Class Syllabus
Paul Ferraris
pferraris@es-cat.org
Office hours are at lunch
Course Overview:
Digital Media Studies is a one-year course of study that provides students with a first-rate introduction to media literacy and digital media production. We will be studying different types of media in order to understand how their products are constructed and how they impact our lives. We will be using our understanding of how the mass media creates, distributes and exhibits its products to inform the production of our own digital media texts. Students will gain visual, verbal and written analytical skills and will become critical media practitioners.
Semester Coursework Outline:
Unit Outline:
* Indicates an ESGP artifact.
Unit 1 (quarter 1) Mac 101
Essential Questions: How do I work this thing? How do manage data? Who am I?
Major Assessment: Keynote presentation and Saved and edited work
Projects: “Who am I” Keynote
Content: Keynote presentation, data management, The Digital Archive, Using Gmail, Web Navigation
Leadership Skills: Critical Thinking, Complete projects effectively
Unit 2 (quarter 2) Color, elements of design, photography, photo manipulation
Essential Questions: Who AM I? How can light provoke emotion? How can we control the light?
Major Assessment: Portraits, *Silhouette collage
Projects: Sneaker project, Portraits, Silhouette collage
Content: Photoshop, color and design, digital photography, photographic lighting
Leadership Skills: Critically Thinking, communicating effectively and
persuasively, Complete Projects Effectively
Unit 3 (quarter 3) Architecture/ Intro to video
Essential Questions: How do we design our dream home without crushing others dreams?
Major Assessment: CADD Chair design, *3D CAD architectural design and video presentation of design
Content: Architecture and design, Google Sketchup, Using Ratio in design
Leadership Skills: Collaborate productively
Unit 4 (quarter 4)
Essential Questions: Resistance or complicity: Is one more powerful than the
other in a moment of conflict? How can people maintain power / control over their lives even
when they feel powerless? How has literature impacted society’s response to conflict
throughout history?
Major Assessment: Cultural circle, Literary analysis of 2 texts*
Project: Universe of Obligation exhibition
Content: Night, essays, poetry
Leadership Skills: Thinking critically, communicate effectively and persuasively, Collaborate productively
In addition to CAT expectations I expect students to:
Be Creative
Be present
Help your classmates
Be respectful of the hardware
Don’t even think about eating or drinking anywhere near the computers
Have fun
Reflections
Each project and student will be required to keep an online blog or journal, and a paper back-up in their file, reflecting on their theoretical learning and the development of their practical productions. Journals will be reviewed and discussed in class.
What you can expect from me
I have been teaching at CAT for the past 4 years, before CAT I taught 7th grade Language Arts and Social studies for six years. In addition to teaching I am a professional photographer and my photos have appeared in magazines and books worldwide including the UK, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica, USA and France. You can expect me to have exciting and fun projects to do in class every day.
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