Courses

Course Number	Course Name	C - L - H	Hrs
530-113-DW	Explorations in Cinema and Communications	2 - 2 - 3	60
Description for Course: Explorations in Cinema and Communications is an introductory level course that provides students with a broad, basic understanding of old and new forms of media through engagement with diverse communications practices. Among other topics, it considers the impact of various media including oral culture, print, cinema, radio, TV, digital media, and the Internet. Essential elements of fields of cinema and communications will be presented and explained.
530-213-DW	Cinema and Media History	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: In order to better understand the nature of the cinema and media world that surrounds us, this course examines a number of the historical milestones in their development. The historical approach provides a method permitting the student to understand how media, including the cinema, have developed into the diverse and prolific platforms that exist today.
530-292-DW	History of Film Production Techniques	1 - 2 - 1	45
Description for Course: This course will cover the history of film from the formative stages of the series photography of the 1870's up to the present by way of 3D Animation and Digital Cinema. The areas of Fiction, Documentary, Animation and Experimental styles will be considered. Technical and aesthetic developments will be addressed as well as the important notion of cinema as an international medium. Topics include: framing and photographic space, editing, sound, genre and narrative form, acting style, and lighting.
530-313-DW	Writing Lab	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: The goal of the Writing Lab is to advance writing skills, in a creative and conceptual sense, as well as a formal one. This workshop-based course aims to equip the student with a solid critical and analytical approach to refining texts. Students may produce an original concept and story idea that may include narrative, documentary, interactive and other forms of media-related, journalistic and academic writing. The focus will be on a sharing process that includes regular analysis, critical evaluation and cultivation of student work.
530-314-DW	Film Theory	2 - 2 - 3	60
Description for Course: Film Theory and Criticism provides students with the necessary technical, aesthetic and critical vocabulary for viewing, discussing and writing about film of all kinds. It also presents an overview of critical theories that have influenced filmmakers, critics, and spectators, over time. Lectures, group discussions and screenings comprise the content, while assignments include research and creative projects.
530-315-DW	Communication Theory	2 - 2 - 3	60
Description for Course: Communication is an intricate and complex process of information exchange common to animals, humans and machines. This course examines a range of communication processes, considering the stakes and outcomes of each type. Among other questions, we’ll ask whether language makes humans unique within the animal world and if our thoughts and emotions can be expressed as algorithmics. Will AI make human creativity irrelevant? Different? Does social media connect or isolate us? Coursework will involve a review of major communication theories, and the conception, development and execution of a collaborative, media-based research-creation project.
530-413-DW	Media Lab	1 - 3 - 4	60
Description for Course: A course designed to introduce students to the processes involved in planning, designing, and delivering interactive and multi-media projects and events. Projects are developed using media ranging from graphic design tools to video and audio production tools as well as social media. Group projects aim to have students realize a performance and/or media based project from conception to fruition, confronting all the potential obstacles along the way.
530-492-DW	Storytelling Techniques in Animated Films	1 - 2 - 1	45
Description for Course: This course in Storytelling for Animation introduces the students to the art of writing and scripting for animation. Throughout the semester the student will develop and conceptualize an idea and create a story structure in order to animate key frames to effectively narrate the story. This course will help to generate and workshop ideas, develop a story and characters and their characteristics, focus on linear or non-linear narratives to present the conflict effectively – with emotions and poignancy. At the end of the semester the students will be able to develop a storyboard for an animated short film. The course will also provide the students with a clear idea of the Principles of Animation. Topics include: idea generation, story development, visual scripting, creation of the three act play, storyboards.
530-498-DW	Integrating Activity (IA)	1 - 3 - 3	60
Description for Course: The culmination of studies in Cinema-Communications, this course requires the student to consolidate the essential features of the profile. The student’s overall acquired skills and knowledge are applied in the realization of a comprehensive production. Students participate in research, design, promotion and production work. Collaboration, resourcefulness and insight are essential to assembling, critiquing and appreciating multi-faceted projects whether individual or small group or class projects.
