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CMAA

Computational Media and Arts

CMAA 5001
Foundations of Computational Media and Arts
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course introduces students to the conceptual fundamentals of computational media and arts, technologies behind computational media and arts, and software and hardware tools used in computational media and arts production. It will cover principles of visual communication, design aesthetics, image and video synthesis, audio editing, animation and game design, etc.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Explain the history of CMA.
- 2.
  Demonstrate the knowledge of the major forms and technologies of CMA.
- 3.
  Use open-source CMA tools.
- 4.
  Apply critical thinking and communication skills.
- 5.
  Apply artistic creation skills.
CMAA 5002
Animation Art: From Concept to Production
[3-0-0:3]
Description
From screenplay through post-production, students are immersed in the collaborative animation pipeline. In this course, students will utilize a variety of animation tools and techniques to tell a compelling story and experience the diverse roles within the animation industry through storyboarding, editing and completion of a short animated film.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Demonstrate proficiency in applying abilities to an animation production pipeline.
- 2.
  Exhibit professionalism in directing a team or being directed as an artist.
- 3.
  Demonstrate commitment to completing the project to the highest possible standard.
- 4.
  Structure a compelling story and create a unique visual aesthetic through pre-production materials.
- 5.
  Assume a variety of production roles to achieve production deadlines and complete a fully animated, rendered and polished sequence.
- 6.
  Complete the post-production process, including compositing, editing and sound design.
CMAA 5003
Virtual Production Studio
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course explores the creative power and expressions in visual storytelling and cinematic production with real-time rendering technology, LED-based virtual production, Gen AI and other digital tools. Students will learn and apply creative arts and principles of storytelling and filmmaking and integrate them in real-time virtual platform with virtual assets and characters. This course prepares and equips students with the soft and hard skills for endless creative possibilities in virtual production and visual content creation.
CMAA 5007
Computational Approach to Chinese Calligraphy
[2-1-0:3]
Background
Basic knowledge of programming in any language is welcome. Students who do not have programming experience would need to prepare before the course begins, using materials the instructor will provide.
Description
This course covers the most fundamental knowledge and techniques of Chinese calligraphy and its important role in the modern technological advances. The history and various styles of calligraphy, history and principles of making rice paper, seal making and its role, and best-known calligraphers are introduced. Students will first learn and practice writing Chinese calligraphy on rice paper and then use deep learning tools to transfer interesting calligraphy styles. Students will develop projects, such as programming to generate or drive robots to write calligraphy. There will be guest lectures by well-known Chinese calligraphers and researchers in digitizing and modernizing Chinese calligraphy. A trip is planned to visit the best-known rice paper factory (红星宣纸厂) in Jingxian, Anhui, where all Four Treasures of calligraphy are located.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand the history and techniques of Chinese calligraphy.
- 2.
  Understand and practice various styles of calligraphy.
- 3.
  Understand the principles, mechanism and interaction of rice paper, ink, and brush.
- 4.
  Understand the applicability of media and their computational approaches to Chinese calligraphy.
- 5.
  Apply learned knowledge of calligraphy to creative thinking and rendering.
- 6.
  Develop a simple computational approach to understand or practice Chinese calligraphy.
CMAA 5008
Visual Communication and Expression
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course focuses on the arts and design of visual communication and expression with emphasis on both theory and practice. Students will learn about the design principles and techniques in visual communication and expression, develop good visual senses and relevant research skills that can inspire and enrich the creative and production process of projects that enable students to communicate and express visually and effectively.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Explain the concepts and theories of visual communication and expression.
- 2.
  Analyze the art and visual elements in communication.
- 3.
  Research visual art styles that informs future works.
- 4.
  Apply the skills and technique in visual communication and expression.
- 5.
  Design and create projects that can communicate and express visually.
