Syllabus
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Art
245: A History of Graphic Design
Fall Semester, 2006
School of Art Design and Art History
San Diego State University
Tuesdays
and Thursdays, 5:00 to 6:15 pm
This class meets in West Commons 230 (WC-230).
Professor:
Susan Merritt
Office: Art 314A
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 1pm-3pm or by appointment
Phone: 619.594.6601
Email: smerritt@mail.sdsu.edu
Urls: www.cwaincsandiego.com
About Course Registration
Proof of Prerequisites
The prerequisites
for this course are a grade of C or better in Art 258 and 259. Preregistered
students who are unable to show proof of prerequisites need to drop the
class or risk an F in the course for failure to attend.
Department
Crashing Policy
Crashing will
not be considered if the course is full. If space is available, the instructor
may add crashers who are able to show proof of prerequisites. Crashers
are admitted according to School policy based on class status and cumulative
units. Graduating Seniors must bring Graduation Evaluations.
Preregistered Students Must Drop If
Students are
expected to attend class starting with the first day. Students who do
not show up for the first class and are not present when roll is taken
at the beginning of the second class must drop the course.
About the Course
It is essential to know that graphic design has a history, and to be familiar with the building blocks of the continuum.
Steven Heller, Becoming a Graphic Designer
Description of the Course
Evolution
of graphic communication from prehistory through postmodern design and
the digital revolution.
Goals of the Course
The course provides graphic design students with the knowledge and understanding of the places, people, events; historical and cultural factors; and technological innovations that have influenced the development of graphic design into the practice that it is today. Historical awareness provides a meaningful context for young designers, like yourselves, to evolve and to contribute in positive ways to the cultures in which you live and work.
Course Requirements
- Attending class.
- Reading the textbook, Meggs' History of Graphic Design.
- Completing and handing in chapter study guides.
- Completing chapter quizzes on Blackboard.
- Completing five unit tests, including take-home essay questions. The fifth test will be given as the final.
- Completing typed research paper and handing in hard copy per specifications unless otherwise noted.
Unit Tests
The unit tests will include multiple choice, matching, true-false, and
essay questions. The focus will be on terms,
people and their contributions, places, events, technological innovations
and identification of images.
Tests will be given in the classroom as per the schedule. See calendar. No make-up tests will be given except in the case of serious illness or death, either of which must be approved by the instructor prior to the test. Make-up tests are in essay format and require the memorization of all titles, periods, and dates.
Grading
Grades are based on the following values. To view grades
for all assignments and projects use the online Blackboard system at https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/webapps/login: Student Tools> View Grades.
10% Attendance
10% Chapter Study Guides
10% Chapter Quizzes on Blackboard
50% Five Unit Tests (10% each)
5% Annotated Bibliography, Outline, Thesis Statement,
and Three Research Topics
15% Research Paper
According to SDSU grading guidelines:
A = Outstanding achievement, available only for the highest accomplishment.
B = Praiseworthy performance, definitely above average.
C = Average, awarded for satisfactory performance, the most common grade.
D = Minimally passing, less than the typical undergraduate achievement.
F = Failing
Grade I (Incomplete)
An incomplete will not be granted automatically and will only be granted under the severest of circumstances. Be realistic about your schedule. If you cannot handle the work load, adjust your schedule to what you are able to manage.
Due Dates
Please refer
to the calendar for specific readings,
daily activities and topics as well as homework assignments and other
important information you will need to know for this course.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to change or update the course calendar/schedule at any time. Please refer to the online calendar weekly for updates.
Course Materials
- Writing utensil and notebook for taking notes.
- Number two pencil for use with the scantrons.
- Scantron forms: Must use the ParSCORE Student Enrollment Form/Test Form for the first quiz (the wide, red form). Thereafter, the narrow, red forms, ParSCORE Test Form, may be used, unless otherwise stated.
Directions for Filling in the ParSCORE Forms
ParScore Student Enrollment Form/Test Form:
Front side: Fill in Instructor
(Merritt), Class (History of Graphic Design), Hour/Day (the test is taken),
9-digit
I.D. Number (one space will remain blank since there are 10 spaces).
Do not fill
in Phone Number or Code.
Back side: 9-digit I.D. Number and Test Form
(A). Do
not fill in Exam Number.
