🏔️ Schedule 🌴


↩️ Note: You can also access the schedule and assignments for each individual week in the corresponding Canvas Week Module, which some find more digestible. ↩️

Centering                                         Week 1: February 22


💻  In Class

Welcome! Introductions.
Notes on a Theme: Centering.
Course Overview.
In-Class Collective Writing: “Third Person” + “Ideal Book.” Collective Writing Day One, Google Doc-.
Class Logistics:   Sign up for Leading Reading discussions here. 
                                   Establish/review editorial and research systems and models for Thesis Compendium.
                                   Overview of Introductory Thesis Compendium assignment, Locating Territories.

🌀Compendium Instance: Seyong Ahn, MFA Thesis Handbook 🌀

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Introductory Exercise, Locating Territories [For Week Two in Canvas]; Readings.

🔱 Assignment 1: Locating Territories                                                                                                    ⏳ Due March 1
Please prepare a short list of 3–5 areas of interest, your “territories” to discuss next week in class. (Please see full description of assignment, which is also linked through here in Canvas).

📘 Readings                                                                                                                                      ⏳ Due March 1

Situating                                                 Week 2: March 1


💻  In Class

Group Work: Locating Territories presentations.
Practice: Active Listening exercise, in class, during presentations.
Notes on a Theme:  Situating.
Reading Discussion: Discussion of Le Guin (Leader: Kevin), Lupton, and Rock (Leader: Louis) readings.
Introducing: Thesis Show & Tell assignment.
             Set Groups for Show&Tell.
             Set groups for “Dialogues: A Collective Interview.”

🌀 Class Slides. Design Elevating Writing Example: Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage.

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Active Listening, Thesis Show-and-Tell, Readings.

🔱  Assignment 2: Active Listening                                                                                           ⏳ Due March 8.
Please write a short reflection on the comments you received from the Active Listening exercise (250–500 words). Please see Assignment.

🔱  Assignment 3: Thesis Show and Tell                                                                                          ⏳Ongoing.
Ongoing. Group explorations/critiques of past RISD GD MFA thesis books. Please see Assignment.

📘 Readings                                                                                                                                     ⏳Due March 15
References

Communication                                       Week 3: March 15


💻  In Class

Notes on a Theme: Lorem Ipsum: Concepts, Compression, The Matrix.
Reading Discussion: Ford, and Kitamura/Kunzru (Leader: Adam) Readings.
In-Class Writing Reflection: On This Day, Studio Work; Learnings and Expansion. Collective Document.
Group Discussion: Reflection on In Class Writing; Active Listening reflection.

🌀 Looked at in Class: N.H. Pritchard, The Matrix: Poems, 1960-1970; Elaine Lopez, Making Common (GD Thesis). 🌀

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Writing Prep-; Readings.

🖊️ Writing Prep-                                                                                                                              ⏳Due March 22
 For next Monday, please bring one work of yours produced in the last year (physical or digital) that  feels both resolved, yet still open, to you. A work that is alive enough that you might still not be done with it; a work that you would be excited to talk about.

📘Readings                                                                                                                                       ⏳Due March 22
  • Helen Johnson, “Groundwork,” Subtext: Artists and Writing, (Melbourne: Westspace, 2011), reprinted in Jennifer Liese (ed.), Social Medium: Artists Writings 2000–2015 (New York: Paper Monument, 2016). 📕[PDF in Canvas, or PDF in Are.na] 📕

Extra References


Characterization                                       Week 4: March 22


💻  In Class
Reading Discussion: Johnson, Rosen ( Leader: Ásta).  
In Class: Writing Workshop. “Looping Back: Retelling the Story of a Past Project.”
Formal Introduction to Thesis Compendium assignment.

🔱 Assignment: Thesis Compendium; Really Detailed Description of Compendium.
A semester-long compilation of inquiries, learnings, and operations.

📝 FOR NEXT CLASS: Thesis Show & Tell; Compendium Foundational Principles, Compendium Speculative Outline; Peer Review; Readings. NOTE: Week Five is after Spring Break, but much is to be managed before: group work on Thesis Show and Tell, peer review of principles and outline plan, reflection on feedback.

🔱 Compendium: “Foundational Principles” & Speculative Outline                       ⏳Sunday, March 28th
Draft of “Foundational Principles” and Speculative Outline. Please submit by Sunday evening for peer review over the next week.
Extensive feedback returned week of March 29th from: Peer Reviewer, NK, and RD.