530-911-DW	Scripting for Media	1 - 2 - 3	45
Description for Course: A course designed to explore the basics of writing for various media. Students experiment with numerous forms of contemporary storytelling such as narrative film, documentary, television and interactive media. Students will use creative techniques and processes that they will apply to the development of original works throughout the term, working independently and in teams.
530-912-DW	Sight and Sound	1 - 2 - 3	45
Description for Course: Looking at the technical, aesthetic, narrative and historical aspects of audio-visual communication, students will analyze concepts and create work that demonstrates their grasp and understanding of the language, conventions and variations of a wide range of sound and image approaches.
530-914-DW	Cinema and Culture	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: What is the cultural significance of film and related media? Cinema and Culture provides an overview of the diverse cultural responses to film. Through exposure to a range of media, from historical to contemporary, including foreign and independent films, students will learn how to contextualize and interpret the social and cultural values expressed.
530-916-DW	Cinema Styles	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: “Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.” This creative advice from legendary filmmaker Orson Welles underlies this course introducing students to the diversity of cinematic production. A wide range of filmic expression is examined through a variety of film forms, genres and styles. The class will examine contemporary and past works notable for their aesthetic approach and storytelling techniques, as well as their unique treatment of social realities.
530-918-DW	Multimedia Techniques	1 - 2 - 3	45
Description for Course: Communication today routinely involves numerous media. With the Internet, people expect the interplay between text, graphics, sound and motion. This course immerses students in various approaches to creating and producing multimedia projects that can include print, digital video, audio, installations and/or web-based, interactive components. Students will be encouraged to explore graphics, photo and audio-visual software applications for their commercial applications and creative possibilities. Assignments may be done in groups or individually. Learning activities include workshops, hands-on lab work, discussions, museum and gallery visits.
530-919-DW	Video Basics	1 - 2 - 3	45
Description for Course: Video Basics provides a disciplined introduction to the principal techniques involved in video production, including the recording and editing of video and sound, as well as the essential baselines for organizing a proper project. Various documentary and narrative approaches will be explored. Students have access to DSLR cameras, sound recording and lighting equipment, for both in class and home use. The department's labs have up-to-date computers and software for in-class and evening work sessions.
530-921-DW	Animation Atelier	1 - 3 - 3	60
Description for Course: Animators breathe life into inanimate characters and make them come alive on screen. This course introduces several traditional/2D animation and experimental techniques to the students. Students learn key terminology and practice production techniques to create fluid action. Through interactive exercises, students explore squash, stretch and other actions with characters. The students are introduced to a series of short animation techniques and exercises that finally culminate to a short animated film production by the end of the term.
530-923-DW	Communications Design and Practice	1 - 3 - 3	60
Description for Course: How effectively does communication reach its intended audience? How are communication strategies developed and put into practice across a range of media outlets? This course gives students the opportunity to identify and apply a variety of communication designs, enabling them to understand and make use of both traditional analogue and current digital media tools for engaging with a targeted and socially distributed audience. Among other possibilities, students will create and evaluate a media campaign and/or produce a collective group activity.
530-924-DW	Media Development and Production	1 - 3 - 3	60
Description for Course: A well-made video is the tip of a submerged organizational iceberg. This course permits students to produce elaborate projects with an emphasis on organization and management. Course activities include: pitch sessions, workshops, technical exercises, group-project development, auditions, tests and on-going analysis of student work. Students have extended access to the department's up-to-date production facilities for use both in and outside of class.
530-925-DW	Cinema and Communications: Selected Topics	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: Students will closely examine an issue or practice of social and cultural significance in the realm of cinema and/or communications. Topics can include a particular artist or creator, a body of work, genres and trends, aesthetic or technological approaches and innovations with an eye to ethical concerns, current circumstances and future directions.
530-926-DW	Media and Society	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course addresses the significance and consequence of film and related media practices in the life of citizens. Students will view a range of films, from past to present, including foreign and independent films, and learn how to interpret and analyze the cultural values expressed and the films' impact on the social world.
