COM 202: Visual Rhetoric
syllabus, Assignments, & Schedule
Spring 2015

Contact Information
Dr. Steven Hammer
shammer@sju.edu
301 Bronstein Hall
to make an appointment, click HERE

Course Description
This course examines the role of aesthetic, sensory-based experience in digital environments. The course focuses on contemporary ways to understand sensory perception (especially sight and sound) and its relationship to meaning making.  Students will come to understand aesthetics as a mode of complex communication intricately related to social and cultural inﬂuences. Students will apply this understanding to a variety of hands-on projects involving color, typography, photography, infographics, sound design and editing, and presentation design.

Required Materials
	•	16GB or higher SD memory card
	•	32GB or higher USB flash drive
	•	Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (NOTE: Our computers have this installed already, but you may also subscribe to CC month-to-month here.)
	•	White Space is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner’s Guide to Communicating Visually through Graphic, Web & Multimedia Design. Kim Golombisky & Rebecca Hagen ISBN: 0240824148

Course Requirements

Participation & Attendance: 10%
Come to class. When you come to class, engage with the learning process and your classmates. You are allowed two “free” absences without penalty. Thereafter, you will lose this 10% of your final grade. If you miss 6 or more classes, you will not pass the course.

Major Projects and Quizzes: 90%
∆ Sound Design-15%
You will reimagine the sound design for selected scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Your goal is not to reproduce the sound design, but to thoughtfully rethink the design. You will be evaluated based on a) the quality of your sound design (levels, sound quality), b) creative use of noise, c) collection and use of new recorded sound (you may use prerecorded sound for 20% or less of the project), and d) your ability to write articulately about your sound design based on principles and readings we have used in class. Submit your finished project with a 500+ word essay that describes your decisions, process, and influences.
∆ Video Production-15%
In small groups, you will recreate, film, and edit the opening sequence of Dexter. Your goal here is to reproduce the scene as closely as possible. You will be evaluated based on a) the similarity of your project to the original sequence, b) the quality of your project and originally recorded sound/video (you may not sample sources for this project), and c) your ability to write articulately about your project based on principles and readings we have used in class. Submit your finished project with a 500+ word essay that describes your decisions, process, and influences.
∆ Photography-20%
You will compose a short story comprised of photographs you capture, edit, and sequence. You will be evaluated based on a) the quality and thoughtfulness of your photographs (techniques, image quality, editing), b) your ability to use images and techniques to tell a captivating story, and c) your ability to articulate your choices. Submit your finished project with a 500+ word essay that describes your decisions, process, and influences.
∆ Glitch and Error-20%
You will compose a small collection of glitch/error-based works. Produce at least two of the following: image, video, audio, and "wild/feral" captures. You will be evaluated based on a) employing the techniques we discuss in class, namely both capturing wild glitches and crafting domesticated glitches and b) the degree to which your artist statement engages the political, economic, and rhetorical nature of your work. Submit your finished project with a 500+ word artist's statement that describes your decisions, process, and influences. See our schedule below for readings and tools.
Upload your content to our shared exhibition space: http://www.com202sju.wordpress.com
∆ Presentation Design-20%
For your final project, you will utilize presentation/slide design practices to teach a concept to your audience in 2 minutes. You will be evaluated based on a) the quality of your presentation materials based on readings and discussions, b) your ability to clearly communicate with (not merely to) your audience and teach them something new, and c) adhering to the 1.5-2-minute timeframe.

Grading & Deadlines
 
*Deadlines must be met in order to receive credit for your work.

A-: 90-100% -exceeds basic assignment criteria in several ways.
B: 80-89% -meets and exceeds basic assignment criteria
C: 70-79% -meets basic assignment criteria
D: 60-69% -fails to meet one or more basic assignment criteria.
F: 0-59% -incomplete, not received, or fails to meet any basic assignment criteria.

Schedule

This is a tentative schedule. Changes will be announced in class.
Reading/watching/listening assignments must be completed prior to class each week.
WS = White Space is Not Your Enemy

Wk1
1/12       Introductions
               READ: Syllabus, Website

Wk2
1/19       Sound: theory, history
READ: Russolo, Cage (pp.1-12), Murch
WATCH: Murch, Burtt

Wk3
1/26       Sound, cont.
WATCH: 2001: A Space Odyssey
WATCH: Premiere Pro Basics, Basic Audio Editing, Audacity Beginner Tutorial
OBTAIN/DOWNLOAD: Audacity, Adobe Premiere (Premiere is available on many SJU computers, including laptops in 174; Audacity is free)

Wk4
2/2        Sound, cont.
DUE FRI: 2001 Scene Sound Design

Wk5
2/9        Film and Video
WATCH: Dexter opening sequence
READ: Yale Film Analysis Guide, WS Ch. 1, 11

Wk6
2/16       Film and Video, cont.
DUE FRI: Dexter Sequence Reproduction

Wk7
2/23       Photography: concepts and practices
READ: WS Ch. 5, 9

Wk8
3/2        Photography [Q]

Wk9
3/9        Spring Break /// no classes

Wk10
3/16      No classes /// CCCC
                 Due Friday: Photo Essay              

Wk11
3/23      Glitch: theory, philosophy, practice. [Q]
READ: Menkman, Peplin
DOWNLOAD: Hex Fiend, Audacity 
Introduction to glitch, dirty new media.
Media files, formats, compression. How do our operating systems shape our experiences?
Topics: GlitchHunting, WordPad and HexEditing

Wk12
3/30      Glitch: theory, philosophy, practice. [Q]
READ: Temkin, Hertz
DOWNLOAD: glitchSort
Domestic glitches and the limitations of glitch art/theory. Post-glitch art.

Wk13
4/6       Glitch: theory, philosophy, practice.
WATCH: Datamoshing tutorial (parts 1-3)
DOWNLOAD: Avidemux 2.6, ffmpegX,
SEE ALSO: Photoshopping Mp3s, The Ghost in the Mp3, Mp3 Glitcher for Pure Data  
Compression artifacts, black boxes, and making media & production visible.

Wk14
4/13      Glitch, cont.
DUE FRI: Glitch Works

Wk15
4/20      Presentation Design
READ: WS Ch. 4, 5, 6

Wk16
4/27      Presentation Design, cont.

Wk17
5/4       Final Exam Week.
DUE: Final Presentations in regular classroom during assigned exam time.

University Policies
Academic Honesty: Please familiarize yourself with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.
Disability Support: In accordance with state and federal laws, the University will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. For those who have or think that you may have a disability requiring an accommodation (learning, physical, psychological) should contact Services for Students with Disabilities, Room G10, Bellarmine, 610-660-1774 (voice) or 610-660-1620 (TTY) as early as possible in the semester for additional information and so that an accommodation, if appropriate, can be made in a timely manner. You will be required to provide current (within 3 years) documentation of the disability.
For a more detailed explanation of the University’s accommodation process, as well as the programs and services offered to students with disabilities, please see the Student Resources Page. If you have any difficulty accessing the information on-line, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities at the telephone numbers above.
If you have any questions or concerns about the syllabus, assignments, or content throughout the semester, please feel free to contact me.
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