Syllabus
Environmental Studies Capstone Seminar • Park Over Plastic
Clarisa Diaz • clarisa.diaz@nyu.edu • Spring 2020
Mondays • 5:00PM-7:30PM • Washington Square SILV 402 • 4 credit hrsOffice hours by appointment, always feel free to email me with questions or to set up a meeting.
Gitbook Repository: https://clarisadiaz.gitbook.io/park-over-plastic-capstone-seminar-nyu/
Course shared Google Drive folder, Park Over Plastic Capstone Seminar: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fNHWJn0fY5DGRYSUer-87Ys9Z586cMAY?usp=sharing
Welcome to the capstone seminar Park Over Plastic!
Park Over Plastic is an initiative of the Hudson River Park Trust among park staff, vendors and community members to reduce the plastic footprint and improve the health of the Hudson River. The primary way of doing this is through public education on the impacts of plastic in the Park’s Estuarine Sanctuary waters.
This project will assess the various ways plastic is contaminating Hudson River Park. From plastic bottles to microplastics, students will assist with data aggregation to understand where the park is being contaminated most, and with what types of plastic. Students will also do research into the policies around plastic production and distribution in New York City. In teams, students will then combine their research to develop materials for use in the park’s educational programming. These materials will be produced in the course of the project and take on media forms such as infographics/data visualizations, photography/video, or other visual means of communication for a public audience.
Intended Client
Hudson River Park Trust
Outcomes
Data analysis of plastic pollution in Hudson River Park
Presentation of analysis as a public resource
Communication and visual presentation skills, in addition to honing skills in data collection and
analysis
Contribution to a growing body of knowledge on plastic pollution, particularly on the local level
Class Activities
Skill building: Intro to graphic design, videography, photography, data visualization. This will be a combination of exercises in class and guest speakers who are highly skilled in these mediums.
Shore cleanup: Park staff will lead a shore cleanup with students for hands-on experience with data collection and plastic pollution in the park.
Presentations and Feedback sessions with the Hudson River Park Trust. The first will be during the mid-term and the second for the final results of the project.
Additional guest speakers from Riverkeeper may also provide additional information about pollution in NYC waterways.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course will be structured like a project based design studio, divided into the following phases:
Research (academic and in-practice)
Concept and development of media, based on iteration and prototyping
Final refinement of media and presentation
Critiques are the best way to articulate your ideas to others and get immediate feedback. The class analyzes and suggests ways to increase the impact of your project. Take notes when your work is being critiqued and do not edit the responses, whether you agree with them or not. Review your critique notes and reflect upon what was said. Ask yourself how you could combine, transform, or expand what you are doing to make your project better. However, resist the temptation to incorporate all suggestions and comments. Only utilize the ones that work for you and your project.
Rules of the Critique:
Be Present and Engaged
Give Feedback to your classmates
Do NOT take feedback personally.
There will be discrete team and individual exercises and projects that require you to apply the tools, techniques, and methods presented in the lectures, discussions, readings, and other material. These fundamentals are organized according to five phases:
Phase 1: Discovery / Inspiration
Research into plastic waste and Hudson River Park. A shore cleanup organized by the Hudson River Park Trust will provide hands-on experience with the park's plastic waste. Students will also work in groups directly with staff to learn about the park's organization and educational programming. (Keep in mind the park also offers internships after the Spring semester!)
Phase 2: Research / Ideation / Brainstorming
Asking and listening
Visual researching
Materials researching
User / audience researching and ethnographic researching
Systems researching
Activity researching
Primary researching
Scholarly researching
Data Analysis
Brainstorming, gamestorming, ideation
Phase 3: Design / Sketching / Mapping
Visualizing, drawing, sketching
Planning and mapping
Grouping, clustering, comparing, contrasting
Organizing and designing
Reorganizing and redesigning
Shaping and forming
Discerning and revealing
Connecting and disconnecting
Phase 4: Prototyping
Making, building, creating
Rapid prototyping
Iterating
Selecting and editing
Breaking then repeating all of the above
Phase 5: Positioning / Pitching
Framing and positioning
Storytelling, engaging, communicating, selling
Students will conduct self assessments as well as be evaluated by the professor during or after midterm and at the end of the semester. Any action without reflection is meaningless. Real learning only occurs as part of a reflective process. Reflection is studying your own practice as seriously as you study anything. It involves thinking about why, what, and how you create something.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Schedule your time (keep a calendar of some sort)
Come to class on time and participate (be present and engaged)
Study outside of class (ideally with classmate(s)
Devote at a minimum 4 to 8 hours per week outside of class, fulfilling homework assignments, reading, and studying concepts covered in class.
