Starting in the fall, professors will teach new classes in the Communications Department to expand students’ knowledge about visual design and its impact on society.
Professors Douglas Martin and Jimmy May will each offer a new class in the 2013-14 academic year that helps students understand how visual art impacts society’s attitudes. Both Martin and May thought it was important to carry on with the pre-existing classes so that students would get a better understanding of what the next level classes entails.
Martin will teach “Graphic Design: An Agent of Social Change” in the fall and said the course will examine propaganda and social justice throughout history. May will be teaching “Advanced Storytelling” which follows up on the work for students who have already taken Photojournalism.
Both Martin and May’s classes deal with storytelling, just in different forms.
“We are going to be exploring social injustice,” Martin said. “Anything that is an injustice to people of the world.” He then offered examples of the kind of propaganda he would be focusing on in the fall. “Wanted” posters or Uncle Sam’s “I Want You” and other posters from World War II would be used as models for students to create similar posters.
While May teaches two other classes, Fundamentals of Photography and Photojournalism, Advanced Storytelling would have a different structure.
“There’s a big difference going into something,” May said. “You know you’re there for an hour and you’re shooting what you see and you get enough pictures to where you can guess the whole story.”
MU offers a 485 class, which helps professors as well as students to accomplish more learning experiences in their academic future. COM 485 is a class, which any professor can create in order to expand their knowledge in creating new classes to help students get to the next level of their education.
Any new class that is in the process of becoming part of the Misericordia curriculum has to be brought down to the Chair of the Communications Department, Melissa Sgroi, so that she can approve the class syllabus. Officials then have to bring it down to the Academic Council to see if the class meets the goals and regulations for the Communications Program.
In previous years this method has worked, Martin has created an Advanced Graphic Design class, which is now part of the Communications Curriculum. The 485 class that was introduced in his favor had a very good out come, the class was full and the students really enjoyed his class and what the new Advanced Graphic Design class entailed.
“With The Advanced Graphic Design class was one of them where they wanted to get to the next level, that higher understanding” said Martin.
Advanced Graphic Design COM 317, is now offered in the fall of 2013.
Officials encourage the use of 485’s to enhance student’s experiences, by giving them that choice of choosing what classes they would like to take and by also having professors who are willing to teach that specific class.
Misericordia University is always looking to improve their learning techniques by constantly upgrading their technology, and by making sure that our students have the latest programs on the schools computers to expand the knowledge of students and future students to come.
By creating these new classes, Ccmmunications is opening up new windows for all students. Starting with one class becomes the first step in to creating multiple classes that will really help students in the long run.
Amanda Ankner a communications junior is very interested in Public Relations, and enlightens on how much new classes are needed. “I have always been interested in Public Relations and I think a Communications Degree opens up a large number of career paths” said Ankner.
Ankner is always willing to take the next step in her options here at Misericordia University and the 485’d gives her that opportunity that she has longed for, in order to make her on campus experiences more enjoyable because it is something that she is interested in learning about.
“I think the more our program has to offer, the more everyone benefits,” said Ankner.