COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN ARTS Dr. Baird, chair; Prof. Higgs, Prof. Leiter, Prof. Lugar, Prof. Sims; Prof. Baker, Prof. Gibson, Prof. Kelly, Prof. Rinas, Prof. Russell, Dr. Wood
The Department of Communication and Design Arts is committed to preparing students for an active and faithful life of stewardship within their chosen disciplines. Recognizing the close connection between creativity and the Creator, we seek to do this work with integrity, free and open inquiry, discipline, collaboration, and excellence. Programs in the Department of Communication and Design Arts enable students to bring to the communication and design professions both breadth and depth, and they provide students with the opportunity to gain knowledge and learn skills and techniques. The Department offers majors and minors in the following fields of study: • Cinema and Media Arts The major emphasizes the art of storytelling as the foundation for creating visual media. Instruction in audio, video, and cinema production prepares majors for careers in scriptwriting, production, management, and related areas. Students create and showcase their original work through the Black Bird Media Lab and the Black Bird Film Festival, and they have the opportunity to spend a semester in Hollywood through the CCCU’s Los Angeles Film Studies Center. • Journalism Emphasis on newswriting skills aids students in preparing for careers in writing, reporting, announcing, and editing for print and electronic media. Practical experiences include generating news stories in classes, writing for the professional press, interning at a variety of news organizations, and publishing the student newspaper, the Andersonian. • Public Relations The field of public relations focuses broadly on strategically building and maintaining relationships with the various constituencies that are important to organizations. In the public relations major, students learn foundations, media writing, campaigns, research, ethics, social media, and event planning. Students may choose one of three tracks: public relations, public relations with a concentration in event planning, and public relations with a concentration in social media. This program offers an option to complete the major in three years rather than the traditional four. Classes are complemented by experiential learning through internships and the student-operated PR agency, Fifth Street Communications. The program also houses a chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Juniors and seniors are required to maintain a PRSSA membership, with dues assessed each fall in COMM 2840. • Visual Communication Design This major prepares students for professional practice through intensive studio, theory, and history studies. A primary focus is the development of a visual portfolio — both print and digital. Courses engage students in the creation of visual products for print, web, and time-based media. Emphasis is placed on learning how to communicate ideas through appropriately and creatively designed visual products. Professional preparation opportunities include working with clients in studio-based projects and internships at the junior and/or senior levels. Students completing the major are prepared to work in design studios; advertising, marketing, and public relations agencies; corporate and church in-house communications departments; and other professional environments where visual communication is a primary component.
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Anderson University Undergraduate Catalog, 2022-23
