UARTS 150: Writing and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Design is a 4-credit hour writing and project-based course for first-year students who are residents of Living ArtsEngine (engineering students should enroll in ENGIN100.210).

In this course, instructors from five different disciplines will support your exploration of the creative process through a collaborative, semester-long project: a multimodal essay, in the form of a video game, that combines architecture, art & design, engineering, music and writing to make an argument. This project will lead you to explore fascinating processes and questions such as: how can writers, artists, architects, musicians and engineers work together to create interactive experiences? How do makers from all disciplines use research to inform creative work? How can interdisciplinary creative work convey arguments in fun, innovative and meaningful ways? Your work towards this final project will be supported by two additional essays, as well as creative exercises, tutorials, workshops, readings, discussions and research activities that will encourage you to hone existing skills and experiment with unfamiliar disciplines.

This course fulfills the First Year Writing requirement with an emphasis on argument-based writing in a number of modalities and the Engineering 100 requirement for students in the College of Engineering. First Year Writing Requirement courses prepare students for college-level writing across the disciplines. This Living Arts FYWR course emphasizes connections between writing and other forms of making. Like these other creative activities, writing is a process of inquiry; this class will encourage you to cultivate curiosity and ask good questions in order to make genuine discoveries in your written work.

Faculty

• • Jeremy Edwards, School of Music, Theatre & Dance – Lead Instructor
  • Jono Sturt, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning
  • Sally Clegg, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design
  • Austin Yarger, College of Engineering
  • Allie Tova-Hirsch, College of Literature Science and Arts – Lead Writing Instructor

UARTS FEAST projects invite students to engage with North Campus faculty around their research and creative production. Participants will:

• Gain research and creative skills, improve collaborative and team interactions, and engage with meaningful hands-on learning opportunities
• Be a contributing member of a dynamic and ongoing interdisciplinary student team
• Register for and receive curriculum credit every participating semester
• Be able to continue with the project or team over multiple semesters (with faculty permission)
• Develop relationships with faculty and students from outside their school and disciplinary major

Students on FEAST projects may register for UARTS 260, 360, 460, or 560 as appropriate for their enrollment needs and receive 2 credits (additional credit options with faculty approval) for their work.

• View currently active FEAST projects  (the following projects are currently recruiting rising juniors, seniors, and grad students to join in Fall 2023):
  • The Evidence of Things Unseen: The Sounds and Colors of DEI led by Larry Gant
  • Empathy in Point Clouds: Spatializing Design Ideas and Storytelling thru Immersive Technologies led by Dawn Gilpin
  • 22/26 Midwest: A New Approach to Net Zero Buildings in Michigan led by Lars Junghans
  • Shadow Catching led by Cynthia Pachikara
  • Accessing Korean Art Song led by Matthew Thompson
    
• Learn more about what to expect on a FEAST project team