COMM 329: GRAPHICS
FALL 2008 - SECTION 1
MEETING TIME:
M-W-F,
MEETING PLACE: STT 464
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Matthew M. Reavy
OFFICE: 4126 Communication Wing, St. Thomas Hall
OFFICE HOURS:
M-W-F,
OFFICE PHONE: (570) 941-6186
E-MAIL: mreavy@epix.net
Catalog Description:
Visual aspects of print media. Typography, printing presses, handling photos and other art layout and design, introduction to desktop publishing. Familiarity with journalism basics, style, and computer-terminal operations required.
Required Text(s):
The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook, Tim Harrower
Daily reading of the J-Student blog at http://jscranton.wordpress.com
Recommended Text(s):
In-Design for Dummies (or another In-Design reference)
Adobe Photoshop for Dummies (or another Photoshop reference)
Whether or not you buy these “recommended” books should depend upon how serious you are about design. If you intend to pursue a career in graphic design or editing, these books should be considered required. They will also help you improve your performance in class, though we will not be covering them in detail.
Student Evaluation:
Portfolio 45 points
Page Design Assignment 15 points
Adobe Photoshop Assignment 15 points
Web Design Assignment 15 points
Midterm 15 points
Final 15 points
Quizzes 10 points
Pass/Fail Assignments 5 points
Pass/Fail Presentations 5 points
Class Participation 5 points
Late Assignments:
Communication professionals must be reliable. Missing assignments can cost you your job. Class attendance is not mandatory. However, if you miss a class, you are likely to miss a graded assignment, which will adversely affect your final grade.
The instructor will determine whether to allow you to make up work you missed because of an absence. In general, makeup work will only be permitted if the instructor is notified of an absence prior to the class to be missed. You should have a compelling reason for any absence. Quizzes may not be made up; however, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped..
Late assignments will not be accepted for a grade without prior approval from the instructor. You may turn in a late assignment for the instructor's review. It will be corrected and returned to you; however, the grade received will be an “F.”
Grade Changes:
If you believe a mistake has been made in a grade, you must see me within one week after the paper or exam has been returned to you.
Students With
Disabilities:
In order to receive appropriate accommodations, students with disabilities must register with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and provide relevant documentation. Students should contact Mary Ellen Pichiarello (Extension 4039) or Jim Muniz (Extension 4218), 5th floor, St. Thomas Hall, for an appointment.
Academic Integrity:
Communication professionals are expected to uphold the
highest ethical standards. Any instance of academic dishonesty will be reported
to the provost's office. Students should be familiar with the contents of the
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
* Plagiarism (copying work written or published by others).
* Inappropriate eye movements during quizzes or exams.
* Looking at or copying another student's work, or allowing another student to look at or copy your work.
* Talking or otherwise communicating with another student during quizzes or writing assignments, unless instructed to do so.
* Removing test materials or attempting to remove them from an examination room without permission.
These rules apply to all in-class and outside-class assignments. Failure to meet these standards will result in zero points for the assignment. You also risk failing the course. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the appropriate university officials.
Class Participation:
Class participation includes participation in the classroom, as well as on the blog. Students should sign up for a free account with wordpress.com (http://wordpress.com/signup/) in order to comment on articles that appear on the jscranton blog.
Course Schedule:
The course schedule is tentative and subject to change as the semester progresses.
Week Assignment
Aug 25 Intro to Graphics -- Design and Newspaper Jargon
Sept 2 Basic Story Design
Assignment #1: In Class
Sept 8 Crash Course: Headlines & Photos
Assignment #2: In Class
Sep 15 Basic Page Design
Assignment #3: In Class
Sept 22 Page Layout Practice/Nuts & Bolts
Sept 29 Assignment #4 Presentations in Class
Oct 6 Midterm Exam
Oct 15 Introduction to Photoshop
Assignment #5: In Class
Oct 20 More Photoshop
Assignment #6: In Class
Oct 27 Introduction to Infographics
Assignment #7: In Class
Nov 3 Introduction to Web Design
Assignment #8 Due
Nov 10 HTML and the Web
Assignment #9: In Class
Nov 17 Web Page Design
Assignment #10: In Class
Nov 24 Thanksgiving
Dec 1 More Web Page Design
Assignment #11: In Class
Dec 8 Last Day of Class