true Browse Courses | Academic Catalog | Otis College of Art and Design OU Campus Courses Courses 2D Animation (TWOD) 3D Animation (THRD) Advertising Design (ADVT) African American Studies - LMU (AFAM) American Sign Language - LMU (ASLL) Animation (ANIM) Architectur/Lndscape/Interiors (ARLI) Art History & Critical Studies (AHCS) Art History - LMU (ARHS) Art and Design Education (ADED) Asian American Studies -LMU (AAAS) Catalog Elective Course (ELEC) Chicana/o & Latina/o Stds-LMU (CLST) Clay Electives (CLAY) Communication Studies - LMU (CMST) Concept Art (CONC) Creative Action/Integrated Lrn (CAIL) Drawing (DRWG) English (ENGL) Entrepreneurship (ENTR) Fashion Design (FSHD) Fine Arts (FINA) Fine Arts Media (MEDA) Foundation Studio (FNDT) French - LMU (FREN) Games and Entertainment (GAME) Graduate Studies (GRAD) Graphic Design (GDES) Graphic Design (GRDS) Graphic Design/Illustration (GDIL) Illustration (ILUS) Interdisciplinary Studies (INTR) Liberal Studies (LIBS) Mathematics (MATH) Motion Design (MOTN) Music - LMU (MUSC) Natural Science (NSCI) Outbound Mobility/Exchange (MOBI) Painting (PNTG) Photography (PHOT) Printmaking (PRNT) Product Design (PRDS) Psychology - LMU (PSYC) Sculpture/New Genres (SCNG) Social Science (SSCI) Sociology - LMU (SOCL) Spanish - LMU (SPAN) Story (STRY) Sustainability (SUST) Theory and Critical Studies (CRIT) Toy Design (TOYD) Typography Elective (TYPG) Courses Courses 2025 - 2026 Course Catalog Courses Courses 2025 - 2026 Course Catalog COURSES Main Content COURSES 2D ANIMATION (TWOD) TWOD 320 2D Character Animation3.0 UNITS The three main philosophies of this course are as follows: Observe. Understand. Recreate. We will be studying a wide variety of traditional 2D character types, looking at how they act, why they move the way that they do, and recreating them using traditional 2D techniques, ie, drawings. By the end of this course should be able to recognize the traits within different characters and be ready to animate them based on their form and function. Students will develop skills and techniques for creating 2D character animation. Students will learn in-depth character design, development, rigging, and animation techniques, used to create facial expressions and lip syncing. Prerequisite: ANIM 231 INTERMEDIATE 2D ANIMATION TWOD 321 Digital Painting3.0 UNITS This elective course expands students’ skills in digital and/or hand‑drawn animation through focused training in Photoshop for visual development. Created with current industry practices in mind, the course introduces essential tools and techniques of digital painting used in animation production. Students learn to create polished artwork such as backgrounds, painted textures, concept art, and illustrative assets that support storytelling and world‑building. Emphasis is placed on color, composition, lighting, and building a professional digital painting workflow using efficient, industry‑standard Photoshop methods. TWOD 460 2D Track: 2D Animation Choreography3.0 UNITS This course focuses on designing expressive movement and action in 2D animation. Students learn how to craft dynamic, emotionally resonant motion through the integration of character action, camera staging, timing, and composition. Emphasis is placed on choreographing complex sequences—from expressive dance passages to high‑intensity fight scenes—using both realistic physics and stylized, exaggerated animation principles. Through storyboarding, reference study, and frame‑by‑frame analysis, students develop sequences that prioritize narrative clarity, emotional impact, and sophisticated motion design. Prerequisite: intermediate animation or instructor approval. Prerequisite: TWOD 320 2D CHARACTER ANIMATION TWOD 464 Advanced Visual Development3.0 UNITS This advanced studio course guides students in creating cohesive visual concepts for animated and narrative media through integrated world‑building, character and environment design, and unified stylistic exploration. Students develop visual development packages that combine research, mood boards, exploratory sketches, color scripts, and key scenes into a consistent, story‑driven vision. By the end of the course, they complete a polished, portfolio‑ready body of work that demonstrates narrative clarity, stylistic cohesion, and a refined personal artistic perspective. Prerequisite: TWOD 321 DIGITAL PAINTING 3D ANIMATION (THRD) THRD 320 3D Character Animation3.0 UNITS 3D Character Animation builds on Intermediate 3D Animation and develops stronger character performance alongside dynamic action and creature animation. Students focus on clarity of intent and emotional rhythm through performance work, and on stylized action that reads clearly and feels powerful. The course also introduces believable real world creature animation, exploring animal behavior as the foundation for creature work driven by reference analysis. The course emphasizes professional habits, strong planning and reference use, efficient iteration, and consistent polish through structured check ins, critique, and revision. Prerequisite: ANIM 212 INTERMEDIATE 3D ANIMATION THRD 321 3D Track: Digital Sculpting and Z-Brush3.0 UNITS This course will teach you how to start sculpting digitally in Zbrush. We will begin with intuitive techniques used to deform digital clay into shapes and forms. Navigating Zbrush’s interface will be fully explained at the start of this course. Important features will be covered like DynaMesh, ZRemesher, and TPoseMesh. For anyone already familiar with Zbrush, you will learn the critical steps for prepping a complex character and posing it. Hard surfaces and multiple techniques for hair will be Covered. Prerequisite: ANIM 212 INTERMEDIATE 3D ANIMATION THRD 460 Lighting: CG and IRL3.0 UNITS This course is designed to develop both the technical expertise and creative decision-making skills required for professional-level 3D lighting, shading, and texturing. Students will bridge the gap between digital workflows and real-world cinematography, exploring photorealistic, hyper-realistic, hyper-stylized, and toon aesthetics. Every project demands a high standard of critical judgment, with an emphasis on quality, originality, and visual impact. Students will be expected to evaluate their own work rigorously, support all creative and technical choices with research and reference, and refine outputs through post-production. Prerequisite: THRD 321 DIGITAL SCULPTING AND Z-BRUSH THRD 464 3D Tracking & Motion Capture3.0 UNITS 3D Tracking and Motion Capture introduces students to camera tracking and performance capture workflows used in animation, games, and virtual production. Students learn 3D tracking fundamentals by solving camera motion from live action footage, aligning tracked cameras to 3D space, and integrating CG characters or objects with accurate scale, perspective, and match move. In parallel, students capture body performances, clean and refine the data, and retarget animation onto 3D characters for use in a shot or interactive scene. The course focuses on production- ready methods, from shot planning and capture setup to technical cleanup and seamless CG integration, supported by regular critique. Prerequisite: THRD 460 LIGHTING: CG AND IRL ADVERTISING DESIGN (ADVT) ADVT 240 Advertising Workshop3.0 UNITS Introduces students to the world of advertising with real-world assignments. They analyze various historical and contemporary campaigns to learn why they were successful and how they affected American culture. AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES - LMU (AFAM) AFAM 2221 Black Cultural Arts4.0 UNITS AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE - LMU (ASLL) ASLL 2101 American Sign Language 14.0 UNITS ANIMATION (ANIM) ANIM 101 Introduction to 3D Graphics3.0 UNITS Animation Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. ANIM 210 Storytelling Fundamentals3.0 UNITS The basic principles of story structure are applicable to any medium: film, TV, novels, comic books, theatre, video games, even works of sculpture and dance. A foundational understanding of basic storytelling structure will deepen audience engagement and help to create emotional resonance. This course will utilize multimedia presentations, group work, reading and viewing assignments, response papers, and creative writing to foster a deeper understanding of the nature of story structure, its role in various mediums, and techniques to enhance its effectiveness. ANIM 211 3D Fundamentals3.0 UNITS This course provides an overview of the tools and techniques used to produce digital art for animation. This includes 2D and 3D art assets, animation, sound and video. Upon completion of this module, students will gain a working knowledge of the common tools, techniques and terminologies used in the Digital Media industry. ANIM 212 Intermediate 3D Animation3.0 UNITS Intermediate 3D Animation builds on Animation Basics and introductory 3D experience to develop strong 3D character animation with an emphasis on body mechanics and professional workflow. Students translate core animation principles into 3D performance through structured assignments that emphasize believable weight and motion, timing and spacing, and clean, readable staging. The course reinforces an iterative production process, planning with thumbnails and reference, progressing through blocking to spline and polish, and using dailies style critique to revise work efficiently. Prerequisite: ANIM 211 3D FUNDAMENTALS ANIM 215 Storyboarding and Pre-Viz3.0 UNITS In this class students will learn how to illustrate a story through the use of storyboarding and Previsualization (Pre-viz). Students will learn how to break down a script and translate it onto a presentable, self-explanatory, traditional and digital format. Pre-viz will be used to expand on storyboards, testing different shot angles, timing and transitions with different camera placements and movements. ANIM 220 Drawing and Design for Animation I3.0 UNITS In this course students will learn how to apply research, critical analysis, brainstorming, and improvisational techniques to enhance a students’ drawing capabilities with a focus on space and objects in space. Emphasis is on developing a basic understanding of, and familiarity with, perspective as a means of organizing space and defining a point of view. ANIM 230 Animation Basics3.0 UNITS In this course, students will learn industry standard principles and techniques for creating professional animation t. Students will gain an introductory level understanding of the “12 animation principles” using Digital 2D and 3D animation tools and techniques. In each class, students will concentrate on a series of exercises related to the many topics of study in Traditional Animation techniques. ANIM 231 Intermediate 2D Animation3.0 UNITS This intermediate-level course builds upon foundational principles of 2D animation, guiding students toward more advanced techniques in character performance, visual storytelling, and production workflows. Students will explore advanced topics such as timing and spacing, expressive character acting, dynamic camera movement, and integrating sound with animation. Emphasis is placed on refining drawing skills, developing a personal animation style, and applying industry-standard software to create polished short projects. Prerequisite: ANIM 230 2D ANIMATION BASICS ANIM 240 Animation Pipeline3.0 UNITS In this foundational course, students will be introduced to a complete overview of the 2D and 3D animation production pipeline. The focus will be on developing essential technical workflows and production management skills used to plan and produce an animated short film, while understanding how creative, technical, and organizational components align within a professional studio setting. This course provides a step-by-step exploration of both the organizational structure and technical process behind animated production. Students will gain experience in project planning, shot assembly, rendering, editing, compositing, budgeting, and scheduling, while learning how to manage the flow of assets and data between 2D and 3D environments. Weekly lessons combine lectures, demonstrations, and guided production exercises to build confidence in efficient, collaborative workflows. By the end of the course, students will be able to design, manage, and execute a small-scale animated project independently, demonstrating both artistic intent and technical proficiency across multiple stages of production. ANIM 250 Animation Studio Project I3.0 UNITS Students will work in teams to create a digital animation project, synergizing skills learned in all Previous courses. Students will be exposed to the dynamics of teamwork and the importance of project management using shotgrid. ANIM 310 2D Character Animation3.0 UNITS This is an elective course that addresses specific areas and issues in animation. See schedule of courses or the department for offerings each semester. ANIM 320 Design and Drawing for Animation II3.0 UNITS This focuses on advance design concepts with an emphasis on creating memorable characters with interesting personalities & shapes to tell a story. The goal is to get students used to the idea of research and sketching from life or reference. Then apply the process of revisions to refine their designs in better serving the story. Students will practice draftsmanship to demonstrates the interplay of structure, anatomy, design, and expression in effective figures. ANIM 332 Advanced Animation3.0 UNITS n this course, students will expand their understanding of character animation and motion graphics using Maya 3d software as well as using traditional animation media. In addition to basic animation theory, the students will draw from and incorporate 2d elements into their projects using various techniques. Traditional design studies will be translated into 3d environments. Modeling, texturing and lighting techniques will also be explored. Students will complete a complex and unique final project that will be built upon the skills learned in class each week for their portfolio. ANIM 335 Anim Professional Practices3.0 UNITS This course prepares students for professional life as animators in both freelance and studio environments. Students will learn how to build and sustain a creative practice, manage projects from concept to completion, and navigate the professional expectations of the animation industry. Coursework emphasizes developing strong pitching and presentation skills, managing production timelines and deadlines, and understanding collaborative workflows. Students will refine their portfolios, learn strategies for exhibition and self-promotion, and explore sustainable approaches to creative career development. The class also integrates new skill-building opportunities that support both artistic growth and professional readiness, empowering students to confidently enter the animation field as adaptable, independent, and innovative creators. Prerequisite: ANIM 240 ANIMATION PIPELINE ANIM 340 Acting for Animation3.0 UNITS This class will introduce acting techniques of the to enhance animation principles. Students will work on selected monologue and scene work, to utilize the different concepts learned. Scenes are extensively rehearsed and performed, and students will receive critiques and adjustments from the lecturers and fellow students. ANIM 350 Animation Studio Project II3.0 UNITS Junior Studio Project is an advanced course tailored for junior college students specializing in 2D and 3D animation who have foundational experience in animation principles and techniques. The course emphasizes the critical review of personal portfolios to identify strengths and weaknesses, guiding students toward a successful career path. With a focus on both theoretical knowledge and production-level practices applicable to various animation disciplines, students will undertake three small group projects and one large group project, all tailored to enhance their strengths and address their weaknesses identified through a critical portfolio review at the course's outset. The course encourages the development of animations beyond character-centric narratives to build a well-rounded portfolio. Cultivating a critical eye for animation and understanding its interconnected elements are prioritized to enhance students' overall proficiency. Given the diverse disciplines of 2D and 3D animators in the class, the curriculum focuses on theoretical concepts and production-level practices applicable across animation mediums. Cultivating a critical eye for animation and its interconnected elements—such as timing, spacing, and composition—is essential and will be a priority throughout the course. Prerequisite: ANIM 335 ANIMATION PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES ANIM 420 Design and Drawing for Animation III3.0 UNITS Students will explore concepts through research, critical analysis, and brainstorming to create elements needed for conveying story. Design and Drawing Fundamentals III is a class that combines artistic exploration, perceptions, observations, personal narratives, and intuition to create new work. A series of stories and situations will provide both context and a point of departure for our projects. ANIM 421 Animation Production Leadership3.0 UNITS This advanced course prepares senior animation students to lead creative teams and manage production pipelines from concept through final delivery. Students learn essential leadership skills for animated production environments, including project planning, team coordination, critique facilitation, communication strategies, and navigating the responsibilities of a director or lead artist. Emphasis is placed on developing a clear creative vision while supporting collaborative workflows across 2D, 3D, and hybrid pipelines. Through hands‑on production exercises, students practice delegating tasks, managing schedules, conducting milestone reviews, and guiding teams through iterative development. Coursework integrates industry‑aligned practices—such as dailies, production reporting, shot assignment, and feedback management—to simulate professional studio conditions. