Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

• recognize formal qualities in new media arts and read visual elements, artistic and cultural styles, and symbols
• view works of art "dynamically," that is, to appreciate and communicate simultaneously individual viewer response, the uniqueness of a work, its origins and precedent, its potential as an inspiration and influence on later art, and its relationship to a particular cultural moment
• decipher new media arts and design through understanding of historical, social, cultural, economic, and political contexts
• generalize course content to other art not covered in the course so that he/she can understand and value new media arts and design in allencompassing global ways

The student will:

• comprehend, apply, analyze and evaluate reading assignments
• identify artwork, and relate facts and ideas about these works of art in exam format
• research, plan, compose, edit and revise short papers
• keep journals assessing learning development in and out of the classroom
• participate in class field trips

Theoretical

• theory and criticism in the history of design
• pattern-based thinking and historical process
• various interpretations of design
• art and gender
• creativity and the impulse to make art

Stylistic and Interpretive

• visual literacy
• art media and artistic technique
• "seeing and knowing"
• iconography
• formal principles and elements of fine art and design

Social and Cultural

• other peoples and their histories, values, and culture
• design and economics
• design and the social fabric
• design and religion
• design and politics
• design and gender
• relationship of culture and style
• design and cultural transmission
• historical impact of design
  • the influence of design on one°s own culture
  • the influence of design on relations with other cultures
• design and designers
  • the impulse to make art
  • the Gestalt of art
  • the role of the designer in society
  • biography
• geography and its influence on design and culture
• artifact recovery, analysis, restoration, and incorporation into a larger historical fabric

Competencies and Skills:
The successful student should be able to:

• work creatively with art historical data, using it to develop principles of art history
• recognize and appraise patterns in historical phenomena
• assess the ways in which a design object is affected by our own vantage point
• recognize and discriminate among various styles of design
• trace the development of design from one period to another
• analyze formally works of design and appreciate the interrelationship of its elements
• determine symbolism in design
• employ iconographical nomenclature
• express the relationship of design to society and culture to style
• analyze the "meaning" of art and design objects through understanding of historical, social, and political context
• use specific terminology to describe works of design
• transfer to a four year college and continue a course of study in the field of design, art history, fine art, anthropology, and history in general

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills:

• oral and written command of college level English