Projects

Discussions

Discussions play a crucial part in this class. It is important to come to class with prepared questions and comment based on the readings we will do. Some of what we read will be straightforward, some will be difficult. Discussion is how we can collectively help our comprehension and understanding.
Ongoing

Geneology

A 'Family Tree' of your influences and interests. Prepare a 21 slide presentation that presents:
Your work (7 slides)
Your influences (7 slides)
The broader themes that your influences and interests represent (7 slides).
DUE Week 02

Visual Glossary

You will create a research archive in the form of an annotated visual glossary. This glossary will address your developing interests / concerns / beliefs as a graphic designer.
DUE Week 08

You will be using the online platform are.na to collect and organize your visual glossary.

Requirements:

• The format consists of one "item" (text, image, object, artwork, etc.) accompanied by a title and a 100-150 word annotation.

• At least 20 items

  • Minimum 5 of which are long form texts
  • Minimum 10 of which come from sources other that the Internet.

• Citations for each source

Noise Flying Through the Air

As a group, you will create a 45 minute long 'sound collage' reflecting on your travels to and from the L.A. Art Book Fair. Through the use of sound recording alone, you will investigate and try to capture the experience of yourself and the people around you on your journey. Using the examples shown in class as points of departure, think about how language can be broken down into sound, how sound could be used to create a disembodied 'visual', and how listening can become active.
DUE Week 08

Idiolectic/Dialectic

A one page statement of purpose and intention. This statement will present the philosophy of your evolving design practice. The document should focus on the distinctive qualities and approaches in your own work (idiolect) in relation to others work whose characteristics you find influential (dialect).

1 page outline of:
Characteristic, qualities, and approaches within you design practice
Characteristic in the practices of people you find influential
Greater ideas and themes that you are are interested in. Due Week 9

In class break off into pairs and interview each other for 20 minutes. Record the conversation.

Write a 1 page, lucid, clear and articulate statement that incorporated the thoughts above. Present to class.
DUE Week 10

Every Day Documentation

*in-class exercise. TBA DUE Week 15

Final Project Proposal

A 20x20 slideshow presentation to introduce your final project to your classmates and faculty.
DUE Week 15

Schedule

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Prologue

WEEK 01 J18

Review Syllabus
Create Are.na account
Class: Work on outline of Genealogy presentation

WEEK 02 J25
Class:
Present Genealogy

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Inquiring

WEEK 03 F01
Discuss: Jacques Rancière The Surface of Design
5 items - Visual Glossary

WEEK 04 F08
Discuss: Ursula Franklin The Real World of Technology
Discuss: Lisa Gitelman Near Print and Beyond Paper: Knowing by *.pdf
10 items - Visual Glossary

WEEK 05 F15
Discuss: Trevor Paglen Invisible Images (Your Pictures Are Looking at You)
Homeworkk: Watch Hypernormalization
15 items - Visual Glossary

WEEK 06 F22
Discuss: Hypernormalization
Introduction: Noise Flying Through the Air
In Class: Desk Crit

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Processing

WEEK 07 M01
In Class: Work on Noise Flying Through the Air
In Class: Desk Crit

WEEK 08 M08
Present Noise Flying Throught the Air
Present Visual Glossary

WEEK 09 M15
Discuss: Daniel Buren Why Write
Discuss: Rough Draft Ideolectic/Dialectic
In Class: Workshop Ideolectic/Dialectic

M 22 SPRING BREAK NO CLASS

WEEK 10 M29
Discuss: Rough Draft Ideolectic/Dialectic
In Class: Desk Crits and Interviews

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Framing

WEEK 11 A05
Present Ideolectic/Dialectic
Introduction: Final Project Proposal Worksheet
Introduction: Every Day Documentation
Homework: Read Reference Work excerpt
Homework: Proposal Rough Outline
Homework: 3 Every Day Documentation Ideas/Roughs

WEEK 12 A12
Guest Speaker Marco Kane Braunschweiler
Artist and Associate Director, Digital, MOCA
Review: Proposal Rough Outline
Review: 3 Every Day Documentation Ideas/Roughs
Homework: Read The Architecture of Content Management

WEEK 13 A19
Guest Speaker Fiona Connor
Artist
In Class: Desk Crits

WEEK 14 A26
Present Final Project Proposal

WEEK 15 M03
TBA

Syllabus

[email protected]

Overview

This course will guide you through the process of researching, contextualizing, and framing the thinking around your final project.