🤝🤝Peer Review 🤝🤝 Your first task as peer reviewer is to read your peer’s Principles and Speculative Outline after the 28th, and before the 5th. Please provide constructive feedback to them, in the form of notes, comments, or conversation. Decide between you both how you would best like to record feedback in a way that can be legible.

Thesis Show & Tell: Group One. Cem Eskinazi, Playgrounds.                                                         ⏳Monday, April 5
Group One: Sabrina, Ásta, & Zoey 

📘 Readings                                                                                                                                      ⏳Monday, April 5


“Spring Break” 🤦🏾‍♀️                                               March 29-31

Note: Week Five is after Spring Break, but there’s OH SO plenty to be done in these two weeks in between: group work on Thesis Show and Tell, peer review of your paired person’s foundational principles and speculative outline, and reflection on your feedback, and readings!

Please organize time effectively and stay in communication with your group, if applicable, and your peer reviewer. As a class, we can all stay in touch over Slack and e-mail, share references. Office Hours continue this week. Arrange for 1:1s if needed.

Complexity                                                       Week 5: April 5


💻  In Class

Reading Discussions: Fusco, IAE (TBD) , and Steyerl (Leader: Nick) readings.
Review: Compendium drafts and outlines. 
Present: Thesis Show & Tell, Group One: Cem Eskinazi, Playgrounds.
Group One: Sabrina, Ásta, & Zoey

📝 FOR NEXT CLASS: Compendium Research Questions; Compendium Process Log; Projects; Readings; Our First  👾 GUEST: PREM KRISHNAMURTHY 👾  

🔱 Thesis Compendium: Research Questions                                                                      ⏳Monday, April 12th.
Prepare and bring 4-5 printed questions for in-class workshop on Monday, April 12th.

🔱 Thesis Compendium: Process Log; and, Projects Shortlist                                         ⏳Monday, April 12th.
Maintain ongoing references in visual form for your Compendium “Process Log.”

Please also make a shortlist of projects to feature in your “Projects” section (by setting them in page layouts, with project descriptions, even if rough). Bring progress to class, Monday, April 12th.

📘 Readings
  • James Bridle, “Complexity,” in New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future (London: Verso, 2018). 📘[Linked Here; Or in Canvas] 📘
  • Keller Easterling, “Introduction,” in Extrastatecraft: The Power of Infrastructure Space (London: Verso, 2014). 📘[Linked Here; Or in Canvas] 📘

👾 Reading References for Guest Visit #1 from Prem 👾: Finalized on 3.29!

👾 Pompeii!, 2021, PDF, 7.8mb, 108 pages
https://bit.ly/PompeiiPDF
Original context: pompeiicommitment.org/en 👾

👾 Structures (Describing a System in Real Time), 2020
Series of five YouTube lecture-performances and printed publication
http://bit.ly/StructuresPerformances 👾

👾 Commune, v.1.0.0, 2020
Prototype performance lecture, video, 50 mins
https://bit.ly/CommuneVideo1 👾

Customs                                                          Week 6: April 12


💻  In Class

Please Submit Compendium “Process Log” & “Projects” in Google Drive before Class Begins.
👾 👾 GUEST: Prem Krishnamurthy of Wkshps Wkshops, P!, Project Projects, most recently, Commune, Homecooking. 👾 👾
Workshop: Research Questions.
Reading Discussions: Bridle (Leader: Sabrina), Easterling (Leader: Zoey).
Review: 🔱 Compendium: Crucial Terms

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Thesis Show & Tell; Readings.

Thesis Show & Tell, Group Two: Mary Yang, Design Syncopations.                                             ⏳Monday, April 19th
Group Two:  Adam & Forough 
🔱 Thesis Compendium: Crucial Terms                                                                                     ⏳Monday, April 19th
Draft due before next class, Monday, April 19th, placed in Google Drive.

📘 Readings                                                                                                                                      ⏳Monday, April 19th

References


Criticism                                                        Week 7: April 19


💻  In Class

Reading Discussion: Fikra Graphic Design Biennial (Leader: Ilhee), Mould.
In-Class Workshop: Research Questions Workshop (Part 2).
Present: Thesis Show & Tell, Group 2: Mary Yang, Design Syncopations. Group Two:  Adam & Forough 
Compendium: “Crucial Terms,” Informal Review.

