Visual Information Technologies Courses (VIT)

Related Catalog Entry: Institute of the Arts / Visual Information Technologies

596 Independent Study (1-6:1-6:0).Prerequisite: B.A. or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Independent reading and research on a specific project under the direction of a department faculty member. A written report is required. May be repeated for credit.

600 VIT Research Methodologies (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Explores methods of examining and interpreting works of art developed by art historians since the 19th century, as well as new ways of looking at art by using computer tools such as expert systems, computer analysis of pigments and other materials, and electronic search and retrieval of archived documents. Methods are examined through analytical and critical readings of texts and articles.

613 Graphic Design (3:0:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course covering concepts in graphic design, digital typography, and hypermedia. Course intended for students whose area of concentration is other than graphic design to increase the scope of their technical expertise while developing their studio work. Students design a digital typeface that is used in a self-promotional package consisting of both hard copy and hypertext.

614 Problems in Typography (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course in designing for electronic and print media. Contemporary typeface design for digital typesetting. Design of typefaces for use in on-screen presentations. Perceptual, visual, practical, and aesthetic issues in typography.

616 Hypertext and Hypermedia (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course in hypermedia and hypertext design. Solutions to perceptual problems in designing the presentation of visual and textual information for electronic display. Exploration of how design considerations are affected by changes in presentation media.

618 Problems in Graphic Design (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Application of advanced technological design and production methods to complex graphic design problems. Students consider the social and cultural implications of their aesthetic choices. Taught as a series of studio problems.

620/PHIL 356 Philosophy, Theory, and Criticism (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Basic problems that arise from an inquiry into the meaning and value of art and our response to it. Students in the VIT program write a supplemental paper and design an individualized project.

650 Photographic Design (4:4:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. A course in the concepts of photographic design taught in a lecture and studio lab setting. This course is intended for students in a program concentration other than photographic design. A theoretical and practical exploration of photographic design as a medium of visual information.

670 Teaching Practicum (3:3:0 or 6:6:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Supervised classroom teaching practicum in the undergraduate program at George Mason or in a community college program.

676 Sound and Music for Video and Animation (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course that focuses on the selection, editing, processing, and integration of sound and music (postproduction) into video and animation. Time, frequency, and amplitude domain and processing, is studied. Students postproduce sound and music for a 15-minute film or animation that is due at the end of the semester.

678 Interface and CD-ROM Design (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course in multimedia interface and CD-ROM design. Special focus is given to the exportation of the traditional visual and aural artistic aesthetic to the computer environment within a multimedia context. Assigned readings in the class are augmented and supported by presentations of various digital interfaces and CD-ROM examples. Commercial, entertainment, and educational titles, as well as CD-ROM experimental art works, are studied and discussed. Studio time is divided between the VIT labs and area multimedia facilities. Students conceive, design, and develop a two-CD ROM and/or Kiosk Interfaces that are due at midterm, and complete a dual platform CD-ROM project that is due at the end of the semester.

680 Conceptual Arts: Computer Imaging (3:0:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio/lab survey of 2-D and 3-D computer imaging and animation for students concentrating in an area other than computer graphics to increase the scope of their technical expertise while developing their studio work. Lectures combine technical and aesthetic material, including image processing for artists and color reproduction. Emphasis on developing an advanced studio portfolio.

684 Two-Dimensional Computer Imaging (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Overview of 2-D computer imaging applications in the arts, including painting, printmaking, mixed media, illustration, video, animation, and others. Lectures combine technical and aesthetic material, including image processing for artists and color reproduction. Emphasis on developing an advanced studio portfolio.

686 Three-Dimensional Computer Imaging (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Overview of 3-D computer imaging applications in the arts in fields, including sculpture, mixed media, video, and animation. Lectures combine technical and aesthetic material, including three-dimensional design, modeling, and rendering. Emphasis on developing an advanced studio portfolio.

688 Computer Animation (5:2:6).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Description, representation, creation, and movement of three-dimensional environments using computers, including video production for animators. Lectures integrate advanced technical aesthetic material. Emphasis on developing an advanced studio portfolio.

693 Apprenticeship (3:3:0 or 6:6:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. VIT students apprentice at a local business that conforms to their application interest in visual information technologies.

696 Special Topics in Visual Information Technologies (3-4:3-4:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Rotating topics of special interest in the field.

796, 798, 799 Directed Project, Directed Reading, Thesis (9:0:0), (3:0:0), (3:0:0).Prerequisite: Admission to the VIT program or permission of instructor. Three courses comprising the M.F.A. comprehensive experience for VIT students. Involves a study of the historical basis for a studio project, an independent creative production suitable for public viewing, and a written thesis documenting the evolution of the creative problem and exploring the intention, purpose, and relative success of the finished production.