resources /Program Description

Brief Program Description

Digital technologies are revolutionizing contemporary art and society, rapidly transforming the way traditional arts are practiced and creating unlimited possibilities for new forms of expression. By merging arts and communication in ways unimaginable just a decade ago, digital media enable us to transcend cultural boundaries and open new channels of artistic communication throughout the world.

UCSC's Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) program was established in 2004 to address the increasingly central role of digital technology in the arts and to examine the impact of digital arts on culture. The program is at the forefront of a new discipline that merges the creative and academic potential of digital media. DANM brings together students and faculty from across the academic spectrum to collaborate on artistic practice and scholarly research. At the core of DANM are partnerships between artists, scholars, and engineers, working together to redefine art practice and the role of art in society by exploiting the potential of 21st-century technologies.

The program is organized into four interdependent and equally important pursuits:

New Praxis – The term “Praxis” has many meanings, which include “translating ideas into action” and “action and reflection upon the world in order to change it”. New Praxis in DANM is comprised of courses in “critique” and “practicum” which provide students with both the practical training and critical dialogue necessary to pursue their own individual goals as artists and cultural practitioners.

Studies – DANM “Studies” include required core seminars that allow students first, to explore an array of recent methods and approaches in Digital Arts and Culture, and then to pursue the construction of specific genealogies and theories by engaging in various dialogues at the intersection of theory and practice , while developing their thesis project and paper.

Collaborative Research – Students and Faculty engage in research collaborations resulting in publications and exhibitions in one of four possible focused research areas – Participatory Culture, Performative Technologies, Mechatronics and Playable Media described below. Prospective students are asked to identify their preference in their application and statement of purpose.

Complete program description

The complete program description and requirements can be found here.

Program Planner

Here is a copy of the Program Planner.