College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 578
November 2, 2000
Recommendation of the L&S Course and Curriculum Committee and the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication to Create an Undergraduate Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture
- PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION
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Title of Proposed Program: Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture
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Department(s) or Functional Equivalent(s) Administering the Program:
This is an interdisciplinary certificate program administered by a faculty Advisory Committee for the Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture.
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College(s), School(s), or Functional Equivalent(s): College of Letters and Science
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Timetable for Initiation: Semester II, 2000-2001
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- RATIONALE
Advances in the development and use of electronic technology are increasing exponentially and are having a profound impact on contemporary culture. The ";internet is changing the way we think...the form of our communities...our very identities" (Sherry Turkle, Professor of Sociology, MIT). No longer just a means of information storage, retrieval, and analysis, the computer has become a tool for multi-media expression.
To date, students educated in the fields of computer science and information technology have focused on the development of hardware/software to address specific needs or resolve particular problems of the enterprise in which they are employed. Except for minimal general education requirements built into most computer science programs, students are not educated in more generalized critical thinking and artistic expression, skills that would enable them to better understand the implication of the computer revolution on society and culture as well as to apply their computer skills from a more well informed perspective. Those educated in the areas of media production, critical thinking, and artistic expression often do not have the computer or Internet skills to apply their creativity in the practical ways that organizations require. There is a high level of demand for students who have facility in all of these spheres, and this certificate program is designed to meet that demand.
- INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
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Relationship to Mission of Institution
This proposed program directly addresses Item (g) of the Core Mission of the Doctoral Cluster: to support activities designed to promote the economic development of the state. It responds to several goals of the Select Mission of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: a) to develop and maintain high quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs appropriate to a major urban doctoral university; d) to attract highly qualified students who demonstrate the potential for intellectual development, innovation, and leadership for their communities; g) to promote public service and research efforts directed toward meeting the social, economic, and cultural needs of the State of Wisconsin and its metropolitan areas; i) to provide educational leadership in meeting future social, cultural, and technological changes. This program is developed in the spirit of The Milwaukee Idea. It represents the efforts of faculty to address directly, through an innovative educational program, the needs of Milwaukee's area businesses, industries, educational institutions, and social/cultural organizations. It also fits within the parameters of the recently launched TechStar initiative, which calls for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to aid in Wisconsin's efforts to create a "brain gain" through hi-tech workforce development. The proposed program would begin producing such workers immediately.
UWM's 1997 Strategic Plan calls for fostering multidisciplinary strengths as a way of addressing Priority #1, strengthening and integrating the university's main purpose--the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge. Digital Arts and Culture is an area in which faculty members well known and respected in their fields are anxious to work together to provide an educational program that addresses the needs and interests of both students and the community. It is a starting point for the development of new multidisciplinary research directions. It directly addresses the charge to enrich the learning experiences of UWM students and to expand UWM's urban mission, reinforcing the university's commitment to enhancing the quality of life and economic base of the Milwaukee metropolitan area and the State of Wisconsin. Priority #2 of the Strategic Plan is concerned with the issue of enrollments. This unique program, meeting an immediate need in the work world, is expected to be very attractive to students, contributing to addressing the university's second priority. The third priority, to expand technology, is addressed well beyond the intent of the original document in that it provides a channel for the university's excellence in the area of digital arts to be transferred into the world of work.
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- NEED
America's economy is daily morphing into an information economy. The information/media technology industry is growing at a rapid pace, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that, through at least 2005, an average of 95,000 new information technology (IT) workers will be needed each year. This need clearly is felt locally in Milwaukee and statewide, as demonstrated by Milwaukee mayor John Norquist's request for the training and recruitment of more hi-tech workers and businesses for the Milwaukee economy to continue to grow and thrive.
