Saturday, January 10, 2015

Official Pop Culture Syllabus






GrD -4250 Graphic Design in Pop Culture                            
Stan Anderson, Coordinator + Associate Professor
stananderson@gsu.edu
CRN #15301                                                        
Monday/Wednesday 2:30-5:20p                                          
Office: 362  
460 Studio                                                                           
 Office Hours: Tuesday 11-4p (or appts.)
3 Credit Hours                                                                      
Office Phone: 404-543-4086 cell        
Course Blogsite:                                                                   
www.popculture2015.blogspot.com                          

______________________________________________________________________________________    
Stan Anderson schedule for Spring 2015:
Monday & Wednesday
11-1:50p  - GrD4250    Pop Culture  (Juniors) – 460 Studio
2:30-5:20p - GrD4950  - Portfolio  (Seniors) – 468 Studio
5:30-8:20p – GrD3200 – Intermediate Design (Sophomores) – 468 Studio                                    
________________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 Course Description from GSU Catalogue:
Graphic Design in Popular Culture. Prerequisites: GrD 3200 with grade of C or higher, and consent of graphic design coordinator or instructor. Chronology of popular culture through graphic design from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century; presented in a studio problem-solving format; sociological and cultural impact of design and design technology. Lab Fee: $20.00.  3.000 Credit hours

2015 University Requirements:
Seniors must satisfy all the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Art and Design and University requirements prior to
their expected graduation date. Seniors must have already applied for Graduation and also have delegated an official audit transcript from the Registrars office prior to the end of this semester. Seniors must insure that they have the minimum amount of credit hours to graduate from the University and have fulfilled the required number of credit hours within their discipline (60hours + in area G.)

2015 Student-Directed Links:
All students in this class are responsible for creating and maintaining a daily/weekly/monthly blogger/tumblr/website site that relates directly to your interaction with graphic design, illustration, animation and fine art. (This may also be in the form of a website should the student wish.) This type of “online sketchbook/design book” is in lieu of the more traditional paper versions associated with fine art (drawing sketchbooks.) Everyone must participate and all blogs should be available to others.

This design blog is crucial to the fundamental development of each student and how they think, process and experiment with outside influences as a designer. The blogs are also an important design tool with regards to how students share creativity with others inside & outside the graphic design program. It also serves as a place to archive work for posterity. Others in will view these design links and possibly others, including Instructors, outside of the classroom so be professional with the work you put into these online sites. Nothing controversial or adult oriented should be on your blogs. If you have questions about this just ask the Instructor.

The Instructor will be giving blog assignments you need to complete as well as your own blog entries showing your work in progress and the work that you will finish so others can see. It is also a “design vault” of your work for future references.

The student blogs will count for 10% of the final grade so it should be taken seriously.
Blogger, Typepad, Tumblr are three examples of reputable sites where students can sign up for their free services.
*No profanity and no adult content are allowed on any of the student blogs. You may also wish to include work from other classes but it should focus primarily on the GrD3200 experience. If any student publishes any materials that are deemed by the professor as inappropriate (this includes any images that are found online or personally created) the student can be dropped from the class. No exceptions. This includes comments made on other students blogs.
I take this very seriously and inappropriate content will not be tolerated.

2015 Software Programs:
Students will be using Adobe Creative Suite programs during the interim of this course.
Although the Graphic Design program does not endorse Mac computers, most art students seem to work more proficiently and easily on this computer platform. Every student is expected and encouraged to learn all the software programs outside the classroom experience. Most of the classroom lab time will focus on the conceptual part of graphic design process, although demonstrations will be provided from time to time for specific projects. You must continue to learn the programs on your own outside the classroom experience. If you need additional assistance with learning software programs there are several places students can visit which will prove to be very beneficial. (See Digital Aquarium at GSU for classes (all classes and printouts are free) or you can use Lynda.com that the University provides for free. Sign up now!

