In this course, we explore Western conventions of artistic autonomy through a historical, philosophical, and material engagement with automation. Automation is most commonly understood as a mechanisation of the process of making and we see it around us in the proliferation of algorithms and robotics. Automation is also a delegation to an external process, a way of "letting the world in," as Robert Morris wrote. But automation is accompanied by accidents and this course will review the history of the accident from ancient Greece into the present. By intervening in social, environmental and technological systems, probing contemporary forms of automation and accident, we will develop a deeper understanding of what autonomy means for artists now and how to engage systems without being instrumentalised by them.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. apply techniques of automation and discuss their use in contemporary arts practice;
2. make artworks that critically engage with the politics of technology and autonomy in contemporary art contexts;
3. conduct research into practices and discourses around automation and apply findings to studio-based research and creative production; and
4. analyse and substantiate artistic outcomes with research and rationale.

Additional Course Costs

Students may incur additional costs for art materials.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction. Autonomy / Heteronymy
2	Dreaming and the unconscious
3	Fake news and automatic writing
4	Deskilling and the future of work	Due: Assessment 1 (20%)
5	Delegation
6	Falling. Accident and Glitch.
7	Afrofuturism and rhythmic futures	Due: Assessment 2 (20%)
8	Acid communism
9	Empathy
10	Family and domesticity
11	Artificial life and new gods
12	Secession	Due: Assessment 3 (20%)
13	Class exhibition	Due: Assessment 4 (10%) Due: Assessment 5 (30%)

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Do something interesting with GPT-3	20 %	16/03/2022	23/03/2022	1,2,3,4
Not Working	20 %	20/04/2022	04/05/2022	1,2,3,4
Stranger Homes	20 %	25/05/2022	30/06/2022	1,2,3,4
Rework	10 %	08/06/2022	30/06/2022	2,3
Critical Reflection	30 %	08/06/2022	30/06/2022	1,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

For Assessment Tasks 1-3, the draft statement as well as the participation in the in-class discussion of the works may be considered in the "Engagement..." portion of the rubric.

Assessment Task 1

Do something interesting with GPT-3

Value: 100 points (20% of final mark)

Due date: 16 March 2022, 9am

Return date: 23 March 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

• Work to be presented in class. There are no requirements in terms of medium, material, or process.
• Print a one-page draft project statement

Use the GPT-3 language model (or something equivalent) as the basis of, a component of, or a jumping-off point for an artwork. Think about your own work and research interests, the materials you are comfortable with, the reading and viewing material in the first 3 weeks, and the ways text generation is normally used in order to develop a surprising and critically engaging work.

The one-page draft project statement is not assessed but it can be used as work towards Assessment 5. Statements should (a) describe the artwork they have made, (b) relate the form and/ or content of the artwork to the themes introduced in the class, with specific references, and (c) reference at least one artist (found in journals and books in the library or in online journals, gallery or arts institution websites) working in similar ways. Draft statements will help articulate the work's conceptual engagement with the course themes and they will receive light feedback, which can be applied to Assessment 5.

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Engagement with themes of “automation and autonomy” (LO: 1, 3, 4)	Sophisticated application of materials and processes that support, deepen, and critically reflect on the conceptual frame of the project	Relation of work to readings and class discussion is apparent in materials, processes, or conceptual framing	Work is superficially engaged with or lacks engagement with the readings and discussions
Experimentation (LO: 2, 3)	Explores unconventional uses of automation in a self-directed way (trying to answer a question through process of making)	Tries one or more unconventional uses of automation in a materially playful way	Lack of risk-taking in approach to automation, or the work in general
Execution (LO: 2)	Work is formally and technically resolved Material and formal choices critically engage with the conceptual frame.	Work is mostly resolved Material and formal choices are appropriate to the conceptual frame	Material and formal choices are unclear, more present in explanation than in the work itself Material and formal choices have little relation to the conceptual ideas.

Assessment Task 2

Not Working

Value: 100 points (20% of final mark)

Due date: 20 April 2022, 9am

Return date: 4 May 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

Work to be presented in class. There are no requirements in terms of medium, material, or process.

Print a one-page draft project statement

Rubric: Same as for Assessment Task 1

Develop an artwork in response to the reading, viewing, or listening material they encountered. The work doesn’t have to synthesize everything – it might use one single detail as a point of focus or as a jumping-off point – but it should act as an artistic and creative engagement with the material. Students should strive to think about their own artistic materials and methodologies and how they might be critically reconsidered in response to contemporary forms of automation and definitions or autonomy.

The one-page draft project statement is not assessed but it can be used as work towards Assessment 5. Statements should (a) describe the artwork they have made, (b) relate the form and/ or content of the artwork to the themes introduced in the class, with specific references, and (c) reference at least one artist (found in journals and books in the library or in online journals, gallery or arts institution websites) working in similar ways. Draft statements will help articulate the work's conceptual engagement with the course themes and they will receive light feedback, which can be applied to Assessment 5.

