Course Policies
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Course Description
In this course, we will investigate and experiment with both conceptual and applied efforts to humanize technology, especially computer technology. We will question the goals of humanization and its relationship to concepts such as design ethics and user-centered and emotional design. While the focus of the class will be on computer technology and programming languages, we will also look at humanization with regard to technologically rich areas such as industrial design and engineering, architecture and the built environment, and nanotechnologies.
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Course Goals
- Understand “technology” and “humanization” as being products of the manipulation of symbols at various levels from physical objects down to binary code.
- Engage academic and public-intellectual discourse surrounding digital technologies by both reading and writing extensively.
- Become adept at researching technological topics and problems, from learning how to write in different programming languages to investigating deeper theoretical/philosophical matters.
- Prototype and design/redesign digital technologies and interfaces for humanistic qualities, including emotional design.
- Develop a reflective understanding of your own learning and research processes, and the processes of others, in design, writing, and programming.
- Apply course concepts and adjust/extend course projects to fit your own academic and professional interests
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Materials and Technology
- Required Books
- Charles Petzold. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software. Microsoft Press, 2000. ISBN 0735611319
- Casey Reas & Chandler McWilliams. Form + Code in Design, Art, and Architecture: A Guide to Computational Aesthetics. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. ISBN 1568989377
- Bruce A. Tate. Seven Languages in Seven Weeks: A Pragmatic Guide to Learning Programming Languages. Raleigh, NC: Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2010. ISBN 978-1-93435-659-3
- Kim Vincente. The Human Factor: Revolutionizing the Way People Live with Technology. New York: Routledge, 2004. ISBN: 0415978912
- Aaron Walter. Designing for Emotion. New York: A Book Apart, 2011. ISBN 1937557006
- Required Technology
- An account in our lab (logins given out the first night of class)
- Recommended Technology
- A POSIX-like operating system (Linux, Mac OS X)
- Required Books
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Grades
- Project 1: 20pts
- Project 2: 25pts
- Project 3: 10pts
- Blogging: 20pts
- Class Participation: 25pts
- TOTAL: 100pts
COM380: A = 90+ pts; B= 80-89pts; C=70-79pts; D=60-69pts; E < 59pts
COM580: A = 90+ pts; B= 80-89pts; C=70-79pts; E < 69 pts
Grading Scale
- A - Student has turned in all required components of a project, the work is exceptional in quality, and reflects the student's dedication to adjusting the project to his or her own interests.
- B - Student has turned in all required components of a project and submitted work that is acceptable as undergraduate (COM380) or graduate (COM580) level.
- C - Student has turned in all required components of a project, but the work is below undergraduate (COM380) or graduate (COM580) level.
- D - (COM380 Only) Student has turned in all required components of a project, but the work is substantially below undergraduate level.
- E - Student has not turned in all required components of a project.
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Course Technology Policy
If you are having trouble with technology or any other material covered in this course, it is your professional responsibility to do research beyond the resources and guidance provided in class and find materials that work for you. I also encourage all students to meet with me during my office hours or at another arranged time outside of class or to contact me via email or GChat well in advance of project deadlines.
Note that coming to class with broken or malfunctioning work is far better than showing up with nothing but an excuse like “I just didn’t get it.” For most of the semester, it is expected that you’ll show up with broken work. When you’re learning, effort is more important than perfection. Just be sure to put in the effort early, and not the night before a project is due.
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Attendance and Participation
Your attendance and active participation are required both for your own success in the class, and for the success of the class as a whole. However, if you absolutely must miss, please contact me ahead of time via email.
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Academic Honesty
As with any course at IIT, you are expected to uphold the Code of Academic Honesty from the IIT Student Handbook. All work for this course should be your own original effort, including print and digital page design and computer code. Summarizations and quotations of text, as well as any use of open-source code libraries and images not of your own making, should be clearly cited as legally and ethically warranted and rhetorically appropriate.
If you are at all uncertain as to whether you are submitting work that in whole or in part may violate the Code of Academic Honesty, please contact me immediately and before the work is due. The consequences of academic dishonesty are severe. Any student who violates the Code of Academic Honesty will be subject to expulsion from this course with a failing grade, and I will report the student to the Chair of the Department of Humanities and the Associate Dean of Graduate Academic Affairs, who may take additional disciplinary action.
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Special Needs Statement
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities. In order to receive accommodations, students must obtain a letter of accommodation from the Center for Disability Resources. The Center for Disability Resources (CDR) is located in Life Sciences Room 218. Contact the Center by telephone at 312-567-5744 or via email at disabilities@iit.edu
Students who have any difficulty (either permanent or temporary) that might affect their ability to perform in class should contact me privately, either in person or via email, at the start of the semester. Methods, materials, or deadlines will be adapted as required to ensure equitable participation.
The Course.
- COM380/COM580: Humanizing Technology
- Instructor: Dr. Karl Stolley; @karlstolley on Twitter
- Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00 to 5:00 and by appointment in SH208
- Class Meetings: Tuesday nights from 6:25 to 9:05