Curriculum for Creative Media Degree

In this course, students will gain a common grounding in art and media analysis through theoretical, critical and ethical approaches to art and aesthetics, in preparation for upper level production courses. Questions explored include: How have the creations of artists and media makers shaped the culture in which we live? How do the narratives, images, and experiences of fine art and popular media help us understand, describe and interpret the world? What opportunities are there today for artists to make an impact and contribute to social discourse?

This course is a survey of Western and Non-Western art, architecture, and other forms of visual expression. Students will examine and critically engage with artifacts, and will consider the formal, conceptual, spiritual, social, political, economic, and cultural influences in the development of art.

This foundational course for Creative Media program students will explore areas necessary for artistic exploration and achievement. These areas include: inspiration, mimesis, essence, abstraction, mixed media, execution and audience. We will draw upon several artistic disciplines in this class, namely visual art, creative writing, interactive design, filmmaking and videography, games, music and sound, and performance.

Combine the skills and ideas you've acquired in multiple areas of creative media studies to begin producing a body of work that is professionally executed and has conceptual integrity. Through a combination of class critique and special studio sessions, you will strive to realize work that reflects your unique creative vision.

Does an artist carry a responsibility to champion new technology, preserve culture, or speak to human rights? Is newer necessarily better? In addition to wrestling with such questions, in this third Creative Media Salon we examine issues of self-branding, marketing, professional presentation, and other key career-oriented issues that impact innovative artists. Students will discover where they fit in, and as importantly, where they don't. This will lead to a plan for how to position oneself upon graduation.

Students are introduced to the basic concepts of digital image-making through projects that balance the learning of creative development, technique, and design tools as they pertain to the Graphic Design field.

A studio course emphasizing a creative discovery of two-dimensional forms. Students will consider the nature and importance of light, values and graphic composition in selectively seeing and recording a visual world.

With the advent of digital technology, the pleasure of taking and viewing digital photographs and video clips is now commonplace. The professional designer, however, must be able to control this technology to a much greater degree than does the layperson, and to that end this course introduces you to the finer points of planning, capturing, transferring, modifying, and formatting your still and video imagery for use in successful graphic design projects. While students may borrow both digital still- and video-cameras from the College free of charge, owning a good SLR digital camera would be very helpful; ask the instructor for recommendations.

Form in Motion introduces the principles of motion graphic design through applied practice. The focus will be on the relationship between typographic principles and animation fundamentals. Students synthesize the language of motion with elements of narrative structure to realize kinetic solutions. In addition to exploring systems and the synthesis of text and image, the course also provides knowledge and skills in creative ideation in motion.

In this course students are introduced to the language of film. Through a combination of lectures, screenings, readings, discussions, and film exercises, students will investigate the fundamentals of screenwriting, producing, directing, composition, sound design, and editing. Students will be exposed to documentary, narrative feature, short and web series, and experimental films from around the world representing different perspectives and experiences. They will explore the evolving landscape of production and the social impact of filmmaking.

This course will teach students the basics of music, and how to create music on the computer. Topics include rhythm, phrasing, harmony, melody, and song construction. This is an exciting opportunity, given the virtually unlimited power of today?s Digital Audio Workstations. Music can be assembled from pre-composed elements, played live into the computer, written as notes on an electronic score, or keyed in using a midi piano keyboard. Students will use these digital tools to capture their ideas or inspiration and turn them into music. Several projects will be required, in various styles, for a number of different purposes.

This course introduces students to the work of writing creatively, encouraging them to become more attentive readers, as preparation for their own growth as writers. We'll survey a range of literary texts, developing a deeper understanding of how creative genres work, what parameters structure them, and how they might be deployed in our own writing. Students will experiment within their own fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing. The bedrock of our class will be peer review, so students can read and learn from each others' work.

This course introduces students to a variety of tools, processes and campus labs and to the production of creative works that incorporate tangible objects, text, audio and video. The emphasis is on collaboration, skillbuilding and the creative integration of multiple media.

In this course students undertake an exploration of themselves as creative practitioners within a changing global context. Through a combination of readings, lectures, activities, and production of creative work, students will engage with the following questions: How does the flow of ideas, information and people across borders impact aesthetic forms? How do artists represent or negotiate cultural identity in a globalizing world? How do artists respond to issues (social, political, cultural, environmental) of global significance?

In this upper level portfolio class you will learn to refine your creative vision and hone your artistic craft. A panel of faculty and special guests will provide critique and challenge you to push your creative work further. Special studio sessions will further enrich and expand your artistic practice.