Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

This module will introduce the challenges and affordances of chosen case studies for raising the state of the art in digital media culture. Case Studies will be chosen for the role they can play in the progress and institutionalization of media arts in the greater cultural heritage sector. Current efforts of cutting-edge activities in regard to exhibitions, collections and historical research will be examined with special concentration on emerging aspects of the field. Specific content to be included is determined through an emergent process in the first year and based on the directions of the learning journeys of students.
Developing individualized knowledge and skills that enable students to better understand and act in the most important questions in Media Arts Cultures, like: interactivity, curating & exhibition development, experience design, game culture, arts & networks, electronic literature & digital storytelling, transdisciplinary art & science practice, science & technology studies, as well as Media Arts Cultures mediation, preservation, and management.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• Understand the historical, institutional, and societal underpinnings of media art cultures, specifically within the context of emerging and state-of-the-art case studies.
• Acquire in-depth knowledge about cutting-edge activities in media arts, including their roles in exhibitions, collections, and historical research.
• Recognize the challenges and affordances of evolving trends in media arts and how they contribute to the greater cultural heritage sector.

Skills

• Utilize the knowledge acquired to critically assess and interpret media art culture's historical and theoretical dimensions, as they relate to contemporary case studies.
• Apply evidence-based research methodologies to scrutinize case studies from the field, deriving insights that can inform future media art projects.
• Develop a critical discourse on the potential and limitations of digital technologies in the broader practices within the media arts cultures sector, emphasizing their transformative roles.

Competences

• Evaluate the potential and limitations of digital technologies in advancing the cause of media art cultures, especially within institutional contexts.
• Analyze the needs and expectations of international Media Arts Cultures audiences, identifying and responding to the shifting paradigms in cultural institutionalization.
• Advocate for the incorporation and optimization of digital technology in art institutions, while also recognizing and navigating the challenges they present.
• Constructively critique and project future trajectories for new media technologies within the landscape of contemporary culture and media arts.

Exam

Exams