Program Requirements and Course Descriptions

Students are required to take 9 hours of core course work and 9 hours of electives.

Students who would like to work on an individual, hands-on project that has a presentation or theoretical paper component in place of one of the electives may work with the Digital Media Minor Director to develop an Independent Study project.


Core (9 hours):

ICOM 101: The Digital World

• This class introduces students to the modern digital age, exploring how communication theory and technology have merged.

ICOM 375: Digital Storytelling (Check out our YouTube channel)

• This course will introduce students to the concept of transmedia narratives and basic storytelling frameworks in a hands-on, group-based environment where students spend a semester building a multi-media story delivered across multiple networks.

ICOM 495: Senior Capstone

• This capstone experience requires the student to demonstrate a working knowledge of the skills learned in the Digital Media Minor. This class will require a project and presentation as the final portfolio piece.
  

Electives (9 hours):

ICOM 201: Digital Web Design + Usability

• This class introduces design methodologies for conceptualizing, building, and testing digital products with both traditional usability and modern human factors testing

ICOM 210: Introduction to Social Networks

• This class introduces basic social networking theory and combines that with conceptual frameworks for understanding how information flows through interactive networks in this hands-on course where students will build a digital community using existing software tools.

ICOM 211: Digital Interactivity Design

• This class explores the relationships between interactivity, interface design, and communication. Individual and collaborative projects geared to heighten student understanding of designing for interactivity. This hands-on, collaborative class uses open source and propriety software in the creation of an interactive project.

ICOM 212: Digital Image Design

• This course introduces basic concepts for graphic and image design in a hands-on environment using the Adobe Creative Suite and other design tools.

ICOM 213: Digital Video Design

• This course introduces Introduction to creating digital video productions with digital cameras and computer hardware and software. Aesthetics and techniques of digital video and audio recording and non-linear editing.

ICOM 214: Digital Sound Design

• This course introduces the creative use and manipulation of digital audio to produce compositions and sound designs suitable for different types of digital media projects.

ICOM 215: Information Visualization (course currently under development)

• This course will introduce students to the concepts of data visualization in a hands-on environment where students will construct graphic visualizations using both open source and proprietary software tools. While not required, students who take 215 are encouraged to take ICOM 225, the companion course.

ICOM 225: Web Design (course currently under development)

• This class explores the development,construction, organization, and building of websites using the latest web languages, software, W3 standards, and general knowledge of non-linear storytelling in this hands-on, project-based class.

ICOM 299x: Special Topics in Digital Media

• This class will be developed by professors who want to explore theoretical, conceptual, and practical topics related to the skills taught in the Digital Media Minor.

ICOM 390: Independent Study

• This class will be co-developed by students and professors who want to explore individual topics related to the skills taught in the Digital Media Minor.