Broadly, we will be investigating these questions:

• What does it mean to consider your interests in the context of your own work?
• What is the 'frame' in which we describe our work and interests?
• How can these processes go out into the world and involve a public?

Specifically, you will be examining these questions by researching, writing, and discussing:

• Collecting and annotating texts, images, and objects and creating connections and conclusions about how they relate to your emerging practice.
  
• Composing a text that elucidates the underlying interests informing your final project and contextualizes your concerns as a graphic designer.

The class will be split up into three sections – Inquiry, Processing, & Framing.

Class time will be used as a forum to discuss assigned readings, review/critique work, and conduct in-class projects.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify and investigate topics of interest important to the student’s developing role as a graphic designer

• Demonstrate the ability to frame questions, devise appropriate methodologies for answering them, and collect evidence of an ongoing perspective of critical theory.

• Apply critical thinking skills, writing skills, and research skills

• Compare and contrast the ideas and arguments of varying texts

• Collaborate with other students in class assignments, discussions, and critiques.

• Reflect on past, present, and future interests and concerns, assessing personal investment in contemporary subjects relevant to the field.

OTHER

Otis Attendance Policy

Attendance is critical to learning and academic success; students are therefore expected toattend all class meetings. Students who incur more than two absences in a course that meetsonce per week, or more than four absences in a course that meets twice per week, will fail thecourse, barring exceptional circumstances as determined by the Chair. Exceptionalcircumstances include, but are not limited to: death in the family, serious medical conditions,hospitalization, observance of religious holidays, and some approved disability accommodations.Students wishing to claim exceptional circumstances must provide the Chair with appropriatedocumentation. At the Chair's discretion, numerous absences due to exceptional circumstancesmay necessitate course withdrawal or failure. Three tardies (including arriving late or leavingearly) equal one absence.

Otis Grade Scale

This course is graded on a Pass / Fail basis. If you get less than a D in this class you Fail the course.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when a person deliberately uses another person’s concepts, language,
images, music, or other original (not common knowledge) material without acknowledging the
source and/or making substantial modifications. While referencing or appropriating may be part of
a studio or Liberal Arts and Sciences assignment, it is the student’s ethical responsibility to
acknowledge and/or modify the original material
Specific examples of plagiarism include:

Submitting someone else’s work in whole or part (including copying directly from a sourcewithout documentation and/or alteration, or turning in studio work that is not your own).Having someone else produce, revise, or substantially alter all or part of a written paperor studio assignment.

Cutting and pasting any textual or image-based work from the internet without proper
documentation or clarification of sources.
Failure to cite sources.

Proper citations in MLA style and a Works Cited page must accompany all papers.You can find citation information through the Library website. http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/cite/works_cited.html

Using the writing, editing, or creative services of another person who quantitatively and/or qualitatively revises the paper and/or studio work significantly.

An editor often fixes the paper without the writer learning how to do it him/herself.Sometimes the editor changes so much of the paper that it is no longer the studentwriter’s work and thus plagiarized. A trained tutor helps the writer to learn how torevise the papers and eventually not need the tutor’s assistance.

Instances of alleged plagiarism are reported to the Academic Integrity Committee for review. Fora complete description of the Academic Integrity Committee process, please go to:

http://www.otis.edu/life_otis/student_life/student_affairs/conduct.html

Tutoring

Otis provides an excellent tutoring program, free to all students, located in the Student ResourcesCenter (out the front doors, then left and left). They offer drop in tutoring (when available),a ppointments, and online tutoring. (See website for more information.)

Disability Services

If you are a student with documented disability services (physical, learning, or psychological)requiring reasonable academic accommodations, you must contact Disabilities Services (locatedin the Student Resources Center, ext. 2554) before you need any accommodations. Retroactiveaccommodations are not provided, so please be sure to make your request early in the semester.All discussions will remain confidential.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.otis.edu/life_otis/student_life/student_affairs/student_disabilities_services.html