Courses and descriptions.

The course emphasizes production methods and techniques for color still photography, page layout and multimedia production. The cultural, historical and contemporary aesthetics and the theory and technology of color photography will be explored through classroom demonstration, exercises and assignments.

This course introduces the fundamental photographic techniques of camera operation, exposure, digital workflow and processing, image editing, scanning and print output. The basic aesthetic aspects of still photography are also explored.

This course is a survey of current professional digital imaging and editing applications and techniques, asset management principles and the Macintosh Operating System. Fundamental techniques for capture, workflow, library and collection development and digital tools are introduced.

The course enables students to create a short digital video production. Instruction covers pre-production, production, and post-production methods, strategies, and techniques, including story/script development, interviewing, videography, audio recording and editing.

This course provides an overview of the design industry and the methods of graphic design and visual communications. Covers the application of graphic design production tools and the design process with an emphasis on conceptualization and visualization.

This course explores the avenues of contemporary digital design, highlighting the importance of process, innovation, and communication. Students will become familiar with design projects, ranging from traditional print to multi-media projects. The course will focus on developing and refining the design concept and the execution strategy.

This course introduces concepts and principles of producing and assembling digital video and the tools and techniques of video and sound capture. Students will learn story, planning and organizational skills as a part of the pre-production, production and post-production process.

Students will learn concepts of intermediate pre-production, production and post-production industry standard workflows and trends. Students will work on increasing levels of storytelling based on trends in industry.

This course examines sound's impact on digital media, teaching students to design, edit, and integrate audio using industry-standard tools for immersive and engaging multimedia projects.

This course studies the implementation of the foundations of interactive media including user-interface design concept, professional practice, resources, and tools. Students combine multi-media elements to construct an interactive product using industry-standard software.

This course explores the utilization of mobile devices and mobile applications for digital storytelling to build a social media connection with an intended audience. Topics include user experience design (UX Design), Interactive storytelling, social media concepts and new media techniques in the mobile environment. This course focuses on the use of efficient and effective mobile and social media strategies to deliver engaging interactive media products.

A senior capstone course consisting of one, semester long comprehensive project, and designed to evaluate the student's ability to perform at a professional level. The individual project utilizes all of the skills students have learned throughout their education in the program. Students meet in both group and individual sessions with the instructor to develop and execute their projects.

This internship course is specifically designed to enhance the learning experience through in-depth reflection and critical analysis of the industry environment.

This course introduces basic concepts of visual communication in a general historical framework. Emphasis is placed on reading and writing about art to give incoming students sufficient preparation for the program.

This course is designed to further the student's technical ability with design, layout and image editing programs. Emphasis is placed on preparing the student for professional technical competency with industry standard graphics software applications. Additional input and output options, and typical graphics applications workflows are covered.

This course functions as an introduction to digital video production. Students learn to use current software, techniques and equipment, and begin to think about sound and sequencing their moving images while developing video projects. Students gain a beginning understanding of the history of video.

This course functions as an introduction to sound design. Students learn the basic principles of acoustics, sound recording and production as well as a beginning understanding of theories and history of sound design. Through projects, students explore aspects of sound design for a wide range of media.

Introduction to Interactive Media introduces current interactive software and hardware while providing experience developing multimedia materials containing sound, graphics, animation, and interactive components. Students gain hands-on experience through a series of practical skills building tasks.

This course introduces students to a broad range of performance forms and installation art, investigating the content and concepts of the physical self and its relationship to space, audience, technology, and society. Students are encouraged to engage in collaborative and group work, and to experiment in developing individual aesthetic sensibilities.

This intermediate class provides students opportunity to experiment with the many possibilities of video productions. Through projects, screenings and readings students will explore video as an expressive medium. Students will gain a strong understanding of the cultural context of video.

This course functions as an introduction to underwater video. Students will learn to use current software, techniques, and equipment and begin to think about video and sequence with their moving images while developing a video project. Students will gain a beginning understanding the unique qualities and challenges of underwater videography.

An advanced course designed to explore sound interface, spatial design and interactivity. Students explore strategies of interactivity with an emphasis on innovative ways to conceptualize and design interactive projects. Students gain a strong understanding of the cultural context of interactive media.

Students experiment with sound design techniques and technologies. Projects will explore the ideas of sound aesthetics and emotive influence while allowing for experimentation in execution and installation. Students gain a strong understanding of the cultural context of sound design.

