Department of Communication & Graphic Design

An introduction to the fundamental concepts in human communication, providing a theory-based overview of the communication studies discipline. This course imparts a foundation for further study, promoting strategies for becoming better communicators in everyday life and in the workplace.

This survey course covers the history and development of mass media, such as newspapers, books, music, radio, television, film, and the Internet, as well as advertising and public relations. Students will read, discuss, research, and write about various aspects of mass media and its impact on society.

Students will learn the fundamentals of public speaking through lecture, assignment and practice. Students will have opportunity to increase their own self-confidence in their public speaking abilities and develop foundational skills for everyday and workplace communication. Emphasis will be placed on integration of multimedia, fundamental concepts in human communication, and voice training in order to enable students to make more effective presentations.

This introductory course discusses various forms of visual culture and media, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students are given the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to critically analyze, evaluate, interpret, and create images. This course is cross-listed with AR200.

Pre/corequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course focuses on key concepts of transmedia storytelling, such as narrative development and audience experience across multiple media platforms. This course is cross-listed with AR205.

Pre/corequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course provides an introduction to contemporary journalism, with an emphasis on practical experience in news writing and reporting within a multimedia environment. This course cross-listed with EN213.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

Editors perform a variety of key roles within news media organizations, in both print and digital platforms. This course explores the complex ways in which news editors think and work, while focusing on the importance of critical editorial skills and responsibilities across various media contexts. This course is cross-listed with EN208.

Prerequisite(s): CM207 or permission of instructor.

An introduction to the theory, concepts, and practice of public relations. Attention will be placed on the understanding of public opinion, strategic planning, and the process of communication to achieve mutual understanding between an organization and its publics in today’s society. Pre/

Corequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course introduces the principles and techniques of writing across various forms of mass media. Course includes critical discussion and analysis of readings, individual and collaborative writing projects, as well as peer editing. This course is cross-listed with EN210.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

Open to all students, regardless of prior experience, this hands-on media course offers an introduction to the key foundational aspects of the art of storytelling and content creation. Students will learn to plan, produce, and edit projects using video.

Students will consider the Internet’s multifaceted writing environments to create content for a variety of social media platforms and online spaces. Students will learn about different writing styles, techniques, audiences, and visual layouts from industry experts and contemporary sources. This course will require students to develop content using a range of writing styles including blog posts, travel writing, critiques, press releases, guides, and memoirs. This course is cross-listed with EN230.

This introduction to film theory encourages students to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of cinema through the critical analysis of various aspects of filmmaking such as production, story structure, performance, cinematography, editing, and sound across multiple genres. This course is cross-listed with AR235.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course is grounded in the critical viewing and analysis of numerous artistic contributions women have made to the film industry on and off the screen, with emphasis on a range of perspectives such as local/global cultures, politics, religion, race, and sexual identity. Applicable to the Women's Studies minor. This course is cross-listed with AR244.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

Emphasizing the development of media literacy through critical thinking, students will research, discuss, analyze, and write about foundational and emerging trends of television programming, while gaining insight of popular culture knowledge through both historical and contemporary perspectives. This course is cross-listed with EN245.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course serves as a broad introduction to the concepts associated with culture and communication. Students will have the opportunity to develop intercultural awareness and patterns of perception and thinking to enable effective communication across various cultural boundaries.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course serves as a broad introduction to the perspectives related to communication across various types of organizational contexts. Students will critically analyze organizational communication theories and methods in order to understand organizational culture and communication patterns.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

Students enrolled in this practicum course will create original, high-quality content for a specialized area of interest including journalism, media production, or creative writing. The practicum is arranged with approval of a faculty mentor, who will also work with the student to design their experience and evaluate the student’s work. May be taken as 1, 2, or 3 credits. Minimum of 40 hours per semester hour of credit. This course is cross-listed with EN299. Repeatable up to 3 credits. Pass/Fail.

This course focuses on the complex relationship between mass media and society. Students will critically analyze various theoretical and practical approaches to mass media and how it can create or contribute to a range of social issues within contemporary society.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221, and junior or senior status.

