Theory and History of Digital Visual Culture
Unit code: HDDV670
| Credit points | 12.5 Credit Points |
| Duration | 1 semester |
| Contact hours | 36 hours per semester |
| Campus | Online, Prahran |
| Prerequisites | HDG530 Research Methods for Design HDG531 Fundamental Design Studio |
Related course(s)
An elective unit of study in the Specialisation titled Digital Visual Culture and Imaging, offered onsite and online within the Masters of Design (Communication Design), Graduate Diploma of Design (Communication Design), Master of Design (Digital Media Design) and Graduate Diploma of Design (Digital Media Design) programs.
NOTE: This unit will be offered subject to student enrolment numbers.
Aims and objectives
This unit will be offered subject to student enrolment numbers.
This unit provides critical skills in understanding and appraising digital media culture. Students will explore the issues shaping 20th
and 21st century digital media, with a particular focus on issues of representation, technology and identity. Examples from cinema,
gaming and internet culture will be explored through a program of reading and lectures drawn from work in cinema studies, game
studies and cultural studies. This unit investigates the uses of persuasion, manipulation and Ideologies of digital visual culture in
contemporary advertising, art, and design. Students will develop a personal portfolio of scholarly and visual research into a chosen
area of study. Through presentations and written essays students will explore their relationship to digital media and the historic role
it plays in global media and culture.
and 21st century digital media, with a particular focus on issues of representation, technology and identity. Examples from cinema,
gaming and internet culture will be explored through a program of reading and lectures drawn from work in cinema studies, game
studies and cultural studies. This unit investigates the uses of persuasion, manipulation and Ideologies of digital visual culture in
contemporary advertising, art, and design. Students will develop a personal portfolio of scholarly and visual research into a chosen
area of study. Through presentations and written essays students will explore their relationship to digital media and the historic role
it plays in global media and culture.
At the conclusion of this unit, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of digital media histories.
• Apply theoretical and critical knowledge to the development of digital media.
• Synthesise research sources and construct effective arguments.
• Summarise and present ideas in a coherent fashion in both verbal and visual formats.
• Demonstrate an understanding of digital media histories.
• Apply theoretical and critical knowledge to the development of digital media.
• Synthesise research sources and construct effective arguments.
• Summarise and present ideas in a coherent fashion in both verbal and visual formats.
Teaching methods
On average, students are expected to spend twelve and a half hours (formal contact time plus independent study time) per week ona 12.5 credit point unit of study. This may vary if the unit is delivered in intensive mode. This unit is delivered through lecture and
tutorial face-to-face and/or online. It includes group discussions, site visits, interviews, seminar presentations.
Assessment
Research Interim Presentation (Week 6) Individual 50%Essays and literature reviews II: Research Paper Individual 50%
Generic skills outcomes
Since key generic skills align with undergraduate learning, this postgraduate unit will provide students with feedback on progress inattaining the following graduate attributes:
Capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
Able to apply the principles of sustainability to life and work
Effective, collegial and ethical in work and community situations
Adaptable and able to manage change
Aware and respectful of local and international environments in which they will be contributing (e.g. sociocultural, economic, natural)
Knowledgeable of the scholarship related to their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
Reading materials
Benjamin, W. (1999) Illuminations. New York: Pimlico Press.Murray, J. (1998) Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. London: MIT Press.
Manovitch, L. (2002) The Language of New Media. London: MIT Press.
Ndalianis, A. (2004) Neo-Baroque Aesthetics and Contemporary Entertainment. London: MIT Press.
Further required weekly reading will be provided on the Blackboard pages for the unit.
