ITPG-GT 2040 – 001 (23548)
[Home | 02024 Syllabus | Ideas | Resources | Gallery]
Overview
Time is at once fundamental and mysterious. From the 2000-year-old Antikythera Mechanism to modern cesium-fountain clocks, humans have long sought to understand temporal patterns in nature, and build mechanisms to measure, reflect and predict those patterns. We’re at a unique moment, one in which we’ve developed the ability to perceive relativistic effects on time at the smallest scales, while struggling to think and plan across generations. In this course we’ll reflect on the deep mysteries of time while also gaining hands-on skills applicable to temporal media and technologies. Topics will range from historical clock and orrery design through modern computer architecture (“A computer is a clock with benefits” writes Paul Ford in Bloomberg’s issue dedicated to code). Practically, we’ll build mechanical and software clocks; experiment with time-series data and time protocols; and survey techniques for digital signal processing and software state transitions. Students will execute several production assignments throughout the semester.
Learning Objectives
- Contemplate the deep origins of human timekeeping
- Examine the connection between computers and clocks
- See examples of timekeeping technology and design through history and across cultures
- Increase proficiency with microcontrollers by studying low-level timing functions
- Learn coding techniques far managing system state over time
- Examine time-related sensors, peripherals, and software libraries
Weekly Syllabus
The 02024 Time weekly syllabus will be posted here.
The 02023 Low Res Time course syllabus was shared as a Google Doc. The resources here will be referenced in the class.
Ideas
The Ideas section contains essays, content modules, lists, etc. (in various states of polish), intended to collect a few of the many fascinating concepts attached to Time.
Resources
Resources contains an annotated bibliography and relevant media such as videos and podcasts. Look here for notes on software and hardware for the class.
Gallery
The Gallery archives some of the work of previous classes as well as inspiring work from other artists.
Past Sessions
02023 ITP, 02023 Low Res, 02022 ITP, 02022 Low Res, 02019, 02020, 02021
A sample from the “Ideas” section:
An Ancient Calculator
In 1901 an unremarkable hunk of corroded metal and rotted wood was recovered from a sunken shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, Greece. It had been on the ocean floor for nearly two thousand years, and it would remain largely unexamined until 70 years later, when advances in X-ray and gamma imaging would expose previously unimagined internal detail to the device now known as the Antikythera Mechanism. The images revealed complex clockwork, eventually understood, after much deduction, to be a kind of mechanical analog computer for tracking the passage of time. Hands indicated the position of the sun, moon and planets, as well as the moon’s phase, and a special section was dedicated to the schedule of the Olympic Games. Whatever fabrication techniques and mathematics the device embodied were lost to the ages – no known object approaching its intricacy would appear in the world for another 1000 years.
Read more in the Ideas section…
NYU Policy Statements
The following statements are required by NYU.
PARTICIPATION
ITP/IMA is committed to facilitating the fullest possible participation of all students. There are many forms of participation. Please communicate what kinds of engagement are best for you so it can be taken into account.
Examples of modes of participation can look like: asking questions, going to office hours, sending and reading emails, class group discussion, arriving on time, going to class, taking notes, listening to peers, submitting responses to a form (anonymous or not), following instructions, active listening, etc.
AI STATEMENT
You should treat AI tools just as you would any other source: cite the source and note how it was used (Harvard has a useful guide to citation of AIs). You should be prepared to explain how your use of it is the appropriate tool to fit your goal or concept and does not detract from your experience meeting the learning objectives of the assignment or course. There are some cases where the use of AI may fall under a form of plagiarism. Differentiate your work from your source’s work in a way that’s clear to the reader or viewer. Additionally, you should be prepared to discuss the ethical concerns around the widespread use of emerging AI tools.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
After the first two weeks of the add/drop period, effective in week three onward, students are permitted 2 absences.
There are no excused absences and unexcused absences. There are only absences. Any more than 2 of absences will affect your grade. Two late arrivals (more than 10 minutes after start time) will count as 1 absence.
STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.
Collaboration is highly valued and often necessary to produce great work. Students build their own work on that of other people and giving credit to the creator of the work you are incorporating into your own work is an act of integrity. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is a form of fraud. Proper acknowledgment and correct citation constitute the difference.
Link to the Tisch Student Handbook
Link to Suggested Practices for Syllabus Accessibility Statements
STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY
It’s crucial for our community to create and uphold learning environments that empower students of all abilities. We are committed to create an environment that enables open dialogue about the various temporary and long term needs of students and participants for their academic success. We encourage all students and participants to discuss with faculty and staff possible accommodations that would best support their learning. Students may also contact the Moses Center for Student Accessibility (212-998-4980) for resources and support. Link to the Moses Center for Student Accessibility
STATEMENT ON COUNSELING AND WELLNESS
Your health and safety are a priority at NYU. Emphasizing the importance of the wellness of each individual within our community, students are encouraged to utilize the resources and support services available to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the NYU Wellness Exchange Hotline at 212-443-9999. Additional support is available over email at wellness.exchange@nyu.edu and within the NYU Wellness Exchange app. Link to the NYU Counseling and Wellness Center
STATEMENT ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Laptops and other electronic devices are essential tools for learning and interaction in classrooms. However, they can create distractions that hinder students’ ability to actively participate and engage. Please be mindful of the ways in which these devices can affect the learning environment, please refrain from doing non-class oriented activities during class.
STATEMENT ON TITLE IX
Tisch School of the Arts is dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end, Tisch is committed to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link: Link to the NYU Title IX Office
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE
Teachers and students work together to create a supportive learning environment. The educational experience in the classroom is one that is enhanced by integrating varying perspectives and learning modes brought by students.