This course examines the foundational principles of U.S. constitutional law, with particular emphasis on the First Amendment. Student will discuss the creation, interpretation, and role of such laws, while critically analyzing related ethical issues via case studies concerned with different forms of mass media. A variety of complex issues in media law and ethics will be introduced.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221, and junior or senior status.

This course provides an overview of the principles of basic strategic communication decision-making, and applies these strategies and practices to the production of actual, effective communication messages for multiple audiences in a variety of formats. Writing assignments may include: mission statements, fact sheets, backgrounders, press releases, feature stories, pitch letters, brochures, newsletters and web messages. This course is cross-listed with EN309.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course is designed to explore the field of ideas relating to mediated modes of communication and personal relationships in the shaping of our social environment. Students will read, research, discuss, write, and critically analyze key aspects of interpersonal interactions, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which human communication influences, and is influenced by, various forms of contemporary media.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221, and junior or senior status.

This hands-on media course is a continuation of Media Production (CM217) and offers students a more in-depth overview of the art of storytelling and content creation in both a studio setting, as well as in the field. Students will learn advanced techniques for planning, producing, and editing video projects.

Prerequisite(s): CM217 or equivalent.

Open to all majors, this course offers a critical and/or practical analysis of a special topic(s) within communication, media, and popular culture studies. Repeatable up to 6 credits.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221.

This course emphasizes group fieldwork, along with individual responsibilities through various roles and stages of production, while also highlighting the importance of pre- and post-production elements. Students will learn how to collaboratively develop, produce, and complete digital projects with a range and flexibility of topics from journalism to filmmaking.

Prerequisite(s): EN111 or equivalent or EN221, and CM217 or equivalent, and junior or senior standing.

This course will introduce students to the foundations and history of theoretical inquiry. The course will build on communication concepts and perspectives as they are related to topics such as interpersonal, mass, organizational, and group communication.

Prerequisite(s): CM100, CM101, and junior or senior status.

This course will introduce students to the application and analysis of qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication studies. Research writing processes and ethics will be covered. Methodological approaches include in-depth interviews, focus groups, participant observation, narrative and semiotic analysis, surveys, and content analysis.

Prerequisite(s): CM101, CM105, and junior or senior status.

As a key graduation requirement, students will work in a professional setting where they experience the practical applications related to their academic studies. For three credits, students are expected to spend a total of 120 hours in the workplace (i.e., 40 hours per credit hour) and successfully complete all required internship coursework. This course may be offered for 0-6 credits and is repeatable for additional credit.

Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior status and approval of academic advisor.

Study visual arts and design with a focus on understanding the elements and principles of layout and composition. Gain an overview of graphic design, multimedia, and technology through a survey of graphic design history as it relates to design practices. Get hands-on practice through projects and applications. 4 hours studio.

This course will explore the role of drawing as a basic tool for designers. Emphasis will be on creative ideation, problem solving, notation, documentation of empirical observations and creative imaging. Students will develop important skills as they become fluent and flexible visualizers through traditional and nontraditional drawing techniques. 4 hours studio.

Use of the Macintosh computer laboratory to develop expertise in Adobe Creative Suite with emphasis on the integration of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, combined with scanning and printing applications for print and Web media. Design a variety of projects demonstrating acquisition of professional-level skills. This course serves as a foundation for graphic design & multimedia, and art majors and is applicable to communication majors and other disciplines.

Explore visual problem solving using symbols and images to communicate concepts and ideas. Introduction to Adobe InDesign. Emphasis on conceptual development using traditional and computer visualization skills applied to print and Web. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD113.

This course addresses practical illustration and innovative manual and digital drawing skills to explore unique approaches to creative design in various materials and techniques. Assignments equally emphasize traditional and electronic methods of illustration, and explore different approaches to creating artworks for print and electronic media. Areas of application include but are not limited to conceptual art, editorial illustration, serial art, narratives, websites, animation, character development, storyboarding, comics, books, and advertising. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD112 and GD113.

