Communication Design Theory

May 16 – May 23
It’s hard to believe that we are already here: the final week of the semester!

I hope everyone enjoyed last week’s presentations. It was great to see so many interesting topics. We have another exciting mix for this week as well.

Please also be sure to watch and comment on every presentation from last week and this week. Remember that your engagement with others’ presentations is part of your score for this project – you will be penalized for missing comments.

With that in mind, here are the tasks for this week:

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the presentations listed below.
2. Comment on each presentation

This week’s presentations are from:

Chaochao, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Gloria, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Guen, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Simon, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Shayne, whose presentation can be found HERE.

And there is one last very quick discussion post from me, which can be found HERE.

Once you’ve finished viewing and commenting on these presentations, you should be all set for the semester. If you have any last minute questions or concerns please just let me know.

May 9 – May 15
First, thank you to everyone who made time to meet last week. It was great speaking with (most) everyone. I hope our conversations were helpful for completing your final presentations. If you were not able to schedule that meeting, or if you have any additional questions regarding your final, please email me!

The checklist for this week is in a slightly different order, with the assignment before the asynchronous class materials. This has been done to emphasize the importance of completing and recording your presentation by the end of this week, on the 9th. In addition, the class materials – aka your presentations will be trickling in throughout the week. I’ll be updating the checklist accordingly. Please keep an eye out, and check back to see all of this week’s presentations.

Homework / Assignment
1. Record your Final Presentation! Please follow these Guidelines.

Asynchronous Class Materials
2. Watch the Presentations listed below.
3. Comment on the Posts containing each presentation.

This weeks presentations are from:

Sadman, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Iqra, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Faye, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Yiqiang, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Maria, whose presentation can be found HERE.

Angela, whose presentation can be found HERE.

…and Andrew, whose presentation can be found HERE.

We now have a really nice first round of presentations. Looking forward to seeing the second round posted very soon!

May 2 – May 8
Welcome to Week 13. In addition to the few tasks listed below you should be completing your research and preparation for your final presentation. As mentioned last week, I would also like to schedule individual meetings with everyone. We’ll discuss work-in-progress for presentation, and we will also talk about when you should upload your final recording.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the Presentation for Week 13: Design Futures
2. Comment on that Discussion Post according to the guidelines therein.
3. Complete this Meeting Schedule Survey.
4. Look out for a confirmation email from me with your meeting time.
5. Join the Zoom Meeting Room at your scheduled time.

Assignment / Homework
6. Finish your Final Presentation!
7. Post your presentation and bibliography according to these Guidelines

As always, please let me know if you have any immediate questions regarding the tasks or expectations for this week.

April 25 – May 1
Welcome to Week 12. We’re now in the final stretch of the semester. You’ll see that there is a follow-up discussion, and one more set of readings, but we’ll continue to turn more attention toward our final presentations.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the Presentation for Week 12: Underground/Mainstream
2. Feel free to comment if you have any unanswered questions regarding the reading or the presentation
3. Create a new Discussion Post, following these Guidelines
4. Leave comments on at least 3 of your peers’ posts

Assignment / Homework
5. Read two of the selections from this week’s Reading Assignment
6. Review the Guidelines for this Weeks Response Assignment, then create a new post containing your sketches and bibliography

As mentioned in the presentation, I hope to touch base with everyone next week. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me, especially if you have any questions or concerns regarding your final presentation.

April 11-14
Welcome to Week 11! According to the college calendar this is a very short week, ending on Thursday. However, you will have until the start of next week (April 24) to complete your tasks, which means you really have two weeks. I would recommend getting started sooner than later, especially when it comes to the asynchronous class materials – then you can begin really thinking about your final.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the first half of the Presentation for Week 11: Modernism and Postmodernism
2. Leave comments if you have any questions regarding the content covered or the readings in question
3. Watch the second half of the Presentation for Week 11: Sample Finals
4. Leave comments, or email me, with any questions you may have
5. Create a new Discussion Post, following these Guidelines, in which you describe ideas for your Final.

Assignment / Homework
6. Read the PDF attached in this week’s Assignment
7. Respond with a new Post, following the instructions in that Assignment. As noted you should be thinking about your idea for the Final, and you must include citations

As always, please let me know if you have any questions regarding any of the tasks for this week. I know that finals are looming on the horizon, but I hope you’re able to find some time to relax and enjoy your Spring Break!

