MDST 2046
This course explores how visions of the future have shaped the development of technology, and how technologies shape visions of the future in turn. It reveals how claims over the future organize power relations and constrain imaginations. Coursework takes the form of a creative workshop, where students make original multimedia artifacts and engage in constructive critique with one another.
Dr. Nathan Schneider (“Professor Schneider”)
nathan.schneider@colorado.edu (email etiquette)
Armory Building, 1B24
Office hours: Wednesday at 3-5 p.m., or by appointment
Website: nathanschneider.info
The course consists of a steady sequence of “epochs,” which are two week, four-session units that cover a given topic. In addition to exploring assigned materials, in each epoch students will produce a creative artifact from the future, accompanied by a statement that describes it in light of the assigned materials. The epochs will follow roughly a common pattern:
Attendance for all sessions is a basic expectation of the course. Please do not attend, however, if you exhibit any symptoms of illness that may be communicable. Inform the instructor of any anticipated absence before it occurs.
There is no final project or exam.
Class participation will be evaluated with the aid of a contribution-tracking system based on “kudos.” At the end of each epoch, students will evaluate fellow students in their groups. Students will document and celebrate each other's contributions to the class community, such as:
The instructor will issue grades based on a review of the kudos scores and participation in scoring others, combined with the instructor's evaluation of student contributions during class discussions.
For each epoch, students will produce an artifact from the future with an accompanying statement. Diverse mediums are welcome, and students should plan to use different mediums from epoch to epoch. An artifact might be, for instance, a:
The extent of the work will vary by medium, but expect to produce an artifact that reflects two weeks' worth of thought and craft. Making things by hand is more welcome than automated fabrication. Inventiveness and effort matter more than quality or quantity.
A 300-500-word statement accompanying the artifact should explain it to the class, connecting it to the current epoch and the assigned materials.
Students will workshop complete drafts of their artifacts with fellow students, before turning in a revised version before the final class of the epoch. Make sure that it is possible to compare initial and final drafts. Turn in assignments as attachments, rather than links, wherever possible.
Each epoch provides an assignment for its artifact, and these should build on each other. The artifacts don't have to be continuous in nature (such as all belonging to the same world), but each artifact should satisfy the assignments of several previous artifacts as well as its own.
Evaluation rubric:
Grading will follow the expectations stated in this syllabus.
If you need an extension on any assignment, consult your instructor ahead of time. Late projects will be penalized 5 percentage points per day.
Plagiarism and similar lapses in academic honesty can result in no credit for the assignment and referral to campus authorities.
Based on the stated percentage structure, grades will be awarded as follows: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59). The minimum passing grade is 60 for undergraduates and 70 for graduate students.
AI policy: Since this course emphasizes the cultivation of craft and creativity, generative AI should not be the primary means of producing anything turned in as original work.
The course proceeds through a series of two-week “epochs,” each with its own set of assigned materials and creative work. All materials are accessible digitally at no cost, either on the open internet or through the campus library.
Students are not expected to study every word of the assigned materials; rather, they should generally familiarize themselves with all and choose two in each epoch to focus on especially.
Artifact: Depict a world that is neither utopia or dystopia.
Artifact: Develop a character facing a dilemma.
Artifact: Introduce the structure and experience of a system of power, and do so using a technology from the Media Archaeology Lab.
Artifact: Have characters interact with promises that are appealing but potentially false.
Artifact: What comes after liberation?
Artifact: Encounter human-like activity in non-human agents.
Artifact: Bring a world that you've already created to its end.