| Instructors: | Dan Frost | frost@uci.edu | office hours Tuesdays 10:00-10:50 (Donald Bren Hall 5058) |
| Peter Krapp | krapp@uci.edu | office hours Wednesdays 11:00-12:00 (Location HIB 212) | |
| Bill Tomlinson | wmt@uci.edu | office hours Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00 (Donald Bren Hall 5068) | |
| TAs: | Garnet Hertz | ghertz@uci.edu | office hours Wednesdays, 8:00-9:00 (DBH 1420) |
| Josef Nguyen | josefn@uci.edu | office hours Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30 (ICS-1 3rd floor lab) | |
| Lectures: | T Th 11:00-12:20 | PSCB 120 | |
| Labs & Discussions: | M, W 9:00-9:50 | ICS 192 & DBH 1420 | |
| M, W 10:00-10:50 | ICS 192 & DBH 1420 | ||
| M, W 11:00-11:50 | ICS 192 & DBH 1420 | ||
| M, W 12:00-12:50 | ICS 192 & DBH 1420 |
FIP sequences engage students on an important topic or set of problems from the perspective of three different disciplines. Designed for and limited to a maximum enrollment of 80 freshmen, the sequences are taught by three faculty, from three departments and at least two schools with two graduate teaching assistants. Writing provides the thread that enables students to connect the various perspectives. Students who participate in all three quarters of a FIP sequence will:
US 12B is part of UCI's First-Year Integrated Program. Throughout the year we will be investigating computer games as artistic, cultural, and technological phenomena. At the conclusion of US 12ABC, you will be able to:
An important theme of this course is collaboration. All but the simplest computer games are created by more than one person. We want to promote a collaborative spirit throughout the course, while being aware of the need for each student to master the material individually and to receive a grade based on his or her own performance.
Subject to change:
| Wk | Date | Topic | Who | Readings | Notes and Assignments |
| 1 | 1/5 | Lab 1: Ucigame | Hertz | Lab 1 | |
| 1/6 | Introduction to Java Programming | Tomlinson | |||
| 1/7 | Discussion | Nguyen | Discovery task at http://libguides.lib.uci.edu/content.php?pid=22118&sid=158097, due Wednesday, Jan. 14. | ||
| 1/8 | Introduction to Ucigame / Software Engineering | Frost | |||
| 2 | 1/12 | Lab 2: Ucigame | Hertz | Lab 2 | |
| 1/13 | Games for Education | Tomlinson | Klopfer, E. and S. Yoon. 2005. Developing Games and Simulations for Today and Tomorrow's Tech Savvy Youth. Tech Trends. 49(3) 33-41. | Select any one of the "bridges" described in the article and explain in a few sentences how that bridge supports social constructivism (as defined in the first paragraph). Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 1/14 | Discussion | Nguyen |
Discovery task due.
Paper #2 assigned. |
||
| 1/15 | Game Mods | Krapp | Hector Postigo, Of Mods and Modders: Chasing Down the Value of Fan-Based Digital Game Modifications, Games and Culture 2007; 2; 300 | According to the article, what motivates modders? Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 3 | 1/19 | Martin Luther King, Jr., Day | |||
| 1/20 | Guest Lecture | Walt Scacchi | |||
| 1/21 | Discussion | Nguyen | |||
| 1/22 | Human Computer Interaction | Frost | Alexander Seropian, Postmortem: Wideload Games' Stubbs the Zombie | The author says he was asked, "How goes the experiment?" What was the experiment, and do you think it was successful? Post your answer to the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 4 | 1/26 | Lab 3: Ucigame | Hertz | Lab 3 | |
| 1/27 | Animation | Tomlinson | Overheads | ||
| 1/28 | Discussion | Nguyen | Paper #2 first draft due. | ||
| 1/29 | Quality Assurance | Frost | Color notes Insert Coin gamertesterground.com |
||
| 5 | 2/2 | Lab 4: Ucigame | Hertz | Lab 4 | |
| 2/3 | Fun, Play, and Games | Nguyen | Noah Falstein, Natural Funativity (three web pages) | Identify an activity (either computer-based or not) that provides blended fun, as that term is used in the article. Briefly describe how the activity provides the fun, as Falstein does for baseball and EverQuest. Choose an activity or game not discussed by Falstein. Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 2/4 | Discussion | Nguyen | |||
| 2/5 | Midterm | ||||
| 6 | 2/9 | Lab 5: Ucigame | Hertz | Lab 5
Ucigame Game Project |
|
| 2/10 | Guest Lecture | Nideffer | |||
| 2/11 | Discussion | Nguyen | Paper #2 second draft due. | ||
| 2/12 | Art Games | Krapp | Ernest W. Adams,
Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art Form?
(Game Developer's Conference 2001)
& Henry Jenkins, An Art Form for the Digital Age, Technology Review (Sept.-Oct. 2000) |
Last name begins with A-L: In a few sentences, summarize how Adams answers the question in his title;
post your response to the Message Board on
the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am.