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate the ability to lead a small team on a short animated project, communicate creative intent effectively, and maintain a productive, inclusive, and supportive production environment. Prerequisite: ANIM 350 JUNIOR STUDIO PROJECT ANIM 445 Animation Explorations3.0 UNITS In this course, students will focus on creating several animated pieces experimenting with multiple techniques with the dual purpose of telling stories and embracing the idea of play. In addition to completing assignments, students are expected to participate in group discussions and be present during in-class work sessions. ANIM 450 Advanced Senior Project I3.0 UNITS This course provides a practical introduction to skills for acquiring and keeping a job, as well as the processes for developing a final project. Class and professional critiques help students develop their work, while learning from the creative processes of their classmates. Students collect their work from drawing classes, their storyboards, and other parts of the creative process, to be used as windows into their personal working styles Prerequisite: ANIM 350 JUNIOR STUDIO PROJECT ANIM 451 Animation Senior Project II3.0 UNITS Animation Senior Project II is a production class which takes students through the process of conceptualizing, proposing, planning and executing an original project. Students will learn how to deliver professional level work and deliver presentations to represent their work. Goal setting, scheduling, research, and expanding knowledge will be skills developed through the class. For the final project, each student will complete an original work or project and present it to members of the professional community. Goal: To create an original work and demo reel in a production environment. Prerequisite: ANIM450 ANIMATION SENIOR PROJECT I ANIM 470 Animation Internship3.0 UNITS This course engages students to work with established companies that are related to their academic and career interests. The purpose of this course is to expose students to live workplace environments and expand networking resources. Students are expected to do well and represent Otis and the BFA animation program. At the end of the Internship, students will report on their experience through a sharing session. Students who wish to participate in the internship program need to submit updated resume, portfolios and websites. **Students need to apply for internship opportunities on their own or through career services. Prerequisite: Approval of the Chair; Animation Internship may be taken once in place of Animation Senior Project I or II ANIM 490 Advanced Animation Elective3.0 UNITS This is an area of concentration elective to extend students' skills and experience with digital and/or hand animation and film/video tools. These electives will be created with industry advances in mind in order to keep students up-to-date with current industry practices. ANIM 491 Animation Mentorship3.0 UNITS ARCHITECTUR/LNDSCAPE/INTERIORS (ARLI) ARLI 353 Studio IV5.0 UNITS Design theory, process, building and interior technologies are applied to the problem of a residential program sited within an existing building. Prerequisites: ARLI352 Studio III, ARLI360 Technologies + Ecologies III ARLI 455 Studio VI5.0 UNITS Design theory, process, architecture, and landscape technologies are applied to the problem of a building, or buildings, integrated with landscape. ARLI 459 Studio Topics: Donghia Masterclass1.0 UNIT Design theory, process, and appropriate technologies are introduced and applied to a focused spatial design project. The topic varies per offering and is determined on the basis of faculty and student interest. Prerequisites vary as noted per offering. This course may be repeated for credit. ARLI 461 Constructions3.0 UNITS An interior or exterior environment is designed, documented and constructed. Prerequisite: ARLI454 Studio V ARLI 463 Constructions/Installation1.0 UNIT Students participate in the collaborative construction and/or installation of an interior or exterior environment. No homework. Three contact hours per credit as scheduled by the Instructor. No prerequisite, open to students in any department. This course may be repeated for credit. ARLI 464 Design Development2.0 UNITS Interior, landscape, or architectural components of a prior or current studio project are designed, developed, and represented in orthographic drawings and rendered views. ARLI 465 Presentation Techniques2.0 UNITS Comprehensive presentations of selected studio projects are designed and produced for display and/ or public presentation. Co-requisite: Concurrent enrollment in ARLI462 Constructions. ARLI 466 Internship2.0 UNITS Students work under supervision of existing staff of a professional design firm (Employer). Work includes the observation and/or practice of professional activities, excluding clerical, as documented by the Employer. The duration of work must equal and may not exceed 45 hours per enrolled credit, per semester. ARLI 467 Internship3.0 UNITS Students work under supervision of existing staff of a professional design firm (Employer). Work includes the observation and/or practice of professional activities, excluding clerical, as documented by the Employer. The duration of Work must equal and may not exceed 45 hours per enrolled credit, per semester. This course may be repeated for credit. ARLI 469 Lighting Internship2.0 UNITS Students work under supervision of existing staff of a professional lighting firm (Employer). Work includes the observation and/or practice of professional activities, excluding clerical, as supervised and documented by the Employer. The duration of work must equal and may not exceed 45 hours per enrolled credit, per semester. This course may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: ARLI471 Advanced Lighting Design and enrollment in the Certificate in Lighting Design through Otis College Extension Division. ART HISTORY & CRITICAL STUDIES (AHCS) AHCS 120 Introduction to Visual Culture3.0 UNITS In the twenty-first century we realize that canons or standards of good art and design, as well as ideas regarding ‘high’ art and design cannot be discussed without looking at issues of power and privilege, gender and race. Introduction to Visual Culture takes as its backbone the current debates regarding the validity of a single Eurocentric art historical canon, asking essential questions like: what is art, who gets to make that decision, how do these ideas change with time, social contexts and with evolving perspectives and diverse positions on gender, race, ethnicity, and class? As we engage images and ideas across historical time frames from both Western and non-Western perspectives, students will ask: Why is it that certain kinds of art sell for incredible sums of money, while others are offered up for free? Why does the work of some designers remain anonymous, while that of others is knocked off and copied? How does the role of the media and institutions such as the academy, the museum, and the market shape the publics’ understanding of art and design? And who is this imagined public: how is it gendered, what is its racial and ethnic constitution, its social-economic demographic, its cultural origin? Finally, the class considers if it is ever appropriate to use sweeping generalizations about gen- der, race, class, and ethnicity as we consider the creators and users of an increasingly global, fluid and very diverse visual culture. AHCS 121 Birth of the Modern3.0 UNITS This course investigates the mechanisms of taste, value, and exclusion that have dictated art and design in the West from roughly 1850 to the 1960s. Students will explore the ways colonialism, capitalism, structural racism, sexism, the construction of genius and celebrity, and technological acceleration have shaped the world in which we live -- and how art and design have been imbricated in these practices. We both study modernity and vigorously critique it, considering at every step the conditions of power and privilege that marked these interactions in the modern era, and continue currently to shape students’ lives and roles as artists. In an effort to disrupt privileged white-male chronologies and canonical stylistic approaches, BOM is not structured around traditional Eurocentric styles of modern art. Instead, using key artifacts -- past and present -- readings and discussions selected from within and outside the white, Western European canon, we consider and interrogate global creative output during the historical era of modernity. AHCS 122 Advanced Visual Culture 1 Gateways to Art and Culture3.0 UNITS Visual Culture 1: Gateways to Art and Culture” will address the history of visual communication and the changes that visual culture has undergone up until the 18th century across geographical boundaries, while providing students with the tools to understand the visual culture of the present. The class will address formal analysis, the study and history of materials, techniques, and genres. Students will also learn the semiotic language of visual culture and the socio-cultural contexts framing the history of art, past and present. This course will help students understand how visual objects reflect the cultural context in which they were originally produced and consumed, and how the meaning assigned to them changes over time. This will create bridges for the students to connect to the present visual culture while understanding that images are fluid signs which help create and maintain cultural, social, and political discourse. AHCS 123 Advanced - Visual Culture 2: Unpacking Art, Power, & Modernity3.0 UNITS Planned as a continuation of Visual Culture 1,” Visual Culture 2: Unpacking Art, Power & Modernity” offers a transparent chronology to continue but deepen an investigation of art, design and world perspectives from roughly 1800 to 1960. These are years loosely associated with “modernisms.” It explores Western and non-Western, dominant, and marginalized histories during this proposed 160-year time frame, broadening and reinforcing first-year students’ historical awareness, while de-centering dominant canons. Visual Culture 2 uses multi-cultural artifacts, readings, seminar-like discussions and experiential collaborations to explore and critically analyze key works and key themes like colonialism, structural racism, xenophobia, industrialization, technology, capitalism and consumerism from multiple perspectives. By the end of the semester, students should have the necessary critical tools to become empathic citizen-artists who can engage an equitable, transglobal, diasporic, technically creative and environmentally demanding present and future. AHCS 222 Graphic Design/ Illus History3.0 UNITS This course explores the interconnected histories of graphic design and illustration from early visual communication to contemporary digital practices. Students will analyze how these disciplines have shaped—and continue to shape—social, political, and cultural identities across different geographical areas and time periods. Through a chronological framework, students will develop critical thinking skills by examining historical works through multiple lenses: formal analysis, social history, semiotics, and intersectional perspectives including race, class, and gender. Key focus areas include the evolution of text-image relationships, technological innovations in visual communication, and the changing role of designers and illustrators as cultural producers. Students will connect historical movements to contemporary practice while examining the ethical responsibilities of visual communicators in today's global context. By the end of this course, students will understand how past movements and practitioners inform current design and illustration practices, enabling them to situate their own creative work within broader historical and cultural contexts. AHCS 224 Honors: Theories and Trends3.0 UNITS "This class covers the paradigm shift from modernity to contemporary culture through an analysis of these general and closely inter-related themes; your faculty will select which they emphasize but all of these should be familiar to you when you complete this class: Race in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Bodies in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Gender in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Technologies in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Identity in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Consumerism in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Hi-Low Art/Design in Contemporary Art, Media, Culture Contemporary art, design and media involve multi-dimensional social and artistic shifts taking us from “late modern” society into the so termed “post-modern” age. The class covers years beginning after World War II, marked by society-altering ideas and events that radically change how we view creatives, art, design, entertainment, technology, race, gender, and identity in a global context. We will learn what these terms mean, why they're important to working artists/designers and how ideas and events since the 1960s up through the current day impact fields from fine art to digital media, to fashion and graphic design. Conversely, we look at how art and design work to create who we are and how we think. We look at the global impact of the spread of TV, video, computers, the internet, the civil rights movements including #blacklivesmatter and BIPOC initiatives, gender rights revolutions including the feminist movements, LGBTQ+ culture, and various other multi cultural and counter-cultural perspectives like Latinx and Asian art movements. We study how global contemporary art and design are impacted by legacies of European ethnocentrism, and how multi disciplinary contemporary art fields recognize diverse subject positions to both reflect and challenge western white colonial and patriarchal power." AHCS 225 History & Future Product Desg3.0 UNITS When did art become design? Product design influences and is influenced by culture and technological developments. From the Dark Satanic Mills and the Spinning Jenny to advanced 3D printers and the advent of AI, how have technology and manufacturing processes influenced and driven product design and what were the global societal and cultural consequences of these? Objects and products do not exist in a vacuum and thus must be seen through various lenses and themes such as the continual search for utopia and social reforms, the economic and psychological implications of man vs. machine, material exploration for functional and aesthetic potential, human inspiration from the natural world and our impact on the environment. This course examines how technology shaped today’s design thinking and its potential impact on transforming the future of designed objects and the world as we know it. Required for Product Design majors. AHCS 226 Fine Arts Contemporary Art Survey3.0 UNITS This Contemporary Art for Fine Artists is a survey of key fine art objects, practices and issues from the late 1950s to the present. Taking key historical events as its structure, the class uses contemporary art movements and counter movements to investigate mechanisms of form, taste, value, class, gender and exclusion, as these are demonstrated and challenged by artists in the US and globally. Included is a consideration of postmodern theory and fine art creation as systems capable of both perpetuating and effectively challenging normalized and marginalized identities. Required for Fine Arts majors. AHCS 228 Art History of Animation3.0 UNITS The "Art History of Animation" course provides a comprehensive survey of the history of animation from its earliest beginnings to the present day. The course explores the development of animation techniques, styles, and themes, and their relationship to cultural and social contexts. Students will gain a thorough understanding of the artistry and creative processes that underlie animated productions and develop an appreciation for the role of animation in shaping popular culture. