This page lists the schedule of topics and readings for the course. This schedule will be updated throughout the semester: any changes will be announced in class and on the course website.
For class meetings where a reading is listed, make sure you have done the reading before you come to class. Also note that there are suggestions regarding when to start some of the readings.
The agendas for each day will include some notes about the day’s topic and activity, and may also include discussion questions. Please read each agenda before you come to class. Keep in mind that the agenda will usually include things you need to do to prepare for the day’s activity: these will be indicated with the following “get ready” graphic:
It is very important that you do all of the “get ready” tasks before you come to class!
In the readings, LP is the textbook (Learning Processing). For other readings, see list below.
Topic color codes:
- Success curriculum
- Visual art
- Music
- Digital humanities
- Science
- Physical computing
| Date | Topic | Activity | Agenda | Due | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | First day | Discussion | Day 1 | A0 | — |
| Sep 1 | Expectations for college | Discussion | Day 2 | — | NYTEd30Jul15, Lahey15 |
| Sep 6 | Drawing with Processing | Lab 1 | Day 3 | A1 journal entry | (Start Noll67) LP, Introduction, Chapters 1–2 |
| Sep 8 | Repetition | Lab 2 | Day 4 | — | — |
| Sep 13 | Being an Engaged Learner | Meet in Weinstock | Day 5 | A1 journal entry | — |
| Sep 15 | Animation | Lab 3 | Day 6 | A2 essay outline | — |
| Sep 20 | Generative art | Lab 4 | Day 7 | A1 journal entry | LP, Chapters 4–5 ShiffmanNOCCh8 |
| Sep 22 | Computers and art | Discussion | Day 8 | A2 essay draft | Noll67 |
| Sep 27 | Drum and bass | Lab 5 | Day 9 | A1 journal entry | (Start IAMUSDocumentary, Guardian1Jul12, and 0musicPlaylist) |
| Sep 29 | Melodies | Lab 6 | Day 10 | A2 essay and code (due Friday by 11:59 PM) | — |
| Oct 4 | Sample playback | Lab 7 | Day 11 | A1 journal entry | — |
| Oct 6 | Synthesis, Effects | Lab 8 | Day 12 | A4 draft | — |
| Oct 11 | Computers and music | Discussion | Day 13 | A1 journal entry | IAMUSDocumentary, Guardian1Jul12, and 0musicPlaylist |
| Oct 13 | What Do You Know? | Meet in Weinstock | Day 14 | A4 essay and code | — |
| Oct 18 | Fall break, no class | ||||
| Oct 20 | Digital humanities | Lab 9 | Day 15 | — | NYTArts17Nov10 |
| Oct 25 | NGrams | Lab 10 | Day 16 | A1 journal entry | MichelAidenTEDJul2011 |
| Oct 27 | Simulation | Lab 11 | Day 17 | — | — |
| Nov 1 | Physical Computing with Scratch - Day 1 | — | Day 18 | A1 journal entry | — |
| Nov 3 | Physical Computing with Scratch - Day 2 | — | Day 19 | — | — |
| Nov 8 | Ready, Set, Registration! and Scratch Contiuned | — | Day 20 | A1 journal entry A5 bibliography |
— |
| Nov 10 | Play date and exploration with Scratch | — | Day 21 | — | — |
| Nov 15 | Connecting Arduino and Processing | — | Day 22 | A1 journal entry A5 outline |
— |
| Nov 17 | Work on Installation | — | Day 23 | — | — |
| Nov 22 | Computing Machines that are Finite | — | Day 24 | A1 journal entry A5 draft |
— |
| Nov 24 | Thanksgiving, no class | ||||
| Nov 29 | Work on Installation | — | Day 25 | A1 journal entry | — |
| Dec 1 | Work on Installation | — | Day 25 | A5 peer eval (Friday Dec 2) | — |
| Dec 6 | Work on Installation | Example State Machine | Day 26 | A1 journal entry | — |
| Dec 8 | Work on Installation | — | Day 27 | A5 final essay (Friday Dec 9) | — |
| Dec 13 | Installation Demos and Prototypes | — | Day 28 | A1 journal entry | — |
Readings/Videos/Media:
- NYTEd30Jul15: Advice for New Students From Those Who Know (Older Students), New York Times, July 30th, 2015
- Lahey15: Jessica Lahey, When Success Leads to Failure, The Atlantic, August 11th, 2015
- Noll67: A. Michael Noll, The digital computer as a creative medium, IEEE Spectrum, Volume 4, Issue 10, Oct 1967 (Note that you will need to download this article from campus)
- ShiffmanNOCCh8: Daniel Shiffman, The Nature of Code, Chapter 8
- IAMUSDocumentary: IAMUS / MELOMICS documentary
- Guardian1Jul12: Iamus, classical music’s computer composer, live from Malaga, Philip Ball, in The Guardian, July 1st, 2012
- 0musicPlaylist: 0music
- NYTArts17Nov10: Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities’ Riches, New York Times, Nov 17th, 2010
- MichelAidenTEDJul2011: What we learned from 5 million books, TEDxBoston 2011