Complete all assignments by due dates
Acquire and read all assigned readings before they are due
Action – do your absolute best
Strive for continuous improvement
Talk to the professor in person about issues and problems. (if your email turns into a paragraph or two that means you should be talking to me)
Have desire amounting to enthusiasm (to learn, to explore)
Have patience, persistence, and discipline
Be creative
Pay attention to detail & craft
Have self-confidence and pride in your work
Take risks & be fearless in your projects
Have fun!
EVALUATION & GRADING
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of every class. Since there is so much technical, conceptual, science, and design information to absorb, regular attendance is essential.
Unexcused absences will affect your grade. Two absences are allowed; after that, your final, overall, numerical grade will drop by 5 percent (1/2 a grade point (e.g. A to an A-)) for each additional absence.
Be on Time. Tardiness will affect your grade. For every 15 minutes of tardiness, your final, numerical grade will drop by 0.625 percent
According to NYU policy, absences are only excused if the professor receives notification from the Office of Student Affairs. (I do not accept requests for excusing absences without approval from the university and am not obligated to respond to emails about personal matters.)
Attendance is mandatory for the midterm and final presentations / critiques, which will be held at the office of the Hudson River Park Trust. Because professionalism is so important when working with real-life clients, failure to attend these presentations will result in a 10% reduction of your overall grade for each instance.
Your final grade will be based on a synthesis of quantitative & qualitative rubrics:
Makeup assignments or extensions are only available when discussed with and approved by the instructor in advance of the due date, and have resulted from excused absences by the Office of Student Affairs.
Each student will be judged on the commitment, fearlessness, and continuous improvement that their work shows. Incomplete or unsatisfactory work will receive a failing grade.
Quantitative Grading Overview
5% Class Participation
5% Self Assessments (2.5% each)
Qualitative Grading Overview
A. Excellent (90-100: Work of exceptional quality; Exceeds Expectations)
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been of the highest level, showing sustained excellence in meeting course responsibilities. Work clearly differentiates itself from other work, has memorable impact, pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The student thoroughly understands the theory and practice behind ideation & prototyping.
B. Very Good / Good (80-89: Work of high quality)
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been good, though not of the highest level. Work demonstrates a better than average understanding of ideation & prototyping theory & practice.
C. Satisfactory (70-79: Average; Satisfies course requirements)
Performance and attendance of the student has been adequate, satisfactorily meeting the course requirements. Work is average and competent, showing a basic understanding of ideation & prototyping theory & practice.
D. Poor; Below Average (60-69: Deficient, but passing)
Performance and attendance of the student has been less than adequate. Work is lacking in many or most areas that show any understanding of ideation & prototyping. Problems may include lack of interest, procrastination, poor planning and poor craft.
F. Unacceptable (59 & Below: Failing Course Requirements)
Performance and attendance of the student has been such that course requirements have not been met. Work shows no overall understanding of the course material on many levels or either a severe lack of interest.
TECHNOLOGY USE IN THE CLASSROOM
Laptop computers and other mobile devices are invaluable tools when used responsibly. However, this technology can also be incredibly distracting, especially in the classroom. When in class, you may use your laptops and other devices for any activities pertaining to the course: taking notes, researching material relevant to our readings and discussions, doing VFS homework, making class presentations, etc. However, the following uses are unacceptable: checking email, instant messaging, texting, using social networking sites such as facebook, etc. Also, during class screenings, your laptops should not be used.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
All work for this class must be your own and specific to this semester. Any work recycled from other classes or from another, non-original source will be rejected with serious implications for the student. Plagiarism, knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own work in any academic exercise, is absolutely unacceptable. Any student who commits plagiarism must re-do the assignment for a grade no higher than a D. In fact, a D is the highest possible course grade for any student who commits plagiarism. Please use the MLA style for citing and documenting source material.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS
If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.
REQUIRED SUPPLIES
A Notebook or Sketchbook (Analog or Digital i.e. Evernote, Paper by FiftyThree, etc.)
Digital Camera (You can also use a smart phone.)
Digital Storage (Thumb Drives or External Hard Drive, Laptop, etc)
REQUIRED READINGS & MEDIA
The following list of required readings may be incomplete and is subject to change. Supplemental readings may also be recommended during the course. Please see the course website for updates. You may also find readings in the course Google Drive
Articles
Videos
Studies
See Appendix
PROJECTS & ASSIGNMENTS
All due dates can be found in the calendar. This is just an overview and description of all the projects for the course. Please name ALL files as firstnameinitiallastname_parkoverplastic_sp20_assignmentname (i.e. cdiaz_parkoverplastid_sp20_assignmentname.pdf)
Projects
Assignments
See Appendix
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