New Course Proposal - IAT 320-3 Body Interface


S. Kozel, T. Schiphorst, School of Interactive Arts and Technology


12 November 2004



Calendar Information


Course Number: IAT 320-3


Course Title: Body Interface


Credit Hours: 3 Vector: 2-0-1


Course Description


Body Interface explores ideas of embodiment, knowledge, and space within the human relationship to technology. Throughout this course, students will construct and analyze contemporary and historical models of bodily interaction with machines, understand physical practices of embodiment, and apply these concepts to representation, design, and the production of artistic interface.



Prerequisite: Interactive Media Design IAT301


Recommended: Kinesthetic Space IAT321, Interactive Performance and Installation IAT322


Corequisite: None.


Special Instructions: None.


Course(s) to be dropped if this course is approved:


None


Rationale for Introduction of this Course


As one of the core requirements of the Performance and Media Arts stream, this course provides IAT students with an introduction to the design, construction, and conceptual basis of experimental body interface. As an innovative extension of HCI, the body interface course will be taught through the lens of performance and gestural design methodologies. It is a key course which develops skills and approaches to media that are relevant to other 3rd year courses (such as Interactive Performance and Installation IAT322) and will be foundational for some 4th year courses including the Media Arts Studio 2 and the graduate project.



Will this be a required or elective course in the curriculum; probable enrolment when offered?

This course will be required for all PMA students. Enrolment is estimated at 50-100 students per year.


Scheduling and Registration Information


Indicate Semester and Year this course would be first offered and planned frequency of offering thereafter.


This course will initially be offered in spring 2006 and annually thereafter.



Which of your present CFL faculty have the expertise to offer this course? Will the course be taught by sessional or limited term faculty?


Of our present faculty, the following have the expertise to offer this course:

Thecla Schiphorst, Associate Professor

Two current research (PhD) students could teach this course, plus it is anticipated that new faculty hires will also be able to teach it.



Are there any proposed student fees associated with this course other than tuition fees?


No.



Is this course considered a `duplicate' of any current or prior course under the University's duplicate course policy? Specify, as appropriate.


No.


Resource Implications


Note: Senate has approved (S.93-11) that no new course should be approved by Senate until funding has been committed for necessary library materials. Each new course proposal must be accompanied by a library report and, if appropriate, confirmation that funding arrangements have been addressed.


Provide details on how existing instructional resources will be redistributed to accommodate this new course. For instance, will another course be eliminated or will the frequency of offering of other courses be reduced; are there changes in pedagogical style or class sizes that allow for this additional course offering.


This course has been offered for 3 years. The equipment resources are already in place with dedicated devices used by this course. The classroom resources are shared between a configurable studio space (for presentation and testing) and lab space.



Does the course require specialized space or equipment not readily available in the department or university, and if so, how will these resources be provided?


As with many PMA courses, we await the configurable teaching performance space that should be equipped by Sept 2005



Does this course require computing resources (e.g. hardware, software, network wiring, use of computer laboratory space) and if so, describe how they will be provided.


No new resources are required that are not anticipated by existing plans for increasing classroom and lab space at the Surrey Campus.



Course Outline


Course Objectives


Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

* evaluate various systems of mapping the body and analyze experiential and analytic systems of mapping.

* evaluate the concept of body interface and apply this knowledge critically to conceive the design of a body interface project.


* understand the role for the senses in a range of interface systems.


* construct an interaction system, which explores the detection of body movement and gesture in space.



Course Description


Body Interface explores ideas of embodiment, knowledge, and space within the human relationship to technology. Throughout this course, students will construct and analyze contemporary and historical models of bodily interaction with machines, understand physical practices of embodiment, and apply these concepts to representation, design, and the production of artistic interface.


Topics covered include the evaluation of body mapping systems such as medical, statistical, data bodies, and experiential mappings; study of existing body interface systems with a critical perspective derived from the perspective of embodied art practice; the construction of an interface system with clear indication of its gestural and embodied implications.



Learning Activities and Evaluation:


Activities consist of class-based discussion, lab time, project proposal (50%) and final project (50%)


Texts, Resources & Materials


Required:


Clynes, D.M 1977. Sentics: The touch of the emotions. Anchor Press/Doubleday.


Shulgin, Alexi. “A remedy for information disease” http://www.desk.nl/%7Eyou/remedy/


Pauline, M, De Landa, M, and Dery, M Out of Control. http://www.srl.org/interviews/out.of.control.html


Stephenson, Neal. 1992. The Diamond Age. Bantam.


Lumelsky, Shur & Wagner. 2001. Sensitive Skin. IEEE Sensors Journal, vol 1, no 1, june 2001