Examine the principles of typography through a series of structured investigations. Emphasis on basic letterforms and the origins and use of typography. Computer used for finished projects. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD114.

Explore advanced problems in layout and design. Application to related areas such as corporate identity, package design, branding, typology and marketing. Emphasis on execution, production, and industry standards. Use of Adobe Creative Suite. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD114.

Study the operation and use of professional digital cameras. Review effective use and control of both natural and artificial light; basic flash techniques, and image editing with Adobe Photoshop. 4 hours studio.

In this course, students will learn how to design three dimensional packages for a wide variety of projects. In parallel, they will use elements of form, text, color, texture, and pattern, including geometrical repeats to create attractive layouts and labels for packages, making products stand out on a store’s crowded shelf. Various craft techniques as well as Adobe Creative Suite are used in a studio environment. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD114.

Learn to apply the skills necessary to manipulate video and sound and consistently synchronize the two. Using Adobe Premiere Pro, learn techniques necessary to edit video clips for commercial, narrative, or experimental projects. Gain a thorough understanding of the role of editor, beginning with a detailed analysis of each assignment. Capture, edit, and modify, high-definition video to create short exercises and achieve a final, 10-minite captivating video clip. Review camera techniques and lighting, as well as various editing techniques and effects. Use Adobe Audition to edit sound clips and use them in conjunction with video clips. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD113.

This course communicates advanced solutions in print, packaging, motion, web, interactivity, 3D animation, video, and product marketing. Graphic Design III is a platform for the evolution and refinement of information conveyed in Graphic Design I and II, as well as other practices in the field. Increasingly complex projects will allow students to employ more sophisticated methods of research, thinking, and manifestation of assignment deliverables. Student-generated projects aligned to their individual interests or in collaboration with work in other classes are encouraged. Based on a theme given by the instructor or chosen by the students, they must develop their own content and generate their own workflow, to achieve outstanding marketing results, by making use of their capacities of decision making to the highest extent. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD214.

Introduction to web design and development using HTML and Adobe Dreamweaver. Students will learn how to create a fully functional interactive website through concrete understanding of the HTML scripting language as well as the use of the Dreamweaver web design software. In addition, principles and methods of web interface design and navigation, flowchart creation, file organization, and image editing for the web will be explored. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD113.

This course explores typographic form and function literacy at an advanced level. Discussions include a dynamic relationship between content, form, and context to gain a deeper understanding of typography systems through experimentation. The class considers both print-based and screen-based media. Projects include information design, book, magazine, brochures, posters, motion typography, title sequence design, and interactive information graphics. The role of HCI in interactive type on screen will be discussed along with factors affecting legibility, composition, visual hierarchy, and semantics. Topics may vary per course offering. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD114.

Get hands-on practice, technical skills, and theoretical knowledge in creating two dimensional animations. Introduces the process of storyboarding to visualize ideas on paper. Work in Adobe After Effects to create appropriate key frames and in-between frames to finalize a frame-by-frame animation. Explore concepts of timing, spacing, composition, and easing, as well as various special effects and rendering techniques.

Prerequisite(s): GD111 or GD112, and GD113.

Investigate the fundamentals of creating three dimensional digital models and animating models in a three dimensional virtual space through practical application and theoretical discussion Learn and apply the principles of polygonal and NURBS modeling, texturing, timing, pacing, lighting, particle systems, and rendering. Software used: Autodesk Maya. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD113.

This course focuses on techniques on interactivity and accessibility for the web. Students will work with WordPress and Adobe Animate to combine text, images, multimedia, and plugins to create an engaging CMS-based website. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD322.

Building on the skills acquired in 3D Animation I, gain a more in-depth knowledge of the terminology, development tools, and advanced skills necessary to create sophisticated 3D animations. Emphasis on 3D character modeling and animation. Explore techniques of rigging and kinematics, as well as multiple complex animation methods. Software used: Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Mudbox. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD328.

