Proposed Interdisciplinary Class at The Cooper Union — Seeking Sample Applications

We are a group of four students working with Professor Eric Lima at The Cooper Union to design a proposed interdisciplinary elective class. Our course aims to unite the three disciplines of The Cooper Union in an effort to bridge the gap that currently exists between the art, architecture, and engineering students. By working on a single project, our course is designed to increase communication between students both inside and outside of the classroom. The course content will change completely each semester depending on the proposed curriculum provided by a visiting professor, which is where you come in!

We are seeking proposals for our new, potential interdisciplinary class. This class will bring together art, architecture and engineering students at The Cooper Union to collaborate on a single project, that does not have to be directly related to any of the three disciplines. If interested, please fill out the application and submit to [email protected].
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Cooper Union Synthesis: Interdisciplinary Art, Architecture & Engineering StudyMOCK VISITING PROFESSOR POSITION APPLICATION 2017
Below, we have outlined the details for our proposed class, Cooper Union Synthesis, and some facts interested individuals should consider when applying.

The Cooper Union is a college offering majors in three disciplines: art, architecture and engineering in New York City.
The students of the three schools rarely, if ever, interact with one another outside of their own disciplines. They would like to interact through collaborative, interdisciplinary projects, but currently there is no opportunity for that at the school.
Similarities across all the disciplines include, but are not limited to: designing, creating and building. The goal of this class would be to harness those commonalities and to bridge the social gap through common interests.
Why are we doing this? Because all the schools show interest and will support this viable solution towards promoting integration.
What does Cooper offer? With the exhibition space of the Great Hall, there would be access to the space for a public exhibition of the semester work allowing for in person as well as online exposure.
Centered in New York City, this program would allow for access to resources and the global platform of the city.

Possible Projects

An example of a semester long class project may consist of creating interactive kinetic sculptures and employing Arduino technology. With a high volume of existing teaching material on the topic and a low startup cost, Arduino based projects would offer fun and straightforward applications to engineering, art and architecture students. Another class example would be a combination of learning about photography, optics, camera design, and spacial literacy.

Who can apply?

Applicants can apply as individuals or as a collaborative team. The Cooper Union will provide a workspace along with necessary equipment to support the course.
Applicant’s need not relocate to New York for the entire 15-weeks, but must be able to be on-site at least once every week for half a day and be available for video-conferences with the students other times during the week.

Application contents (Responses need not be lengthy):

Course syllabus (a rough course syllabus that outlines the plan for the 15 -week course).
Estimated budget for class materials.
If you have previous experience in interdisciplinary projects or teaching, please elaborate on two projects that may be applicable to your proposal.
Explanation as to why you decided to apply either as an individual or as a group.

An ideal course would allow students from each discipline to be pushed out of their comfort zones in an equal way. Preferred courses would engage all students equally without alienating those without an extensive background in a certain area.

Please submit your responses as soon as possible to [email protected].