Mayor Norquist, in conversations with Rob Yeo, chair of the Film Department, has shown great interest in the interdisciplinary emphasis of UWM's proposed Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) program. Mayor Norquist indicated that owners of local hi-tech firms approach him regularly about their need for employees who have skills that extend beyond basic technical training. They are seeking people with creative abilities and strong conceptual skills that round out their technical education. The curriculum of the Digital Arts and Culture program directly addresses this need by providing a balanced and comprehensive approach to studying information/media technology and emerging media forms. Combining courses in the arts, humanities and sciences, DAC will explore and make use of a wide range of the theoretical, practical and artistic possibilities of the new media technologies.
DAC builds upon firmly established and proven classes in multiple disciplines and adds newly developed, cross-disciplinary courses that make use of and critically examine emerging technologies. This certificate program will serve UWM students and the local community by expanding the hi-tech workforce, leading to workers trained not only in technical skills or creative and critical analysis, but in both areas. Traditional disciplinary and departmental constraints have made these sorts of partnerships difficult to achieve, but the DAC certificate aims to cross disciplines and schools and train students in all of these areas.
The DAC certificate program will not only increase the general IT workforce, but also play a critical role in expanding the participation of women and minorities in this workforce. Both of these groups are traditionally under-represented in this area, and national attention is now focused on finding solutions for solving this problem. Recently the NSF sponsored two virtual workshops on investigating the steps to increasing participation by women and minorities in technological careers. Their recommendations echo our plans, which include a partnership with local high schools, including Marshall High School (to which the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication already has ties) as a "pipeline" for local students. Working with local high schools also will increase the likelihood of attracting minority students to the program, which will contribute to the closing of the digital divide. Additionally, through the combined efforts of departments such as Journalism and Mass Communication, English, and the School of the Arts, which all have high female enrollments, we can interest female students in more technically oriented careers. The virtual workshop participants made note of the fact that women can be drawn to hi-tech careers more successfully by being shown the relationship of IT to other areas in which they are interested--such as the media or fine arts. These sorts of efforts will be monitored to evaluate if these approaches are successful and to determine ways to expand in the future.
We envision the Digital Arts and Culture certificate program leading to the development of a joint interdisciplinary degree with the School of the Arts. A more formal relationship would provide greater visibility for students and allow for more successful fundraising efforts. At present, we are unable to serve students who are interested in these areas from our traditional majors--and these students are forced to wander from department to school, making up their own plan of study as they go along. We believe that once the program is running, it easily could attract 20-30 students per academic year.
- PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
| 5.1 |
Eligibility for the Program
The Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture is open to all students seeking a bachelor's degree from UWM and to students who previously have received a bachelor's degree from UWM or any other accredited college or university.
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| 5.2 |
Program Requirements
For acceptance to the certificate program, the following course is required, or its skill level must be met through approved testing:
CEAS 132 Computer Programming Basics (2 cr.)
To obtain the certificate, students must complete 21 credits from the following courses with a minimum GPA of 2.75; they must take at least 9 of these credits at the level of 300 or above and meet the following requirements:
Courses required of all students:
- ArtHist 111 Entertainment Arts (3 cr.)
- ArtHist 308 Film Styles: Electronic Arts and Culture (3 cr.)
- JMC 101 Introduction to Mass Media (3 cr.)
6 credits from the following conceptual courses:
- English 253 Traditions of Science Fiction
- JMC 361 Media Ethics
- JMC 390 Technoculture [new course being proposed
- JMC 559 Law of Mass Communication
- JMC 5xx Theories of New Media [new course being proposed]
- JMC 662 Mass Communication and Culture
6 credits from the following practicum courses:
- Art 118 Foundations of Computer Art
- Art 299 Printmaking: Digital Printmaking section only
- Film 101 Introduction to Experimental Film and Video
- Film 203 Multimedia Production
- Music 327 Analog and Digital Synthesis I
- Music 328 Analog and Digital Synthesis II
- FineArt 489 Fine Arts Workshop I
- FineArt 589 Fine Arts Workshop II
- JMC 251 Audio Production
- JMC 3xx Web Marketing and Design [new course being proposed]
- JMC 399 Practicum
- JMC 531 Advanced Publication Design [new course being proposed]
Credits earned at other institutions equivalent to courses in the certificate program amy be accepted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements, subject to review by the Certificate Program Committee. Students currently enrolled at UWM who have fulfilled some of the program's requirements prior to the program's approval may have their credits applied retroactively to the certificate program.
