This is the first version of the 2023–24 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
Learning Outcomes
The certificate provides the following competencies.
- The ability to think about and develop works of art that use digital technology in creative ways.
- The ability to participate in critical discourse about such artistic works.
- The ability to collaborate across disciplines on artistic projects at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds.
- The ability to use art and digital technology to identify, attract, and interact with audiences in a meaningful and creative way.
The undergraduate Certificate in Public Digital Arts requires a minimum of 24 s.h. of coursework, including at least 18 s.h. earned at the University of Iowa or in approved study abroad courses. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in coursework for the certificate. Courses taken pass/nonpass do not count toward the certificate.
The certificate may be earned by any student admitted to the University of Iowa who is not enrolled in a UI graduate or professional degree program. Undergraduate to Graduate (U2G) students may earn the certificate when the undergraduate classification is primary.
Students should declare their intent to earn the certificate at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Programs office, at the Academic Advising Center, or on MyUI.
Students complete two core courses, five track courses, and one capstone project. They must meet with the certificate director or a public digital arts advisor every semester to discuss their course selections and plan for the capstone course.
The Certificate in Public Digital Arts requires the following coursework.
Required Core Courses
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Both of these: | ||
| ARTS:2800/CINE:2800/CS:2800/DANC:2800/DIGA:2800/MUS:2800/THTR:2800 | Digital Arts: An Introduction | 3 |
| THTR:3895/DANC:3895/DIGA:3895 | Performance, Art, and New Technologies in Society | 3 |
Track Courses
Students must complete five courses from one track (15 s.h.). At least one of the electives must be taken from the Department of Computer Science (prefix CS), unless students have already taken a college-level introductory computer science course or proficiency can be demonstrated. Students who wish to count a course not listed in a track may submit a request for approval to the certificate director.
Some of these courses have prerequisites; students must complete all of a course's prerequisites before they may register for a course. Some of these courses also have specific restrictions such as only being open to certain majors.
- Interactive Design and Intelligent Spaces Track
- New Modes of Storytelling Track
- Sound Design Track
- Visual Design Track
- Choose Your Own Adventure Track
Interactive Design and Intelligent Spaces Track
From human-computer interaction to experiential museum experiences, people are constantly interacting and interfacing with both the physical and digital worlds. How does embedded computation change the way we experience our surroundings? Do immersive environments change the way we experience art and performance?
In this track, students explore how the human body interacts with and can control computers, digital technologies, visual and aural media, and so on, in order to create unique, engaging, and embodied user experiences. Students explore the value of and practical skills needed to create dynamic spaces within the built environment that react to their physical surroundings and the inhabitants within.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | ||
| CS:1110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CS:2110 | Programming for Informatics | 4 |
| CS:2520 | Human-Computer Interaction for Informatics | 3 |
| CS:4980 | Topics in Computer Science II | 3 |
| INTM:2710/CINE:2869 | Introduction to Intermedia | 3 |
| May include this course: | ||
| THTR:2880/DANC:2880/DIGA:2880 | Installations and Interactive Performance | 3 |
