Course Syllabus GC100 Graphic Communication EDITED

Transcription

1 C O M M U N I C A T I O N S Course Syllabus GC100 Graphic Communication EDITED Visual Communication - Theory and Practice GC100 CRN units 48 hours Fall Instructor: Mel Terry. Palomar Campus (San Marcos), Online course. Virtual office hours - daily during normal business hours. Methodology: Instruction via online interactive components (Palomar Blackboard) and student proctored exercises. Project files, handouts (digital), quizzes and all other class components will be provided by the instructor. Instructor will provide instructions for obtaining/locating these components via or on Blackboard. This syllabus is intended as a guide and is subject to change as needed to meet student needs throughout the semester. UP TO DATE information is available on Blackboard as all individual assignment specifics. FALL TERM DATES: (See Course Schedule for due dates) PREREQUISITES: none. COURSE DESCRIPTION: The theory and practice of visual communication and design targeted to a specific audience, i.e. newspaper, magazine, internet, television - with an overview of typography, illustration, photography and printing methods. Through class projects, evaluation scenarios, slideshow lectures and comprehensive textbook, the student will be exposed to a wide variety of options within the visual communications industry and at the same time, will form definitive opinions related to effective communication in the design process.

2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, students will: 1. Have an increased awareness and knowledge pertaining to successful visual communication. Be able to verbalize and write on this topic. 2. Develop an understanding of the principles of design, composition, and typography 3. Understand of the place of visual communication within the graphic arts community. 4. Be cognizant of the history of visual communication throughout time 5. Recognize how design reflects society issues in the world around you. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1. Identify and compare layout designs. 2. Identify principles of design, composition and typography (Gestalt principles). 3. Identify historical influences related to visual communication. COURSE DESIGN: Each lesson for this course has one of more of the following components: An introduction to the concept to be addressed A lecture section (reading) Research activities on the Internet Discussion board requirements that will include board postings (online section) Some units will have an associated quiz. Various projects designed to enhance skills level of each concept TEXTBOOK: REQUIRED - Graphic Design Basics 6th edition. Author: Amy E. Arntson. ISBN: Other Readings: As Assigned from internet research, ebooks, handouts. REQUIRED INTERNET ACCESS & SOFTWARE: Blackboard access via the internet is essential in order to participate fully in this class. Students will need online access to the internet and account for communication with the instructor and for on going class participation and online research. SOFTWARE: Word Processing program that has the ability to save in.rtf format (i.e. Word, Works, iwork, Pages, TextEdit, etc.). There are numerous free or inexpensive Word Processing programs for download from the internet. The library also has open labs for completing assignments. Having no internet will not be an acceptable excuse for missed s or participation. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS: Students are responsible for knowing and adhering to due dates of assignments, and other class activities. Changes to the schedule will be posted to the class website. Students are responsible for noting all changes and adhering to them. Please check the BLACKBOARD web site announcements for a repetition of calendar changes. Assignments are available on the BlackBoard site. BLACKBOARD COMPONENTS: Announcements: These are updated as often as necessary and are used to remind students of assignments, to share new information, and to share ideas or suggestions. I will also post links to the most recent quizzes here.

