Grading
Your grade for the course will be based on evaluation of the following
assignments. You can find further descriptions of each project by
going to the Assignments link of this web site.
- Photoshop Ad Re-Design Assignment (5%
of final grade)
- Express Line Observation and Meta-Analysis (15% combined of final grade)
- Outside Client Project- (6 parts combined
for 60% of final grade)
- Reading and In-Class Assignments (10%
of final grade)
- Participation and Attendance (10% of
final grade)
You must complete all six parts of the Client
Project to pass this course
To do well in this course you will need
to:
- be in class
and be on time (more than four absences will lower your grade;
more than six absences may result in automatic failure of the course)
- be a generous and enthusiastic
collaborator during class activities, discussions, and
group projects
- be thoughtful, critical, and timely in your
approach to projects and revisions
A note on revision: I see the creation of
any type of communication as a process in which the overall message
of a text improves through collaboration, attention to thoughtful
critique, and work on multiple drafts. I encourage revision
on all major course projects, even after a grade has been given. You
may re-submit course projects once for a higher grade as long as it
represents a serious effort on your part to re-see or re-envision
your approach to an assignment’s design and communication.
A note on late work: The
course schedule is arranged so that assignments build upon one another. This means it is
important for you to turn in work when it is due. However,
we all know that disruptive situations sometimes arise. With
the exception of presentations or in-class activities (which cannot
be made-up), I will accept late work only if prior arrangements
have been made. To get an extension, you must email me asking
for an extension AND proposing a reasonable deadline for completing
work (which you then must keep).
Collaboration
The major project of this course requires you to work with at least two other
classmates. I have done this not only because it reflects working conditions
you are likely to encounter in professional environments, but also because it
is an important way of learning. Each of you has different strengths, talents,
and experiences which you bring to class. By working with others, you can
pool these resources and hopefully create documents that are more effective and
sophisticated than you might otherwise be able to do on your own. Although
collaborative work can bring with it additional challenges, I believe that learning
to negotiate these with others is a valuable part of your experience.
Technologies
I tend to think of digital technology as seductive in the sense
that it is extremely easy to get so wrapped up in the software and
hardware that all attention to the communication concerns disappears.
While we will spend some time in class working with graphic, page
layout, and web-editing applications, this is not a course on software. You should keep in mind that you will likely need
to spend several hours per week (4-6 hours on average) outside of class time
learning and using various applications and technologies. Knowledge of
and experience with a range of technologies will benefit you both in this course
and in your future profession. There is no shortcut to becoming adept at utilizing
technology to create effective communication, but the more effort you put into
it, the more return you will see in the success of your documents.
Additionally, we will be using WebCT for some
activities, including online discussions and the use of downloadable
PDF readings. You should get logged in as soon as possible. If
you have not used WebCT before, short interactive tutorials are available
at http://distance.nmsu.edu/webct_tutorials/index.html
Plagiarism
As computers and the web have made it increasingly
easy to read, see, and borrow the work of others, what constitutes
plagiarism has also become more difficult to define. This is even more problematic when it comes to issues of design
and visual elements. However, any attempt to knowingly copy the work,
ideas, or designs of someone else without giving appropriate credit to the
source is plagiarism. Plagiarism is not only a serious academic offense,
but it also cheats you out of learning, the prime reason you are here in the
first place.
Disabilities
If you have or believe you have a disability
and need reasonable accommodation for equal access to activities or
resources in this course, you can contact the Office for Services
with Disabilities located at Garcia Annex (646-6840). You
may also want to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or
the Director of Disabled Student Programs. All inquiries and notifications
will remain confidential. For more information about the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), you can call 646-3635.