Courses of Study 2020-2021 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Computing in the Arts


In the College of Arts and Sciences .

 

Undergraduate Minor

The computer plays a role in almost every aspect of human life, and its influence and potential now extend routinely not only to technical and commercial pursuits but also into the realms of the imaginative and the aesthetic. The Computing in the Arts minor offers students opportunities to use computers to realize works of art, to study the perception of artistic phenomena, and to think about new, computer-influenced paradigms and metaphors for the experiences of making and appreciating art. Faculty from several departments in the college offer courses toward the minor, drawing on disciplines in the arts, the social sciences, the humanities, and the physical sciences. Currently, the minor is offered in five tracks: art, computer science, music, performing and media arts, and psychology, each described in more detail below. Students may minor in the same area as their major, or in a different area.

Director: Graeme Bailey

Applying for the Minor and Choosing Courses:


This program remains open for current students (those due to graduate between 2020 and 2023), but will cease to be available for students due to graduate after 2023. Students should contact the Director, Graeme Bailey, for advising about the minor.

Regardless of which track they choose, it is recommended that all students in the minor take the core course, Computing in the Arts (CS 1610 , cross-listed as ENGRI 1610 MUSIC 1465 , and PSYCH 1650 ). This course combines fundamental background in cognitive modeling, statistics, programming, and algorithmic thinking, as preparation for more specialized work; hence, though it is not a formal prerequisite to other courses, it should be taken as early as possible in the student’s program. For students who have already gained an equivalent background through other courses, however, it may be waived by permission of the director.

In addition to the core course, each student chooses another five courses satisfying the following requirements:

  1. At least one must entail a significant computing component, regardless of its home department (marked * in the lists below).
  2. At least two must entail a significant artistic component (marked † in the lists below).
  3. For students majoring in a field offering a track, none of the courses from that track may be double-counted as also satisfying major requirements.

The goal is to encourage the development of reasonable depth within one area, without neglecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Hence, rather than choosing courses at random from the lists below or focusing too narrowly on one particular corner of the field, each student should work actively with an advisor from his or her minor in building an appropriate program. If a course within a track is crosslisted with another department, any of the crosslistings will satisfy that track’s requirements equally well. A substantial project, offered as an independent study, supervised reading, or supervised research, may be used in place of any one of the courses within a track. This should be discussed in advance with the relevant track representative or the director of the minor.

Course Lists:


Computer Science track:


In addition to the recommended core course, CS 1610 , any five of the following. Note that some of these courses have CS prerequisites.

Music track:


In addition to the recommended core course, MUSIC 1465 , any five of the following. Note that some of these courses have MUSIC prerequisites.

Performing and Media Arts track:


In addition to the recommended core course, PMA 1640 , any five of the following. Note that some of these courses have PMA pre- and/or corequisites.

Psychology track:


In addition to the recommended core course, PSYCH 1650 , any five of the following. Note that some of these courses have PSYCH prerequisites.