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify the key historical milestones in the development of animation as an art form, and the social and cultural contexts in which they occurred. Analyze the visual language and stylistic techniques used in animated productions, including the use of color, line, and shape. Evaluate the role of animation in shaping cultural values and attitudes towards race, gender, and identity. Interpret the major theoretical constructs surrounding the study of animation. Discuss the cultural and artistic significance of major animated films and series, and their impact on popular culture. Demonstrate an understanding of the creative processes involved in animation, including storyboarding, character design, and animation production. This course may be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the sophomore year. AHCS 229 Art History of Game Design3.0 UNITS This course provides an overview of the history of video games, tracing their evolution from their early beginnings to the present day. Through a combination of lectures, readings, discussions, and hands-on experiences, students will explore the social, cultural, and technological factors that have shaped the development of video games. Topics covered in the course include: The Origins of Video Games: The course will begin with an overview of the early history of video games, including the development of the first electronic games, such as Spacewar!, and the emergence of arcade games in the 1970s. Iconic Games: The course will examine some of the most iconic and influential video games in history, such as Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., and Doom. Students will analyze the gameplay mechanics, cultural impact, and historical significance of these games. Landmark Companies: The course will also explore the companies that have played a significant role in the development of video games, such as Atari, Nintendo, and Sony. Students will learn about the business strategies, marketing tactics, and technological innovations that enabled these companies to succeed in the industry. Innovative Technology and Hardware: The course will delve into the technological advancements that have driven the evolution of video games, such as the introduction of 3D graphics, motion controls, and virtual reality. Students will also examine the hardware platforms that have enabled video games to become increasingly sophisticated and immersive. By the end of the course, students will have gained a comprehensive understanding of the history of video games and the cultural impact they have had on society. They will be able to analyze and critically evaluate video games as a form of media, and understand the challenges and opportunities facing the video game industry today. Required for Game and Entertainment majors. AHCS 234 History of Costume3.0 UNITS A survey of costume from prehistory to the 21st century. A study of historical and social forces in understanding costume history, how costume influences today’s fashions, how trends repeat themselves, and how the past functions as an aid in forecasting future fashion trends. AHCS 236 History of Toys3.0 UNITS Today we understand play as a child’s universal language and right. But was it always this way? This synchronous online course explores historical global perspectives on toys, trends, and play, providing valuable context for the emerging toy designer. You will develop a cultural awareness of the evolution of the toy industry reflected by past and current societal changes. Active research, videos, readings, and discussions inform personal narrative writing along with engaging, creative group projects. Class projects will be relevant and enhance the experience of studio toy design classes. By the semester’s end, you will have completed quality research on your favorite childhood toy and designed an instructional game focusing on a chosen era, genre, or region related to the history of toys. Required for Toy Design majors. AHCS 237 Sophomore Seminar I: DEI in Global Art and Culture3.0 UNITS The Sophomore Seminar 1 & 2 sequence is a key part of the Fine Arts curriculum and a course required of all sophomores. Sophomore Seminar 1 is designed to introduce Fine Art majors to key concepts in ancient and modern philosophy and its relationship to art and culture. Sophomore Seminar 2 critically considers postmodern theorists and artists who question the philosophical canon and the function of art in society. In both courses/semesters, students learn to evaluate the ideological impact of power, gender, economics, and social class on social and artistic norms. The purpose of the course is to develop the student's capacity to think critically about a broad range of issues and their relationship to the student's artistic practice. The course is a blended studio and seminar course that places a strong emphasis on close reading, critical listening, open-minded group discussion and critical making. Required for Fine Arts majors. AHCS 310 Art History Elective3.0 UNITS AHCS 310 are elective Art History courses that address a variety of issues in fine art and visual culture. Course offerings vary each semester and certain LIBS314 topics will satisfy this elective. See the Liberal Arts and Sciences department for course offerings and course descriptions. This course may be taken in either fall or spring. AHCS 560 Special Topics in Art History: Modernism to Conceptualism3.0 UNITS This course examines the development of Modernism as a discourse in the visual arts, from its development in the 1840s to challenges of its key assumptions in the 1960s. Attendance at Visiting Artists Lecture Series (VALS) is required as part of this course. The primary intention of this course is to provide a critical survey of work and discourses that have contributed to the development of Modernism as a specific aesthetic and discursive tradition. Our attention will focus on the development of visual art, and a trajectory of practices traceable from traditions of European painting and sculpture to challenges leveled at that tradition, most identified with artists working in the United States after World War II. Understanding the importance and context of these practices will require that we simultaneously explore other developments significant throughout this period including social environment, political and economic currents, technological change and related fields of practice. It is a period characterized by extraordinary change, gross inequities, and the formation of conventions on which a contemporary view of art as an aesthetic discipline are based. We will attempt to actively engage these concepts with the goal of developing a view of Modernism in direct dialog with the question of the role of art and artists in this period and in contemporary society. AHCS 561 Special Topics in Art History: 60's to the Present3.0 UNITS The historical development of the discourse of Modernism established a narrative that proved very influential. However, the terms of that narrative came under question from a diverse range of artists and voices. This course looks at Contemporary Art as a varied field arising out of challenges to historical “modern art” in the late 1960s and developing a range of practices that continue to challenge our understanding of art and its relation to society today. Attendance at Visiting Artists Lecture Series (VALS) is required as part of this course. AHCS 562 Out on the Town3.0 UNITS This course is structured around field trips and designed to acquaint students with the artwork currently being exhibited in Los Angeles at a variety of exhibition spaces throughout the city. We will consider the exhibitions we visit in terms of the conceptual intent of the artists, the programing of the venue, and the installation and curatorial decisions of each institution. The class will meet on Fridays from noon-5PM, mostly every other week, eight times during the semester. Meeting dates will be listed in the class syllabus. AHCS 577 Contemp. Graphic Design Issues3.0 UNITS This course is total immersion into the field of graphic design. Current and critically important figures will be covered; students will be given tools to use in their practice to ensure that they are informed on the discipline on a global scale. In addition, students will begin to engage visiting artists in dialogue during lectures. AHCS 579 Theory and Criticism3.0 UNITS A diversity of critical approaches to twentieth and twenty-first century design are situated historically while introducing current themes and debates in contemporary design practice and related disciplines. AHCS 587 Models of Practice3.0 UNITS In this course students will work to contextualize their future practice through close examination of their own body of work, research, and on and off-site visits with contemporary design practitioners. The course will provide opportunities to experience the many roles that designers can play today focusing on the way practice models continue to evolve in response to socio economic technological, cultural, economic and political conditions. AHCS 650 Critical Theory and Practice I3.0 UNITS This seminar introduces key questions and frameworks for thinking about the material, social, and political implications of aesthetic form. We will approach form as an organizing principle that is anchored in material reality, and which affects this reality in turn. Through a selection of essays drawn from different discursive fields, students will engage questions of humanity, power relations, representation, and aesthetics. These readings will serve as points of departure for examining how artists, writers, and theorists respond to the representational politics of the present. Alongside close readings and discussion, we will consider how specific art practices operate within broader cultural and socio-political contexts. The seminar emphasizes the development of a shared vocabulary for critical inquiry. Through weekly discussion, written responses, and collaborative dialogue, students will articulate connections between theory and practice while developing their own critical perspectives. The course foregrounds relational learning, encouraging students to situate their individual voices within a collective process of inquiry. AHCS 651 Critical Theory & Practice II3.0 UNITS This two-semester, cross-disciplinary seminar examines both the creation of contemporary art and the ideas and theories that shape it. Through a selection of essays, we will explore the material, social, and cultural connotations of aesthetic form. We will consider form as an organizing principle that is rooted in material reality while simultaneously influencing that reality. Discussions will focus on how works of art can prompt encounters that challenge our established modes of perception and understanding, fostering curiosity and encouraging shifts in perspective. ART HISTORY - LMU (ARHS) ARHS 4351 Asian Art Snc 1945: Rgn to Glb4.0 UNITS ART AND DESIGN EDUCATION (ADED) ADED 299 Art & Design Education Elective3.0 UNITS Students will choose Art and Design Education Electives from the Minors Course Lists, selected by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director and Minor Area Head, in collaboration with each Academic Department. . Examples include ADED300 Special Topics like Art Therapy and Teaching and Learning for Neurodiversity, CAIL301 Creative Action Studio (if taken a second time), SSCI211 Child Psychology, and studio classes outside of one's major or area of emphasis that expand their art and design making skills. ADED 300 Art & Des Ed Spec Topics3.0 UNITS ADED Special Topics are a series of studio-based courses that focus on conceptual, aesthetic, and interdisciplinary approaches to art and design education and community engagement. Visiting artists, designers and educators share their innovative approaches and guide students through experimenting and developing their own. Topics vary each semester. Required for Art and Design Education minors. Open to all other majors as a studio elective. ADED 336 Teaching Intership3.0 UNITS In this Blended Course, students will synthesize and analyze the connections between history and theory of art and design education and community engagement and the realities of what happens in the classroom, studio and/or community setting. Students will do so by participating in a 10 week internship assisting with a K-12 school, museum education department, cultural organization, or a socially engaged artist /designer of their choice. This field experience along with readings, videos and discussions provide the opportunity to expand and reflect on one’s understanding of education theory and community engagement, all of which culminates in the development of a professional online teaching portfolio. Required for ADED minor students. Pre-requisites SSCI210/214 Community Arts in LA and LIBS311/314 Teaching for Learning I, or ADED Minor Area Head's permission. ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES -LMU (AAAS) AAAS 4998 SS: Asian Art Snc 19454.0 UNITS CATALOG ELECTIVE COURSE (ELEC) ELEC 299 Studio Elective3.0 UNITS Studio Elective See each major and minor for a list of electives. ELEC 599 Graduate Studio Elective3.0 UNITS Graduate level studio elective course. See department for specific courses. CHICANA/O & LATINA/O STDS-LMU (CLST) CLST 3998 SS: Latin American Art4.0 UNITS CLAY ELECTIVES (CLAY) CLAY 299 Clay Electives3.0 UNITS Students will choose Clay Electives from the Minors Course Lists, selected by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director and Minor Area Head, in collaboration with each Academic Department. Clay Electives include any ceramics class offered across the college, as well as other applicable courses on related topics as determined each semester by the Minor Area Head and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies. Examples include: CAIL200 Made in USA, LIBS314 Business of Creativity, ENTR300 Intro. to Entrepreneurship, INTR330 ST: Design Lab, and PRDS462 ST: Packaging COMMUNICATION STUDIES - LMU (CMST) CMST 2510 Digital Diversities4.0 UNITS CMST 3451 Disability Justice4.0 UNITS CONCEPT ART (CONC) CONC 300 Concept Art Drawing Intensive3.0 UNITS This course is an in-depth exploration of the fundamentals of perspective drawing, composition, and visual storytelling in concept art. Students will develop essential skills in creating immersive environments, mastering perspective techniques, and refining their craft through iterative design processes. Assignments will emphasize research, reference gathering, and professional presentation to align with industry standards. CONC 301 Storytelling for Concept Art3.0 UNITS This course focuses on visual storytelling as it applies to concept art for games, film, and animation. Students will explore composition, framing, sequential storytelling, and environmental storytelling to create compelling narrative-driven imagery. Through research, thumbnails, and final illustrations, students will develop skills in staging, lighting, and character/environment interaction to enhance storytelling clarity and impact. CONC 400 Concept Art Production and Development3.0 UNITS This team-based course simulates a real-world concept art production pipeline, where students collaborate to develop cohesive visual assets for a game or film project. Emphasizing professional workflows, students will explore ideation, iteration, visual research, style development, and final presentation. The course covers both character and environment design, prop development, and technical considerations for production-ready assets. By working in teams, students will gain experience in industry-standard collaborative workflows, feedback integration, and refining work based on production constraints. CONC 401 Concept Art Packaging and Finishing3.0 UNITS This course focuses on the final stages of concept art production, emphasizing professional presentation, refinement, and packaging of assets for industry use. Students will learn to prepare their work for production bibles, pitches, portfolios, and marketing materials. The course covers composition, polish, layout design, and final rendering techniques to ensure concept art is clear, compelling, and production-ready. Through iterative feedback and industry-standard formatting, students will create high-quality, polished concept presentations suitable for professional portfolios and pitches. CREATIVE ACTION/INTEGRATED LRN (CAIL) CAIL 101 Connections through Color and Design3.0 UNITS A second-semester Integrated Learning studio course introducing Foundation students to contextually- based problem-solving using fundamentals of color and design. Students learn Munsell color theory; practical aspects of color mixing such as value, hue and chroma; as well as computer color application. Students solve problems that engage the larger community, transdisciplinary practice, research, and collaboration. CAIL 102 Contemporary Studio and Creative Action3.0 UNITS Students explore the built environment, analyzing its physical, spatial, and temporal elements. