To search for a course at UCSB, or obtain a list of courses by department, use the online Schedule of Classes.
MAT 80TH
Mediated Worlds/THEMAS Technologies+Humanities Emphasis
4 units
Instructor: TBA
Description
Integrative overview of media arts and technologies, emphasizing the interconnections between technologies and humanities (means and ends), engineering and mathematics (concrete and abstract), and arts and science (synthesis and analysis). The THEMAS model proposes a continuum across disciplines previously separated by narrow specializations. This class emphasizes Technologies+Humanities (means/ends) within the overall model of THEMAS.
MAT 240C
Digital Audio Programming
4 units
Instructor: K. Yerkes
Description
A six-quarter practical programming course devoted to digital audio applications development. The emphasis is on learning to use current state-of-the-art programming methods, tools, and library APIs. Programming assignments are given in the C, C++, Java, Smalltalk and/or SuperCollider programming language. Topics: A. Using Commerical I/O APIs; B. Spectral Transformations; C. Spatial Sound Manipulation; D. Sound Synthesis Techniques; E. Multi-rate Control and Synchronization; F. Media Application Integration.
MAT 261A
Transvergence Seminar I
4 units
Instructor: M. Novak
Description
Artistic, philosophical, scientific, and technical foundations of transdisciplinarity, transmodality, and Transvergence. New conceptions of actual, virtual, and informational space and form. Trans-Euclidean geometry, from Gauss to present. Emergence and immanence in algorithmic poetics and information aesthetics. Models of physical, biological, and social complex systems. Worldmaking and epistemology.
MAT 261B
Transvergence Studio I
4 units
Instructor: M. Novak
MAT 276LA
Digital Audio Montage
2 units
Instructor: C. Roads
Description
First quarter of a three-quarter sequence course concentrates on multi-track recording, mixing, digital signal processing, and studio based composition.
MAT 293
Internship in Industry
1-4 units
Instructor: Use specific instructor code
Description
Special projects for selected students. Offered in conjunction with selected industrial and research under direct faculty supervision. Prior departmental approval required.
MAT 299
Independent Study
4 units
Instructor: TBD
Description
Independent research under the guidance of a faculty member in the department. Offers an opportunity to qualified students to undertake independent research or work in a group laboratory in digital media arts and technology.
MAT 502
Teaching in MAT
1-4 units
Instructor: TBD
MAT 594CE
CREATE Ensemble
1-4 units
Instructor: K. Yerkes
Description
Hands on practical approach to composition, improvisation, critique, refinement, and research dedicated to live performance.
Open to laptops, new interfaces for artistic expression, audiovisual art, live coding, local and/or wide area networked performance, interactive dance, music for acoustic and electronic instruments, performance art, trans-categorical live performance, etc.
Prerequisite: graduate standing in MAT or Music or consent of instructor; students are expected to contribute some combination of technical development, composition, and/or performance skills. Optionally, take in conjunction with independent study for related research.
We will prepare one structured improvisation for the entire group and several smaller pieces according to our resources. Will discuss many potential venues on and off campus for events.
MAT 594E
Special Topics in Multimedia Engineering, Visual Arts or Electronic Music.
1-4 units
Instructor: K. Yerkes
MAT 594G
Techniques, History & Aesthetics of the Computational Photographic Image
1-4 units
Instructor: G. Legrady
Description
An interdisciplinary course that examines, thorugh case studies, the state of the photographic image, its history, the theoretical, conceptual, and philosophical underpinnings. The course bridges studio arts, engineering, and humanities. This course may be of interest to artists, humanities researchers or programmers as there are three directions to explore:
The end goal is to investigate the photograph’s transformation through weekly presentations of projects, methods and discussion leading up to the impact of machine-learning on the creative process resulting in computational generated artworks.
MAT 594P
Special Topics in Multimedia Engineering, Visual Arts or Electronic Music.
1-4 units
Instructor: J. Kuchera-Morin
Description
MAT 594P is a studio class for creating or adding to your professional portfolio. The work can be any media installation, composition, performance, or material computing project. It is also a media composition class, where we go through each persons’s process of how they compose media art works of any type. These works can be visual, sonic, interactive, material, and they do not have to include all modalities, it is whatever you are working on. Students will present their work weekly and the we will go through the process of making media art works. You can use any software you wish for this class.
MAT 594T
Special Topics in Multimedia Engineering, Visual Arts or Electronic Music.
1-4 units
Instructor: Y. Visell
Description
Special course in selected problems in multimedia engineering, visual arts, or electronic music.
MAT 594X
Special Topics in Multimedia Engineering, Visual Arts or Electronic Music.
1-4 units
Instructor: J. Jacobs
Description
Computational tools create new opportunities for making things. Domains like computer-aided design, augmented reality, and collaborative robotics provide new opportunities for artists, engineers, designers, and craftspeople. Yet designing expressive computational systems poses many challenges. Technological systems often are brittle, requiring the correctness of low-level elements to function. The abstractions required to build computational systems impose a separation between makers and their materials. Digital technology changes rapidly, making it difficult for people to continuously master emerging tools and interfaces. Even successful creative technologies can disrupt cultures of practice by excluding, disenfranchising, or de-skilling existing communities of makers. Addressing these challenges requires finding ways to integrate rigorous and structured research and development methodologies with observations of real-world creative production, and dialog and collaboration with different kinds of makers.
This course is for Ph.D and Masters students with an interest in researching and designing computational technologies for art, design, manufacturing, or craft. The course will be run as a seminar involving discussion of readings and concepts presented in lecture and exploration of human-computer interaction research methodologies. Course assignments will provide students with the opportunity to refine or develop design principles and evaluation methodologies for new or in-progress research projects relating to course subject matter. The course will also feature artists, developers, designers, and researchers as guest speakers. We will make an effort to foreground authors, practitioners and guest speakers who come from communities that are underrepresented in engineering and computer science.
Course Goals
MAT 595M
Media Arts & Technology Seminar Series.
1 unit
Instructor: M. Peljhan
Description
A weekly writing, theory and guest lectures seminar, focused on research topics of interest to the wide fields at the intersection of media arts and technology. The seminar is organized in topical modules, covering writing methodologies, media theory, philosophy and critique.
MAT 596
Directed Research
2-12 units
Instructor: Use specific instructor code
Description
Independent research, either experimental or theoretical, may be taken by properly qualified graduate students under the direction of a faculty member.
MAT 597
Individual Study, PhD exams
1-12 units
Instructor: Use specific instructor code
MAT 598
MS Thesis/Project Research
1-12 units
Instructor: Use specific instructor code
MAT 599
PhD Dissertation Preparation
1-12 units
Instructor: Use specific instructor code
M - Monday, T - Tuesday, W - Wednesday, R - Thursday, F - Friday.
Choose your electives from Art, Computer Science, ECE, and Music, then have them approved by the instructor.
Instructor Codes: A. Cabrera (17), T. Höllerer (27), J. Jacobs (02), J. Kuchera-Morin (33), G. Legrady (09), M. Novak (03), M. Peljhan (11), C. Roads (08), Y. Visell (18), K. Yerkes (21).