This introductory class will acquaint the students with the computer, the digital video camera, video editing via Final cut Pro, video presentation via DVD Studio Pro, and basic interactivity via Flash as well as the processes of production, reproduction and presentation that help define and disseminate this media into culture. An overview of Video Art, from 1970s single-channel projects to current new-media oriented interactive and installation-based work, will support your further understanding of the history and potential of this medium. Discussions, screenings and readings will help establish a strong fine art platform for considering how you might progress and experiment in this area of art-making. While providing a basic familiarity with digital video, desktop video production and interactivity, this course will also develop a critical and interdisciplinary framework for evaluating digital work on aesthetic terms. Students will formulate objectives for their art projects through a careful consideration of the implications of video and interactivity for their own aesthetic interests.