3 Assignments: These sections are organized by week number and correspond to the course calendar page in this syllabus. Folders contain most of the materials needed for the course that are not in the text; this includes lecture notes, handouts, assignment sheets and quizzes. Students are responsible for downloading all material needed for class in a timely manner. Discussion Board: For most lessons, you will be asked to post appropriate responses to the discussions as directed. Because there are no time or space constraints, I expect your postings to be both well reasoned and well written. Try and make your position as clear as possible. Do not simply state your conclusions. Build strong arguments. It is good practice for the future! Your typos and very minor grammar errors are forgiven in advance. No attempt will be made to grade that aspect of your posting. Syllabus: Contains a downloadable and printable PDF of the course syllabus. Books: Course textbook information. MY Gradebook: You can check assignment and quiz grades here. CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: First of all, please remember to sign your s with your full name and class title (GC100). Do not assume that you are the only Lisa or Jason in my classes. Also include GC100 in your subject line so that my client does not put your message in my spam folder. If you have general questions about lessons or assignments, please raise the question on Blackboard in the General Questions forum that all may benefit. Knowledgeable students are also encouraged to help one another by interacting in class and via the Discussion Board on Blackboard. If you have an issue or question which you do not want to raise in class or have publicly posted, please send s directly to instructor. Note about your instructor will make every effort to respond to your s or Discussion Board questions as soon as possible, usually by the next business day. The same courtesy is expected from every student. When I send an or post a question requiring a response, I expect a reply within a day or two at most. RESPONSIBILITIES: Successful students carefully follow posted instructions. The syllabus and assignment instructions given in Blackboard are the primary method of relaying assignment information. Successful students look up information first by reviewing the syllabus, Blackboard and instructor s s so that they ask informed questions, not questions they already have the answers to. If they can t find the answers, they contact the instructor via . Successful students pay close attention to how they can best and most easily learn the material in a particular subject area. You may find it helpful to take a learning styles inventory to guide your study habits. You can access one online at metamath.com//lsweb/dvclearn.htm. If you have difficulty figuring out how best to learn the material in this class, please contact the instructor. STUDENT PROFESSIONALISM OBJECTIVES: Students will demonstrate their educational professionalism by the following: Full active participation in the class. Attendance alone is not participation Completing and submitting homework assignments on time Reading assigned texts, viewing videos and doing online research as required Adhering to the highest levels of academic integrity

4 Maintaining contact with instructor in class and via as appropriate Reference: Student Handbook Code of Conduct CLASS POLICIES & EXPECTATIONS: Regular participation is required. Passive participation is not learning. This class is designed to encourage online participation by requiring frequent interactions using Blackboard, both with questions and feedback for fellow students and posting of assignments for group evaluation. Complete all weekly assignments on time. Students are expected to actively participate in all sessions of an online class in which they are enrolled. Failure to participate can result in an F or FW grade unless the student submits a drop to the admissions office by the appropriate deadline. (See link on Palomar home page). An instructor may elect to drop a student for the following reasons: 1) excessive absences, normally defined as more than the number of times the class meets per week; 2) failure to take examinations; 3) failure to complete class assignments. Late work will have points deducted. No late work will be accepted beyond one week (seven days) from original posted due date. Incomplete work is acceptable only under extreme documented circumstances. Credit/No Credit is a realistic option to prevent stress and frustration. SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS: Those that get A s, B s, and C s, use their time wisely. The standard formula for college coursework is that every one hour of assigned class time will result in two to three hours of homework, so a three unit class will average six or more hours of homework (reading, research, studying) per week. As a result, successful students plan their time wisely so that they keep up with assignments. They also communicate with the instructor via so that they can get much needed feedback on their work. If you find you need to drop the class, please follow the published deadlines and drop the class yourself. Do not contact instructor to drop the class for you. Your failure to drop within the drop dates will result in a failing grade for the course. IT S THE STUDENT S RESPONSIBILITY TO DROP THE CLASS. NON-PARTICIPATING STUDENTS WILL BE DROPPED. IF A STUDENT HAS NOT POSTED AN ASSIGNMENT AFTER ONE WEEK BEYOND THE DUE DATE, THEY WILL BE DROPPED UNLESS THEY HAVE CONTACTED THE INSTRUCTOR TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO COMPLETE AND POST THE WORK. REMEMBER, REGULAR PARTICIPATION IS REQUIRED. CLASS ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARD: You are required to actively participate on the class bulletin board whether you are in the face-to-face section or the online course. You will be given a discussion topic and asked to directly respond to the topic with an original comment and to respond to two other students responses. Please keep your comments on the discussion board focused on the topic. If you wish to discuss another issue in a professional manner, you are encouraged to start a new thread on that topic. I will create a section of the bulletin board for social interaction and community building. While you may discuss topics unrelated to the class in that section (and ONLY in that section), do keep your comments professional and appropriate. PLAGIARISM: Cheating and plagiarism is taken very seriously. This is important because the instructor must be able to gauge what the student has learned. Therefore, copying the work of another person, whether an essay or answers during a test, is considered

