Syllabus

Radical Software
Spring 2026 / DIG 345
M/W/F 11:30am-12:20pm
Film, Media, and Digital Studies / Davidson College
Moodle / Slack / Github
Instructor: Owen Mundy
Office hours: M/W 12:30–1:30pm VAC 220; Zoom by appointment

owenmundy.com/dig345

Course Description

This course introduces students to advanced interface design and programming concepts for creating and deploying networked technology. In addition to the technology, the course materials and discussions explore the public and private, chaotic and boring, and political and commercial nature of software on the internet. Students will be challenged to conceptualize and execute culturally-relevant web applications using professional tools in order to comment on, critique, or celebrate online culture, and expand our understanding of the web and its possibilities. The tech and skills this course introduces allows for many potential final projects including games, data visualizations, desktop or mobile applications, full-stack web applications, among others.

Learning Objectives

Students who complete this course will be able to:

• Recall important social, cultural, and political challenges facing users, designers, and developers of software in its many forms.
• Produce idea-driven works of “cultural software” reflecting a high level of critical thought, research, and intentional decision-making.
• Display an advanced understanding of the components of client/server applications like frontend, backend, data store, APIs, etc.
• Design, execute and code responsive interfaces at a professional level using Figma/HTML/CSS/Javascript/Bootstrap/Git
• Plan, construct, and deploy a full stack web application including frontend and backend code, and a database or data source (APIs, JSON, MongoDB, MySQL), using Git and a cloud-based or standard web server.
• Demonstrate modern Javascript/ECMAScript programming concepts including async-await, promises, node, modules, strict mode, let/const, MVC, etc.
• Understand and implement advanced Javascript frameworks, libraries, and tools for creating web apps like NPM, Express, and React.js.

Prerequisite(s)

DIG 245 Critical Web Design or experience with Git, HTML, CSS, JS.

General Policies

Engagement

I place a high premium on participation. Your continual engagement with the readings, writing, and your peers is essential to the success of this course. I expect students to bring the day’s readings to class, well-marked up with notes and annotations, and participate in all discussions.

Attendance

Daily attendance (your’s and mine) is required. I understand that you may have to miss class, due to an illness, emergency, or situation out of your control. If this happens, it is your responsibility to make up the work listed in the schedule. Late arrivals or early departures from class are disruptive and should be avoided. Please look carefully at the syllabus during the first week of class and speak to me immediately if you know of any issues that will affect your attendance. Each class meeting you are given 10 points for attendance with the following adjustments:

• Pr (Present): 10 points
• Ex (Excused): 9 points (i.e. letter explains sports conflict, doctor’s note)
• L (Late or Leave Early): 8 points
• Ab (Absent - Advanced Notice): 5 points (excuse is weak or a pattern)
• NS (Absent - No Show): 0 points

If absences become a pattern (>3 unexcused) it will affect your grade negatively. Please also know that this class follows Davidson College’s Academic Regulations, which state that a “student who is absent from more than one-fourth of the course meetings scheduled by the instructor shall be assigned a grade of F.”

Late Work

Due dates are listed in Moodle. I always accept late work. Note that after one week, the maximum grade will be reduced to a “B” and a “C”, if received more than 2 weeks late. This deadline may be extended if there are excused absences.

Access Statement

The college welcomes requests for accommodations related to disability and will grant those that are determined to be reasonable and maintain the integrity of a program or curriculum. To make such a request or to begin a conversation about a possible request, please contact the Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources by emailing AADR@davidson.edu. It is best to submit accommodation requests within the drop/add period; however, requests can be made at any time in the semester. Please keep in mind that accommodations are not retroactive.

Mental Health Resources

If you are feeling stressed, worried, or down at any point during the semester or notice signs of emotional distress in someone else, you are encouraged to seek support. You can visit my office, or better yet, reach out to the following campus resources:

• Dean of Students Office 704-894-2225
• Counseling Center 704-894-2300
• Chaplains Office 704-894-2423
• Health Services 704-894-2300
• Academic Support Services 704-894-2294

If you need to talk to someone immediately between the hours of 5 pm and 8 am, call 704-894-2300 and choose option 2 for a free and confidential conversation with a trained counselor, available 24/7.

Academic Integrity

Students at Davidson College abide by an Honor Code. The principle of academic integrity is taken very seriously and violations are treated gravely. What does academic integrity mean in this course? Essentially this: when you are responsible for a task, you will perform that task. When you rely on someone else’s work in an aspect of the performance of that task, you will give full credit in the proper, accepted form.

”AI”

The material generated by these programs may be inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise problematic. They may also stifle your own independent thinking and creativity. Except in special cases, any submission found to contain AI content (especially generated graphics or text) will receive a grade of zero.

Unacceptable

• You may not submit writing (especially project statements, reading responses, and reflections) generated by an AI tool. These things should represent your voice and reflect your own thinking only.
• You may not submit visual content, like layout designs, logos,

Acceptable

• The subject of your research or creative activity involves an analysis or critique of AI/ML (see “criticism” in Fair Use).
• You may use code returned from Copilot, etc. provided 1) You cite its origin and the beginning and ending of the section you used with comments in the code (thus acknowledging you used someone else’s work); and 2) You type it by hand, which increases learning and decreases the possibility of errors from code solutions you don’t understand.

Other ideas? Talk to me. I am open to discussing additional potential uses that support learning. So far I feel, like others, that AI is not only not intelligent, but mainly just plagiarism masquerading as a “super-autocomplete.”

Inclusive Learning

I am committed to the principle of inclusive learning. This means that our classroom, our virtual spaces, our practices, and our interactions are as inclusive as possible. Mutual respect, civility, and the ability to listen and observe others carefully are crucial to inclusive learning.

Classroom Courtesy

While this course embraces the digital world it also recognizes that digital tools and environments complicate personal interactions. Studies have shown that students who use laptops in class often receive lower grades than those who don’t. Even more worrisome are studies that show laptop users distract students around them. I permit laptops and tablets in class, but only when used for classroom activities, such as note-taking or class readings. Occasionally I may ask students to turn off all digital devices.

Text messaging or other cell phone use is unacceptable. Any student whose phone rings during class or who texts in class will be responsible for kicking off the next class day’s discussion.

Zoom and Class Recordings

We may meet on Zoom sometimes. When we do, I’ll try to remember to record lectures. While FERPA allows faculty to use classroom video recordings with students for educational use, note that the recordings will only be available to students in the class through Moodle. If you do not consent to video or audio of yourself in the recording, please let me know.