| Specialized | ||
| CERM:3010 | Ceramics III: Slip Casting | 4 |
| CS:3980 | Topics in Computer Science I (when topic is hybrid mobile application development) | 3 |
| ISE:5650 | Mechatronics Engineering for Smart Device Design | 3 |
| ISE:5995 | Contemporary Topics in Industrial Engineering (when topic is creative engineering design) | arr. |
| MUS:3285/DIGA:3285 | New Musical Instruments: From Design to Performance | 3 |
| MUS:4250 | Composition: Electronic Media I | 3 |
| MUS:4251 | Composition: Electronic Media II | 3 |
| SCLP:2810 | Undergraduate Sculpture I | 3 |
| SCLP:3840/DIGA:3840 | Robotic Art Studio | 4 |
| SCLP:4835/DIGA:4835 | Electronic Objects and Spaces | 4 |
| SCLP:4840/DIGA:4840 | Air, Actuators, and Motors | 4 |
| TDSN:2210 | Introduction to 3D Design | 3 |
| TDSN:2240/CEE:2240 | Digital Drafting with AutoCAD | 3 |
| TDSN:2250 | Digital Prototyping | 3 |
| THTR:3230/ARTS:3230 | Scene Design I | 3 |
| THTR:3250 | Lighting Design I | 3 |
| THTR:3260 | Sound Design for the Theatre | 3 |
| THTR:3270 | Entertainment Design | 3 |
| THTR:4230 | Scene Design II | 3 |
| THTR:4250 | Lighting Design II | 3 |
New Modes of Storytelling Track
Digital and emerging technologies are changing the ways stories are told and experienced. How can we as storytellers, artists, and engineers use digital media and new technologies to engage 21st-century audiences? Students explore the ideas and technologies that are shaping new modes of storytelling through a variety of transdisciplinary methods across multiple platforms, such as live performances, online experiences, mobile technologies, digital video, immersive installations, and augmented and virtual reality.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | ||
| ANIM:2125 | Introduction to Animation | 3 |
| ARTS:2000/ASP:2000/EDTL:2000/RHET:2000 | Big Ideas: Creativity for a Lifetime | 3 |
| CINE:1100 | The Art of Smartphone Filmmaking | 3 |
| CINE:1834/THTR:1834 | Modes of Film and Video Production | 4 |
| CINE:4843 | Film/Video Production: Image Design | 4 |
| CINE:4845 | Film/Video Production: Editing | 4 |
| CINE:4890 | Media Production Workshop | 4 |
| CNW:2770 | The Art and Craft of Writing for New Media | 3 |
| CS:1110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CS:2110 | Programming for Informatics | 4 |
| CS:2520 | Human-Computer Interaction for Informatics | 3 |
| CW:3218/INTD:3200 | Creative Writing for New Media | 3 |
| THTR:3230/ARTS:3230 | Scene Design I | 3 |
| Specialized | ||
| CINE:2866 | Film/Video Production: Nonfiction | 3 |
| CINE:2868 | Film/Video Production: Fiction | 3 |
| CINE:4841 | Film/Video Production: Sound Design | 4 |
| COMM:1840 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| CS:4980 | Topics in Computer Science II (when topic is virtual reality) | 3 |
| CW:3215/INTD:3300 | Creative Writing and Popular Culture | 3 |
| DANC:3050 | Body/Image: Dance and Media in Discourse and Practice | 3 |
| INTM:2710/CINE:2869 | Introduction to Intermedia | 3 |
| MUS:3285/DIGA:3285 | New Musical Instruments: From Design to Performance | 3 |
| MUS:4250 | Composition: Electronic Media I | 3 |
| MUS:4251 | Composition: Electronic Media II | 3 |
| SCLP:2810 | Undergraduate Sculpture I | 3 |
| SCLP:3840/DIGA:3840 | Robotic Art Studio | 4 |
| SCLP:4835/DIGA:4835 | Electronic Objects and Spaces | 4 |
| SCLP:4840/DIGA:4840 | Air, Actuators, and Motors | 4 |
| THTR:3250 | Lighting Design I | 3 |
| THTR:4230 | Scene Design II | 3 |
| THTR:4250 | Lighting Design II | 3 |
| May include this course: | ||
| THTR:2880/DANC:2880/DIGA:2880 | Installations and Interactive Performance | 3 |
| May include this course: | ||
| THTR:2890/DANC:2890/DIGA:2890 | Producing and Directing Digital Video | 3 |
Sound Design Track
Sound is a critical component to the audience experience of traditional and new media. Students focus on sound design by selecting additional courses in electronic music production and composing, audio engineering, and acoustics, among others.
