Schedule of Classes

Tools and aesthetics of media production: word processing, photography, audio production, videography. Visual literacy. The desktop computer interface. Desktop publishing, presentation software, multimedia documents. Internet navigation and page production. Credit by examination available.

Principles of interactive design for digital devices. Emphasis is on user interfaces and experiences.

Front-end development techniques and practices for website user interfaces and experiences. The course will be taught through lectures, demonstrations, and exercises using applications and scripting languages.

Introduction to the use of various scripting languages in different animation software environments.

Presentations by faculty, alumni, and other professionals in the field allow students to make connections serving their academic and professional pursuits. Students will also engage in additional career development activities including portfolio creation, resum authoring, career research, networking, and engagement in public festivals and presentations of their works. Repeatable for up to a maximum of 8 credit hours. Crosslisted with IM 426.

Art and techniques of computer-based 2D animation, motion graphics, and compositing. Study of various digital animation techniques using multiple applications.

An introduction to the creation of artwork for video games. Topics include user interface design, the creation of two- and three-dimensional art for game engines, and level design, and the creation of art pipelines.

Fundamental principles and practices of user interface design and data visualization. Emphasis on the design of 2D graphical user interfaces and the development of applications that use them.

Introduction to user-centered design based upon usability research and testing. Topics include defining audiences, heuristic evaluations, and effective reporting.

Gameplay, storytelling, challenges, interface and information design, and world interaction. Construction of experiences, including rule design, play mechanics, game balancing, social game interaction, and the integration of interactive media. Playtesting and game design documentation.

Interactive game production using advanced development tools. Game production lifecycle and workflow pipeline. Group dynamics and communication skills. Integration and Design and development documentation.

Fundamental principles of three-dimensional computer animaLon and modeling. Creation of basic models using polygonal modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering for various animaLon projects.

Further explorations of the art and techniques of 3D computer animaMon. Emphasis on traditional principles of animation in addition to camera manipulation, rigging, and character animation core mechanics including walk cycles, expressions, and lip sync.

A project-oriented overview of the tools and techniques used in the creation of three-dimensional art for video games.

Examines scholarly concepts, theories, and practices about human communication, mass media, and computational digital technologies. Develops conceptual foundations derived from the cultural and commercial dimensions of media histories, technological innovation, professional practice, and contemporary/everyday phenomena. Provides increased and improved technical vocabularies and develops students' critical examinations of taken-for-granted media phenomena. Posits informed speculations concerning the future of media with particular attention to the roles of citizens, consumers, and producers. Applies intensive writing skills combining reading, study, and discussion with analysis and thinking via diverse written assignments.

Studio course focused on further developing core skills of UX design, information and visual/communications design, and advanced wireframing techniques.

A studio course exploring typography and visual layout principles of interactive website design. Survey of theory, history, and methods of web design solutions. Discussion of transitional strategies in response to developing technologies. Cross-listed as ART 365.

Criticism, analysis, and history of electronic and non-electronic games. Articulation of game aesthetics. History of computers and digital games and toys, construction and critique of significant and influential games, and game criticism and journalism.

Application of Interactive game production techniques. Emphasis on refining and developing art, sound, and game mechanics as well as marketing and game release.

Course is repeatable for up to a maximum of 8 credit hours. Crosslisted with IM 226.

This is the first half of a two-course sequence. Students spend the semester in the pre-production phase of an animation & game design thesis project and conduct research for an accompanying thesis paper.

This is the second half of a two-course sequence. Students spend the semester completing an animation & game design thesis project and writing an accompanying thesis paper.

Advanced production processes and techniques for creating an original animated short.

Topics course, with varying subjects, examining contemporary issues and problems in new media theory and the interactive media environment. Current topic/title in current schedule of classes. May be repeated three times under different topics.

Theoretical and practical sound design. Music composition, field sound recording, studio tracking, aesthetic analysis of music, electronic sound generation. Digital game technologies, 3D sound processing and generative audio structures. Mixing in non-linear environments and final mastering. Cross-listed with IM558, CIS458, CIS558.

The second in a two-part User Experience Design capstone course where students build, test, and release the interactive designed in User Experience Design Capstone 1. Agile methodologies and a tight feedback loop will be used to ensure a user-centered experience. Students will present their work in the Interactive Media showcase.

Advanced, project-based course in Game Design and Development. Team-based, end-to-end, interactive game drawn from areas of expertise in the department, e.g., serious games, games for entertainment, virtual reality, augmented reality, mobile computing, design tools.

Individual scholarly research or advanced creative production investigating aspects of interactive media. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of six hours. Requires application available from department chair or faculty.

Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. May be repeated under different topics for a maximum of 9 hours credit. Topic and prerequisites stated in current Schedule of Classes. Only three hours may be applied toward IM specialization requirement.