Assessment Task 3

Stranger Homes

Value: 100 points (20% of final mark)

Due date: 25 May 2022, 9am

Return date: 30 June 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

Work to be presented in class. There are no requirements in terms of medium, material, or process.

Print a one-page draft project statement

Rubric: Same as for Assessment Task 1

Develop an artwork in response to the reading, viewing, or listening material they encountered. The work doesn’t have to synthesize everything – it might use one single detail as a point of focus or as a jumping-off point – but it should act as an artistic and creative engagement with the material. Students should strive to think about their own artistic materials and methodologies and how they might be critically reconsidered in response to contemporary forms of automation and definitions or autonomy.

The one-page draft project statement is not assessed but it can be used as work towards Assessment 5. Statements should (a) describe the artwork they have made, (b) relate the form and/ or content of the artwork to the themes introduced in the class, with specific references, and (c) reference at least one artist (found in journals and books in the library or in online journals, gallery or arts institution websites) working in similar ways. Draft statements will help articulate the work's conceptual engagement with the course themes.

Assessment Task 4

Rework

Value: 100 points (10% of final mark)

Due date: 8 June 2022, 10am

Return date: 30 June 2022

Presentation requirements:

• Work to be installed in the Sculpture Workshop by 10am on 8 June 2022. There are no requirements in terms of medium, material, or process.

Select one (or a combination) of your earlier assignments and rework and/or resolve it such that it functions within an exhibition context.

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Functions as an artwork (LO: 2, 3)	Significantly reworks one project so it is well-resolved as work for public exhibition. Reworks multiple projects to function as a resolved, coherent group Takes leading role in exhibition planning and organising	Resolved work Has title, wall text (if required) Participates constructively in exhibition layout planning	Unfinished work, or prior problems inadequately reworked Lack of attention to "exhibition viewer" Lack of engagement in exhibition planning process

Assessment Task 5

Critical Reflection

Value: 100 points (30% of final mark)

Due date: 8 June 2022, 10am

Return date: 30 June 2022

Word Count: 1500 words

Presentation requirements:

• Upload to TurnItIn link on Wattle

You will identify and critically reflect on one significant theme, idea or concept from the course that you can address through your work during the Semester. Clearly state the concept and provide references from at least 3 sources to give sufficient background.

Using the draft statements from each of your first 3 assessment tasks, summarise your work through the semester, with at least 2 artistic references for each of your projects.

Finally, identify the project(s) that you will be reworking for Assessment 4, explaining what aspects of it you are changing, removing, developing, etc. and refer to specific comments or concepts from the class that led you to see this as a route towards improvement. Please enumerate three approaches that you considered (with one reference artwork per alternative approach) in the process of reworking.

Bring this all together by discussing how your work in the course and the reworking of a selected project contributes points to a new or continued direction for a future body of work.

Please refer to the referencing guidelines, and further information on how and why to cite sources, at https://www.anu.edu.au/students/academic-skills/academic-integrity/referencing/chicago-manual-of-style. Specific references to texts and artworks will likely result in higher assessment for research and execution.

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Describes first 3 projects (LO: 1, 3, 4)	Projects are not only described but brought into comparison with one another Insightful references to recommended reading Responds to feedback, showing development from earlier draft to this Assessment submission	First 3 projects are discussed Two references per project Each project description refers back to class readings, screenings, or discussions Description addresses themes of automation and autonomy	Not all of the first 3 projects are discussed Fewer than two references per project Project description(s) are only descriptive without referring back to specific, readings, screenings, discussions, or fellow student work
Describes 3 reworking alternatives considered (LO: 1, 3, 4)	The aspect of the project(s) to be reworked is connected to contemporary issues in the politics of technology Approaches are compared with each other in a critical, reflective way References to each approach are integrated into comparison	The aspect of the project(s) to be reworked is clear 3 well-defined approaches to the problem are described One reference per approach	The aspect of the project(s) to be reworked is unclear Fewer than 3 well-defined approaches to the problem are described, or the approaches are muddled No references for one or more of the approaches
Execution	Writing relates and compares projects to one another to find a line of continuity through semester's work	Writing is clear and correct, with consistent formatting referencing	Writing has noticeable unintended errors in grammar, formatting, and other conventions
Critical reflection (LO: 4)	Concept is not only clear but makes surprising and insightful connections to the class work Multiple sources from recommended reading are brought into generative relation with one another	Clearly identifies a theme for critical reflection 3 sources used	Theme for critical reflection is unclear, too broad, or vague Insufficient grounding in reference and reading material

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students