Work in an ad agency, museum, or other appropriate professional situation. A weekly record of student accomplishment is required, as well as scheduled meetings with advisor. 120 hours for 3 credits; 140 hours for 4 credits. This course may be offered for 0-6 credits and is repeatable for additional credit.

Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior status in the major

A capstone course taken in the last year of the B.F.A./B.A. in Graphic Design and Multimedia. Gain a pragmatic understanding of professional practices, including portfolio preparation, production methods and presentation techniques. Design projects to implement strategies of branding and visual communication, and skills in print and web media. Prepare for the final Senior Portfolio Presentation required of all B.F.A. candidates.

Prerequisite(s): GD314 or MM314.

Student works on an Internship in the graphic design discipline. The professional setting must meet the guidelines of the associated internship requirement of GD429 and be approved by the program director prior to class. It can be taken alone or in combination with GD429 in the fall semester. Offered only in Summer Session.

Study of selected topics in print, Web, and multimedia technologies. Topics will be relevant to current issues in concept and practice, and help students gain a broader analytical perspective of the field. Guided by a member of the department, student will work on a jointly selected major project. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with MM440.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Study of selected topics in print, Web, and multimedia technologies. Topics will be relevant to current issues in concept and practice, and help students gain a broader analytical perspective of the field. Guided by a member of the department, student will work on a jointly selected major project. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with MM441.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Advanced study in an area that student has previously taken from the list of graphic design and multimedia courses. With the approval of the instructor, student should plan to meet with the regularly scheduled course in that area or by arrangement. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with MM445.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Advanced study in an area that student has previously taken from the list of graphic design and multimedia courses. With the approval of the instructor, student should plan to meet with the regularly scheduled course in that area or by arrangement. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with MM446.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

A studio class that introduces the techniques and concepts of mixed realities and interaction design for screen-based media. The class discusses the dimension of time for animation and interaction for screen as new graphic design components for multimedia-based platforms. Students will learn how to combine graphics, audio, and text in non-linear environments such as websites, social media, and augmented realities. The class also discusses usability for screen-based interactivity systems. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD113.

Building on skills learned in Motion Graphics I, and a familiarity with the concepts and techniques of key-framing and screen-based graphics, students learn to create motion graphics for film, television, and performance. During the first half of the semester, students will create motion graphics required for various productions. Then, in the second half of the semester, they will apply those graphics to film and real-world objects.

Prerequisite(s): GD327

Building on skills learned in Video and Sound Editing I, advanced video and sound editing is tailored to the individual student’s projects and areas of interest. The instructor and student collaborate to set goals for the semester’s work. Progress is monitored weekly with screenings and class critique and discussions. Emphasis on the creative aspects of dramatic editing. Collaborate closely with the instructor to build a comprehensive understanding of the post production process. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD226.

An advanced course in 3D animation and modeling with Maya. Students should have already taken 3D Animation 2 and have started working on an animated short prior to class. Refine character animation skills to execute an outstanding project for a reel. Emphasis on splines, posing, timing, weight, anticipation, squash and stretch, overlapping action, and staging. Students will also acquire a more in-depth knowledge of the post-treatment process of 3D rendering. 4 hours studio.

Prerequisite(s): GD428.

Study of selected topics in print, Web, and multimedia technologies. Topics will be relevant to current issues in concept and practice, and help students gain a broader analytical perspective of the field. Guided by a member of the department, student will work on a jointly selected major project. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with GD440.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Study of selected topics in print, Web, and multimedia technologies. Topics will be relevant to current issues in concept and practice, and help students gain a broader analytical perspective of the field. Guided by a member of the department, student will work on a jointly selected major project. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with GD441.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Advanced study in an area that student has previously taken from the list of graphic design and multimedia courses. With the approval of the instructor, student should plan to meet with the regularly scheduled course in that area or by arrangement. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with GD445.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.

Advanced study in an area that student has previously taken from the list of graphic design and multimedia courses. With the approval of the instructor, student should plan to meet with the regularly scheduled course in that area or by arrangement. Maximum of 6 credits. This course is cross-listed with GD446.

Prerequisite(s): Junior class standing or above.