The official description of this course is as follows:
This
course introduces students to the interaction of texts and images
in such professional writing fields as advertising, book illustration,
technical documentation, journalism, and public relations. Issues
may include visual and textual literacy, the semiotics and rhetoric
of design, and the ideological basis of social communication.
We will be taking a different approach to this course
by considering the interaction of images and texts in academic writing
as well. In a culture that relies heavily on pictures for communication,
academic research in the humanities is still entrenched in textual,
print-based methodologies and ideologies. This course asks students
to imagine a mode of academic communication that relies as heavily
on the "imagetext" and the "hypericon" as it does
on the paragraph and the dissertation. Along the way, we will conduct
readings that employ cultural, psychological, and philosophical approaches
to understanding how we communicate with images.
The course
is designed to work as a "studio," which explains why it
is being held in a computer lab. Each week will be split into two
portions: Theory and Practice. This is a false distinction since students
will be asked to integrate theory and practice throughout the term
in individual and group assignments. In effect, the goal of the course
is to teach students how to effectively combine theory and practice
in ways that blur the distinction between design project and research
project. Final projects might be showcased at the Critical Media Lab (CML) in a term-end event, based on student willingness and enthusiasm.
A Required Message on Academic Integrity:
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm
Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm
Academic Integrity website (Arts): http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html
Academic Integrity Office (University): http://uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:
Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.
