Students focus on principles of design and foundational digital media technology skills that can be useful to sustainable living students, or to anyone. Students develop their skills by exploring fundamentals of digital photography, digital imaging and graphic design, presentation software, digital video, and Web design. They apply their skills in real-world media projects related to sustainable living, to create presentations, posters, newspaper ads, simple Web sites, and digital video for DVD and for the Web. Prerequisite: basic computer skills (word processing, email, Web surfing). (4 units)

This course examines the essential role of narrative in the creation of all forms of media. From the very beginnings of human records, whether it is mythology, scripture, literature, or the earliest cave paintings, the creators of these works have always told their audience a story or imparted a message by the use of narrative. In order to work in any creative medium, understanding the various ways in which narrative is used is a great advantage. This course will examine the range of narrative forms and narrative devices that have been used since the dawn of time right up until the modern day. We will discover that although the forms and types of media used might have changed as technology has advanced, in fact, most of the essential forms of narrative used in creative works have been with us for ages. Understanding why will reveal how narrative reflects both the universal and unique aspects of the experience of human life. As part of the course students will be required to undertake projects that aid the development of their own narrative skills. (4 units)

Documentary films have their basis in the real world. They are made for a variety of purposes but fundamentally they explore the entire range of human experience. They can take the form of highlighting an issue of importance to the public, observing human behavior in a way that might engage and educate an audience, or perhaps be an expression of a subject that is lighthearted and entertaining. Documentaries also provide their makers with the opportunity to convey to a wide audience stories that might have otherwise remained hidden, deliberately concealed, or simply unknown. They can have a major social, emotional, and even political impact. Though generally seen as the less glamorous cousin to feature films, they can often be more powerful and influential in world affairs precisely because they show what is really going on. This course will examine the role of documentary filmmaking and all the various forms of the documentary. It will be a fascinating journey that will take us all over the globe and throughout history dealing with a wide range of issues both past and present. For anyone interested in becoming a documentary filmmaker this is the essential guide. Prerequisites: CMM 300 and FA 284. (4 units)

This course is the complement to documentary filmmaking part one. In this course we will examine how to make a documentary. It is therefore very practical in its focus. The first requirement to any documentary is knowing what the story is and what kind of story makes a good documentary. Having chosen a story, there is then the realization of it. This course will teach students the process of securing a commission from a TV Channel or potential funder. We will learn what is required to make the all-important pitch. From here we will then choose some stories and make short documentaries about them. Prerequisite: CMM 311. (4 units)

This course will examine television in all its forms: news, documentaries, drama, soaps, reality shows, music channels, and the new forms of broadcast that are emerging over the Internet. This course will be a truly entertaining and fascinating journey as we unravel the secrets and methods of each form of television making. We will also examine the various legal and ethical issues that arise in television production. As part of the course students will have the opportunity to produce television content across a range of genres. Prerequisites: CMM 300 and FA 284. (4 units)

This course will focus on explaining the various positions and responsibilities within the television industry and in the new world of Internet broadcasting. There are many key roles, such as researcher, director, producer, editor, production manager and executive producer. This course will give the student an understanding of what these various roles entail. Being a researcher in television, for instance, is different from doing research in most other fields. It is not just about gathering information but also about establishing key relationships with potential contributors and understanding what will work within an essentially visual medium. With each of these key roles, we will first understand them and then gain some practice at performing them. This will be done through specific projects. Practical experience of these roles will be a real help to advancing a future television or media career. Prerequisite: CMM 321. (4 units)

For creative people, the enduring appeal of radio lies in its versatility. This is a practical course in which students produce a wide range of radio content. Students will create mini-documentaries and commercials, from original concept to final mix; develop on-air skills such as presenting, reporting, and interviewing: learn how to construct and broadcast a news bulletin; and develop essential audio editing skills. (4 units)

This is a capstone course in which individuals who have taken courses in Communications and Media come together to envisage and then realize a set of core projects across a range of media. These projects are formulated among the student group with the aid of faculty members. The first stage of the course will be the generation of the project ideas, which can include ideas that utilize a range of media or ideas that are focused on a particular medium. The central goal of the course is for students to apply everything they have learned to these projects. It is a cooperative venture, so students will be involved in a variety of projects playing different roles on each one. You may be a director on a documentary, an actor in a drama feature, or a producer on a Web-based animation series. There is a wide range of possibilities. You imagine it and we will make it happen as a team. The idea is to produce great projects that get noticed. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (4 units)

