NEW NODE CLASS PARTNERSHIP FOR SPRING / FALL 2009

Digital Media | Landscape Architecture | Industrial Design

RISD-Earth-Android: Mobile Computing to Support Sustainable Agriculture

Faculty: Charlie Cannon (LDAR), Matt Cottam (D M) Lalya Gaye (D M)

Students: Stephanie Castilla & Carolyn Spinney

Supporting Classes: LDAR Innovation Studio, DM Mobile Tech Workshop, DM Network Landscapes

Introduction

The Node Classes in Digital Media present a new model for studio Classes on the graduate level at RISD.The term “node” suggests one point on a non-linear trajectory. Websites are “nodes” on the internet.

The average graduate studio class is a two-day, 6 credit class although some departments have a 9 credit studio. This is augmented with a Graduate Seminar. The brief given to digital media was to create an interdisciplinary environment for graduate education. In order to create the greatest versatility for graduate education in terms of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary* Classes – the Node Classes were articulated. These are 3 credit studio Classes – 5 hours in length. Each class represents a concentrated approach to creative digital media exploration. Often these Classes bridge to other departments and/or disciplines. They enable the exploration of interdisciplinary production that is for the most part not covered within the normal departmental offerings here at RISD. Historically RISD has been very separate in terms of the disciplines. Digital Media seeks to form a digital hub enabling intellectual growth and exchange between disciplines by forming a virtual set of bridges. Node Classes can also represent studio credit to individual departments if the department cross-registers the class (for these Classes two different numbers exist with the potential of getting eiter elective credit or credit that can be applied directly to the major). The Sculpture Department has cross registered almost all DM node Classes so now Sculpture Students can get studio credit for the Node courses.

Digital Media Students take a 6 credit studio the first semester to ground them (they come from many different disciplines into the department) entitled the Continuum Studio augmented with a seminar tutorial. In semester 2 they may take either 3 Node Classes or 2 Node Classes and one elective (in consultation with their advisor). This elective may also be a node class or independent study. This is also true of semester 3. Their final semester they take 3 credits written thesis and 6 credit THESIS PROJECT along with their Grad Seminar and an additional elective (that may also be a node course).

Thus the node Classes form a “composite” trajectory for Digital Media Students and they function as the equivalent of a “studio” as defined in other departments. This gives the Digital Media Students the greatest interdisciplinary flexibility to determine their trajectory through the Node offerings. Node Classes become studio electives for all other grad Students at RISD. 5th year Students and advanced seniors may also join the node Classes with perMission of instructor. This means that the model for the class distribution of Students is very heavily weighted toward interdisciplinary production, feedback and critique. The model is 5 Students from digital media, 5 from the “bridging department” and 5 from grad studies at large. 5th years, advanced seniors and/or Brown University Students can also take these courses with perMission of instructor. These numbers sometimes change – i.e. a department may want to pre-register a certain number of Students into their “contributed” node class. Note: Digital Media asks departments to contribute a TU to teach their particular bridging node Classes. Some of the node Classes are funded by departments at large. A core set of node Classes are funded by the Digital Media department. Also, because the design departments almost always have 6 credit studio Classes, we have experimented with node Classes that have two sections for bridging to some design departments – one group taking the class for 6 credits (design department Students) and one group taking the class from Digital Media for 3 credits (Digital Media Students or non-Digital Media Students wanting only elective credit). Along with the node Classes that bridge to other departments there are node Classes that are Digital Media-centric. We are also building bridges to Brown University and share some node Classes with them.

Along with Node Classes the Digital Media Students also take a Seminar/Tutorial class. This class is used to help bring together and articulate the different strands of their research in the node Classes and to enfold them for potential their ongoing research leading into their THESIS PROJECT. This course facilitates both a series of individual meetings as well as group class critique of ongoing study. Individual reading lists are established for each student in this course, tailored to their trajectory through the nodes. Thus, each student defines a unique trajectory of study via the nodes: they develop rich interdisciplinary relationships with other disciplines; they potentially learn to work in interdisciplinary teams; they learn to articulate their goals in relation to the criteria of other disciplines giving them a broad perspective of different kinds of goals – both applied and individually driven.

Node Classes take two different forms – 1) the class may bring different disciplines together to work on projects where each student brings their mindset and skill base to develop a collaborative project; 2) everyone learns the same digital skill. Classes are either taught by people who have two skill bases, are team taught, or are taught by an individual with a Digital talent in a particular area.

Digital Media has 31 Grad Students. Approximately 400 additional Students pass through the department in the node Classes and during wintersession. These Students get access to the Digital Media facilities and check-out room while they are taking these Classes.

In that Students from multiple disciplines may take a node class, transdisciplinary research may arise from these cases.

Definition of Transdisciplinary

We have often spoken of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary study in the past. In transdisciplinary study, a series of disciplines are bridged. Because no singular discipline or history of that discipline can be used to articulate the work that is arising, the term transdisciplinary is used, suggesting such study goes beyond any individual discipline or coupling of disciplines. Transdisciplinary research brings a set of disciplines together in the service of emergent knowledge production.

The D M department went through a rigorous external review and was granted accreditation based on current offerings and curriculum plans.

Node Classes

All NODE Classes can be taken by the Graduate Community as an elective or if cross-listed, as a studio in the corresponding department.

• D M 2100 Transliminal Architecture
• D M 4890 Textile Futures
• D M 7001 Interactive Text-Sound and Image Emphasis
• D M 7009 Experiments in Optics
• D M 7010 Media Installation and Digital Print
• D M 7013 Robotics: Interactive Spaces
• D M 7020 Microsoft Design Expo
• D M 7021 Introduction to Creative Programming Concepts
• D M 7023 Digital Media Technology Workshop
• D M 7150 Interactive and Reactive Media Environments
• D M 7152 Research Project
• D M 7157 3-D Rapid Prototyping
• D M 7538 DIGITAL MEDIA THEORY

Brown University courses offered by the Electronic Music department for Fall 2008 and Spring 20089

These Classes are open to RISD graduate Students in Digital Media. Register using the RISD/Brown Cross-Registration procedure. Use the Brown On-line Course Announcement (BOCA) at for course descriptions and other information.

Note: A Waiver Substitution Form must be completed if a Digital Media Grad elects to take a Brown class for Node credit.

Fall

• Music 11 Computers and Music
• Music 182 Seminar in Electronic Music: Programming Real-time Systems
• Music 286-S01 Digital Performance

Spring

• Music 181 Seminar in Electronic Music: Digital Recording
• Music 186 Interactive Installation
• Music 286-S01 Instrumentalities: Designing and Playing Alternate Controllers
• Music 287 Timbre as Form and Process
• Music 288 Designing Large Scale Multimedia Projects