April 4 – 10
Welcome to Week 10. It will be a fairly busy week, with your second papers due at the end of it. There’s a little more video content than usual – which should help to prepare you for that paper. Because of that, your required contributions to the asynchronous discussion will be minimal.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the first half of the Presentation for Week 10: Rhetoric of the Image
2. Leave comments with any lingering questions you may have, or email me if you still feel completely lost.
3. Watch the second half of the Presentation for Week 10: Sample Topics
4. Again, Comment if you have any immediate questions, or please email me if you have any concerns or uncertainties regarding the ad that you would like to write about.

Assignment / Homework
5. Compose your second paper, following the guidelines in this Assignment
6. Create a new Post including an image of the Ad you choose, and the PDF of your paper.
7. Complete the readings listed in this Assignment

Yes, there are still readings for next week! (We’ll need to have something to discuss next week.) You should complete them after the paper. You do not need to post a response to these readings.

March 28 – April 3
Welcome to the checklist for Week 9. The materials for this week expand on some of the questions from last week’s reading involving the media, ideology, and racism. I know that these can be complex and sensitive issues. I’m very much looking forward to the thoughts and comments that everyone will contribute, and hope everyone feels comfortable expressing your opinions in an open and candid manner.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the presentation for Week 9: Representation in Advertising
2. Add any thoughts, comments, and ideas that you would like to offer in response to the materials covered in that presentation
3. Review your peers’ Response Posts from last week, then create a new Discussion Post according to these Guidelines
4. Comment on at least 2 of your peers Discussion Posts for this week

Assignment / Homework
5. Read the PDF attached in this week’s Assignment
6. Respond with your notes and questions in a new Post, following the instructions in that Assignment
7. Pay attention to the advertisements that you encounter throughout the week, keeping in mind that your second paper will analyze an ad using the methodology from this week’s reading.

Please also keep an eye out for an update regarding Final Presentations. I’ll be sharing some examples in the next few days.

March 21 – 27
This is the checklist for Week 8. Now that we are officially halfway through, we’ll start turning our attention to the work that will be due at the end of the semester.

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the presentation for Week 8: Media as Message
2. Leave at least one question or comment on that post. You are also encouraged to respond to your peers’ comments
3. Watch the Final Presentation Guidelines Video
4. Comment on that Post with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Assignment / Homework
5. Read the PDF attached in this week’s Assignment
6. Respond with a new Post, following the instructions on that assignment
7. Comment with any questions you may have, and feel free to comment on your peers responses

You are also encouraged to begin thinking of a Presentation topic. You don’t need to start working on the presentation quite yet, but if you have some idea of the designs you would like to address, you’ll be in very good shape later on.

March 14 – 20
Here is the checklist for Week 7. While we haven’t quite hit the mid-semester mark yet, you will be receiving marks for your first paper, and your midterm assessment this week. As you’ll see in this week’s agenda, I’d like to use this opportunity to touch base with everyone. Looking forward to doing that very soon!

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the presentation for Week 7: Living on the Grid
2. Leave at least one comment on the Post
3. Complete the Meeting Schedule Survey
4. Look out for a confirmation email from me, with your meeting time
5. Join the Zoom meeting room at your scheduled time

Assignment / Homework
5. Read one of the PDFs attached in this week’s Assignment
6. Respond to the prompts in a new Post, categorized as a Response
7. Post any questions you may have and feel free to comment on your peers’ responses.

March 7 – March 13
Here is the checklist for Week 6!

Asynchronous Class Materials
1. Watch the presentation for Week 6: Form and Psychology
2. Comment on that Post if you have any questions
3. Record and post a follow-up statement for your first paper, following the guidelines in this POST
4. Watch your peers’ follow-up statements, then comment on at least 3 of their Discussion Posts

Assignment / Homework
5. Read the three pieces listed in this week’s Assignment
6. Respond to the prompts in a new Post, categorized as a Response
7. Post any questions you may have and feel free to comment on your peers’ responses.

Please also note that marks for your first paper, along with marks for all work submitted so far will be sent via email at the start of next week. If you are missing assignments, this week is a great time to catch up. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding missing work.