This is an advanced video class in which the student works independently on self-defined projects. Students will work with the technical and experimental foundation of previous courses in order to create advanced level video projects. Off campus presentations of projects is expected.

A senior capstone course consisting of one, semester-long comprehensive project, and designed to evaluate the student's ability to perform at a professional level. The individual project utilizes all of the skills students have learned throughout their education in the program. Students meet in both group and individual sessions with the instructor to develop and execute their projects.

Students gain experience by applying academic knowledge to responsible roles outside the university context. Training at a professional business relevant to their academic major, students learn the working environment of teamwork, ethics, professionalism, implementation and presentation. Students complete 250 hours of training with a business or studio, and attend a series of scheduled group and individual meetings with the academic instructor.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize candidates with technology applications commonly found in educational settings. The course addresses effectively identifying, locating, evaluating, designing, preparing, and efficiently using technology as instructional resources in the classroom to positively impact student learning. The course is designed to meet the requirements of the International Society for Technology in Education NETS Standards for Teachers. Candidates will learn to use a variety of technologies (including computers) to develop and enhance classroom instruction, communication, and management. Topics will focus on hardware and software to develop skills in word processing, using spreadsheets, use of the Web, evaluating educational software and web pages, using multimedia, and creating web pages.

Role of mass media in society, including newspapers, radio, television, advertising, public relations, and the internet. Covers the basic functions of these media and their impact on American society, politics, and culture. No duplicate credit for MCOM 131 and SOCL 131, MCOM 132, or SOCL 132.

Emerging media production techniques including podcasting, web design, and video streaming.

This course is designed to enable the student to understand and employ a basic vocabulary of art appreciation and criticism. The course will also enable students to recognize the main artistic movements as understood by artists and historians. Learners will develop the language and critical skills needed to explore and report on art from any corner of the world in any artistic era or culture.

This course is an introduction to the methods, materials and techniques of graphic reproduction. Students will learn essential skills and methods for producing artwork, identify the materials and techniques used in graphic reproduction and develop conceptual and technical skills to support their design courses. In addition, they explore issues of graphics message, form, content, and communications media and also develop understanding of graphic design reproduction and printing methodology.

This course provides hands-on experience in professional practices: setting up a business, finding clients, charging and collecting fees, taking instructions, translating needs into design, and ethics. It also introduces the students to various techniques in visual presentation, which is achieved through a combination of public speaking techniques and creative presentation styles. Students undertake research about the interior design business and document it. They then define project needs through task analysis, produce a project schedule and apply communication and visual techniques to effectively present their design ideas.

This course is designed to introduce students to fundamental concepts of visual communication. Through projects and discussion, students learn creative and practical techniques to create visuals which can be used in a variety of media formats and genres. Visual literacy, color theory, lighting and photography are all discussed and demonstrated. By the end of the course, students are able to conceptualize creative ideas and visuals to present information in an appealing and effective way.

The second semester of Visual Communication focuses on creating and experimenting with visuals. Students continue to hone their digital imaging techniques and increase their photographic skills with the introduction to artificial lighting options. They become more knowledgeable about photography equipment, digital formats, filters and manipulation techniques. They learn the basics of image improvement processes that are directly related to film photography. They use image creation to experiment with process and medium and are made more aware of composition and color theory, by creating images for a variety of end products.

This course introduces students to the concept of image based communication. Students will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of images, pictures, symbols, signs, icons and pictograms, as well as a range of visual design elements. This course also covers the governing principles of arrangement and composition in still images and image sequences.

This is an introductory course in which the use of multimedia as a communication, entertainment and informational tool is analyzed and deconstructed. Students learn about file formats for graphics, video and sound and how and when to utilize each of them for optimum results. The students demonstrate an understanding of the multimedia development process by producing ideas, storyboards and scripts for media content for a project of either web-based content or a multimedia product as they relate to audience needs.

This course provides the necessary tools and information to manage and control projects and their resources. It covers a range of principles and practices in the initiation, planning, staffing, coordinating and completing of a project within the constraints of schedule, budget and performance. The course strives to strike a balance between the general knowledge of project management and the integrated software tools that are available to assist students/managers in managing complex and interrelated projects.

