Sonic Arts

Offered every term. Overview of the media arts and their interaction, integration and development in the creation of story beginning with the early years of photography and movie-making through the introduction of radio and television up to the digital revolution.

Offered every term. Study of the history, process and philosophy of narrative film/video editing and an introduction to Final Cut nonlinear editing software.

Offered autumn.  Media Arts majors only.  An introduction to screenwriting and visualization for media story. Focus is on developing visual writing skills and effective utilization of critical story elements.

Offered autumn. Media Arts majors only.  Intermediate study of digital video cameras, lighting, sound, and their use in specific production situations.

Offered every term. An introduction to the relationship between aesthetics and the emerging capacities of digital technology. The course will explore the basic evolution of hardware, system software, and the Internet and will present a brief history of the pioneers of both traditional and digital art. It will also look at contemporary and emerging trends in the artistic application of digital technology.

Offered every term. Online Course. This project-oriented design and compositing course introduces students to the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop while focusing on artistic expression in a digital technology environment.

Offered autumn. Media Arts majors only. Introduction to the fundamental concepts, principles and practices of digital still imaging in order to establish a common aesthetic and technical language necessary to develop quality designs on the computer.

Offered autumn and spring. Composition of computer music through recording, editing, and processing sound with digital audio software. Study of the theory and application of digital audio recording, multitracking, and digital signal processing, and electroacoustic music history. Survey of historical and current electronic and computer music composers, pieces, and practices.

Offered autumn. Prereq., MUST 110. Composition of computer music using MIDI sequencing, sampling, and synthesis software, and score preparation using music notation software. Study of the theory and application of MIDI, synthesis algorithms, and effects processing, and the practice of music engraving.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only.  Study of major film theories that led to the constitution of visual film language and their application in contemporary film narrative and direction.

Offered spring.  Media Arts majors only. This course is targeted at the Digital Filmmaking student and introduces fundamental concepts, principles and practices of digital location sound recording and post-production editing to picture in order to establish a common aesthetic and technical language.  

Offered autumn. Media Arts majors only. Focus on the production of short commercial works, including advertisements, industrial work, “how to” videos, as well as paper projects with potential clients. Students develop a DVD/Web portfolio for entry into the profession upon graduation. The class serves as a synthesis point for analysis and presentation of techniques and principles learned throughout the program.

(R-6) Offered autumn. Prereq., Media Arts majors only. Practical application of the principles of production through work on graduate and upper level undergraduate projects, either as a crew member, production manager, designer, editor, director of photography or actor.

Offered spring.  Media Arts majors only. This project-oriented course will introduce students to the basic technical and aesthetic components of digital motion design using the industry standard software programs Photoshop and After Effects.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only. Introduction to two-dimensional digital animation, focusing on character and motion design animation fundamentals including: cell animation (frame by frame), motion-tweening, working with key frames and motion paths, moving elements on a 2D stage, object choreography and text animation.

Offered autumn. Media Arts majors only. Introduction to fundamental concepts, principles and practices of digital sound recording and editing in order to establish a common aesthetic and technical language necessary to develop quality audio design.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only. This course is designed to help students gain the skill sets necessary to successfully create work in the constantly evolving internet environment. It covers the fundamentals of website structure, content design and navigation and focuses on directory structure, visual design, user navigation, audio/video integration and domain management.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only. Pre-requisite MAR 340. Advanced interactive media design class that builds on the foundation of principles taught in MAR 340.

Offered spring.  Media Arts majors only. This course is targeted at the Integrated Digital Media student and introduces fundamental concepts, principles and practices of digital sound recording and editing.  This will enable students to expand their aesthetic by integrating their sonic and visual creative work.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only. Research and exploration of contemporary film, video, digital art and design. Focus on areas of student research both in commercial and non-commercial venues and styles.

Offered spring. Media Arts majors only. This course is intended for senior majors in Media Arts who are ready to develop their physical and online presence, readying them for a strong exit-strategy from their university careers. Students will work on strengthening their professional image through development of digital and physical portfolios, demo reels, identity/branding and personal websites. Topics will also include but not be limited to: internships, resume development, cover letters, artist statements, interviewing process, graduate school and mentorships. Guest lectures and interviews will provide insight into current industry standards, professional workflow and entering the creative workforce. Students should leave this course with all the materials they need to enter the professional world.

Offered spring. Prereq., MUST 210 and upper-division standing in music. Composition of interactive computer music using a graphical programming environment for MIDI, synthesis, and digital signal processing. Study of graphical programming, interactive composition and performance, generating and processing MIDI data, synthesizing computer-generated sound, and processing digital audio in real-time.

Offered autumn. Upper-division standing in music. Composition of computer music through programming. Study of object oriented programming, synthesis and digital signal processing techniques, music-generating algorithms, sound spatialization, graphical user interface design, and external control.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., consent of instructor. See MUSI 122A.