Course Name:Design Theory
and Practice
Course Prefix: Art
Course Number: 3455
Submitted by (Name & E-Mail): Mark Biddle,
mbiddle@weber.edu
Current Date: 10/23/2012
College: Arts & Humanities
Department: Visual Arts
From Term: Fall
2013
Substantive
|
new |
Current Course Subject
N/A Current Course Number |
N/A
|
Subject: Select Subject
Course Number: 3455 |
Check all that apply:
This is for courses already approved for gen ed. Use a different form for proposing a new gen ed designation. DV CA HU LS PS SS EN AI QL TA TB TC TD TE |
Course Title: Design Theory and Practice
Abbreviated Course Title:
| Course Type: | LEL |
Credit Hours: 3 or if variable hours: to
Contact Hours: Lecture 2 Lab 3.5 Other
Grading Mode: standard
| This course is/will be: |
a
required course in a major program a required course in a minor program a required course in a 1- or 2- year program elective |
Prerequisites/Co-requisites:
Prerequisites: ART 3430 Typography and Publication Design and ARTH 3451 History of Design or consent of instructor
Course description (exactly as it will appear in the catalog, including prerequisites):
A thematic investigation
of selected movements, theories, and figures from the history of graphic design.
Topics are selected according to relevance and significance to the design
profession in our current day and include the role of design research in
contemporary practice. This is a studio course oriented to the interests of the
visual communication program within the art major.
Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)
Art 3455 Design theory
and practice absorbs the studio components of the current Art 3450 (this course
is being eliminated) and, because it follows Art 3451, also newly proposed,
allows an even richer exploration of historical concepts through hands-on
activity-based learning. Through experience in the classroom, faculty have
discovered that key aspects of design history (Constructivism, the Bauhaus
School, and Swiss Modernism, for example) have instructive utility beyond any
treatment these subjects can receive in a lecture / discussion situation.
Example: Constructivism is studied not as something that happened in the past
but as a package of ideas that are just as alive today as they were 100 years
ago. From its roots as a politically charged movement in support of an emerging
communist party in Russia during the early 1900s, the movement became
“internationalized” in Europe and its principles have appeared sporadically up
to the present day.
Through studio project work, students examine this evolution and apply
Constructivist principles to a project series of their own making which leads to
greater ownership of the learning and improves graduating portfolios.
Visual Arts is accredited by NASAD, the National Association of Schools of Art
and Design. According to NASAD there is additional room within our curriculum
for “supporting” courses that serve the studio areas. This proposed course will
directly serve the Visual Communication emphasis within the Art Major.
INFORMATION PAGE
for substantive proposals only
1. Did this course receive unanimous approval within the Department?
true
If not, what are the major concerns raised by the opponents?
N/A
2. If this is a new course proposal, could you achieve the desired results by revising an existing course within your department or by requiring an existing course in another department?
Art 3455 is part of a proposal set that eliminates an existing course (Art 3450) and carries its content forward to two new courses, one of which is lecture based (Arth 3451) while the other (Art 3455) is oriented to studio activity.
3. How will the proposed course differ from similar offerings by other departments? Comment on any subject overlap between this course and topics generally taught by other departments, even if no similar courses are currently offered by the other departments. Explain any effects that this proposal will have on program requirements or enrollments in other department. Please forward letters (email communication is sufficient) from all departments that you have identified above stating their support or opposition to the proposed course.
The Department of
Communication currently offers a concentration entitled “Public relations and
advertising” which includes a visual communication track and even utilizes
several Visual Arts courses as elective options. However, the Communication
department does not offer studio activity courses, nor any course with a
particular focus on design or visual communication history.
NOTE FROM COMM
As chair of the Department of Communication, I have no concerns about the
proposal from the Department of Visual Art to create two classes -- ART 3451
History of Design and ART 3455 Design Theory and Practice -- from the former
single course offering. While there is some content overlap between these
courses and several of our courses, the information emphasis and pedagogical
approach are significantly different between our two departments. We fully
support the change. A few of our students may actually take these classes as
part of their minor or emphasis areas, and we welcome art students into our
classes.
Thank you for alerting us to your curriculum decisions.
sheree
Sheree Josephson, Ph.D.
Chair, Communication Department
Weber State University
1407 University Circle
Ogden, UT 84408-1407
801-626-6164 (office)
801-626-7975 (fax)
4. Is this course required for certification/accreditation of a program?
yes
If so, a statement to that effect should appear in the justification and supporting documents should accompany this form.
5. For course proposals, e-mail a syllabus to Faculty Senate which should be sufficiently detailed that the committees can determine that the course is at the appropriate level and matches the description. There should be an indication of the amount and type of outside activity required in the course (projects, research papers, homework, etc.).