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of art and design, including scale, material, measurement, context, and function. They will explore innovative and sustainable solutions using fabrication, technology, studio labs, and joint activities with other classes. This course includes the Creative Action & Integrated Learning (CAIL) component, which encourages engagement with the city of Los Angeles. Students will participate in site visits, lectures, and relevant readings that highlight cultural, social, political, ecological, or economic aspects of responsive design. Throughout the course, students will also develop professionalism and collaboration skills. CAIL 200 Food, Community and Urban Gardening3.0 UNITS An integrative course using collaborative methodology, synthesizing diverse perspectives, and using the skills of creative and critical thinking, clear communication, research, and information literacy. See CAIL section for course descriptions. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the sophomore year. Fine Arts majors take CAIL200 in the spring semester. Students with last names starting with letters A-L should take CAIL 200 in the Fall. Students with last names starting with letters M-Z should take CAIL 200 in the spring. The exception is Fine Arts. All Fine Arts students take CAIL 200 in the spring. CAIL 201 Human Ecology3.0 UNITS The course provides an introduction to the relationship among cultural, social, and ecological systems. A course goal is to advance awareness of how artists and designers can problem solve the issues collaboratively, beyond the confines of any one discipline. Required for Sustainability Minors. Online Partner: Transition Mar Vista *OLSY - 100% of instruction is online. Some online classes may also include 1 - 2 weeks of an on-campus meeting. A component of the instruction will require meeting virtually with the instructor the same day and time through the web-conference platform, Zoom. The virtual course contact will occur synchronously (at the same time). CAIL 301 AI PLAY: Play Your Way to a More Conscious, Just, and Humanized Technological World3.0 UNITS An upper-division interdisciplinary studio course offering unique core content that shifts from term to term. This studio affords students the opportunity to engage with professionals from various fields and expand their notion of problem solving beyond their major in public site real world challenges. This course may be taken in either the fall or spring of the junior year. A limited choice of CAIL301 courses will count for the Sustainability Minor. See CAIL section for course descriptions.. CAIL301 may be taken in either the fall or spring semester of the junior year. Students with last names starting with letters A-L should take CAIL 301 in the Fall. Students with last names starting with letters M-Z should take CAIL 301 in the spring. DRAWING (DRWG) DRWG 204 Intro to Experimental Drawing3.0 UNITS This course explores drawing as a way of thinking rather than as a specific medium. Assignment prompts such as Materiality, Plans and Diagrams, Physical Action and Gesture encourage problem solving across all mediums. In addition, we will explore traditional drawing with technical demonstrations in charcoal, color pencil, sumi ink and brushes watercolor paint, gouache, on supports such as hot press and cold press watercolor papers, architects' drafting mylar, rice papers and more. DRWG 320 Experimental Drawing Projects3.0 UNITS Provides an opportunity for students to explore advanced techniques and ideas in drawing and explore many uses of drawing. It helps students develop their vision and awareness of the drawing media through independent projects and building a body of work. Offered in the Fall only. ENGLISH (ENGL) ENGL 090 Developmental English II3.0 UNITS Developmental English II is a for-credit, non-degree applicable course in developing the Standard English skills needed for reading, analyzing, writing, and discussing college-level material. The class focuses on critical thinking, exploring the writing process, and organizing information and ideas, culminating into a portfolio of drafted, revised, and edited essays. A minimum grade of “C-” is required to pass this course. Students who earn a “C-“ must also enroll in the English 103 Writing Lab when satisfying Writing in the Digital Age ENGL 107. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENGL050 Developmental English I or placement through the Writing Placement Assessment. Students receiving a C- may continue on to ENGL 107 if enrolled in ENGL 103. In the fall, ENGL 090 Developmental English II may be linked to AHCS 122 Visual Culture 1: Gateways to Culture or LIBS 115 Writing as Discovery: Thought Lab 1 courses. ENGL 102 DEV Writing Lab1.0 UNIT The ENGL 102 Writing Lab focuses on oral communication, reading in context, and critical thinking to support you in your Developmental II English course and beyond as an artist and designer in the world. Through small-group instruction and discussion, each week, you will learn tools that you can apply to your ongoing reading and writing assignments as well as complete activities tailored to meet your individual needs. All coursework is assigned and completed during lab hours, underscoring the importance of regularly attending to benefit from 1:1 support. This course is Pass/Fail. If you complete the course at the C or better level, you will receive a “Pass (P)” on your transcript. If you finish the course at the C-, D, or F level, you will receive a “No Pass (NP)” on your transcript. ENGL 103 Writing Lab1.0 UNIT The ENGL 103 Writing Lab focuses on building written communication, content development, and critical thinking skills and competencies to support you in your Writing in the Digital Age course and beyond as an artist and designer in the world. Through small-group instruction and discussion, each week, you will learn tools that you can apply to your ongoing reading and writing assignments as well as complete activities tailored to meet your individual needs. All coursework is assigned and completed during lab hours, underscoring the importance of regularly attending to benefit from 1:1 support. This course is Pass/Fail. If you complete the course at the C or better level, you will receive a “Pass (P)” on your transcript. If you finish the course at the C-, D, or F level, you will receive a “No Pass (NP)” on your transcript. ENGL 107 Writing in the Digital Age3.0 UNITS The best artists and designers have one thing in common, and surprisingly enough, it isn’t the best technique or most sophisticated technological tools! Successful artists and designers all share the same skill: the ability to successfully articulate the concepts, passion, and purpose that drives their creative work. WITDA students will explore ongoing social, cultural, and technological changes that are revolutionizing the way "digital natives" (and society at large) finds, creates, and shares information. WITDA students will also learn valuable techniques to refine their writing, critical thinking, information and digital literacy skills. By the end of the semester, WITDA students will have assessed digital messages by contemporary public figures for audience, context, and purpose, and then applied the most effective rhetorical strategies to a piece of persuasive digital writing in which they argue for--or against— a current trend or cultural phenomenon they feel passionately about. A minimum grade of “C-” is required to pass this course. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENGL090 or placement through the Writing Placement Assessment. ENGL 108 Advanced: Writing as Discovery3.0 UNITS How does the world influence you, and how do you influence the world? In this class, you will discover narratives and other texts that reveal the complexity of your identity. You will apply that understanding to a broader exploration of the necessity of empathy in navigating difference in today’s global society. You’ll be invited to turn your awareness into advocacy by posing a research question about a topic that captures your interest and fuels your curiosity. By the end of the semester, you will have completed a personal narrative, learned how to critically analyze diverse texts, and developed research techniques that will be valuable during your academic career and beyond. You will continue to hone these skills in a specialized Thought Lab II course of your choosing during your second semester. ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ENTR) ENTR 301 Intro to Entrepreneurship3.0 UNITS How can you turn your hard-earned art and design school education into a career? How can what you’ve learned and what you create be monetized to create a meaningful and sustainable life’s work? This course introduces you to Entrepreneurship and the basics of creating and operating a business. You will learn concepts of visioning, planning and budgeting, fundraising, marketing, promotion and leadership, both in theory and in practice. You will be exposed to the legal and business underpinnings of operating any sort of enterprise, learn how to protect their art and their integrity, and discuss concepts of ethics within the context of the marketplace. In addition, the course will cover the tricks and techniques of pitching a project, as well as the necessary ingredients of a successful business plan. Guest speakers who have launched their own businesses (representing a wide range of art and design disciplines) will present best practices. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Open to all others as a studio elective. ENTR 400 Launchpad2.0 UNITS The time has come to employ what you've learned about Entrepreneurship and about yourselves as part of the Entrepreneurship Minor, through your major and all your other classes. What do you want to do and make professionally, and how can you monetize it to create a satisfying, challenging and sustainable career? Functioning as an Incubator this class provides you with the opportunity to define and develop the creative business you want to launch after graduation. In tandem with the Business Writing course, you'll focus on Strategic Planning, Business Plan writing, Marketing and Project Management, Business Loan and Venture Capital processes. You'll also receive expert advice from successful, creative entrepreneurs across a range of disciplines through one-on-one mentor meetings. You will be required to create real world, as well as more "academic," deliverables, and accurately chart out the beginnings of an actual business that will launch your career as a creative entrepreneur. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Pre-requisite: ENTR310 Entrepreneurial Internship. Co-requisite: LIBS318 Business Communication. ENTR 401 Launchpad3.0 UNITS The time has come to employ what you've learned about Entrepreneurship and about yourselves as part of the Entrepreneurship Minor, through your major and all your other classes. What do you want to do and make professionally, and how can you monetize it to create a satisfying, challenging and sustainable career? Functioning as an Incubator this class provides you with the opportunity to define and develop the creative business you want to launch after graduation. In tandem with the Business Writing course, you'll focus on Strategic Planning, Business Plan writing, Marketing and Project Management, Business Loan and Venture Capital processes. You'll also receive expert advice from successful, creative entrepreneurs across a range of disciplines through one-on-one mentor meetings. You will be required to create real world, as well as more "academic," deliverables, and accurately chart out the beginnings of an actual business that will launch your career as a creative entrepreneur. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Pre-requisite: Prerequisites: ENTR 301 - Intro to Entrepreneurship and MATH 137 - Mathematics of a Startup. Co-requisite: LIBS318 - Business Communication. FASHION DESIGN (FSHD) FSHD 101 Digital Print Design for Fashion3.0 UNITS Fashion Design Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. FSHD 214 Sophomore Studio I3.0 UNITS Your journey into the fashion studio starts here! This on campus course introduces you to processes used in garment construction including draping, patternmaking and sewing. Beginning with these basic principles you will learn industry techniques to construct muslin garments, sewing samples, and paper patterns using industrial equipment. By the end of this course, you will have created a sample garment, paper patterns, a draped basic dress, and a sewing notebook to use for future courses. FSHD 215 Sophomore Studio II3.0 UNITS Diving deeper into techniques used for garment construction, this in-class course builds on the foundational knowledge of draping, pattern making and sewing acquired in Sophomore Studio I. You will construct and pattern increasingly complex garments using industry procedures and equipment. You will be challenged to interpret 3-dimensional design ideas through the creation of garments using fabrics that accurately reflect your sketches. During this course, you will create one garment of your own design, a full-size sample knit t-shirt, paper patterns, and complete a sewing notebook to use as reference for your career as a designer. Prerequisite: FSHD214 Sophomore Studio I FSHD 234 Digital Design I3.0 UNITS Introduction to Adobe Illustrator to draw flats/CADs is a requirement for anyone working in the fashion industry. In this online course, beginners will learn the tools and techniques needed to draw industry standard flats quickly and efficiently including digital terminology, professional workflow, and presentations. Throughout this course you will learn to create a custom brush library including specialty stitches, zippers, and trims. You will create a symbol library containing buttons, buttonholes, eyelets, rivets, bar tacks, and zipper pulls. These libraries along with custom templates, and graphic styles will be used to draw a range of different garment types including shirts, blazers, jackets, skirts, pants, jeans, denim jackets, turtleneck sweaters, and cardigans that you can build on in your professional career. FSHD 235 Digital Design II3.0 UNITS Take your fashion illustrations to the next level using Adobe Photoshop and a drawing tablet. In this online course you will learn how to render, make quick and easy color changes, and digitally drape fabric prints onto your fashion illustrations. Using tools like brushes and filters you will develop fashion graphics and basic textile print designs to use in your work while learning digital terminology and professional practices. Mastering these tools will help you generate engaging mood-boards and professional fashion design presentations. Prerequisite: FSHD226 Digital Design I or equivalent FSHD 244 Sophomore Fashion Design I3.0 UNITS Fashion Illustration is the language designers use to quickly express their ideas in a 2-dimensional format. This course introduces you to drawing techniques fashion designers use to show their thought process. You will draw clothes on the figure, as well as rendering techniques to communicate a variety of textiles. You will develop an understanding of garment construction through flat technical drawings. Throughout the course you will have completed multiple projects that highlight specific markets. Your semester will culminate in a resort-wear collection that will demonstrate your knowledge of design development, croquis sketches, composition/layout, and technical flats. FSHD 245 Sophomore Fashion Design II3.0 UNITS Fashion Design is communicated in a 2-dimensional format, a critical skill for professional fashion designers. This course introduces you to the design process, and what it means to follow a design direction. You will implement your drawing skills obtained in previous coursework to create fashion croquis (quick sketches) that express your design concepts. You will continue to explore croquis sketching and flats, while integrating your experience from Sophomore Studio I by creating sewing samples to support your 2-dimensional designs. During this course, you will complete two projects that will expand your understanding of fabric/color stories, research, and adequate execution of your designs in a 2-dimensional format. Your semester will culminate with an athletic inspired collection that will prepare you for your first Mentor Project at Junior level. Prerequisites: FSHD244 Sophomore Fashion Design I, FSHD214 Sophomore Studio I. FSHD 314 Junior Fashion Design I3.0 UNITS Clothing centered around streetwear, dress