Last name begins with M-Z: What role does Jenkins think game criticism should play? Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. |
|
| 7 | 2/16 | Presidents Day | |||
| 2/17 | Game Design Workshop: Modes of Gameplay and Issues in the Real World | Hertz | Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Perverting Technological Correctness | What is "technological correctness" and why should it be perverted? Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 2/18 | Discussion | Nguyen | Paper #2 second draft returned with comments. | ||
| 2/19 | Violence | Krapp | Henry Jenkins, Fans, Bloggers and Gamers, New York University Press
& H.R. 5912, 109th U.S. Congress |
List 2-3 reasons a game ought to be rated, or labelled. Also, list 2-3 reasons why a rating system or index is difficult to implement. Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 8 | 2/23 | Lab 6: Game Development | Hertz | Lab 6
Ucigame Game Project |
|
| 2/24 | Music and Sound | Dobrian | |||
| 2/25 | Discussion | Nguyen | Paper #2 final version due. | ||
| 2/26 | Military and Games | Krapp | Prensky, True Believers: Digital Game-Based Learning in the Military | List 2 or 3 limitations or inherent flaws in the learning systems described by Prensky.. Post your response to the Message Board on the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 9 | 3/2 | Lab 7: Game Development | Hertz | Ucigame Game Project | |
| 3/3 | Cinematography | Tomlinson | Brad Kane, Book Review: Real-Time Cinematography for Games Gamasutra, August 4, 2005. | ||
| 3/4 | Discussion | Nguyen | |||
| 3/5 | Net History | Krapp | Morningstar and Farmer,
The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat Dibbell, A Marketable Wonder: Spelunking the American Imagination |
Both papers describe the creation of complex virtual worlds. What is the most important way in which the worlds in the two papers are similar (other than "complex" or "virtual")? What is the most important way in which the worlds are different? Post your response to the US 12B MessageBoard before 11:00 am. | |
| 10 | 3/9 | Lab 8: Game Development | Hertz | Ucigame Game Project | |
| 3/10 | Game Project Demos | ||||
| 3/11 | Discussion | Nguyen | |||
| 3/12 | Game Project Demos | ||||
| F | 3/17 | FINAL EXAM, 10:30-12:30, PSCB 120 | |||
The grade for the quarter will be determined based on your total points. Points are allotted as follows:
| Paper #2 | 25 |
| Exams Midterm 10 Final 15 | 25 |
| Game | 25 |
| Participation Labs 10 Discussions 10 MessageBoard Postings 5 | 25 |
| TOTAL | 100 |
The grade will be based on the total points, using a standard "straight" scale: 90's are As, 80's are Bs, 70s are Cs, 60s are Ds, and below 60 is Failing. We reserve the right to change the precise cut-off points.
Except for the Participation components, scores are based on the quality of the work turned in, not on the time spent or the effort expended. Also, note that there is no "extra credit" in US 12B.
For the writing portion of the class, you should have two books which are also assigned in Writing 39B:
UCI offers several kinds of assistance to writers. The website of the UCI Campus Writing Coordinator at http://www.writing.uci.edu/ has a great deal of information. We particularly recommend the Writing and Library Research Peer Tutors and the Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC).
We are not assigning a specific textbook on Java programming, but you may find it helpful to have one. All books seem to cover much more of the language than you'll need for this class, so we recommend looking over a few in the bookstore and choosing the one that seems the clearest to you. There are also some valuable on-line resources for Java (however, most of these do assume you have a programming background):
Do not claim as your own the words or ideas of others. When you collaborate with or are helped by a classmate, give credit. When in doubt, talk with a TA or professor before turning in your work. A single act of cheating or academic dishonesty can seriously mar your career at UCI. Familiarize yourself with the UCI Policy on Academic Honesty, particularly Section C, "What is Academic Dishonesty?" and Section D "Procedures for Dealing with Incidents of Academic Dishonesty."
Students may add or drop US 12B up to the end of the second week of classes (Jan. 18), with the instructor's signature on an "Add" card. Students may add only if they are caught up on all readings and assignments. Students may drop after the second week only in exceptional circumstances.
Check your UCInetID email frequently; we will occasionally need to get in touch with you by email. Please feel free to send email to the course staff: use your UCInetID account, put US 12 in the subject line, and include your name in the message body. This web page syllabus will be updated over the course of the quarter, so please look at it regularly.
Even though you are young and reasonably healthy, as a user of computers you are at risk for several computer-related health problems, particularly RSI (repetitive-strain injury). Please read and follow the good advice at the Bren School's Computer Health and Safety web page.
Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Prof. Frost privately to discuss his or her specific needs. Also contact the Disability Services Center at (949) 824-7494 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
The ten week quarter will pass very quickly, and it is essential that all work be turned in on time so you can move on to the next assignment. If possible, contact your TA as soon as you realize an assignment will be late. In general, the policy is a 10% penalty for work up to 24 hours late, 20% penalty for work 25 to 48 hours late, and later work is not accepted without approval from a professor.
Not during class, please.
In lectures and discussions, you may use a notebook computer to take notes, but you must first disable your wireless connection to the Internet. Playing of games is, alas, strictly forbidden. Turn off cell phones during class.
If you think your work has not been correctly or fairly scored, talk with your TA. If you are still not satisfied, talk with Prof. Frost. All score disputes must be brought up within one week after the work is returned. If you have a concern pertaining to your final exam score or your grade, contact Prof. Frost before the end of the first week of the Spring quarter.