5 plagiarism. Instructor will not tolerate cheating, plagiarism or copyright infringement of any type. Anytime a person uses someone else s work and does not give that person credit, it is plagiarism. Anyone who plagiarizes will receive an F on the assignment. If it is repeated, the student will fail the course. If you are suspected of plagiarism, you will bear the burden of proof. You must be able to present rough drafts or related materials and discuss the topic intelligently. This is clearly stated in the Palomar College student handbook. If you are unsure about HOW to check plagiarism OR if you do not understand the citing process of your work, visit the following website. The information here will help immensely as you attempt to produce work that is of the highest quality and your own thoughts. <http://wpacouncil.org/positions/wpaplagiarism.pdf> EVALUATION & GRADES: This course is graded on the following components: Section Tests (quizzes), Unit Assignments, discussions, and active participation. Cumulative total of points will be given a letter grade as follows: A = % B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = 0-59% A COMMENT ON GRADING PHILOSOPHY: What you can expect from instructor comments on the online discussion board: Given the significant number of student posts, I will usually comment to the group as a whole about their response to the question. I may interject comments during the week in order to help steer the discussion. I may point out posts that are particularly good in some respect and provide a model for others. I will forward individual comments via private when it is clear that a significant misunderstanding of the concept has occurred or where I believe the individual needs additional assistance to be successful in subsequent lessons. My primarily goal is that you have a great experience in this course and that you finish the semester with a fresh understanding of the field of graphic design. At the conclusion of the course, you will have knowledge to make a decision as to whether you have an interest in pursuing a career in graphic design. All assignments are based on the required textbook. FINAL NOTES: GC100 class was originally conceived, written and developed by Professor Grace A. Fowler, B.ME, MS at Palomar College. I want to acknowledge Professor Fowler s ideas and contributions that remain in the core materials, quizzes, written lectures, and in this syllabus. Professor Terry was invited to collaborate in group-teaching the class for Fall 2014, and to solo teach the class for this term. The instructor reserves the right to make needed and appropriate adjustments to this syllabus. Class tasks and schedule are subject to change. (See course planner on next page).

6 COURSE SCHEDULE AND PLANNER DATES LECTURE TOPIC TEXT CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS & EXERCISES TESTS Week 1: Aug 17 / 22 Week 2: Aug 24 / 29 Week 3: Aug 31/Sep 5 Week 4: Sep 8 / 12 Applying the art of Graphic Design Principles & Practice Design Process Careers - Digital Focus A Graphic Design History The Beginning Digital Focus The Future Perception Figure/Ground, Shape, Terms Dynamic Balance Balance, Symmetry, Asymmetry, Contrast Gestalt The Whole and The Parts Similarity, Proximity, Continuation, Closure Visual Language Terminology, Proof Reading Marks Layout Digital Focus, Techniques Test Review (online) Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Gutenberg Essay Due: 08/21 Perception Discussion. Due 08/28 Word Illustrations. Due: 08/31 No Exceptions Gestalt Theory Due: 09/04 Type Assignment Due: 09/11 Plagiarism Quiz Test 1 Chapters 1-2 Due: 08/24 Test 2 Chapters 3-7 Due: 09/14 Week 5: Sep 14 / 19 Color Dynamics Color Wheel, Color Schemes Electronic Color Color Models Color in Printing Chapter 8 Color Wheel Assignment Due: 09/18 Week 6: Sep 21 / 26 Illustration & Photography Why Photography? Impact, Photo Journalism, Product Why Illustration? Examples (Greeting cards, fashion, etc.) Chapter 9 Magazine Ad Project Due: 09/25 Week 7: Sep 28/Oct 3 Advertising Design Purpose of Advertising, Types (Television, Newspapers, Direct Mail, Online, Magazines, Outdoor, Radio, Corporate ID, Personal Promotion Chapter 10 Political Advertising Due: 10/02 Week 8: Oct 5 / 10 Production for Print and Online Graphics Designers Tools History Computer Graphics Animation Production for Print Chapter 11 Final Test Comprehensive Due: 10/12 Test Review (online) Note the use of the following abbreviations to conserve space: For course text Ch = chapter, L = lesson. DB is short for Discussion Board (on class Blackboard site) and refers to required comments to be posted following the posted projects. BB is short for Blackboard. Days in yellow represent non-teaching days (Holidays or non-instruction days). Note: this calendar/ planner is subject to change by instructor.