Course Syllabus
Course: ART 1140
Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Visual Art
Title: 4D Time
Semester Approved: Spring 2022
Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2026
End Semester: Fall 2027
Catalog Description: This foundation studio course introduces students to time-based media. Investigations will include conception, storyboarding, sequencing, narrative and non-linear time, stop motion animation, video, and sound design. Both analog and digital components will be utilized to experiment with the broad range of time-based media available to visual artists. This course will culminate with a final portfolio of virtual kinetic work combining multiple and integrated applications of each technology. 4D Time is one of a triad of design courses, including 2D Surface and 3D Space, required in the curriculum for acceptance into the Snow College Visual Arts AFA degree program. A program fee is required.
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 3
Justification: This course provides theoretical study and application of time-based media. The content of this course is an integral part of the core art curriculum for most visual arts programs in the country. Its primary goal is to provide a solid foundation in the creative and functional workings of time-based art. Living in a world inundated with motion graphics, it is paramount that art students understand how to utilize analog and digital time-based strategies and their implications and outcomes in contemporary art. 4D Time is one of a triad of design courses, including 2D Surface and 3D Space, required in the curriculum for acceptance into the Snow College Visual Arts AFA degree program. Its outcomes are offered at other higher education institutions in the state as an art major requirement during the freshman year of study and possesses a common course number in the USHE system.
Student Learning Outcomes:
MATERIAL PROFICIENCY: Strategies will be taught working with both analog and digital mediums, including conception, storyboarding, sequencing, narrative and non-linear time, stop motion animation, video, and sound design. Digital skills will include, navigating the Macintosh operating environment (Mac OS), developing skills in digital imaging software, audio capture and manipulation and sound design. Students will demonstrate by the creation of a portfolio of time-based work. These skills and proficiencies will promote confidence in future endeavors in the field.
CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES: Through the exposure to countless creative kinetic works, by contemporaries in the field of film and animation, students will develop a sensibility to allow them to communicate their own unique concepts as they apply them to time-based media. This will be assessed through a final portfolio of completed time-based works.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Students will be exposed to an array of historical time-based media from the fields of film and animation. This process is designed to inform students of the broad development and context of the moving picture and its influence on society and contemporary art. Artistic influence and imitation is a revered and healthy part of the creative development of art students. Students will demonstrate this influence through a completed portfolio of time-based media.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Students will develop an ability to critically analyze works of art through verbal critiques of their peers and professional artists relating to the relationship of technology, form, and content. This skill will foster a greater ability of students to be critical of their own work within the creative process. Students will demonstrate their ability to analyze works critically through short verbal and written critiques.
CREATIVE PROCESS: This course teaches strategies for cultivating creative practice, expressing ideas, solving problems creatively, engaging with challenging concepts, and experimenting with different mediums in working with time-based media. Through hands-on studio projects, students will engage the time-based media design process into their own practice. This will include the process of THINKING about the design parameters, LOOKING at what others have created prior, and DOING—applying what they have learned. Utilizing a sketchbook to record and develop this process will be highly encouraged as part of the process. This course will culminate with the final time-based media project where, in addition to the final product, students will critically write and speak about their unique creative process as well as the other four outcomes. Integrating written and verbal critical analysis into the studio practice promotes a conscious awareness, enhancing the quality of current and future creative ventures.
Content:
Course topics and learning tasks include idea generation (as it applies to the creative process), storyboarding, sequencing, narrative and non-linear time, stop motion animation, traditional 2D animation, video, performance, sound design, appropriation, image and audio capture, storage and output, materials, process, tools, and craftsmanship.
The artistic genres, major figures, and movements covered in this course will be representative of a ranging variety in gender, nationality, language, perspective, etc. Where disparities exist in these genres, major figures, and movements, questions or issues of representation will be addressed in class discussions and/or assignments. Discussion of representation and diversity are highlighted as significant aspects of time-based media as they relate to access, voice, and audience.
Key Performance Indicators:
Each student will be evaluated upon the completion, artistic merit, conceptual application, innovation, and level of craftsmanship of each creative studio project. Quality craftsmanship in both analog and digital work will be expected. All work will be cataloged in an online digital portfolio which will be assessed during finals. Written exams and quizzes will also assess each student’s understanding of formal elements and principles including, material proficiency, principles of concept, historical context, critical theory, and the creative process. A final assessment module will prompt a written response to each of these areas as they pertain to their final studio project. Also, through attendance at and participation in various opportunities for lecture, demonstration, research and critical analysis, students will gain an informed ability to critique, ultimately enhancing their own work and the work of their peers.
A comprehensive portfolio of original time-based studies 70 to 80%
Written critique and analysis of contemporary artwork 5 to 10%
Quizzes 5 to 10%
Attendance + participation in class discussions, activities, and critiques 10 to 15%
Representative Text and/or Supplies:
Launching the Imagination: A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design, Mary Stewart, McGraw-Hill Education, current edition*.
*This text is used as the primary text in a triad of art foundation courses including, ART 1120 2D Surface, ART 1130 3D Space, and ART 1140 4D Time as well it is used as a supplemental text in ART 1100 Visual Culture.
Each student will be required to have a USB 3.0 flash or external hard drive (32 GB minimum) and headphones/earphones. Additional materials and supplies to be determined at the discretion of the instructor in addition to what is provided through the course program fee.
Pedagogy Statement:
This course will include applied, hands-on studio projects, class discussions, oral and written critiques, demonstrations, and slide lectures, as they apply to the principles of time-based media. These teaching methods are tailored to accommodate unique learning styles that will integrate with a variety of rigorous experiential, creative projects.
This course fosters a collaborative, co-intentional learning experience that encourages students to consider themselves partners in creating and maintaining a respectful and supportive learning community through their work, critique, and conduct. The exchange of ideas and feedback is emphasized through discussion, critique, and collaborative projects. It’s also encouraged outside of class as students are invited to work together informally. This interactive and participatory endeavor cultivates artists who value each other as well as the creative process, and helps them discover that collaborative learning experiences are rich with potential, as student colleagues inspire, stretch, trust, and support each other. It also prepares students for the highly-collaborative and creative industry where diverse ideas and areas of experience are combined to problem solve. Prompts for discussions and projects are designed to promote a wide range of visual interpretation and the inclusion of various conceptual insights, including but not limited to, age, ethnicity, culture, gender, and religion. Visual art, in its essence, promotes inclusivity as students explore unique personal concepts.
Instructional Mediums:
Lecture/Lab
Maximum Class Size: 15
Optimum Class Size: 12
