You are reading the 2024/25 Academic Calendar. The 2023/24 version remains in effect until August 31, 2024 and is available here.

Media Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

MDST: Media Studies


  1. MDST 101 (3) Digital Media Theory

    Contemporary issues in media studies. Notions of copyright, intellectual property, and information privacy and globalization in relation to digital media, identity, and creativity. Analysis of the digital culture, professionalism and ethics. [2-2-0]

  2. MDST 110 (3) Introduction to Computational Art and Design I

    Code as material; design principles; mathematics for space and time; computer programming languages for computational art and design.

  3. MDST 120 (3) Introduction to Computational Art and Design II

    Coding as Practice; thinking through code; art and design principles for computational media; generative algorithms for media art and design.

    Prerequisite: One of MDST 110, COSC 123.

  4. MDST 210 (3) Creative Coding

    Theory and practice of encoding creative process and designing software for visualization, simulation, sonification, and generative systems. Techniques from artificial intelligence, machine learning, cognitive science, graphics and sound generation. Credit will be granted for only one of MDST 210 and MDST 320.

    Prerequisite: Either (a) VISA 108 and one of COSC 222, COSC 223; or (b) MDST 120.

  5. MDST 220 (3) Computational Creativity

    Key concepts and techniques in the domain of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning for creative media systems, cognitive science, machine analysis, classification, prediction, generative systems. Concepts are analyzed through the research and development of student led-creative projects.

    Prerequisite: MDST 210.

  6. MDST 310 (3) Mobile Application Design

    This course will provide students with a methodology for conceptualizing and producing branded interactive applications for mobile devices including (but not limited to) smart phones and tablets. [1-3-0]

    Prerequisite: VISA 268.

  7. MDST 311 (3) Computational Poetics

    The impact of computer technology and composition strategies on systems of representations and the question of meaning in the interdisciplinary field of computational art and design. Concepts are developed and applied through the creation of a computational multimedia model and the consequent artistic experience.

    Prerequisite: MDST 220.

  8. MDST 330 (3) Immersive Environments

    Explores immersive environments as a creative practice that blurs the line between and among both physical and virtual environments. Focus on interactive installation production, reflection on practice and critical discussion.

    Prerequisite: MDST 311.

  9. MDST 490 (3) Seminar Series

    Presents topics of relevance to media studies. Pass/Fail.

    Prerequisite: Fourth-year standing

    Corequisite: MDST 499.

  10. MDST 499 (9) Capstone Media Project

    Capstone project in teams.

    Prerequisite: 3 credits of 3rd-year MDST and 3 credits of 3rd-year DIHU.

    Corequisite: MDST 490.


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