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| 5.3 |
Awarding of Certificate
Students currently involved in baccalaureate studies who complete the requirements of the program successfully will be awarded the certificate at the time of graduation. Post-baccalaureate students will receive the certificate upon successful completion of the program requirements.
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- PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION
The program will be administered by an Advisory Committee composed of five faculty members at UWM with an interest in the area of digital arts and culture, appointed annually by the Dean of the College of Letters and Science. At least three members will be from departments within the College of Letters and Science. One member of the committee will serve at the Program Coordinator. The committee will be responsible for curriculum development and review, student admission and advising, and awarding of certificates.
- PROGRAM REVIEW
The program will be reviewed by the College Administration, in consultation with the appropriate L&S Faculty committee(s), every five years to identify any problems and to determine its viability for continuation.
- BUDGETARY NEEDS
There are no funds needed to implement this program. The faculty members needed already are on staff.
- CATALOGUE COPY
Add the following to the Certificate Programs section of the Undergraduate Catalogue:
DIGITAL ARTS AND CULTURE
The Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture is designed to provide students with a balanced and comprehensive approach to studying information technology and emerging media forms. Combining courses in the arts, humanities and sciences, Digital Arts and Culture will explore and make use of a wide range of theoretical, practical and artistic possibilities with new media technologies. Students will develop both artistic/creative and technical capabilities in multi-media technologies, as well as gaining a greater understanding of their creations, and the cultures to which they are contributing.
Eligibility for the Program
The Certificate Program in Digital Arts and Culture is open to all students seeking a bachelor's degree from UWM and to students who previously have received a bachelor's degree from UWM or any other accredited college or university.
Program Requirements
For acceptance to the certificate program, the following course is required, or its skill level must be met through approved testing:
CEAS 132 Computer Programming Basics (2 cr.)
To obtain the certificate, students must complete 21 credits from the following courses with a minimum GPA of 2.75; they must take at least 9 of these credits at the level of 300 or above and meet the following requirements:
Courses required of all students:
- ArtHist 111 Entertainment Arts (3 cr.)
- ArtHist 308 Film Styles: Electronic Arts and Culture (3 cr.)
- JMC 101 Introduction to Mass Media (3 cr.)
6 credits from the following conceptual courses:
- English 253 Traditions of Science Fiction
- JMC 361 Media Ethics
- JMC 390 Technoculture [new course being proposed
- JMC 559 Law of Mass Communication
- JMC 5xx Theories of New Media [new course being proposed]
- JMC 662 Mass Communication and Culture
6 credits from the following practicum courses:
- Art 118 Foundations of Computer Art
- Art 299 Printmaking: Digital Printmaking section only
- Film 101 Introduction to Experimental Film and Video
- Film 203 Multimedia Production
- Music 327 Analog and Digital Synthesis I
- Music 328 Analog and Digital Synthesis II
- FineArt 489 Fine Arts Workshop I
- FineArt 589 Fine Arts Workshop II
- JMC 251 Audio Production
- JMC 3xx Web Marketing and Design [new course being proposed]
- JMC 399 Practicum
- JMC 531 Advanced Publication Design [new course being proposed]
Credits earned at other institutions equivalent to courses in the certificate program amy be accepted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements, subject to review by the Certificate Program Committee. Students currently enrolled at UWM who have fulfilled some of the program's requirements prior to the program's approval may have their credits applied retroactively to the certificate program.
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