530-931-DW	Alternative Cinema	1 - 2 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course is designed to provide a college level introduction to alternative media, including experimental film and video, expanded and interactive cinemas. The cultural, historical and artistic origins of these practices are explored, as are the major movements and essential elements within each. Students view, analyze, discuss, and provide critiques of selected works. A theoretical introduction to the creative process is provided through appropriate readings, exercises, group and individual creative projects.
530-932-DW	Animation	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course explores the art and technique of frame-by-frame filmmaking, or animation, from the earliest innovations to the more recent productions through the theory and practice. Films are viewed and demonstrations given in order to examine specific animators and their ideas and styles as well as their contribution to significant changes in the history of the animated film. The course is designed to initiate a critical, analytical and creative appreciation of the animated film genre and its role in cinema. Students learn to identify various themes, recognize narrative strategies and stylistic devices and apply them to written and practical assignments.
530-BWA-03	Cinema and Culture	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This introductory film course will expose students to the language of film through a variety of film forms and styles. The class will examine contemporary and historical films that are notable for their aesthetic approach and storytelling techniques as well as their unique treatment of social and cultural realities. Objects of study will include examples from around the world, both independent and commercial, experimental and narrative including diverse genres such as western, film noir, auteur and documentary.
530-BWA-03	Cinema Styles	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: “Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.” This creative advice from legendary filmmaker Orson Welles underlies this course introducing students to the diversity of cinematic production. A wide range of filmic expression is examined through a variety of film forms, genres and styles. The class will examine contemporary and past works notable for their aesthetic approach and storytelling techniques, as well as their unique treatment of social realities.
530-BWA-03	Film and Culture	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This is an essential, basic course on the cultural significance of film and related media. All societies express important ideas in their art. In the last 100 years, the cinema has been a dominant art form. This course prepares the student to understand the cultural value of the cinema. In viewing films that cover the range of cinema history, students learn how to interpret and analyze the social and cultural notions found there.
530-BWA-03	Film Genres	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course is designed to help students express themselves verbally and in writing on the subject of genre (type) in film. Films are viewed and analyzed with regard to their genre classification and their socio-historical context. Various readings are assigned and assignments include formal papers and quizzes.
530-BWA-03	Film Styles	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: An introductory film course that exposes students to a variety of film, forms and styles. The range of films includes narrative and non-narrative. The genres may include film noir, western, gangster, documentary, faux-docs, animation, romantic comedy, melodrama, film nouveau and foreign films. Students will also become familiar with the language and structure of film styles.
530-BWA-03	History of Film	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course is an historical overview of film from the late 1800's to the 1960's. It examines aesthetic and technical developments in film, while looking at contributions of filmmakers from various countries such as France, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Great Britain, the United States and Russia, etc.. Assignments may include formal papers, journals, presentations, tests, and creative work.
530-BWA-03	Media & Youth	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: The course will examine the representation of youth culture in contemporary media, focusing, in particular, on advertising, music video, TV and film. Students will discuss how and what these different media communicate about youth as they explore the representational politics of entertainment media: For whom, by whom and about whom are these representations made? How do media images shape and affect our own identities as well as those of our communities? How can media empower us to bring about social change?
530-BWA-03	Media and Communication Arts	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: This course provides a comparative study of the media. Focal areas may include film (feature, animation and documentary), print, advertising, new media, sound recording arts, and television. Media will be analyzed in terms of their producers, production methods and products. Lectures, presentation, screenings, and discussion lead to term papers, journals and creative assignments. A course text may be used.
530-BWA-03	TV into Film	2 - 1 - 3	45
Description for Course: An examination of the flow of technology and craft between television and film, the course explores the changing aesthetic and institutional relationship between these media over time. This survey touches on the various social, cultural, economic and technological factors that have contributed to this changing relationship and considers how these different forms and their genres enable social participation and cultural exchange.
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