This track provides an opportunity for students to focus their training in (or specialize in) the theory and practical skills needed to create and produce sound design for live public performances in theater, dance, and/or music that use digital and new technologies; interactive sound art; public art exhibitions, installations, or gallery settings; music and sound recordings for analog and digital release; internet, mobile technology, and new media applications; augmented and virtual reality; and games.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | ||
| CINE:4841 | Film/Video Production: Sound Design | 4 |
| MUS:3780 | Audio Recording I | 3 |
| MUS:3781 | Audio Recording II | 3 |
| MUS:4250 | Composition: Electronic Media I | 3 |
| MUS:4251 | Composition: Electronic Media II | 3 |
| THTR:3260 | Sound Design for the Theatre | 3 |
| Specialized | ||
| CS:1110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CS:3980 | Topics in Computer Science I (when topic is interactive multimedia programming) | 3 |
| CS:4980 | Topics in Computer Science II (when topic is virtual reality) | 3 |
| JMC:2020 | Multimedia Storytelling | 3 |
| JMC:3440 | Multimedia Narratives | 3-4 |
| MUS:3190 | Center for New Music Ensemble (when topic is LOUi laptop orchestra) | 1 |
| MUS:3280 | Spectral Nature of Sound: Acoustics, Analysis, and Resynthesis | 3 |
| MUS:3285/DIGA:3285 | New Musical Instruments: From Design to Performance | 3 |
| SCLP:3840/DIGA:3840 | Robotic Art Studio | 4 |
| SCLP:4835/DIGA:4835 | Electronic Objects and Spaces | 4 |
| May include this course: | ||
| THTR:2890/DANC:2890/DIGA:2890 | Producing and Directing Digital Video | 3 |
Visual Design Track
Visual modes of communication consume our daily experience, from informational road signs to internet interfaces to the omnipresence of digital screens. Visual design is a crucial aspect to telling stories and communicating in both traditional and new media. Students focus on visual design by selecting additional courses in digital video, theatrical design, graphic design, 3D design, and animation, among others.
The track provides an opportunity for students to focus their training in (or specialize in) the theory and practical skills needed to create and produce visual design for live public performances in theater, dance, and/or music that use digital and new technologies; interactive visual art; public art exhibitions, installations, or gallery settings; film and video productions for analog and digital release; internet, mobile technology, and new media applications, including 360 video; augmented and virtual reality; and games.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | ||
| ANIM:2125 | Introduction to Animation | 3 |
| CINE:1834/THTR:1834 | Modes of Film and Video Production | 4 |
| CS:1110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CS:2110 | Programming for Informatics | 4 |
| CS:2520 | Human-Computer Interaction for Informatics | 3 |
| THTR:3202 | Graphic Design for the Entertainment Industry | 2-3 |
| THTR:3230/ARTS:3230 | Scene Design I | 3 |
| THTR:3250 | Lighting Design I | 3 |
| THTR:3270 | Entertainment Design | 3 |
| THTR:4230 | Scene Design II | 3 |
| THTR:4250 | Lighting Design II | 3 |
| May include this course: | ||
| THTR:2890/DANC:2890/DIGA:2890 | Producing and Directing Digital Video | 3 |
| Specialized | ||
| CERM:3010 | Ceramics III: Slip Casting | 4 |
| CINE:2868 | Film/Video Production: Fiction | 3 |
| CINE:3195 | Undergraduate Seminar (when topic is video games and cinema) | 3 |
| CINE:4821 | Film/Video Production: Selected Topics | 4 |
| CINE:4843 | Film/Video Production: Image Design | 4 |
| CINE:4845 | Film/Video Production: Editing | 4 |
| CINE:4890 | Media Production Workshop | 4 |
| CS:4980 | Topics in Computer Science II (when topic is virtual reality) | 3 |
| SCLP:3840/DIGA:3840 | Robotic Art Studio | 4 |
| SCLP:4835/DIGA:4835 | Electronic Objects and Spaces | 4 |
| SCLP:4840/DIGA:4840 | Air, Actuators, and Motors | 4 |
| TDSN:2210 | Introduction to 3D Design | 3 |
| TDSN:2240/CEE:2240 | Digital Drafting with AutoCAD | 3 |
| TDSN:2250 | Digital Prototyping | 3 |
Choose Your Own Adventure Track
This track is geared toward the creative entrepreneur, the trailblazer who does not fit into the tracks listed above, and toward the student who wants to forge a new path. This track allows a student to work with a public digital arts advisor to create a specialized plan of study.
Capstone Project
The capstone project must result in a work that is both artistic and digital, and it must be shared in a meaningful way with the public. The project must be informally approved by the certificate director at least one semester before the work takes place. A student then selects at least one faculty member from an appropriate department as a formal advisor. The student submits a written proposal to the certificate director and the advisor. The proposal must include a description of the work; a statement of why the student is prepared to accomplish the work; and a list of equipment, materials, space, or funding required. Once the proposal is approved by the director and advisor, the student enrolls in an independent study course with the advisor as the instructor. The student meets with the advisor on a regular basis and engages other faculty and students as needed. Once the project is complete and shared publicly, the advisor evaluates the project and submits a letter grade.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Capstone project (consult certificate director) | 3 | |