and performance markets is accessible to every consumer of that division at the moderate price-level. This course introduces you to your first Mentor project with focus on the Junior market. Using fashion forecast resources, this course enables you to create fabric stories, garment construction and fashion croquis. You will have the opportunity to work with industry designers, with possibility for a sustainability project. By the end of the course, you will produce a collection, including fabric stories with surface treatments and industry level flat sketches to present to your Mentor during sketch selection. You will produce your top design selected by the Mentor in Junior Studio II class. Prerequisite: FSHD245 Sophomore Fashion Design II, Co-requisite: FSHD314 Junior Studio I FSHD 315 Junior Studio II6.0 UNITS Transform your own designs from 2-dimensional drawings to real-life garments. This on-campus course allows you to apply the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired while continuing to explore more advanced draping and pattern-making techniques. You will approach the mentor project by following the same methods used in the fashion industry, developing a work calendar, and incorporating your treatment samples made in Junior Studio I into your selected design. You will also create a more advanced Tech Pack based on the mentor project which mirrors the requirements of the fashion industry. There are also opportunities for advanced draping exercises. The final project focuses on constructing a pair of pants inspired by one of your own. Prerequisites: FSHD314 Junior Studio I, FSHD344 Junior Fashion Design I FSHD 344 Junior Studio I6.0 UNITS Knowledge of construction is crucial for becoming a successful fashion designer. This on-campus course focuses on everything related to the moderately priced market. You will construct different types of garments through in-person demonstrations, instructional videos, and step-by-step pictorial manuals. Along the process, you will also learn how to create treatment samples for your Mentor Projects. Woven pants, a Bomber jacket, and a swimsuit are a few projects you will develop. You will also complete a bustier in cotton twill by draping, pattern making, fitting, and sewing, using intermediate-level industry methods. This project parallels the production process used in the fashion industry. You will also learn how to generate spec sheets and cost sheets, and how to incorporate them into a basic design technical packet (Tech Pack) digitally. Prerequisite: FSHD215 Sophomore Studio II, Co-requisite: FSHD344 Junior Fashion Design I FSHD 345 Junior Fashion Design II3.0 UNITS Self-expression and a focus on your individual design aesthetic is a key element to becoming a good fashion designer. Through this course, you will develop your own design concepts for a series of design competitions focused on the contemporary market. This opportunity allows you to compete in the world with other designers and enables you to gain both exposure and scholarship funds. There will be opportunities for a sustainable project if you so desire. By the end of this course, you will have designed two collections for a contemporary market, a sketch book, fabric stories with treatments and designer level flat sketches aimed at preparing you for an internship in the fashion industry. Prerequisite: FSHD344 Junior Fashion Design I FSHD 390 Special Topic Elective: CLO3.0 UNITS These studio-based courses will explore cross-disciplinary special topics or broader topics in fashion. Course titles and descriptions will vary based upon topic to be determined on the basis of faculty and student interest. The department will provide a listing of course offerings each semester. Prerequisite: Students must have completed their sophomore year courses. FSHD 401 Senior Studio II6.0 UNITS Turning your 2-Dimensional design into a high-end luxury garment entails sophisticated and precise construction methods. This in-class course further engages you in the 3-D interpretation and completion of your original designs developed for Mentor Projects. You will perform advanced applications of draping, pattern drafting, classic tailoring, and couture sewing techniques for a luxury label that could include an eveningwear project. You will develop and abide by strict timelines, be proactive and offer suggestions during professional fittings. By the end of the course, you will complete an original designer-level creation, encouraged to work independently and innovatively within the context of a professional working environment. FSHD 414 Senior Fashion Design3.0 UNITS Senior students design apparel for Mentor Projects representing the designer and contemporary markets. Working with designers following the fashion industry’s seasonal schedule, students design contemporary clothes in better fabrics and finishing techniques. Students learn how to sketch their ideas to capture a look appropriate to the project, develop technical flats using analog and digital methods and create fabric boards with advanced fabric treatments. This course will culminate in a contemporary men’s or women’s collection. Prerequisite: FSHD345 Junior Fashion Design II; Co-requisite: FSHD414 Senior Studio I FSHD 415 Senior Studio II6.0 UNITS Turning your 2-Dimensional design into a 3D garment entails precise construction methods. This on-campus course further engages you in the 3-D interpretation and completion of your original designs developed for Mentor Projects. You will perform intermediate applications of draping, pattern drafting, classic tailoring, and sewing techniques for a contemporary label that could include an eveningwear project. You will develop and abide by strict timelines during professional fittings. By the end of the course, you will complete an original designer-level creation, work independently within the context of a professional working environment. Prerequisites: FSHD414 Senior Studio I, FSHD444 Senior Fashion Design. FSHD 426 Digital Portfolio1.0 UNIT Digital Portfolio will help you pull your portfolio together in a clean, professional, dynamic, and efficient manner. In this class you will follow the lead from the course "Portfolio Development." Design goals and direction will be laid out by "Portfolio Development." However, in "Digital Portfolio" we take that direction, and we digitize it. All your work will be moved into the computer where we will create beautifully laid-out and designed presentations. Your instructor will work one on one with you to help you make a Book that reflects your taste and understanding of your desire to be a Fashion Designer. In addition to making a Portfolio, we will also take your work and make a Portfolio Website that will allow professionals in the industry to view your work anywhere in the world. When this course is complete, not only will you have an amazing Portfolio, but you will also have expanded your knowledge of working within a digital environment. FSHD 444 Senior Studio I6.0 UNITS The global contemporary Fashion Market is growing at an unprecedented rate. This on-campus course introduces you to construction techniques used by the industry. You will learn about tailoring techniques needed to construct a classic tailored jacket. In preparation for your Senior Mentor Project, your instructors will guide you to drape, draft a pattern and sew a finished garment. Through these projects you will come to understand the handling and construction of diverse fabrics and experiment with hand-sewing techniques. By the end of the course, you will create a classic tailored jacket and a Mentor-guided look of your own design. Prerequisite: FSHD315 Junior Studio II; Co-requisite: FSHD444 Senior Fashion Design FSHD 445 Senior Portfolio3.0 UNITS The Fashion Portfolio is the apparatus used to showcase the skills you’ve acquired as a designer to prospective employers. Students develop professional Portfolios, targeting a specific market in the fashion industry, and produce four collections to that end, each including a concept board, color story, fabric and treatment developments, fashion drawings and technical flats. A Tech Pack developed in Junior Studio is included. This course concludes with a Senior Exhibit Portfolio Review where industry representatives and recruiters provide insightful critique of portfolios and potential job offers. Prerequisite: FSHD444 Senior Fashion Design FSHD 476 Portfolio Development3.0 UNITS The Fashion Portfolio is the apparatus used to showcase the skills you've acquired as a designer to prospective employers. Students develop professional Portfolios, targeting a specific market in the fashion industry, and produce four collections to that end, each including a concept board, color story, fabric and treatment developments, illustrations, and technical flats. A Tech Pack developed in Digital Design IV is included. This blended course concludes with a Senior Exhibit Portfolio Review where industry representatives and recruiters provide insightful critique of the portfolios and potential job offers. Optional Costume Portfolio. FINE ARTS (FINA) FINA 101 Intro to Fine Arts: Painting and Sculpture3.0 UNITS Fine Arts Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. FINA 217 Digital Media3.0 UNITS Digital Media is an introductory course in new media – exposing students to a wide range of digital art-making practices while providing the technical fundamentals that enable students to begin integrating digital methods in their respective practices. The course consists of lectures, demonstrations, and computer lab experience. Particular attention is placed on balancing technical skills with creative content and experimental approaches. We will explore the evolution of new media and the corresponding social and cultural impact. The core software is Adobe Premiere, InDesign and Photoshop. FINA 299 Studio Elective3.0 UNITS Studio Elective. See each major and minor for a list of electives. FINA 374 Studio III: Painting, Photography, Sculpture/New Genres3.0 UNITS This advanced studio course allows students to learn advanced methods, materials, and techniques in painting, photography, and sculpture/new genres and accomplish advanced projects with the guidance of faculty. The course is also a welcoming place for students and faculty to exchange artistic and cultural attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions to develop together a more open-minded and generative approach to our artmaking and the evaluation of the works of other artists. Attending the Visiting Artist Lecture Series is required. Offered fall semester only. FINA 375 Studio IV: Painting, Photography, Sculpture/New Genres3.0 UNITS This production-oriented advanced studio course emphasizes concepts, processes, and visual strategies toward developing an individual studio practice across the three main disciplines. Critiques, seminars, and individual meetings provide insight into contemporary discourses and practices while helping students find the working methods that best suit them. Attending the Visiting Artist Lecture Series is required. Offered spring semester only FINA 406 Advanced Topics:3.0 UNITS This course allows the student access to a cohesive body of information connected with simultaneous components of subject and object making. A three- or six-hour seminar and/or studio explores the historical and contemporary models and contexts of artistic practice. See the schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. Only certain courses will count for the Sustainability Minor. Please see the Interdisciplinary Studies Director. FINA 415 Advanced Seminar: All About Love3.0 UNITS The course allows students access to a cohesive body of information connected with simultaneous components of subject and object making. A three- or six-hour seminar and studio explores the historical and contemporary models and contexts of artistic practice. See Fine Arts Department for additional course descriptions. FINA 420 Fine Arts Internship3.0 UNITS This blended course allows students to do an internship under the guidance of faculty and gain experience in the creative and business practices in contemporary art. We will meet on campus in the first five weeks of the course. Students will learn to seek internships, create a compelling application, interview, and work effectively in organizations. The course will be asynchronous for the next nine weeks as students intern at small businesses, start-ups, non-profit art organizations, and artist studios. In the final week, students and faculty will meet to discuss what students have learned from their internship experience and how to average that experience in their developing careers. FINA 474 Senior Studio I6.0 UNITS Each student is given their own studio and works with a group of faculty mentors to develop a body of work. Critiques, individual meetings with mentors, visiting artists and critics, and group exhibitions expand students’ knowledge base while focusing their practice. Attending the Visiting Artist Lecture Series is required. Prerequisite: FINA375 Studio IV. Offered fall semester only. FINA 475 Senior Studio II6.0 UNITS This course is devoted to completing a cohesive body of work culminating in the building and mounting of the senior exhibition. Students continue independent studio practices, discussions, and critiques with mentors, peers, visiting artists, and critics. This course addresses issues that prepare students for a life in art. Attending the Visiting Artist Lecture Series is required. Prerequisite: Senior Studio I. Offered spring semester only. FINA 499 Out on the Town3.0 UNITS Studio elective class. FINE ARTS MEDIA (MEDA) MEDA 211 Intro to Time-Based Work3.0 UNITS This is an advanced course in the technical and aesthetic aspects of video, sound and performance. It will emphasize the creative issues involved in a time- based, expressive medium through the discussion of examples. Students will become familiar with current discourses in time based art and receive instruction in digital post-production procedures and advanced technology. MEDA 320 Time Based Media Projects: Creating immersive environments through movement and activation3.0 UNITS This is an advanced course in the technical and aesthetic aspects of video, sound and performance. It will emphasize the creative issues involved in a time- based, expressive medium through the discussion of examples. Students will become familiar with current discourses in time based art and receive instruction in digital post-production procedures and advanced technology. FOUNDATION STUDIO (FNDT) FNDT 105C Design and Color3.0 UNITS This course explores intersections of photography, imaging, language, graphic design, print, and digital media in the service of sharpening the designer’s liberatory voice. Students explore visual language and compositional strategies across image-text fields, leading to innovative design solutions with a focus on social justice and the revolutionary potential of design and publishing. FNDT 103B Exp Studio:Drawing3.0 UNITS Structural drawing, perceptual and conceptual approaches, and figurative drawing skills are expanded through the study of the figure’s relation to design, composition, environments, draping, and movement. Students discover personal approaches to drawing and mark-making by experimenting with a variety of traditional and contemporary methods, media, and techniques.  FNDT 103D Exp Studio:Drawing3.0 UNITS Students will build on acquired drawing skills and learn to communicate concepts from ideation to object, using drawing as a language. Projects can include working from specific concepts to working from imagination or memory. Courses will be speculative, critical, and design-focused. These projects can range from rendering a single object or figure to building an entire environment and narrating a story.  FNDT 104C Expanded Studio Dimensional St3.0 UNITS This material studies course will explore the principles and elements of 3D design while offering an introduction to basic 3D modeling software skills. Students will engage in exercises to learn about the political, ecological, and historical implications of materials while working from concept through iteration to a final product using the model shop and expanding on their existing hand-building skills. FNDT 104A Expanded Studio Dimensional Studies: Body by Design3.0 UNITS This course explores art and design for and about the human and more-than-human body. By focusing on the scale and interaction, the coursework will investigate making objects in relation to the body. It will incorporate elements such as silhouette, scale, textiles, fibers, sculpture, wearables, time, while considering topics such as disability access, social and political dimensions of body and identity, post-humanism, cyborg, and anime. Research themes could deal with fashion, ergonomics, participatory/performance art (open media, clay, or fiber). FNDT 103A Expanded Studio Drawing: Drawing From Observation - Dynamics of Color and Space: Still Life3.0 UNITS In this course, students will explore color, composition, and various drawing materials through working from direct observation. Our unique and exciting compositional setups within the classroom will provide the students with the arena to investigate color relationships, compositional strategies, and the complexities of ideas. Students will acquire research skills and examine modern and contemporary approaches to cityscape and landscape by experimenting with a wide range of drawing media. Students will begin to shape their personal artistic vision.  