Grading Criteria:
Students are required to complete all the coursework as prescribed by the Instructor’s deadlines.
See Deadlines for additional grading procedures. It’s possible the percentages could change but students will be notified.
Forthcoming assignments:

1. TBA Shortly when all the projects are finalized.

2015 Assignments:
Students are subjected to many types of different Instructors and their various methods of teaching during their undergraduate years. Therefore it is necessary for students to remain open to the classroom experience as well as to the critiques from their peers. It is the intent and preparation by these Instructors that students gain the basic intermediate education during the semester in order to prepare themselves for future classes or for application to the BFA graphic design program and beyond. Your class will move at its own pace and assignments can and will vary from the other instructors/classes being taught. One Instructors opinion can (and probably will) vary from other Instructors. Be open for those opinions and then form your own conclusion. Every student will be treated equally regardless of whether or not the student is making application to major in Graphic Design at the end of the semester. 

2015 Critiques:
All students must learn to discuss their work during critiques, as they would have to do in a business/client working relationship. Students will also be required to submit a creative brief along with all the work due at class critiques. Students should learn the art of discussion about their creative work in a classroom environment.  Written creative briefs will accompany every project and should be turned in on time. These creative briefs should be kept short and precise.

All work at critiques must be printouts unless otherwise noted by the Instructor. No excuses.
There will be minimal amount of critiques. Most times the professor will critique one-on-one with the senior designer.
However, there will be announced deadlines and critiques that everyone must attend and participate in as part of the curriculum set forth by the Instructor. Do not miss or be late for critiques because it is as if you didn’t participate if you are either late or tardy. (Tardy means coming in after the critique has started.)

2015 Deadlines:
Each assignment will have sufficient time allotted in order to compete the necessary work prior to critiques. A completion date (deadline) will be announced at the beginning of each assignment and documented on the syllabus. Deadlines are usually accompanied by an in-class critique. All finished work is due at the announced deadline regardless of whether or not the student is present or not at the critique. Failure to complete projects by due date will result in an automatic “F” for the project regardless of how much time and effort might have been put into the project. One of the most important aspects of becoming a professional graphic designer is managing time in order to complete each assignment. Learn how to manage your time now and the future will be much less stressful and more creative.

“Late” means that once the critique has begun you will be considered to be “late.”
Everyone is given ample time to arrive to class on time.  A critique will begin once a majority of students have arrived.
Meeting a deadline is crucial to the understanding of personal time management and professional standards in the industry.

Time management works in tandem with creativity. True understanding of time management increases you productivity, thus eliminating stress at critiques. Build in prep time for printing and any possible snafus that may occur with each project. Think ahead and be prepared. This includes drive time to class, production problems, sickness, weather conditions, and other emergencies that may arise unexpectedly.

* If a student foresees a problem with a due date/deadline it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Instructor prior to the critique. Communication with the Instructor is important if any problem arises regarding any course situation.

2015 Absences:
Every student is expected to arrive on time and leave at the end of each class period. This is also important on the days when critiques are scheduled.  Arriving late and leaving early may be considered absences. It depends on when the Instructor takes roll and if the student is late or leaves early when the roll is taken then the Instructor will consider the student “absent”.  Students are allowed 3 absences (this includes unexcused/excused) per Semester. The Instructor will issue a warning after the 3rd absence (email and verbal) to the student. For every absence after the 3rd absence the student’s final grade for the semester will be lowered by 1 letter grade. Please understand this important part of the grading process. There is no negotiation in this area. Habits student’s form early on inside a classroom usually follow them into the professional world.
Learn to make god choices and habits now.

2015 Tardiness:
Students who arrive after the critique has begun will receive an “F” unless the student has discussed it with the professor prior to the beginning of the class. Unexcused absences and habitual tardiness (arriving late and leaving early) is usually evidence that the student is not taking the course seriously or not focused on completing the projects set forth in this course syllabi.
Each student is allowed 3 absences before the final grade is lowered one letter grade for each additional absence.
Tardy means coming to class after it has started.

