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This course will explore studio photography as a means to communicate ideas. Students will learn to use lighting to transform subject matter into metaphor, mood and meaning as well as how to develop visual coherence within a group of images. Students will develop portfolio level projects that display conceptual thinking and mastery of the craft of photography. Photos by Cynthia Xu.

This course will explore studio photography as a means to communicate ideas. Students will learn to use lighting to transform subject matter into metaphor, mood and meaning as well as how to develop visual coherence within a group of images. Students will develop portfolio level projects that display conceptual thinking and mastery of the craft of photography. Photos by Cynthia Xu.

This course will offer an in-depth introduction to communication design theory, examining theoretical perspectives of design practice within the larger discourse of design and visual culture. Communication models, the nature of representation, the dimensions of context and semiotics will be explored through critical readings from key documents written between the early decades of the twentieth century and the present. We will be looking at two types of theories: generative theories, that explain the “how” of visual communication; and critical/sociocultural theories that explain the “what, where, and when” of design, or the historical, cultural and social contexts. By developing the ability to look at design through these different lenses, professional designers can enhance the quality of their decision-making and have a better grasp on the multiple contexts and frameworks for clients and audiences. We can better understand and evaluate the many issues about local usability and usefulness within broader contexts of ethics, aesthetics, professional and social responsibility.

This course will offer an in-depth introduction to communication design theory, examining theoretical perspectives of design practice within the larger discourse of design and visual culture. Communication models, the nature of representation, the dimensions of context and semiotics will be explored through critical readings from key documents written between the early decades of the twentieth century and the present. We will be looking at two types of theories: generative theories, that explain the “how” of visual communication; and critical/sociocultural theories that explain the “what, where, and when” of design, or the historical, cultural and social contexts. By developing the ability to look at design through these different lenses, professional designers can enhance the quality of their decision-making and have a better grasp on the multiple contexts and frameworks for clients and audiences. We can better understand and evaluate the many issues about local usability and usefulness within broader contexts of ethics, aesthetics, professional and social responsibility.

Internship in Communication Design Assignment to field work/study situations of approximately eight to ten plus hours per week at a graphic arts-related internship site approved by the department internship director. Sites may be in areas such as advertising, printing, corporate communications or publishing. Students keep a log/journal to be shared in group seminars/discussions. Supervision is by faculty and by the job supervisor. Students will be required to keep a learning journal of their internship in the form of a blog using Open Lab.

Internship in Communication Design Assignment to field work/study situations of approximately eight to ten plus hours per week at a graphic arts-related internship site approved by the department internship director. Sites may be in areas such as advertising, printing, corporate communications or publishing. Students keep a log/journal to be shared in group seminars/discussions. Supervision is by faculty and by the job supervisor. Students will be required to keep a learning journal of their internship in the form of a blog using Open Lab.

“I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today’s existence.” — Robert Mapplethorpe This course surveys the history of photography from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to the present. We will examine the use of photography for aesthetic, documentary, and “scientific” purposes, stylistic shifts in photography related to aesthetic concerns, and varying interpretations of subject matter based on social and cultural concerns at specific moments in history. We will also consider the relationship between photography and the visual arts in general, which culminates with the primacy of photography as a medium by the late twentieth century.

“I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today’s existence.” — Robert Mapplethorpe This course surveys the history of photography from its beginnings in the early nineteenth century to the present. We will examine the use of photography for aesthetic, documentary, and “scientific” purposes, stylistic shifts in photography related to aesthetic concerns, and varying interpretations of subject matter based on social and cultural concerns at specific moments in history. We will also consider the relationship between photography and the visual arts in general, which culminates with the primacy of photography as a medium by the late twentieth century.

This drawing course introduces basic concepts, tools, techniques and the role of drawing in design, illustration, animation and games. The course will also cover projection systems, plans, elevations, sections, oblique, isometric, one-point perspective and two-point perspective views.

This drawing course introduces basic concepts, tools, techniques and the role of drawing in design, illustration, animation and games. The course will also cover projection systems, plans, elevations, sections, oblique, isometric, one-point perspective and two-point perspective views.