In this course, students have a chance to further develop their skills, their understanding, and their portfolio by completing advanced projects in video, web design, graphic design or professional writing. Prerequisite: CMM 381. (4 units)

Students gain practical experience working for a commercial or non-profit organization in a communications or media related field, such as video production, film production, radio broadcasting, Web design, graphic design, advertising, public relations, or journalism. Students document their growth in understanding and experience in journals. Fieldwork must be completed at least two months before graduation. Prerequisite: consent of the Communications and Media faculty. (1–4 units)

This course provides the knowledge and practical experience of how visual elements are organized into principles universal to the range of the Fine and Applied Arts. (4 units)

Students produce, direct, act in, and edit original video projects for theatrical, television, or Web presentation. Students may work on both fiction and non-fiction projects with a commercial or fine art orientation. A strong emphasis of the class is on creating integrated, artful works that have a positive effect on the world. Topics include: narrative structure, storyboarding, character design, and set design; lighting, camera movement, acting, and directing; editing, sound and music, animation, and compositing; distribution strategies and exhibition channels. Lab fee: up to $100. (4 units)

Video editing requires the students to be able to synthesize all the different elements of their video into a greater whole. Students produce and direct video productions, and then complete them in the Department's non-linear digital video editing lab with a particular emphasis on creative approaches to editing. For inspiration, students analyze examples of great camerawork, lighting, mise en scene, and montage. Topics include: the language of the moving image, the 180 degree system, Murch's Rule of Six, and principles of dramatic unity; shot selection, cutting techniques, sound mixing, and color correction; special effects, filters, keys, and keyframes. Lab fee: up to $100. (4 units)

Students learn to use the photographic medium as a tool for exploring and expressing the finest values of the Self. Students develop their work by learning basic camera techniques and darkroom procedures, while they are also introduced to a broad range of fine art photography. Students must have access to a 35mm camera. Can be repeated for credit (with more advanced projects) with permission of instructor. Lab fee: $150–$200 per course. (1–4 units each)

The goal of photography is to enliven the most refined values of consciousness and in this way support the evolution and growth of both the photographer and viewer. Digital photography helps strengthen the connection between the photographer's vision and the resulting images by providing nearly instant feedback and furnishing ever-subtler tools for self-expression. In this course, students will learn foundational principles that underlie commercial digital photography, which is rapidly becoming the technology standard of professional photographers. Principles from the Science of Creative Intelligence will be used to consolidate both the experience and understanding of digital photography. Topics include: mastering the digital camera, managing a digital workflow, color management in theory and practice, visualizing light and how to control it in the digital darkroom. No prerequisites. (1-4 units)

Students explore the digital image, the visual world and imagination in a series of image creation and manipulation projects. Goals of the course are to gain comfort and develop expertise with digital imaging tools, and to apply this expertise by developing a portfolio that explores the nature of visual reality. Topics include: the digital camera, the scanner, and the printer; composition, light and shadow, depth of field, and color; image creation strategies, digital painting, digital 3-D modeling and rendering, and digital photography; selection tools, transformations, filters, layers, and masks. Lab fee: up to $100 per course. Prerequisites: basic computer skills. (4 units)

Students work on multi-faceted projects that bring art to life by integrating illustration, photography, typography and graphic design. Projects include poster design and book design (which may have either a commercial art or fine art orientation), and stationery design, brochure design and advertising design (which have a more purely commercial orientation). Topics include: digital painting and drawing, vector graphics manipulation, and digital page layout; drawing and illustration techniques, typography, and principles of graphic design; letterform design, logo design, and page design. Lab fee: up to $100 per course. Prerequisites: FA 361 or equivalent experience. (4 units)

Students undertake study of XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and principles of design for dynamic media, which they apply in the creation of a portfolio of beautiful, highly functional, standards-compliant, and highly usable Web pages. Topics include: creative approaches to Web design; XHTML syntax, tags, attributes, entities, DTDs and validation; CSS; creating hierarchies with color, type, and imagery; principles of usability for interactive media; using a visual lexicon for designer-client communication; examples of outstanding Web design studios; homesteading the noosphere. Prerequisites: CMM260, FA 361, or equivalent experience. (4 units)

