We sometimes fall into the trap of talking about computing in a limited setting - crunching numbers and solving analytical problems. Sure computers do all that, but they are no longer used to simply just sift through data and store our information. Instead, they are woven into the very fabric of our individual and social lives. Covid-19 has further skyrocketed the need for computation across all disciplines. So what is computing?
What if we thought about computing as an amplifier?
It is an amplifier of our analytical capabilities, yes. But computing can also be an amplifier of our creativity - a creative partner that empowers new interactive expressions. It can be an amplifier of our actions - scaling individual interactions to a scale where it can have a large impact on society (in both negative and positive ways). It can be an amplifier of our beliefs - a tool to provoke reflection or promote understanding. And it is also an amplifier of our ugliness - our biases and our prejudices.
While you all experience computing in these different ways, you probably haven't learned how to create a computational artifact. This course will teach you how to view certain aspects of your built and social worlds through the lens of computing. It will provide you with a new medium and a new canvas to express your ideas in, mainly using visual artifacts.
During this course, we'll get familiar with programming using p5js - a visual JavaScript language intended to make coding accessible for artists, designers, educators, and beginners. We'll use this tool as a mechanism to explore computing as a creative medium, and as an instrument to gain insights about society.
In this course you will develop an analytical / methodical mindset, that combined with the tools you learn in this course, allows you to solve a large variety of problems yourself. We are confident that learning the basics of computation and applying them in useful contexts will help you along the path, no matter your major!
Each week, we will have two lectures and a lab:
Lecture: T / R Lecture: 10:20am - 11:40am, Breakiron 164
Lab: W 5:10pm - 6:50pm, Breakiron 164
Prof. Alexander Fuchsberger
Office Hours:
in person (one person at a time only, wearing mask)
Tuesday 9 - 10, Breakiron 170 *
Thursday 12:30 - 3:45, Breakiron 170 *
* Please notify me timely in advance if you are planning to show up otherwise I might not be there!
If none of these work for you, please contact me directly. I am always willing to make time provided I get a reasonable head's up.
Email: a.fuchsberger@bucknell.edu
Our Teaching Assistant:
Colby Morkan