CMAA 5013
Interactive Storytelling
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course explores interactive storytelling as cinematic, narrative and interactive art forms. It focuses on the art and techniques of visual storytelling that can interact thematically with the audience in meaningful ways. Students will learn about the key aspects of filmmaking and can apply narrative and interactive principles to storytelling in playable media and platform.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Explain the concepts and theories of narrative and interactivity.
- 2.
  Analyze the arts and techniques of cinematic interactive storytelling.
- 3.
  Conduct research that informs future works.
- 4.
  Apply the skills and techniques to interactive storytelling.
- 5.
  Design and create interactive narrative project.
CMAA 5014
Experimental 3D Rendering and Motion
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course examines the practice and theory of 3D computer graphics in the context of visual arts. Students will acquire the technical skills of both traditional 3D animation software programs as well as emerging real-time 3D engines, and gain a critical understanding of its technology and history. Technical instructions will be given to cover all aspects of 3D animation production, including modeling, texturing, shading, animation, lighting, and rendering. Both pioneering and emerging artists working with 3D computer images will be introduced. Lectures and discussions on other related media, including photography, film, sculpture, and installation art will also be included.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Use 3D animation software and game engine for various creative art projects.
- 2.
  Plan for complex 3D animation projects.
- 3.
  Demonstrate a critical understanding of the social implications of 3D computer.
- 4.
  Apply skills in 3D animation and game engine to different industries.
- 5.
  Critique the aesthetic and philosophical aspects of 3D rendering.
- 6.
  Demonstrate confidence in future studies in animation, game and VR.
CMAA 5015
Interactive Art: Principles and Practice
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course serves as an introduction to understanding interactive art and the new media art scene in general. In addition to an overview of art history concerning active audience involvement in an artwork, the course will offer a practice-led approach allowing the students to experience modalities and challenges of interactive installations. Apart from hands-on program, the course contributes to critical thinking, reflection, contextualization, and understanding different types of audience interaction modes and interfaces. The core principles and methodologies of interaction design will be introduced. In addition to that, the problematics of preservation and also presentation of the interactive artworks in the exhibition space will be addressed.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Explain the history of interactive art
- 2.
  Analyze different types of interactions
- 3.
  Know the toolset of interactive art practitioner
- 4.
  Demonstrate the knowledge of interface design
- 5.
  Know how to apply critical thinking, research tools and communication skills
CMAA 5016
Creative Coding
[3-0-0:3]
Background
Students will benefit with some basic programming experience. Students without relevant experience will be provided with some basic preparatory material.
Description
In this course students use well established creative coding frameworks, specifically designed for artists to program graphics, sound and interaction for generating creative work. Students will initially experiment with basic generative techniques for graphics and will then be introduced to genetic algorithms, simple machine learning for interaction, using robots to draw on paper, generating NFTs of the work they create and many more emerging technologies in order to express themselves creatively.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Demonstrate an understanding of creative coding frameworks.
- 2.
  Demonstrate the ability to develop and expand on creative coding techniques and algorithms.
- 3.
  Use machine learning and computer vision techniques for artists.
- 4.
  Apply critical thinking and communication skills.
- 5.
  Apply artistic creation skills.
CMAA 5017
AR/VR/MR/XR: Concepts, Theory and Techniques
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course introduces students to the concepts, theories, and interaction techniques in AR/VR/MR/XR. It covers both the fundamental concepts and design theories and the state-of-the-art interaction techniques in the field. In addition, students will work independently or in teams to design, develop, and evaluate AR/VR/MR/XR prototypes. In sum, by the end of the class, students will have a solid grasp of the fundamental concepts, design principles and research gaps in AR/VR/MR/XR and gain hands-on experience in designing and evaluating AR/VR/MR/XR prototypes.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Grasp fundamental concepts and interaction techniques in VR/AR
- 2.
  Apply design principles and methods to create VR/AR prototypes
- 3.
  Apply user-centered methods to evaluate VR/AR prototypes
- 4.
  Identify research gaps in the VR/AR literature
- 5.