FNDT 105A Expanded Studio Transmedia: Design Cultures3.0 UNITS This course asks students to explore and apply design principles for visual communication across a variety of cultural contexts and contemporary media. A hands-on digital skills lab enhances this course, as students learn to navigate the networked relation between media, platforms, technology, and information. Projects, discussions, and regular critiques develop skills for engaging with pressing cultural and social issues in art-design practice. FNDT 100 Form and Figure3.0 UNITS This course provides a comprehensive study of drawing from observation. Students begin by learning to draw a simple geometrical form, progressing to rendering objects within a compositional setting and drawing the entire human figure based on an investigation of its anatomical structures. Students will develop an awareness of the playful, rhythmic relationships between various components of a compositional setting and the human form, constructing drawings which reflect their unique vision. Drawing techniques such as perspective and isometric projection facilitate successful form generation. Skills of relational measurement, compositional organization, and the accurate placement of form in space will inform all drawing activities, such as drawing objects, figures, and environments, which will enhance students’ perceptual abilities. FNDT 101 Color and Design3.0 UNITS Students will create innovative and impactful designs by learning and applying essential elements, including line, shape, color, texture, space, balance, contrast, and rhythm. Utilizing digital and analog tools, students will engage in diverse design challenges, enhancing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as developing their visual literacy and communication abilities. Through this course, students will learn fundamental concepts relevant to today’s creative industries, laying a solid foundation for further exploration.  FNDT 115 Principles of Design2.0 UNITS This course is a sequenced investigation of various organizing principles using traditional and contemporary media. Students learn fundamentals of value manipulation as determinants of visual order. Elements of visual literacy provide a basis for the study of compositional fundamentals, including focal point(s), directional elements, and visual weight. FNDT 145 Foundation Elective2.0 UNITS See schedule of courses for specific course offerings. Introductory courses focusing topics within a specific studio department. FNDT 150 Major Studio Elective3.0 UNITS The Foundation Major elective is the introductory course in each major. Courses are numbered as ANIM101, GAME101, etc. The Foundation major elective will introduce students to a range of foundational principles in the major’s field. Students will develop a way of thinking and approaching work in the field and will have the opportunity to develop a self-reflective, creative practice. Social, cultural and/or environmental issues facing the field will also be addressed. FNDT 160 Drawing and Building Form3.0 UNITS Students study form in both two-dimensional rendering and three-dimensional building through drawing and building objects. Skills of relational measurement, compositional organization, and the placement of form in space inform both drawing and form-building activities. Drawing techniques such as perspective and isometric projection facilitate successful form generation. FNDT 161 Form and Space2.0 UNITS Students employ acquired skills transferred from Drawing and Building Form to explore and exploit materials as well as to discover unique processes in creating novel form. The study of three- dimensional design expands to encompass meaning construction, composition and research as students engage the more complex issues of form and space. Recommended for students planning to select Environmental Design, Fashion Design, Product Design or Toy Design as their major. FNDT 162 Drwg Studio-Expanded Practices2.0 UNITS Students transfer and expand on observational drawing skills acquired from Drawing and Building Form with the application of color and addition of problem finding and complexity of idea. Acquisition of research skills, and the introduction of more varied drawing media, methods and materials fosters students’ realization of aspects of personal vision. FNDT 172 Creative Practices I3.0 UNITS A first semester Foundation course focused on studying, researching and exploring practices of creativity that bridge art/design disciplines. Through a variety of methodologies, lecture, research and discussion, Creative Practices I provides students opportunities to develop perceptual abilities in ways that incite curiosity and engagement with inquiry. Learning to ‘see’, students question their assumptions of what and how they observe complete visual relationships, locate bias, and develop awareness of context and intentionality of their own work and that of peers and exemplars. Projects are self-initiated and non- discipline specific. Recommended for students planning to major in Product Design, Fine Arts, and Graphic Design. FNDT 173 Creative Practices II3.0 UNITS A second-semester Foundation course focused on exploring practices of creativity that bridge art/design disciplines. Students are exposed to a diverse range of concepts, materials, and methods for working creatively. In-class activities promote the documentation of individual creative processes and the synthesis of intuitive, culturally constructed, and personal impulses into inventive visual responses. Recommended for students planning to major in Product Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design FNDT 180 Life Drawing I3.0 UNITS Sequenced instruction provides rigorous training in the use of gesture, anatomy, and structural figure drafting. Drawing the human figure from the inside out fosters an understanding of complex visual relationships. Upon completion of the course, students are able to analyze the human form and to view it as a complex perceptual model for the larger realm of visual experience. Recommended for students interested in majoring in Digital Media, Toy Design and Fashion Design, open to students interested in any major.   FNDT 182 Life Drawing II3.0 UNITS Structural drawing and perceptual skills are expanded through study of the figure’s relation to environment, life-scale, movement, and draping. Students discover individual sensibilities of mark making and aspects of personal vision, through a variety of traditional and experimental drawing media and techniques. Recommended for students planning to select Digital Media, Fashion Design or Toy Design as their major. FRENCH - LMU (FREN) FREN 2101 French 14.0 UNITS GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT (GAME) GAME 101 Drawing to Digital for Games3.0 UNITS Game and Entertainment Design Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. GAME 200 Game Design I3.0 UNITS A foundational understanding of the basics of game designing for various platforms like PCs, laptops, mobiles, TVs, and tablets. The course teaches students the technical skills required for creating games, including industry pipelines to make real-time development projects, team positions, and tools. GAME 210 Game Engine Fundamentals3.0 UNITS The Game Engine Fundamentals course is a 15-week program that is divided into five main areas of study. The first part of the course introduces students to game engines, their history, types, and architecture, which includes scene management and rendering pipelines. The second part delves into asset management, importing assets, resource management, and guides students in creating a simple game. The third part covers physics, collision detection and response, as well as input methods such as keyboard, mouse, and touch input. The fourth part focuses on cross-platform development, API abstraction, platform-specific optimizations, and advanced rendering techniques, such as lighting, shading, and post-processing effects. The fifth and final part explores advanced physics, audio implementation, and optimization techniques such as profiling, debugging, and performance tuning, culminating in a final project where students apply their knowledge in creating their own game using the game engine. GAME 215 Color and Lighting for Games3.0 UNITS This course on Color and Lighting for Games covers the fundamentals of color theory and lighting techniques as they relate to game development. The course is broken down into five topics: Fundamentals of Color Theory, Lighting Techniques, Color and Mood, Dynamic Lighting Effects, and Case Studies and Best Practices. Throughout the course, students will learn how to use color and lighting effectively in game design, through assignments and projects that reinforce their learning and allow them to apply the techniques and concepts discussed in class. By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of color and lighting for games, and a portfolio of work showcasing their skills in this area. GAME 220 Design & Drawing for Game I3.0 UNITS This 15-week Design and Drawing for Games course covers the fundamentals of game art and design, Props and Assets, character and environment design, storytelling, worldbuilding, animation, and portfolio development. Students will learn to create 2D and 3D game assets, design game characters and environments, translate game scripts, and develop a personal brand for their game design portfolio. The course includes a mid-term project, where students will create a concept art package for a game character or environment, and a final project where students will design a game level or world that includes a narrative, environment design, character design, and animation, and present it in the form of a pitch package with a playable demo or video walkthrough. By the end of the course, students will have the skills and knowledge to prepare for a career in game art and design. GAME 250 Game Studio Project I3.0 UNITS Students will work solo to create a real-time development project, synergizing skills learned in all previous courses. Students will be exposed to the self-management and importance of project management in a controlled environment GAME 260 3D for Game and Entertainment I3.0 UNITS In 3D for Games and Entertainment, students will learn the basics of game art design. Using software such as Maya, Blender, Substance Painter, and Photoshop. The course includes topics such as creating and manipulating 3D models, applying textures and materials, designing game environments, and basic principles of lighting and shading. The course also covers intermediate 3D game art modeling, Unreal Engine, advanced texturing and surfacing, set dressing and lighting, and a final project that involves developing a small area of a game or game experience using Unreal Engine. Students will gain a solid foundation in game art design and CG content creation and will have the opportunity to apply their skills in creating a game art environment or game experience. GAME 300 Game Design II3.0 UNITS In this course, students continue their journey into real-time development. Students are introduced to other applications for the Unreal Game engine outside of games. Students will be introduced to basic blueprints, character and animation implementation, and tools and plugins to help create experiences that will bring their projects to life. Students will complete a complex and unique final project that will be built upon the skills learned in class each week for their portfolio. GAME 310 Animal & Creature Drawing3.0 UNITS Elective courses in Game and Entertainment Design. See schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. GAME 315 Advanced Game Creative with USC I3.0 UNITS GAME 316 Advanced Game Creative with USC II3.0 UNITS GAME 317 Advanced Game Creative with USC III3.0 UNITS This course provides an immersive, professional-style game development experience for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Students from Design, Computer Science-Games, and other disciplines will collaborate on large-scale team projects, mirroring the real-world development pipeline of the gaming industry. Through teamwork, technical execution, and creative vision, students will design and develop a polished, playable game demo over the course of the academic year. GAME 320 Cultural and Social Design for Games3.0 UNITS This course will focus on the cultural and social aspects of game through the history of games. Students will explore the impact of games on social demographics and cultural events. Students will take this information and learn to create their own characters and worlds based on their research and analysis. This class is a co-requisite of the SSCI LAS requirement: Cultural and Social Design for Games GAME 332 VFX for Games3.0 UNITS This 15-week VFX course for games using Unreal Engine and Houdini is divided into five topics. In the first three weeks, students will learn the fundamentals of VFX creation in Unreal Engine, including an introduction to Niagara, Unreal's VFX system, and basic workflows in Houdini. In weeks four to six, they will explore advanced techniques for controlling particle behavior and creating complex VFX using both Unreal Engine and Houdini. Weeks seven to nine focus on lighting and post-processing effects, while weeks ten to twelve cover creating VFX for different types of games. The final three weeks are dedicated to a hands-on project, where students will apply the concepts and techniques covered in the course to create a custom VFX sequence using Unreal Engine, Houdini, and Niagara. The course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of VFX workflows and techniques for games, as well as practical experience creating VFX sequences for different genres of games. May be taken in either the fall or spring semesters. Must be completed in the junior year. GAME 350 Game Studio Project II3.0 UNITS For Game Studio Project II, students will work in teams to develop a game experience using the principles and techniques learned in all prior courses. The project will be developed in Unreal Engine and will be a more complex and ambitious experience than the solo project in Game Studio Course I. Students will be required to work collaboratively and use best practices in project management, version control, and QA. The group project will be presented during the last week of the course, where each team will showcase their game to the class. Additionally, throughout the course, students will be encouraged to build a portfolio of their work and incorporate it into their résumé. By the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of advanced game design principles, programming and game mechanics, game art and sound design, project management and collaboration, and portfolio creation for game development. GAME 360 3D for Game and Entertainment II3.0 UNITS The 3D for Game and Entertainment II course is a 15-week program that focuses on character modeling, hero piece asset creation, advanced material/PBR creation, texturing and UV mapping, character prop creation, lighting, rendering, and portfolio presentation. Students will learn the fundamentals of character modeling, including anatomy, topology, and sculpting techniques, and create a simple character model based on provided concept art. They will also create hero piece assets, learn advanced material and physically based rendering techniques, texture the models using industry-standard software, and create character props such as weapons, tools, or accessories. The course will culminate in a portfolio review and presentation. GAME 440 Practicum in Game and Entertainment Design II3.0 UNITS Further advanced tools and techniques, with an emphasis on creating work that supports the storytelling and interactive aspects of games and entertainment. Concept artists, modelers, lighters, and so on, will have their own areas of study. Prerequisite: GAME430 Practivum in Games and Entertainment I GAME 445 Technical Game Arts3.0 UNITS The Technical Game Art class is a 15-week course divided into five topics that introduce Real-time Development experiences, including In Camera VFX (ICVFX), AR/VR, Virtual Production, and project integration tools. The course begins with an overview of the industry, followed by deep dives into ICVFX, AR/VR, and Virtual Production, covering their principles, technical aspects, and software tools. The final topic brings everything together by applying the learned knowledge to a project, exploring project management techniques and collaboration tools to ensure a successful outcome. By the end of the course, students will have gained a strong foundation in Real-time Development experiences and experience using industry-standard tools, which will benefit their future careers in the gaming or film industry. GAME 450 Game Senior Project I3.0 UNITS Game Senior Project I is a 15-week course that focuses on creating a real-time development project that meets the criteria for a Senior show and creating work for a high-level portfolio. The course is divided into five sections, with the first section focusing on project planning and proposal, the second section focusing on project design and development, the third section focusing on project testing and refinement, the fourth section focusing on portfolio creation, and the fifth section focusing on networking and final presentations. