
Summary Comments
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Evaluation Criteria – Thesis 2 Evaluation Rubric
Concept
Has the student developed a cogent thesis concept that manifests itself in a demonstrable form and evidences a
significant contribution in its domain?
Communication
How well is the student able to express the ideas about their project, goals and process? This includes verbal, written
and diagrammatic forms of communication such as drawing, mapping, modeling and pre-visualizing.
Critical Thinking and Reflective Judgment
To what degree has the student demonstrated and developed critical thinking skills? Reflective judgment not only
asks the questions with concrete answers such as evaluative questions about form, methodology, materials, utility,
ergonomics, aesthetics, style, cultural, experience, research, and process critique, but also attacks difficult problems
of the world that require research and evidence to support conclusions that can then be offered to the fields
encompassed by design and technology.
Creative Process
Is the student incorporating a form- and project-appropriate methodology to their work? Can the student evaluate
how procedural decisions impact their projectsʼ successes and failures? Creative process may include problem
identification, brainstorming, generating ideas, analysis, research, writing of specifications and constraints, real-
world costs, feasibility, testing, iterating along a line of thinking and then approaching the problem differently in the
next cycle, evaluation of process and evaluation of the form created, integrating and adapting new processes and
ideas along the iterative design cycle.
Contextualization
Has the student been able to connect their work and ideas to historical and contemporary precedents, and to situate
their work within the larger discourse surrounding ideas of design and technology?
Integration and Appropriate Use of Technology
Is the student making good choices about the form and type of technology they are using to express their design
concepts?
Iteration, Production, Time Management
Is the student able to scale their project to the appropriate timeframe and resources at their disposal? This takes into
account the scope of the project, but also an honest assessment of the student’s interests and skillset as well as
available technical and material resources.
Project Display
Are students able to present the core concepts and experience of their project in an appropriate public-facing form?
This may be one or more of the following: exhibition, demonstration, performance, screening and/or lecture.