  Create and evaluate VR/AR prototypes
CMAA 5018
Assistive Technology Design based on Computational Media and Arts
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course introduces students to assistive technologies designed for people with different types of disabilities and the aging population. Students will learn how to leverage computational media and arts (e.g., VR/AR, AI-enabled interactive media and arts) to design assistive technologies to address accessibility challenges and evaluate their performance and user experience with the target population.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand accessibility design theories and principles
- 2.
  Master the state-of-arts assistive technology design methods
- 3.
  Identify a barrier or a need of the aging population and people with disabilities
- 4.
  Identify a form of computational media or arts that could potentially address the barrier or the need
- 5.
  Design and evaluate an assistive technology prototype to address the barrier or the need
- 6.
  Write up the design, development, and evaluation of the assistive technology prototype
CMAA 5019
Machine Learning for the Arts
[3-0-0:3]
Background
Students are expected to have some basic programming experience. Students without relevant experience will be provided with some basic preparatory material to review before term begins.
Description
As Machine Learning (ML) permeates numerous aspects of culture, industry, and scholarship, it is crucial for the next generation of computational artists to be ML-literate, possessing the ability to critically evaluate and apply this rapidly evolving technology. Through hands-on experience with cutting-edge ML tools, students will hone their skills in this domain and establish critical perspectives on the strengths and limitations of current methods. This course employs free, open-source ML toolkits, enabling students to become familiar with various classification and regression models, RNNs, Convolutional Neural Networks, Transfer Learning, large language models, Text-to-Image generators, and more, for the purpose of implementing art projects. Each week, pertinent computational artworks utilizing various techniques are introduced, analyzed, and discussed.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Choose, implement, and reason about feature representations for data used in interactive art, music, and other creative applications, such as sensor data, audio data, image and video data, social media data, etc.
- 2.
  Reason about and apply machine learning and data analysis techniques (including classification, regression, and temporal modelling) to design new interactive art, music, and other creative interactions
- 3.
  Understand how machine learning is currently used in music, art, and other creative industries
- 4.
  Have a better understanding of common and popular machine learning models, how they work, how to train these models, and their use cases in creative projects.
- 5.
  Apply machine learning and other data analysis techniques to the creation of original works of music, art, games, or to the design of new types of interactions with digital technology
- 6.
  Critically engage with machine learning techniques, drawing on a technical and practical understanding of the use of these techniques, as well as on uses of these techniques in art, music, and interactive experiences
- 7.
  Proficiently use the ml5.js library
CMAA 5021
Creative Showcase Projects
[3-0-0:3]
Description
Topics in aesthetic computing include generative art with focus on automatic generation of various styles of abstract art. Students engage in developing creative showcase projects, including program solving using visual languages, innovative visualization, generation of aesthetic images and digital art / AI art showcases. Assessment includes attendance in the class, technical presentations and report writing.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand how to formulate a creative project
- 2.
  Write a research paper and get it published
- 3.
  Understand various topics closely related to computational media and arts
- 4.
  Apply knowledge to independently develop small and deliverable showcase projects
- 5.
  Present ideas and results in a professional manner
- 6.
  Work in a team
CMAA 5022
Social Media for Creatives
[2-1-0:3]
Description
This course introduces art and media students to the various online social media platforms, as well as the fundamentals of producing artistic and creative media content in collaborative group projects. The course covers a wide range of interesting topics related to art and creativity techniques and functions on social media platforms, including but not limited to: digital storytelling, games and gamification, immersive art technologies, presentation, and advertisement. By the end of this course, students will have a better understanding of art and creativity on social media platforms.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand how social media platforms work and evolve.
- 2.
  Suggest and implement many creative and artistic design ideas to improve audience engagement and marketing across a wide range of social media platforms.
- 3.
  Demonstrate a global outlook with respect for cultural diversity when creating social media content.
- 4.
  Gain a deeper understanding of the steps of social media monitoring and big data analysis using specialized graphical analysis tools like Gephi and Cytoscape.
- 5.