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to establish mentors and maintain a professional network to accomplish their goals. By the end of the course, students will have developed a real-time project, refined it based on user feedback, and created work for a high-level portfolio while establishing a professional network. GAME 451 Game Senior Project II3.0 UNITS Game Senior Project II is a 15-week course that builds upon the skills learned in Game Senior Project I. The course is divided into five sections, with the first section focusing on advanced project development, the second section focusing on project testing and iteration, the third section focusing on multiplayer and online game development, the fourth section focusing on game business and marketing, and the fifth section focusing on final project presentation and industry networking. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to establish mentors and maintain a professional network to accomplish their goals. By the end of the course, students will have developed a more advanced real-time project, refined it based on user feedback, learned about advanced game development techniques such as multiplayer and online gameplay, and established relationships with industry professionals. GAME 460 3D for Game and Entertainment III3.0 UNITS 3D for Game Entertainment III is a 15-week course focused on teaching students about pipelines for level assembly, optimization, and workflows to take their game projects to a final status. The course will be divided into 5 topics: Introduction to Game Entertainment III, Level Assembly, Optimization, Workflows, and Finalizing and Presenting. Throughout the course, students will learn about game development processes, level design, optimization techniques, workflow management, and adding finishing touches to their games. The course aims to equip students with the necessary skills to present their projects in a professional manner and succeed in the gaming industry. GAME 470 Game Internship3.0 UNITS The 15-week Game Internship course is divided into two parts. The first part, spanning weeks 1-7, focuses on establishing networks within the internship. Students will learn about professionalism, networking, communication skills, goal setting, time management, and professional development. In the second part, spanning weeks 8-15, students will focus on creating a portfolio that includes work and experience from the internship. They will learn about portfolio basics, content, presentation, and review. The course will culminate in a final sharing session where students will present their portfolios and share their experiences and lessons learned during the internship, receiving feedback and support from their peers and faculty. NOTE: Game & Entertainment Design Internship may be taken once in place of Game & Entertainment Design Senior Project I or II GAME 490 Advanced Game Elective3.0 UNITS As the industries are ever evolving, these electives help students refine and extend their skill set, while addressing current advancements in tools and techniques. Course topics vary each semester. GRADUATE STUDIES (GRAD) GRAD 550 Advanced Techniques: Materials and Fabrication3.0 UNITS Graduate level elective class. See the schedule of classes for course offering and course descriptions. GRAD 630 Collaborative Projects3.0 UNITS Collaborative Projects is a seminar/studio class. Students form collaborative relationships to produce and exhibit collaborative projects - installations, performances, sound works, events, happenings, etc. that culminate in the Mid-Residency Exhibition. Collaborative projects will activate traditional and non-traditional exhibition spaces throughout the Otis campus in the spirit of an international art biannual. Students will publicly present, document, and archive their work. Students acquire experiential and theoretical knowledge pertaining to collaborative art production, curation, pedagogy, diplomacy, consensus-building marketing, and community leadership. GRAD 650 Performance, cakewalk3.0 UNITS Graduate level elective class. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. GRAD 654 Installation Art Practices3.0 UNITS GRAD 700 Graduate Studio3.0 UNITS Graduate Studio is a 6-hour course structured around dedicated studio time and one-on-one studio visits between students and faculty members. This two-year course sequence focuses on each individual student’s practice, specifically directed toward an interrogation of the aesthetic, conceptual, and technical issues arising out of their work. Graduate Studio strengthens each student’s individual practice while building a vibrant community of artists. Its one-to-one studio visits are the defining strength of the Otis Fine Arts MFA program, offering an unparalleled educational experience. These visits give students regular opportunities to meet with faculty, fostering deep dialogue that develops accountability, self-directed learning, and distinctive artistic practices. Studio visits provide mentoring beyond structured classroom teaching, supporting interdisciplinary inquiry, skills development, and artistic growth. They connect “being, doing, and knowing,” helping students articulate their work to a broader public and achieve powerful outcomes. The course concludes with the End-of-Semester Review, during which the student meets with a faculty review committee to discuss and assess the development of their artistic practice over the semester. These reviews are informed by materials that speak to the student’s progress in the program: a self-assessment for first- and second semester students, a thesis exhibition proposal for those in their third semester, and a faculty evaluation rubric used across all reviews. Prerequisite: The four course sequence must be taken successively and may not be taken concurrently. GRAD 740 Graduate Critique3.0 UNITS In this two-year course sequence, all graduate students, regardless of media, individually present work to their peers and faculty for an in-depth discussion about the work's material, theoretical, and cultural positioning. The course provides time and space to collectively examine how an artist's work is perceived as a public statement and how one's work exists in the world. Prerequisite: The four course sequence must be taken successively and may not be taken concurrently. GRAD 776 Professional Practice3.0 UNITS We will be analyzing the definition of PROFESSIONAL and PRACTICE, singularly and in tandem and how they apply to real life situations. In relationship to determining how “one presents onself” we will access and research grants, residencies, jobs, etc. Applications, contacts, and experience will be both analyzed and explored. In addition basic artist survival skills and sustainability issues will be discussed in depth. As this is a seminar; discussion and presentation in conjunction with outside support, will form the basis of this course. Student interests and concerns will be addressed. Attendance at Visiting Artists Lecture Series (VALS) is required as part of this course. GRAD 777 Exhibition Preparation3.0 UNITS The goal of this course is to seek out both group and individual needs to attain one's goals as they relate to the presentation and production of an individual Thesis Show. In addition, issues that deal with and about art post-graduation will also be addressed. What it means to be an artist will be challenged and articulated for each individual. Attendance at Visiting Artists Lecture Series (VALS) is required as part of this course. GRAD 799 Installation Art Practices0.5 UNITS GRAPHIC DESIGN (GDES) GDES 101 Introduction to Graphic Design3.0 UNITS Graphic Design Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. GDES 200 Graphic Design I3.0 UNITS Graphic Design I is an introduction to the mechanics (technique), histories, culture and methodologies (practice and process) used by graphic designers in visual communication. Through exercises and projects, you will develop a process of articulating ideas, research, concept generation, experimentation, form-making, and craft skills. The coursework will oscillate between technique and culture throughout the semester, working incrementally from basic form-making to complex meaning and composition. GDES 201 Graphic Design II3.0 UNITS Graphic Design II is the continued exploration of the visual communication theories and methodologies commonly used by graphic designers. Through exercises and projects emphasizing type + image integration and visual + cultural literacy, you will continue to develop a work process that involves articulation of intent, visual research, concept generating, form-making, and craft skills. GDES 220 Typography I3.0 UNITS Typography I introduces the mechanics (technique) and concepts (culture) of typographic applications. Throughout the semester’s coursework, the class will oscillate between learning basic typesetting techniques and reading about and discussing the cultural conversations that typography can be part of. The coursework evolves incrementally: beginning with single letterforms and sentences to paragraphs and complex typographic applications. GDES 221 Typography II3.0 UNITS Typography II is a continuation of Typography 1, extending the typographic palette beyond form and composition to focus on the detail in typography—letter-spacing, typesetting, typographic history, type systems, typeface familiarity, complex layout, grid structures, and multi-page applications. You will work on assignments with rigorous parameters, increasing in complexity throughout the semester. You will develop and refine your typographic sensibility and design process. Prerequisite: GDES220 Typography I or approval of Chair GDES 300 Graphic Design III3.0 UNITS Graphic Design III is an increasingly sophisticated examination of design and its applications. Students broaden their understanding of effective design as a visual language in print and screen-based media. Assignments focus on form-making and problem-solving for specific audiences, using research, prototyping, testing, iteration, and developing proposals. The course builds on the skills learned in Graphic Design 1 and 2, preparing students to practice professionally in the 21 century. Prerequisite: GRDS201 Graphic Design II or approval of Chair GDES 301 Graphic Design IV3.0 UNITS Graphic Design IV expands and builds upon the previous course by focusing on experimentation with form and media and building increasingly complex visual systems and narratives. Students cultivate their interests via research and begin developing their working methods, emphasizing presentation skills, iteration, articulation, and refinement. Throughout the course, students develop visual narratives and apply them to print and screen-based media, including 2d, 3d, 4d, using analog and digital methods. Prerequisite: GRDS300 Graphic Design III GDES 314 Experimental Type Design3.0 UNITS This course explores the dynamic potential of typography through experimental typeface design, emerging tools, and experimental practices, critically examining type forms across history and technology. Students will engage with typeface design software as start and continuing with time-based and emerging tools, and unconventional analog methods—to unlock the denotative, connotative, and conceptual possibilities of typography by experimenting with letters, words, and language. By decentralizing human-oriented design aesthetics and experience standards, this course encourages a broader, more diverse approach to typographic design, emphasizing flexible intersections between typography, technology, humanity, nature, heritage, and what is ahead us. Students will push the boundaries of typographic expression across 2D, 3D, and 4D mediums, curate and refine their own content, experiment with the unknown, and embrace ambiguity in their creative process. GDES 320 Typography III3.0 UNITS Typography III focuses on designing and building complex typographic systems/structures for printed publications. The publication design process will help you understand and create relationships between these systems and your concept, content, and narrative. We will place heavy emphasis on understanding an advanced application of grid systems and typographic detailing and refinement (typographic craft). Through rigorous research and design presentations, you will also expand your visual literacy in contemporary and historical publications. GDES 321 Typography IV3.0 UNITS Typography IV is an expansion of typographic fundamentals from Type 1–3 (hierarchy, composition, system, structure, sequence/ pacing) to new contexts and mediums. Although projects are more self-directed and outcomes are more open-ended, assessment of work is still based on functionality, legibility in context, visual interest, and typographic craft regardless of medium, scale, or format. The projects emphasize a dialogue between classroom work and the larger cultural and historical context. There is no programming requirement for this class. GDES 440 Senior Project(Graphic Design)3.0 UNITS In Senior Project/Seminar, students explore conceptual, theoretical, and experimental communications problems in graphic design, offering them the opportunity to integrate their personal vision with professional goals into a semester-long project. The course schedule is self-driven—each student is expected to define the goals, milestones, and schedule of their project. Weekly lectures, demonstrations, and workshops supplement the coursework and expand/expose students to a variety of technical and critical approaches defining a well-rounded contemporary practice. The result is a well-researched, thoroughly executed project representative of the culmination of education up to this point. GDES 453 Systems and Identity3.0 UNITS In this course, students explore the past, present, and future of visual identity, branding, and systems design. The course asks whether a static mark can truly represent an organization in our hyper-connected global world. The work produced in the course focuses on identity as a system (typography, voice, color, application, etc... ) of interrelated parts derived from a research-driven, conceptual premise. In seeking more nuanced approaches, students will create a distinctive visual identity system through a structured, yet experimental process. They will work through iterations and build an expansive visual language that moves beyond traditional branding applications. While developing these applied skills, students will begin to think about these practices critically from socio-political contexts as well as potentially through speculative investigations and world-building. Class Level Eligibility: Must be at Senior Level Standing GDES 458 Advanced Imagemaking3.0 UNITS This class will be an exploration into practicing, contextualizing, and reflecting on image-making processes that you are already familiar with, as well as discovering new ways of making. We will connect reading to making, ideas to making, research to making, and language to making through weekly exercises. The goal is for you to understand and articulate processes that can become tools for making and investigating your subject matter in a critical way. Open to juniors, seniors and graduate students only. GDES 459 Visual Language3.0 UNITS In this course, we will investigate what visual language is through reading, discussion, and your creation of a visual language and a multi-modal campaign (series of separate but related components) built in response to a concept, audience, and context determined by you. The project outcomes can be in any format, medium or scale. The class is structured as a studio workshop. Class time will be used for work, discussion, and visual research with your classmates and teachers. Critique will be both individual and group-based. GDES 472 Designing for Digital Products3.0 UNITS This course investigates fundamental principles of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design through a graphic design lens. Students will learn how to create