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Compendium: Projects; Compendium: Working Draft; Readings. 👾 GUEST: DAVID RUDNICK 👾

🔱 Thesis Compendium: Projects, Bibliography (Drafts)                                       ⏳Monday, Apr 26.

🔱🔱🔱 Thesis Compendium: Working Draft 🔱🔱🔱                                           ⏳Monday, Apr 26.
Please Bring to class: a working, collected draft of your Thesis Compendium so far (including “Foundational Principles,” “Research Questions,” “Crucial Terms,” “Process Log,” “Projects,” in progress, and “Bibliography,” in progress). This is for discussion in individual meetings with NK and in fellow student groups (ongoing).

📘Readings
👾 David Rudnick, Studio: https://davidrudnick.org/
👾 Newest Interview on Interdependence podcast with Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon
👾David Rudnick, Talk: Crisis of Graphic Practices: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ejp4AvetSA
accompanied by short interview, The Ultra-Reality of Graphic Design, at: https://strelkamag.com/en/article/david-rudnick
👾For origin stories, an older interview: https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/david-rudnick-presents-a-heavily-contextualised-aesthetic/


Circulation                                                    Week 8: April 26


💻  In Class  

👾👾GUEST: DAVID RUDNICK.👾👾
Reading Discussion: Lange (Leader: Katie).
Small Group and Individual/1:1 meetings on Thesis Compendium progress.

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Compendium: Critical Position; Thesis Show & Tell; Readings.

🔱 Thesis Compendium: Critical Position                                                                             ⏳Monday, May 3rd
Draft due for discussion in groups.

Thesis Show & Tell Group 3: Emily Guez, How to Do Things with Things.        ⏳Monday, May 3rd
Group 3 - Kevin & Katie

📘Readings                                                                                                                                    ⏳Monday, May 3rd

Progress                                                            Week 9: May 3


💻  In Class

Final Reading Discussion: Teju Cole (Leader: Forough) Reading.
Group Meetings: Thesis Compendium progress.
🔱 Discuss Thesis Compendium: “Critical Positions.”
Present: Thesis Show & Tell, Group 3: Emily Guez, How to Do Things with Things. Group 3 - Kevin & Katie

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK:  
   
Thesis Show & Tell Group 4: Jinhwa Oh, Reading Rooms.                                                              ⏳Monday, May 10th 
Group 4 - Louis, Ilhee, & Nick

Thesis Compendium: All-Class Internal Review                                                                       ⏳Monday, May 10th
All-Class Internal Review. These are Compendium in-class presentations of your compendium drafts. Plan on 7-10 minutes with time designated for feedback.

Preparation                                                     Week 10: May 10


💻  In Class

Present: Thesis Show & Tell Group 4: Jinhwa Oh, Reading Rooms.  
Group 4 - Louis, Ilhee, & Nick

All-Class Internal Review. These are Compendium in-class presentations of your drafts. Plan on 7-10 minutes with time designated for feedback. This is preparation for Week 11’s full group reviews on May 17th and May 18th: a trial run. 
Internal Review: discussions, fine-tuning, edits.
Preparation for Week 11 Full Group review, in which Sem2 and GS2 fuse. Determine 1/2s for review groups: who goes on Monday, who on Tuesday.

📝 FOR NEXT WEEK: Compendium Draft Shared in Full Group Review; Preparation of Narrative for Course Review.
-Consider and design your 'narrative' of the semester: how to describe and show your research, writing, and final outcome of Seminar 2 along with your Grad Studio 2 projects and process.
-Prepare for full group review; refine, iterate, refine, refine.  

Full Group Review                                Week 11: Mon., May 17
                                                                            & Tues., May 18

💻  In Class

Combined Grad Studio II and Grad Seminar II reviews during Seminar and Studio classes Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon. Both days with Nora Khan, Bethany Johns, Ryan Diaz, and Will Mianecki. Faculty Critics: Lucy and Paul (Monday); Ramon and Kelsey (Tuesday). Potential Guest Critic: Collectively Choose.


Proof                                                              Week 12: May 24


💻  In Class

Final Class. Individual/solitary work or group work, as preferred by each of you. 
Discuss next steps and maintaining momentum over the summer.
Review, edit Compendium, to completion, in 1:1s or small groups.

Compendium Submission: May 27 (Final Day of Semester)


Please turn in a digital copy of your final Thesis Compendium. Final submission of PDF (or chosen form, like website); in case of printed book, proof of printing/submission to printer.