Students focus on advanced investigation of digital imaging, animation, graphic design or Web design, according to their chosen area of specialty, with a particular emphasis on creating strongly integrated works in which each detail echoes the theme of the whole. Through workshops, students also develop practical skills that are useful to a career as an artist/designer, and that include portfolio preparation, writing a resume, and developing good relationships with clients or employers. Prerequisites: FA 361, FA 362 and FA 363. (4 units)

This course provides a holistic overview of business for new management majors or students from other majors. Principles of marketing, finance, operations, accounting, and human resources are taught in the perspective of an integrated business strategy and are illustrated by lively examples from videos, case studies, guest speakers, and field trips. (4 units)

Marketing is the process of creating exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives. Topics include consumer behavior, market research, market segmentation, competitive positioning and strategy, advertising, pricing, distribution and channel management, selling techniques and sales force management, and new product development. Students conduct an industry analysis and write the marketing section for their business plan. (4 units)

This course emphasizes film technique, including the use of lighting, camera angles, and mise en scene. It takes the student out of the realm of the Saturday night “movie” and into the world of film as a major art form. Our primary texts in this course will be the films themselves, including the masterworks of some of the world’s finest directors. Course requirements include the writing of film reviews and the analysis of a key scene from a film we will have viewed. ($15 lab fee) [Same as FA 226] (4 units)

in the age we live in, the media constructs and reconstructs the world we know. it is so pervasive, that virtually no one on this planet is free from its influence, be it good or bad. at the basis of media is language, the first level of communication. language forms itself into texts — written, visual, and audio texts — and texts are the interests of literature. in this course we will read a variety of texts that deal directly and indirectly with media as we explore its severe limitations as well as its possibilities to help bring about a world-wide transforma-tion. one literary figure commenting on the relationship between literature and the media said this: literature is news that stays news. — ezra pound

Poetry does the impossible. It allows us to say what cannot be said, to feel what cannot be felt. It can do this because its reach is beyond boundaries. All poetry is transcendental to one degree or another, but the best draws upon Transcendental Consciousness in both form and meaning. In this course we will sample some of the greatest spiritual poetry ever written to use as models in writing our own transcendent poetry. (4 units)

Students in this course read and study model poems to learn the technical building blocks of poetry: imagery, sound effects, rhyme, rhythm, and form. The class members then write their own poems in either free verse or such traditional forms as the sonnet, blank verse, ballad, and villanelle. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192

This course advances techniques learned in Fiction Writing I. See WTG 202 for details. (4 units) Prerequisite for each: WTG 192

Students read and discuss a range of essayists from earlier traditions to such contemporary essayists as David Sedaris or Vowell. Writing in this form, each student develops his or her personal voice. Students also discover the power of short prose to transform topics of individual concern into expanded visions of wholeness. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192

The nonfiction writing projects in this course are designed to help students see themselves as legitimate writers. Students examine what celebrated writers, from journalists to novelists, from children’s authors to essayists, have said about their profession. Their insights into the writing craft provide both inspiration and direction. Their explanation of technical matters are then put into practice in students’ own work. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192

Maharishi says, “writers start with what the eyes see, the ears hear and the hands feel, then travel into space and time to explore the beyond.” Following this prescription, this course offers advanced students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and hone their writing skills by focusing on a body of their own work in poetry or fiction. Students will acquaint themselves with authors, write personal responses to books and articles, attend readings, and watch videotaped interviews of famous writers. Course participants will also workshop their manuscripts with their classmates and make an extensive presentation of their work. The final outcome will be a submission for publication. (4 units)

In this course, students will create an actual screenplay. More than just learning the form of screenwriting, students will write with the full intention of producing a filmable script. We will study a number of models, including films, film clips, and a published screenplay. To help ensure success, before beginning to write the screenplay students will compose a premise, a structure-step, and a scene outline. [Same as FA 287] (4 units)

From Mark Twain to John Steinbeck, many of the world’s best writers have been drawn to travel writing. By analyzing the work of great travel writers and through in-class writing workshops, students become familiar with techniques of travel writing. Highlighting the course are three day-trips to nearby tourist destinations, during which students learn to research articles and record their personal observations in a travel journal. The course culminates in the writing of a personal travel essay for publication. How to write a query letter and the top online markets for travel articles will also be covered. (4 units)