This course enables students to work on projects in any media genre or format in the areas of journalism, graphic design, media production (video, television, radio and/or audio production), multimedia, advertising, public relations and/or corporate communications. The students develop the basic skills required to generate original concepts and ideas, do research, and write proposals related to their projects (synopses, treatments, scripts). They explore techniques to manage, plan and schedule their projects efficiently. In addition, the students take specialized technical workshops related to the media projects undertaken.

In this course the students apply creative/ problem-solving techniques and group/team principles to media production projects. The assignments provide the opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills related to narrative/genre/style, project management, and advertising/promotion/public relations. Students identify production opportunities, take technical and conceptual workshops, research and plan projects using tangible criteria, prepare oral (pitch) and written proposals and seek approval to proceed with production. Students participate in the production of group and individual evaluations of the production process using personal and professional perspectives.

Students develop portfolio-quality projects related to their prospective careers in the media/design industry. They research, select and propose topic/s for their project/s. The students examine media work that was successful with varying audiences, analyze the characteristics of the audience they want to develop work for, and develop the content and production elements that are likely to be successful with the selected audience. Students demonstrate a variety of professional, business communication skills in the cycle of pre-production, production and post-production of this project. They will also participate in the evaluation of the success of the project by producing an evaluative report.

This is the final studio course students take before graduating. The course gives each student the chance to produce one final independent project in his/her specialization for his/her portfolio applying research, proposal writing, production and post-production skills. The final project provides each student the opportunity to demonstrate many of the skills acquired while studying in the Applied Media program and during work placement earlier in the semester. For their final project each student is asked to prove his/her ability to work independently and at a level as required for an entry-level position in the media/design industry. At the end of the semester students participate in the KCA (key common assessment) to assure they fit the HCT Applied Media graduate profile.

This course takes the students through the fundamentals of advertising principles and marketing strategies as they relate to the Applied Communications field, including the development of a client/team dialogue. Through the examination of existing advertising and promotional campaigns, students learn the basic skills of audience/market research, concept and message development, copywriting, writing to time/space, visual messaging, and preparing client presentations. An examination of appropriate market research, analysis and market development skills is undertaken, with a particular emphasis given to client negotiations. Students examine roles undertaken in the industry including a breakdown of the key roles within a project team.

In Media Project 1 students will choose a topic in their specialization and write four academic essays on the historical, social, technical aspects and practical application. Each student will design and complete an individual experiment and individually produce a short but achievable practical application of their topic. In-class assignments will help them write essays and reports in an academic style. Exploration, research, creative application, process, analysis, and synthesis are emphasized throughout the course. The student should be prepared to advance their skills by using self-taught tutorials and materials. WebCT and in-class sessions will be used to deliver this course.

Media Project 2 enables students to individually further develop their creative, technical and project management competencies to a professional industry standard. Students work in their area of specialization. This project development and production course gives students a greater degree of autonomy than they have previously had in the program, enabling them to individually develop and produce substantial, high quality and more complex creative, practical, and/or theoretical projects of their choice. Theoretical projects must have an applied production element and all projects must demonstrate accuracy in research, process, budget, resources, marketing, promotion and all documentation.

In this course students identify and analyze contemporary trends and debates arising from the information revolution and emerging world communication processes and systems. The students explore the position of the Emirati and Arab media within its global and regional context. They research and analyze topics such as the cultural and social significance of new media technologies, and they apply their knowledge in the creation of virtual communities and the exploration of cyber activism.

This course maintains and upgrades the physical and interactive electronic portfolio that students started in an earlier course. In this course students continue to collect, archive and evaluate their work in graphics, journalism, media, multimedia and visual communication. In addition to the physical and interactive electronic versions of their portfolio, students also design and present their media work as a demo-reel on tape and DVD. Students review and reflect on how to physically, digitally and interactively assemble their body of work, assess it and present it in the best possible way.

An introduction to visual design and communication theory. Emphasis is on developing a strong foundation in visual perception, design principles, and typography. Students will undertake studio problems aimed at developing visual awareness, analytical thinking, craftsmanship, and use of hands-on media and digital techniques.

An upper level studio exploring individual visual arts projects contributing to culminating experience, thesis or dissertation development. Topics in creative personal expression in imaging, installation, and mixed media practices will be explored drawing from issues raised in class projects. High resolution digital photography, painting, illustration, processing, printing, as well as nanostructures, assemblage, archi-structures, and projection will be explored. Prereq: a related 4000 level visual arts or animation course, or permission of instructor.