ParScore
Test Form:
Front side: Fill in Name (your name), Subject (History of
Graphic Design), Date (the test is taken), Hour/Day (the test is taken),
9-digit
I.D. Number and Test Form (A). Do not fill in Exam Number.
Required
Books
The required
books should be available in the SDSU Bookstore, local bookstores, and
at amazon.com or other online sources. The SDSU Bookstore and amazon.com
may offer used copies. Supplemental reading materials, videos, as well
as URLs and other media, may be assigned and/or supplied by the instructor
or recommended as the course progresses.
Meggs'
History of Graphic Design, fourth edition, Philip B. Meggs
and Alston W. Purvis (ISBN 0-471-69902-0), John Wiley & Sons 
Becoming
a Graphic Designer, Steven Heller and Teresa Fernandes (ISBN
0-471-29299-0), fourth edition, John Wiley & Sons 
Writing
for the Visual Arts, Mashey Bernstein and George Yatchisin
(ISBN 0-13-022548-7), Prentice Hall
Recommended
Books
The recommended
books should be available in the SDSU Bookstore, local bookstores, and
at amazon.com or other online sources. The SDSU Bookstore and amazon.com
may offer used copies.
- Design Dialogues, Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit (ISBN 1-58115-007-5), Allworth Press
- Graphic Design, A Concise History, Richard Hollis (ISBN 0-500-20347-4), Thames & Hudson
- Graphic Design Timeline, A Century of Design Milestones, Steven Heller and Elinor Pettit (ISBN 1-58115-064-4), Allworth Press
- Screen: Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture, Jessica Helfand (ISBN 1-56898-310-7), Princeton Architectural Press
- Twentieth Century Design, Jonathan Woodham (ISBN 0-192-84204-8), Oxford University Press
In-class Protocol
Telephones,
Pagers, PDAs, iPods, and Other Portable Telecommunication Devices
All portable
telecommunication devices must be turned off during class. If you
need special consideration, please submit a written request.
Inappropriate Behavior
It is inappropriate
and unacceptable to study for other classes or to work on assignments
for other courses during this class. It is not acceptable to leave class in the middle of a lecture.
Illness versus Wellness
If you
are ill, and especially if you are contagious, stay home and get well.
If you have a fever, wait 24 hours after the fever has broken before returning
to class.
Original
Work
All work must
be your own. When the work of others is used, it must be appropriately
cited.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. The penalty is an F in the course and a hearing before the University judiciary officer.
An F will be assigned in cases where the same assignment is submitted to fulfill the requirements of different professors teaching different courses.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
is formal work publicly misrepresented as original; it is any activity
wherein one person knowingly, directly, and for lucre, status, recognition,
or any public gain resorts to the published or unpublished work of another
in order to represent it as one's own. Work shall be deemed plagiarism:
(1) when prior work of another has been demonstrated as the accessible
source; (2) when substantial or material parts of the source have been
literally or evasively appropriated (substance denoting quantity; matter
denoting qualitative format or style); and (3) when the work lacks sufficient
or unequivocal citation so as to indicate or imply that the work was neither
a copy nor an imitation. This definition comprises oral, written, and
crafted pieces. In short, if one purports to present an original piece
but copies ideas word for word or by paraphrase, those ideas should be
duly noted.
Alexander
Lindey, Plagiarism and Originality, 1952.
Please also read the University catalog on plagiarism.
Please download
this statement notifying students of the instructor’s
intent to
use Turnitin.com:
http://its.sdsu.edu/resources/turnitin/pdf/
Stment_syllabus.pdf
Attendance
Attendance to all class meetings is expected and is directly
related to the learning experience. Consult with a classmate if you miss
or plan
to miss a class or set up a meeting with the instructor. Lectures are
based
primarily on the textbook, however, some lectures may focus more on a
specific
subject and offer more depth beyond that provided in the textbook. Additional
material not covered in the textbook may also be introduced during class.
Tardiness to class meetings is not tolerated as it disrupts the class in session. Please arrive on time for all class meetings and do not leave until class has been dismissed.
Project
Deadline Policy
Submit your
assignments on time. See calendar.
Email Account
Students are expected to have an email account. The instructor sends
email
announcements through Blackboard. Please be aware that hotmail accounts
do
not work well with Blackboard. Students need to get an SDSU rohan email
account.