Critical and Creative Algorithms

3 units

Algorithms play an essential role in contemporary creative design. They are sketches using step-by-step logic. Algorithms are also complicated, invisible components of global information systems. They are devices of surveillance and control. This course combines a historical study of computation and systems design with programming workshops and contemporary readings from critical algorithm studies. Is a computer like a brain? How is programming like using a foreign language? Students will learn about the history of computer hardware and software, how they were used by artists and architects in the twentieth century, and how algorithmic sketches can be used today in various creative design workflows. From recipes and poetry to machine learning and large language models, students will study algorithmics from the perspectives of the humanities, sciences, and creative design. Final projects will combine creative form making with research and writing.