548 - Thesis Prep

D R A F T
Some thoughts I may mention in the introduction to tonight’s session. Some from Matt Kahn of Stanford’s Design Program.
My thoughts - not approved or official in anyway.
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The Senior Thesis _ or Advanced Interactive Project _ offers the ability for our students to ‘flex their muscles on a meaty topic’. With this final work, students have an opportunity not only to create a portfolio project which demonstrates the student’s technical, creative and managerial skills in creating an interactive project _ but it also allows the student to provide a significant contribution to the body of existing interactive media works when their skills, interests, and ability to focus are unscathed.

Defining and committing to a project is a critical in terms of your relationship with the program, and the program’s significance in the long run. A strong project will act as a platform from which all the resources of USC and the Interactive Media program can be accessed to both challenge and teach.

The Program draws students from many varied areas. Interests are diverse: Film, Music, Engineering, etc. There is no single great project or area in which to work. This is intentional and is what occurs at the edges of a new medium. We have the history and culture of film and the film school from which to draw - but we are busy writing the history of interactive media. You would not have been accepted to this program if it was not felt that you had - or will grow to have - the maturity to deal with such ambiguity.

Taking on a thesis project requires courage. By the Third year you are ready to do something that until this moment has never been said or done before. Hopefully, by the time you reach this point in the semester, you will still fill with fantasy and play when thinking about your project _ but at the same time you will be anxious to buckle down and just get stuff done, as you are pushing yourself to produce at a level that was previously been just outside your grasp.

You will be struggling to turn away from being superficial or stuffy and turn toward being significant and alive.

Tonight, we have the opportunity to ‘drop in’ on the first senior class of our program. We can learn not only about what they are working on, but on the process that lead them to this place, and where they hope to go. It is important that the first and second year students are still exploring and thinking about a range of projects. That they are casting a wide net over all that the field of Interactive Media and resources that USC has to offer. This evening should hopefully help get you thinking along these lines.

In order to allow for this type of discourse, we have decided to give very short introductory presentations, followed by an extended hands-on demonstration and discussion session. You are encouraged to walk around and talk with each senior student during this period.

Note that the Third Year students are still recruiting crew members on their projects with a special slot for a first or second year ‘Mario’. This role helps the senior student know that he or she has someone who will be there when needed (like when the projector does not work during final presentations) while offering the first and second year student exposure to the senior student’s advice and process (like just ignoring anything Mark Bolas has to say). If you are interested in playing such a role, mention it as you walk around tonight.

And so, I would now like to introduce. . .