  Learn about quantitative and qualitative research methods commonly used in social media studies, such as quasi-experimental designs, content analysis, and crowdsourced survey collection.
- 6.
  Work collaboratively with other students and demonstrate initiative to enhance ethical values in social media platforms through appropriate disciplinary methods.
- 7.
  Present disciplinary knowledge, experience, and ideas about social media platforms more clearly, coherently, and with independence.
CMAA 5023
Programming for Virtual and Augmented Reality
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course introduces students to programming skills and selected topics for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) projects. Students will initially learn basic programming skills relating to modelling, motion controllers, animation, rendering, navigation, networking using Unity3D. Next, students will be exposed to selected topics in VR and AR, including multi-modal interactions, collaborative interactions, visual perceptions in AR, etc. By the end of the course, students will be able to create their own interactive VR and AR creative applications as a course project (games, storytelling, VR experiences, etc.).
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand core technologies and programming skills for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR).
- 2.
  Understand how VR and AR can be applied in arts, communication, and data analysis.
- 3.
  Have a better understanding of strengths and limitations of current VR and AR technologies, and possible solutions for the limitations.
- 4.
  Understand core principles and components for effective VR and AR applications.
- 5.
  Demonstrate how VR/AR technologies can be applied to address real-world problems.
- 6.
  Proficiently use the Unity3D engine.
CMAA 5024
Virtual Reality for the Arts
[3-0-0:3]
Background
3D modeling or programming experience is welcome, but not strictly necessary, provided students have strong self-learning skills and can catch up using additional study materials provided by the instructor at the start of the course.
Description
This course focuses on creating art projects using virtual reality (VR) technology. Students learn the fundamentals of VR-related frameworks, tools, and hardware, with specific emphasis on using a game engine to create immersive content and interaction. Students also get familiar with the historical development and contemporary examples of VR art and relevant theoretical topics, including simulation, virtual body, spatial sound, etc. The course content will include lectures and tutorials, and will be supplemented by visiting speakers, discussions and readings to provide diverse perspectives. By the end of the course, students will complete a creative VR project either individually or in teams.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Develop methods for conceptual and artistic development of virtual reality art projects.
- 2.
  Gain technical skills in working with game engine and virtual reality hardware.
- 3.
  Understand how virtual reality technology can and has been used in artistic practice.
- 4.
  Understand the history and recent development of virtual reality technology.
- 5.
  Critically discuss and critique media art projects.
- 6.
  Reflect philosophically on various art-theoretical aspects of virtuality and art.
- 7.
  Verbally communicate research and project ideas and deliver technical tutorials.
CMAA 5025
Computational Techniques for Sketch-based Creativity
[3-0-0:3]
Background
Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of programming in any language and math (e.g. basic linearalgebra). Students without relevant experience will be provided with accessible preparatory materials to review before the term begins.
Description
This course provides an in-depth introduction to algorithms and interfaces that bridge sketching and modeling, with a particular focus on tools that support the conceptual design of shape and creation of artwork at a variety of scales. We will explore the full pipeline of concept to fabricated shape. Topics to be covered include: 2D and 3D representations, non-photorealistic rendering, sketch processing, image synthesis, sketch-based modelling, fabrication, pen and touch, and XR interfaces. We will also cover classic and cutting-edge papers published on top computer graphics and HCI venues. We will discuss how these techniques and systems benefit art and design, and vice versa.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand various representations of digital media, such as 2D raster and vector graphics and 3D polygon meshes.
- 2.
  Understand various research topics related to sketching, such as non-photorealistic rendering, sketch-based modeling, and sketch-based image synthesis.
- 3.
  Use existing digital techniques and systems and implement new ones for their creative practice.
- 4.
  Follow cutting-edge research in computer graphics and HCI and give good paper presentations.
- 5.
  Identify challenges in digital tools supporting creativity and propose future research directions.
- 6.
  Proficiently use programming frameworks for developing sketching algorithms and interfaces.
