[MACS265] Innovation Illinois - F19
Class time and location: Mondays 11-12:50P/Wednesday 9-10A - Computer Science Building, Room 1214 (105 W. Gregory Drive)
Instructor Team: Anita Say Chan achan@illinois.edu, Karrie Karahalios kkarahal@illinois.edu
Grad Assistant: Adrian Wong adrianw3@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 3-4P, NCSA Room 2103 (1205 W. Clark Street)
Course Description
Where do transformative, world-changing innovations come from? How do they emerge? Who’s behind them? What makes them transformative? Innovation Illinois introduces the histories of the varied, world-changing interdisciplinary innovations from the University of Illinois that bridged students and researchers in engineering, humanities, sciences and the arts. We will explore how local histories of Illinois innovations help us understand today’s innovation trends and processes, from contemporary accessibility design and wheelchair sports and kneeling buses, to computer-composed music, online education, public media, and the first massively-used Internet browser. During the duration of the course, we’ll work together in student teams that mix perspectives from different parts of our campus to imagine, research, and develop—via paper, multimedia, and code-based prototypes--future innovation ideas. We’ll be introduced and get to experiment with mixed media resources and prototyping methods, spanning on and offline archives, digital editing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, and online data collection. We’ll also visit campus sites and speak to key figures related to Illinois’ world-changing interdisciplinary innovation histories and collaborations. Our work will culminate in a research project that surveys interdisciplinary practice on our campus, and explores innovation as a practice that necessarily emerges from creative innovation cultures that cross the arts, humanities, social sciences, and computer science.
Syllabus
Readings and Schedule
Final Project and Paper Overview
