aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

FLORENCE
School of Arts & Sciences
or she may begin the internship. While students may initiate
the internship anytime after the approval of the Master’s
Thesis prospectus, most will opt to undertake the bulk of this
work experience once they have completed their Spring term
courses as they will have more time and more flexibility to offer
their host institution. The student will choose an internship of
a minimum of 200 hours which will bring her/him in contact
with a real working museum institution, giving her/him the
opportunity to test the theoretical knowledge and the practical
skills acquired while taking “Museums and the Public II: Objects
and Audience”. The internship may be completed. in Florence
or elsewhere and will be jointly supervised by LdM staff and
the host institution. All approved internships will comply with
Italian health and safety codes. Students who wish to intern in
Florence are strongly encouraged to enroll in Italian language
courses during the academic year in Florence or elsewhere and
will be jointly supervised by LdM staff and the host institution.
Note: Placement opportunities are limited and subject
to change. Students who enroll must submit supporting
documentation by the registration deadline, and acceptance is
conditional upon result of an onsite interview during the first
week of the term. Fluency in Italian may be advantageous.
Master’s Thesis
ART 625 F
Cr: 4; Contact hrs:
Upon the successful completion of “Research Methods II: The
Thesis Proposal” in which the student’s thesis prospectus is
approved and his faculty advisor chosen, he or she may begin
to research and write the masters thesis. This course has no
formal requirements other than periodic meetings with the
faculty advisor and many hours of research, writing and revising.
Communications
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills
COM 105 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course provides an introduction to public speaking in group
and whole-class situations. It will help students to develop their
delivery skills as well as the content of their presentations,
including the development and organization of ideas and
use of research material. Students will analyze a variety of
speeches, in written and oral formats, and will be required to
develop working outlines for their own presentations. Classes
will also involve voice and body language exercises and will
teach strategies for overcoming performance anxiety.
Introduction to Communication
COM 130 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course surveys the theories of communication relevant
to all contexts (including interpersonal, group, organizational,
mediated, and cultural) and the ways in which contexts affect
the form of communication. The course introduces students to
essential concepts and fundamental theories that describe the
processes, functions, natures, and effects of communication.
General goals of the course are to familiarize students with
the basic concepts of communication and to help them
understand and improve basic skills in relation to interpersonal
communication. Students deal with ethical issues and global
opportunities and challenges offered by communication, and
they have an opportunity to develop their critical thinking and
writing, as well as group work and presentation skills.
Foundations of Visual Communication
COM 175 F; Dual listed: GRA 190 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 90
This course is essential for all students that, either as beginners
in graphic design or with previous experience in digital graphics,
desire to learn the secrets of “good design.” The aim of the
course is to assist students in developing intellectual skills and
familiarity with the rules which underpin the creation of graphic
works that convey both aesthetic quality and communicative
power. The course is structured into a series of projects, lectures,
analyses and drawing exercises which, through the application
and study of design theories, aim at offering students a
methodology for solving graphic and visual projects. Topics
include: B/W techniques, layouts and grids, colors and shape
balance, mirror and rotational symmetries, repetitive patterns,
archetypes and primary shapes, fonts and typography, studies
of visual languages and cultural backgrounds, analysis of styles
and artwork, rules to derive families of shapes and colors,
formats and harmonic proportions such as the diagonal of
the square, icons, logotypes and trademarks, studies of 3D
models and packaging. The course places emphasis on the
learning of graphic design principles and concepts that are
independent from the tools used for production (digital or
manual techniques). There is a focus on learning from the great
tradition of Italian design, and the student is encouraged to
make the most of the visual and cultural experience offered by
the city of Florence.
Foundations of Visual Communication
(Summer only)
COM 176 F; Dual listed: GRA 191 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course is essential for all students that, either as beginners
in graphic design or with previous experience in digital graphics,
desire to learn the secrets of “good design.” The aim of the
course is to assist students in developing intellectual skills and
familiarity with the rules which underpin the creation of graphic
works that convey both aesthetic quality and communicative
power. The course is structured into a series of projects, lectures,
analyses and drawing exercises which, through the application
and study of design theories, aim at offering students a
methodology for solving graphic and visual projects. Topics
include: B/W techniques, layouts and grids, colors and shape
balance, mirror and rotational symmetries, repetitive patterns,
archetypes and primary shapes, fonts and typography, studies
of visual languages and cultural backgrounds, analysis of styles
and artwork, rules to derive families of shapes and colors,
formats and harmonic proportions such as the diagonal of
the square, icons, logotypes and trademarks, studies of 3D
models and packaging. The course places emphasis on the
learning of graphic design principles and concepts that are
independent from the tools used for production (digital or
manual techniques). There is a focus on learning from the great
tradition of Italian design, and the student is encouraged to
make the most of the visual and cultural experience offered by
the city of Florence.
Mass Communication
COM 180 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This is an introductory course to mass communication, focusing
on a wide range of old and new media. Thus, the major themes
will be two: “traditional” media (newspapers, magazines, radio,
telephone, Motion Pictures, TV) and “digital” media (personal
computers, Internet, digital TV). Through a “social history” of
the development of mass communication, much attention will
be paid to the “convergence” of old and new, as well as the most
relevant marketing topics (product marketing, advertising). The
course will show how technological changes have influenced
mass media in modern times by increasing their variety and
power. Secondly, it will examine how these changes brought
about new communication possibilities, either as completely
new concepts or in conjunction with existing media. Finally,
the main cultural changes resulting from this evolution will
be analyzed and discussed with regards to individual and
social changes, and political and economic impact and the
role of information in our society. Semiotics is fundamental to
approaching mass communication as a wide-scale linguistic
phenomenon in which transmitters, receivers and messages
can be identified, analyzed and critically interpreted at any
possible level.
New Media: Communication in the Digital Age
COM 182 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
What do we really mean when we use the term “mass media”
today? Is it really the same thing we could have meant twenty
years ago, when television was still the main tool for mass
information? The digital age has introduced new communication
devices (laptops, digital cameras, smart phones, iPods, iPads)
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LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014