CMAA 5026
Art-based Research Methodologies
[3-0-0:3]
Description
The course provides an overview into the doctoral research processes and introduces research tools for conducting art-based research. The students will explore relevant literature, familiarize themselves with methodologies, and learn how to do critical analysis of artistic practices. The course will help students advance their art-based research and teach them how to approach their practice in a systematic way. The main outcome of the course is to apply the gained understanding in improving one's own research plan for guiding one's doctoral research and funding of it.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Understand practice-based research methods and processes.
- 2.
  Familiarize with a variety of examples across a broad continuum of research through artistic practices including artistic research, practice-led and practice-based approaches.
- 3.
  Engage critically with related case studies and literature.
- 4.
  Apply and design practice-based or practice-led research method(s).
CMAA 5027
Emerging Technologies in Media, Art and Heritage
[3-0-0:3]
Description
This course provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to critically evaluate the role and use of emerging computational technologies in Art, Media, and Heritage. These technologies include Generative AI, Natural Language Processing, Sentiment Analysis, and others. Students will learn to select and assess these technologies based on their ability to best support the core values of art creation, media production, and heritage applications through various coursework. The course will feature real-world experience, case studies, and guest speakers to provide students with a practical understanding of these technologies. Furthermore, students will receive hands-on technical training through weekly or bi-weekly practical activities. Eventually, students will develop innovative content or applications for exhibition or real-world collaboration.
CMAA 5028
Immersive Authoring for World Building and Animation
[3-0-0:3]
Description
Creating immersivity in virtual reality allows creators to have an engaging experience in creating arts, animation, or visual assets for building virtual world. The way of creating is significantly different compared to traditional methods of creating. In this studio-based course, students will be introduced creating methods using different immersive authoring tools in VR, such as QuillVR and Gravity Sketch; and have opportunities to practice the sketching, assets building, animation and pipeline building for world building projects.
CMAA 5029
Storyboarding and Pre-visualization for Cinematic and Immersive Content
[3-0-0:3]
Description
Pre-visualization is an important stage for time-based and real-time projects. In this course, the instructor will introduce different pre-visualization and storyboarding techniques covering cinematic language and stage art language for screen-based projects and VR/AR projects. Traditional methods of storyboarding focusing on gaining cinematic knowledge will be introduced; and applying that, emerging techniques for storyboarding in VR will be covered with pre-visualization projects.
CMAA 5030
Interactive Music Systems Design
[3-0-0:3]
Description
The course provides a comprehensive overview of the main digital sound manipulation and synthesis and their application in the design of interactive music systems. At the end of the course, students will have a solid knowledge of Pure Data, a visual programming language that can be incorporated in a number of interactive environments. Additionally, a number of research topics in the field will be explored.
CMAA 6018
Independent Study
[1-3 credit(s)]
Description
An independent research project carried out under the supervision of a faculty member.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills of an area related to computational media and arts.
CMAA 6101
Computational Media and Arts Program Seminar I
[0 credit]
Description
A regular series of seminars presenting research problems currently under investigation. Graded P or F.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Demonstrate the knowledge of the arts, technology, and trends in CMA.
CMAA 6102
Computational Media and Arts Program Seminar II
[0-1-0:1]
Description
A regular series of seminars presenting research problems currently under investigation. Graded P or F.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Demonstrate the knowledge of the arts, technology, and trends in CMA.
CMAA 6990
MPhil Thesis Research
Description
Master's thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Apply advanced technology to artistic creation and demonstrate critical thinking and creative thinking skills.
- 2.
  Communicate research results effectively in written and oral presentations.
CMAA 7990
Doctoral Thesis Research
Description
Original and independent doctoral thesis research supervised by co-advisors from different disciplines. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.
  Apply state-of-the-art technology to artistic creation and demonstrate critical thinking and creative thinking skills.
- 2.
  Conduct cross-disciplinary research in CMA.
- 3.
  Communicate research results effectively in written and oral presentations.

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