INFO 1100: Intro to Media Programming

Topic

In this course, you will learn how to program a computer by manipulating media: generating images, producing animations, manipulating text, and making media that respond interactively to user input. We will use Processing, an artist-designed programming language designed for visual and interactive applications, as a basis for creating and developing software 'sketches' that allow you to express yourself visually. In the process, you will learn basic programming skills, including understanding and controlling how data is represented in computers (data types and structures), telling the computer how to make decisions on the fly (conditionals) and how and when to repeat instructions (loops), structuring and organizing your computer code (functions and objects), and techniques for debugging your code.

This course is designed particularly for students with background in arts, humanities, and social sciences who are interested in better understanding how computers work and in learning to create their own digital media, though students of all backgrounds are welcome. The course assumes basic high school math and no technical background.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Program in an object-oriented paradigm using data structures, functions, conditionals, and loops
• Manipulate and generate media in image and text formats, in memory, in files and over networks
• Generate time-based and interactive media
• Imagine, design, and debug novel, creative programs
• Use APIs and libraries as resources in developing programs

Prerequisites

This course is designed for students with no technical background; students who have already completed CS 1110 or have similar programming background may take the course by permission of the instructor only.

For further information

If you have questions, please contact the instructor, Prof. Phoebe Sengers, at sengers @ cs.cornell.edu.

You can download the full syllabus with all information from this website in print-friendly format.