Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course,

  • students have gained an in-depth understanding of a yearly focus topic from the field of art & science & technology.
  • students are able to reflect and contextualize their own practice and interests in relation to a yearly focus topic.
  • students have gained understanding of a relevance of transdisciplinary work and how art / artists can relate to scientific challenges, topics and issues.

Credits: 3

Schedule: 27.02.2024 - 09.04.2024

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Laura Beloff, Helena Sederholm

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

Laura Beloff and Helena Sederholm


CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: Finnish, Swedish, English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    The course is an in-depth lecture-series that is focused on topical issues and research that is relevant for the field crossing over art, science and technology. There will be a yearly changing focus/topic. The lectures within the course introduce topics from the sciences, interests of practitioners in art & science and art & technology – as well as conceptual, philosophical, societal and theoretical concerns related to these areas. The lecturers include external visitors and Aalto-based expert

  • applies in this implementation

    The focused topic of this course changes every year; this spring 2024 the topic will be

    MONSTERS

    The concept and the figure of a monster have preoccupied mankind from the earliest times. Monsters embody our anxieties, fears and fragilities as they often oppose the rational thought. As long as there have been monsters, there have been attempts to make sense of them, to explain where they come from and what they mean. Whether in the popular cultural or medieval mythology, in the tales of explorers from distant places, in the historical freak shows, in natural history museum collections, in biotechnology creations of today - they are visible in literature, film, visual art, historical archives, and human culture at large. Monsters are part of our everyday life and imagination. It has been claimed that monsters show us about what it means to be human. A monster is a point, in which our fears and fascination collapse. We all have our own monsters.
    In this lecture-course we investigate monsters and the monstrous: What do we mean when we talk about 'monsters’? Are monsters always defined in relation to what is considered ’normal’. How do we define monsters, chimeras, hybrids?
    This lecture series is investigating monsters and monstrous in theory, culture, and art & science field

    27.2. 
    17:15 -18  Laura's lecture Part 1 Title: Introduction to the Art & Science course and this spring’s topic: MONSTERS
    18 -18:20 General information on the course
    20min break
    18:40-20  Marco Donnarumma lecture https://marcodonnarumma.com/

    5.3. 
    18:15-18:30 break
    18:30 - 20 Laura's lecture Part 2 - Freaks and mutants
    30min art/anthropology film - Juan Downey 1979 Laughing Alligator....

    12.3. 
    Tellervo Kalleinen (disaster movie-endings / participatory art) http://tellervo.net/
    18:30-20 Film The Freaks 1932 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022913/


    19.3. 
    17:15 - 18:10 Marion Laval-Jeantet from Art Orienté Objet - artist presentation

    https://artorienteobjet.wordpress.com/   ;  https://clotmag.com/biomedia/art-oriente-objet

    Documentary film on crispr - Human Nature


    26.3. 
    17:15 - 18:10 Morten Soendergaard on parasites - theoretical and philosophical perspective
    18:20 - 20:00  Bestiary presentations by students

    2.4. spring break

    9.4. 
    The evaluation day for the Aalto students; individually




    Please join us in the exciting investigation about monsters!!

    I feel the need to note you about a content warning / sisältövaroitus SV.

    There will be diverse monsters presented in this course, not everything fictional but real-life as well - of course, within the arts, sciences and written texts. The content and discussion in this course will engage with MONSTERS; how we define them, how we use them in comparison to normativity (‘normal’). Some of the materials can be emotionally and intellectually challenging. I will flag especially images that represent various categories of monsters (human, animal, plant), as well as well-known practices in history of science and today.

    I have no control over visiting lecturers’ presentations – but many of them work in the arts and will mainly discuss their own work.

    I wish that I -and we all together- can do our best to make this classroom a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with potentially sometimes challenging content.






Assessment Methods and Criteria
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    The evaluation is based on the participation, activity and oral examination, in which the students reflect their own practice, interests and research in relation to the topic, speakers perspectives and readings.

    Minimum 80% attendance.

    See MyCourses for more detailed information on evaluations methods and criteria.

  • applies in this implementation

    Master students: 1.A) Oral presentation, in which you create a connection from monsters to your own interests and existing work - including references for the 1-2 visiting lecturers’ talks and 2-3 of the defined course readings.  
    1.B) A contemporary Bestiary made during the course (Bestiary definition discussed in the class) - it will be presented in the class; DATE tba

    Doctoral students: 2.A) 2-4 page essay that addresses an aspect of monsters/monster theory in relation to your own research - including proper references from the course readings or other relevant monster literature, and relating (art)projects by other artists/scientists that create a context for your focus topic.
    2.B) A contemporary Bestiary made during the course (Bestiary definition discussed in the class) - it will be presented in a class; DATE tba.


Workload
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    3 ECTS ≈ 81h

    Contact teaching 18h / Other 63h

    The course consists of lectures, provided readings and discussions. 

DETAILS

Study Material
  • applies in this implementation

    Readings will be uploaded to MyCourses

Substitutes for Courses
Prerequisites

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Teaching Language : English

    Teaching Period : 2022-2023 Spring IV
    2023-2024 Spring IV

    Enrollment :

    Students of ViCCA major and Critical Pedagogies & Mediations of Art minor and Contemporary Art Practices/Theories have priority.

    Minimum amount of participants: 8
    Maximum amount of participants varies according to the implementation of the course.

    Registration for Courses: Sisu.

    Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture:
    https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-at-aalto-arts

  • applies in this implementation

    This is a lecture course - it includes weekly lectures on the topic. We will also have discussions and watch some films. 'Monsters' it will be...

Details on the schedule
  • applies in this implementation

    The course is on Tuesday evenings 3h from 17:15-20pm. The plan is to have first a lecture + discussion, then a short break and we will watch a film in the latter part of the session.