ICAM Major

The Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts program in the Music and Visual Arts Departments draws upon, and aims to bring together, ideas and paradigms from computer science, art and cultural theory. It takes for granted that the computer has become a meta-medium and that artists and musicians working with computers are expected to combine different media forms in their works. This makes the program unique among other currently existing computer art or design programs.

The program also recognizes that creating sophisticated artistic works with computers requires a new model of the creative process, one that combines traditional artistic procedures with the experimental research characteristic of the sciences.

The goals of the program are:

• to prepare the next generation of artists who will be functioning in a computer-mediated culture
• to give students necessary technical, theoretical and historical backgrounds so they can contribute to the development of new aesthetics for computer media
• to prepare students to mediate between the worlds of computer science and technology, the arts, and the culture at large by being equally proficient with computing and cultural concepts
• to give students sufficient understanding of the trajectories of development in computing so they can anticipate and work with the emerging trends, rather than being locked in particular software currently available on the market.

Majors entering as Freshmen

All courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade, and only grades of C- or better will be accepted in the major.

Lower Division Requirements (eight courses required)

Students should  complete the following lower-division courses within six quarters (by the end of their sophomore year):

* VIS 2 (Introduction to Art-Making: Motion and Time Based Art) or VIS 3 (Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices) can be substituted for VIS 1

** MATH 10A, 10B, and 10C (Calculus) can be substituted for MATH 20A and 20B

*** CSE 11 is an accelerated course in the JAVA programming language. CSE 8A, CSE 8AL, and 8B, which cover the same material in a non-accelerated format, may be substituted.

Upper-Division Requirements (twelve courses required)

Recommendations for Transfer Students

Transfer students should attempt to complete the following lower division courses before transferring to UCSD: CSE 11 (or CSE 8A/8AL/8B), MATH 20A-B (or Math 10A-B-C), and MUSIC 4.  Go to http://www.assist.org “ASSIST is an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another. ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California’s public colleges and universities and provides the most accurate and up-to-date information about student transfer in California.”

Students should also be able to find courses equivalent to MUSIC 1A, 6, and 14 at some colleges. While some of these may be listed on ASSIST, transfers should be prepared to provide course descriptions, syllabi, and/or other materials that may be required to determine the content of the courses taken at other institutions.

Transfers entering with 36 or more quarter units by their third quarter of study at UCSD should complete their remaining lower division courses for the major by the end of the third quarter.

Policies Related to the ICAM Major

Satisfactory Progress
Any ICAM major whose GPA in courses required for the major drops below 2.0 will be placed on probationary status the following quarter. If, during that probationary quarter, the GPA does not move up to 2.0 or better, he or she will be dropped from the major.

Prerequisites
Students are required to complete all prerequisites prior to enrolling in any course required for the major. Exceptions must be negotiated with the instructor of the course in question, in consultation with the Department’s undergraduate advisor.

Faculty