2015 Academic Dishonesty Policy/Plagiarism:
Read this policy on the University website. Understand this policy.

Anyone in my class who is determined to be plagiarizing other work will be dropped from the class and will be investigated by the Dean of Students for further disciplinary actions. Don’t do it!

Being inspired is NOT the same as copying someone’s work. Inspiration is about using that work by someone else as a source of enlightenment and suggests only that you would like to create something similar in aesthetics.  Copying work/plagiarism can be deemed as using templates found on the web; taking images/photographs/original type from other resources that don’t belong to you. You cannot buy or sample or appropriate any work that doesn’t belong to you or that you didn’t create unless you have direct approval from the professor/instructor. If and when the Professor/Instructor grants permission for use of other materials to you then you must also credit the source on your own final work.

Inspire: to make (someone) want to do something: to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create: to cause (something) to happen or be created: to cause someone to have (a feeling or emotion)
Plagiarize:  to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas.
(Definitions of courtesy: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Plagiarism continues to be a huge problem in most areas of graphic design. Since the invention of the Internet people have been downloading, swiping, and sampling other people’s artwork and words and claiming them for their own. This is type of behavior is not permitted in the classroom as well in the professional world. There are exceptions that might allow others to use someone else’s work but usually that is when the work becomes footnoted or given proper credit in the format that it is being used in the work created by the designer.

GSU has a very tough policy on plagiarism that every student should be aware of in the University catalog. This includes expulsion from not only the particular class but possibly from the University as well. (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct_conpol.html)

The easiest route around plagiarism is to always create your own work. It is ultimately your own artistic voice that wants to succeed. Take your own photos, write your own words/copy, and illustrate your own imagery. Everyone can certainly be inspired by others work but let that translate only into inspiration to motivation of your own work.

Every student in my class is expected to create their own imagery for all their projects. All work that has not been created, conceived or produced by the student and used in this course will be considered plagiarism. The only exception to this rule is if the chosen client gives you written or verbal permission for you to use some of their existing work and to incorporate that into your own work for the semester.

No one can ever accuse another student of plagiarism if they work off their own creativity.
Please do not purchase stock photography or illustrations from other reputable companies.
Create your own library of images.  Pinterest is a great bank to archive work that inspires you.


2015 Calendar: Important Dates

First Day of Class: Monday January 12th   

MLK Holiday: Monday January 19th

Midterm: March 02nd

Spring Break: March 16th – 20th

Classes End: Monday April 2tth

Senior Exit Reviews:  May TBA

2015 Possible Design Projects for Spring Semester:

TBA

2015 Speakers, Presentations and Interstitial Information:

      1.   Entry of work into the 2015 Welch Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition.  (Mandatory)
      2.  More to come/TBA

2015 Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Annual Juried Student Competition:
Open to all art students, this annual juried exhibition is a cumulative exhibition of selected artwork from students
all disciplines in the Welch School of Art and Design.  Graphic Designers can enter work that has been created in past classes or create a unique piece for this juried exhibition. Work submitted for this Annual Student Exhibition does not have to be graphic design but can be anything you wish to enter.  Awards and recognition of those selected to be in the exhibition will be announced at the opening of the Exhibition. It’s an annual student gathering in the Welch Galleries. Mandatory submissions of work by all graphic designers.

Framing and mounting will be discussed.
Seniors will probably be encouraged by the gallery director to have only one entry…however, this one entry can be a series or designs such as posters on a certain subject or a triptych of a project. Many times the gallery director will allow students to show video work (everyone’s video work compiled into one DVD and projected at the exhibition) as well as printed work.

Seniors must attend the Gallery BFA Senior Exit review meeting prior to the exhibition.
Work usually must be picked up after graduation or designers will have to make other arrangements for pick up.

All work in this exhibition by all the disciplines in the School of Art & Design must come from work completed during your time at GSU as an undergraduate.



                                   






No comments:

Post a Comment