intuitive, visually appealing digital products that respond to user needs articulated through research. Key topics include user-centered design methodologies, information architecture and wireframing, visual design principles for digital interfaces, prototyping and interaction design, usability testing and iterative design processes, and current trends in digital product design. Through hands-on projects and critiques, students will develop a series of interactive projects while gaining practical skills valued in today's digital design industry. Open to juniors, seniors and graduate students only. GRAPHIC DESIGN (GRDS) GRDS 550 Designing for Digital Products3.0 UNITS Studio Elective Courses. Check the schedule of classes for course offerings. GRDS 601 Seminar Studio I3.0 UNITS Students work in a collaborative learning environment on a theme-based project, focusing on inquiry, research, discourse. This fourterm course encourages a wide range of opinions, with course outcomes exploring media literacy and critical form- making. Faculty will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussion and critique as well as to connect research to conceptual and formal investigation. Together students and faculty work collectively and individually to produce publishable outcomes that will contribute to design scholarship. GRDS 602 Seminar Studio II3.0 UNITS Students work in a collaborative learning environment on a theme-based project, focusing on inquiry, research, discourse. This four-term course encourages a wide range of opinions, with course outcomes exploring media literacy and critical form- making. Faculty will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussion and critique as well as to connect research to conceptual and formal investigation. Together students and faculty work collectively and individually to produce publishable outcomes that will contribute to design scholarship. GRDS 621 Special Topics3.0 UNITS Graduate level elective class. GRDS 623 Graduate Typography3.0 UNITS This course is a graduate level exploration to the fundamentals of typography and typographic systems and letterforms. Students will explore the theoretical and applied use of type as visual form and visible language by learning the nuances of type families, texture, hierarchy, grid, composition, and sequence. GRDS 655 Seminar Round Table3.0 UNITS Students discuss issues pertaining to being an active designer in the world. Led by guests invited from various disciplines, students look at design from philosophic, historical, and theoretical positions. The course provides an opportunity to speak at length about the value of inquiry, research, and engagement in issues and disciplines outside graphic design. On occasion students will have the opportunity to engage with Visiting Artists in special events or meetings. GRDS 665 Entrepreneurship3.0 UNITS This course is designed for graduate students that are interested in starting their own business and or freelance business. Students will be introduced to all facets of running a business, such as writing a business plan, promotion, developing a client base, pricing, legal and financial aspects as well as ethical standards. Students will be exposed to guest lectures from a variety of business areas such as small business owners, a life coach, accountant/bookkeeper and an attorney, on the proper way to set-up and run a business. GRDS 670 Graduate Studio3.0 UNITS Graduate Studio focuses on critical iterative processes. Throughout the course students cultivate working methodologies to discover varied outcomes through working fluidly across media. With guidance and mentorship from the faculty, students begin to develop a body of work reflecting their interests, agendas, and values. GRDS 701 Seminar Studio III3.0 UNITS Students work in a collaborative learning environment on a theme-based project, focusing on inquiry, research, dis- course. This four-term course encourages a wide range of opinions, with course outcomes exploring media literacy and critical form- making. Faculty will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussion and critique as well as to connect research to conceptual and formal investigation. Together students and faculty work collectively and individually to produce publishable outcomes that will contribute to design scholarship. GRDS 702 Seminar Studio IV3.0 UNITS Students work in a collaborative learning environment on a theme-based project, focusing on inquiry, research, discourse. This four-term course encourages a wide range of opinions, with course outcomes exploring media literacy and critical form- making. Faculty will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussion and critique as well as to connect research to conceptual and formal investigation. Together students and faculty work collectively and individually to produce publishable outcomes that will contribute to design scholarship. GRDS 711 Visiting Artists Projects3.0 UNITS Visiting Artist Projects consists of workshops where visiting artists from around the United States and abroad lead groups of students through a short-term, socially relevant themed projects. Outcomes fall somewhere between speculation and real-world design solutions with an aim to inspire all parties to apply design thinking in an innovative way. GRDS 770 Final Studio6.0 UNITS Unlike a traditional thesis project our department recognizes the value of finishing the degree with a series of wide-ranging artifacts. Based on the work and research generated in the previous 3 semesters, students frame a position and a future practice that moves seamlessly through time and space. GRAPHIC DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION (GDIL) GDIL 333 Design and Worldbuilding3.0 UNITS This is a special topics course. Check the schedule of classes for courses offered and course descriptions. GDIL 334 Making with AI Generators3.0 UNITS This class uses established methods for idea and image-generation while employing new tools. Students work with faculty to generate and test guidelines for the use of AI art generators in projects and portfolios. Constrained projects pave the way for open-ended prompts. Guests include artists/designers who use AI in their process, as well as those that have been included in AI training sets without their permission. Students will present their work thus far to establish a baseline for their output. We will hold each other accountable, seek transparency, and test the boundaries of the tools and the value of their use in our creative practices. Open to juniors, seniors and graduate students only. GDIL 354 Professional Practice3.0 UNITS This course will establish a baseline understanding of professionalism in the Graphic Design and Illustration fields. We will define these terms collectively and consider how being a professional reflects our communication (written and spoken), preparation, business acumen, and presentation. Additionally, this course will ask you to reflect and expand your perspectives and working process. What is often overlooked in school is the ability to think/act as both an artist and a business-minded individual——understanding that the two are intertwined. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the junior year GDIL 357 Editorial Illustration3.0 UNITS This intermediate course develops conceptual strategies available to contemporary illustrators, focusing on work appropriate for editorial situations and collaborations with art directors in a professional context. This course enables students to create works establishing a relationship between text, idea, and image. Creative approaches in terms of content, execution, chance-taking, personal voice, and future marketplaces are stressed. Portfolio-level projects are assigned, focusing on idea creation, strengthening concepts, experimentation, and appropriate execution strategies. GDIL 410 Entrepreneurship 1013.0 UNITS An intensive introduction to all facets of running a business - marketing, promotion, developing a client base, pricing, legal, ethical, financial aspects, mindset, networking, interviewing. Students will learn best practices from: creative agencies, creative directors, Otis Alumna, clients, an accountant, an attorney, business coach and recruiters. This course teaches students how to plan, establish, and sustain a meaningful studio, office, and/or agency. It also provides tools and insights for sustaining winning strategies and securing FT work within an organization - integrating with career services, job fairs and recruitment opportunities. Eligibility: senior level standing. Must be at senior level standing. GDIL 442 Exhibition Design/Senior Show3.0 UNITS Exhibition: Senior Show is a course in which students work collaboratively to conceptualize, design, and produce the Senior Exhibitions showcasing the work of Seniors in the Graphic Design and Illustration Departments at Otis College of Art & Design. Forming a real team and working closely with the faculties, from pitching the curation concept, designing identity, to the entire execution - this is a valuable experience for students to rehearse their leadership, curation, environmental & identity design, digital campaign, career networking and communication skills before stepping into the professional career. Aside from the main thread, there will be hands-on demos based on needs, including but not limited to: environmental design presentation, creative coding and web architecture, advanced print production, etc. Open to juniors and seniors. Prerequisite: GDES301 or ILUS301 GDIL 456 Bookmaking Projects3.0 UNITS This course introduces the skills, craft, materials and techniques used in making book structures by hand. Course assignments have the potential to evolve into creative and personal objects that hold visual work and text. Students learn book binding methods involving paper folding, cutting, sewing, gluing, and ways of assembling individual sheets, signatures and text blocks with or without covers. Students produce a sample collection of book structure options and explore structures that can hold content and expression of meaning. GDIL 499 Advanced Image Making3.0 UNITS Studio elective class. ILLUSTRATION (ILUS) ILUS 101 Introduction to Illustration3.0 UNITS Illustration Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. ILUS 200 Illustration I3.0 UNITS Professional Illustrators capture your attention and compel you to look further. Illustration 1 is an introduction to the visual communication methodologies that illustrators use to craft that skill. You will explore exercises and projects in diverse media to begin to develop a work process that involves visual research, observational drawing, concept generation, and journalistic storytelling. Projects are designed to encourage expression of your individual voice. The coursework includes historical and contemporary perspectives that have shaped history and culture,and examines the range of markets available to illustrators. ILUS 201 Illustration II3.0 UNITS Effective illustration can inform, provoke, and delight while shaping ideas and culture. Illustration II is a continued exploration of the visual communication theories and methodologies used by professional illustrators. Through exercises and projects emphasizing concept development, cultural literacy, type and metaphor, this course will further develop personal image-making, visual problem solving, editorial and narrative methods. Projects will focus on strategies and skills through the conditions of real world illustration projects. ILUS 212 Drawing and Painting I3.0 UNITS This first part of consecutive courses for sophomore illustrators introduces students to a variety of materials and techniques in terms of drawing and painting. Drawing and Painting I will focus on value, line, observation, material, composition, color, narrative, and development of your unique style and perspective through the form of visual communication. ILUS 213 Drawing and Painting II3.0 UNITS This second part of Illustration core consecutive courses for sophomore illustrators introduces students to a variety of materials and techniques in terms of drawing and painting with a focus on perspective, hard surfaces, materials, and rendering in color. ILUS 220 Type for Illustrators3.0 UNITS In this class we will apply your skills as illustrators to the practice of fine typography. We will examine the ways in which illustration and typography intersect and the ways in which they differ. You’ll be introduced to typographic theory and challenged to expand your type vocabulary, especially in regards to experimentation and typographic complexity. As illustrators, you are well acquainted with form and meaning; you’ll be surprised at how closely related your experience is to the practice of typography. We will look for the unique connections that illustrators have to typography – a practice all designers need to master as a part of their skill set. The sequence of projects is designed to start focused and then expand in scope, so that you have time to become acquainted with fundamental concepts and build on them over the course of the semester. ILUS 300 Illustration III3.0 UNITS An increasingly sophisticated examination of illustration concepts and their applications; students broaden their understanding of illustration as visual language in projects that involve research and analysis, focusing on image making, aesthetics, message clarity, audience, and intent with refined use of media and technique. Prerequisite: ILUS201 Illustration II or approval of Chair ILUS 301 Illustration IV3.0 UNITS An increasingly sophisticated examination of illustration concepts and their applications; students broaden their understanding of illustration as visual language in projects that involve research and analysis, focusing on image making, aesthetics, message, audience, and intent with refined use of media and technique. Prerequisite: For ILUS301 is ILUS300 ILUS 312 Drawing and Painting III3.0 UNITS Students will be introduced to a variety of real-world illustration assignments and explore a variety of mediums, both traditional and digital, through image making, visual communication, message, creativity and intent. Emphasis will be on improving drawing and observational skills while developing a work process that includes research and analysis, ideation, media exploration, color theory and visual literacy. This course includes demonstrations in digital applications and includes professional illustration practices such as file management and presentation. ILUS 313 Drawing and Painting IV3.0 UNITS This course further develops students' use and understanding of advanced tools and applications defining the most forward-thinking sectors of contemporary Illustration. Students improve technical skills in both traditional and experimental media with regard to line, form, lighting, and space, while focusing on critical and conceptual issues framing the future of Illustration. Students create ambitious projects designed to engage expansive and dispersed audiences. Intensive real-world assignments prepare students for professional experience in diverse established and exploratory venues. Prerequisite: ILUS312 Drawing and Painting III ILUS 358 ST: Comic3.0 UNITS Special topic course. See schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. ILUS 363 Alt Mat & Proc for Illustrato3.0 UNITS Course focuses on the use of mixed media and alternative materials for image construction. The class explores the “use values” of different mediums and how they affect communication. Some materials explored are graphite, paint, paper collage, cloth, digital collage, transfers, oil bars, duct tape, resin, inks, wax, and more. Exploring and experimenting with different combinations of materials is required. Class instruction will include lectures, assigned projects, media demonstrations, readings, slide presentations, and group feedback. Prerequisite: ILUS301 Illustration IV ILUS 440 Senior Project (Illustration)3.0 UNITS The purpose of this course is to develop complete and professional work derived from research collected during the previous semester in Senior Project Research. In this course, each student will define their own goals, methodologies and schedule of deadlines. We will address appropriate target audiences for each project and the media to best reach those audiences, as well as the specific direction each student wishes to pursue as a professional artist. Emphasis is placed on physical realization of each project's content. Students explore conceptual, theoretical, experimental communications problems offering them the opportunity to integrate personal vision with professional goals. In cross-disciplinary teams facilitated by faculty advisors, students define the scope and objectives of their inquiry and outline research and production methodologies. ILUS 470 Internship for Illustrators3.0 UNITS INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES (INTR) INTR 330 Creative Industry Internship3.0 UNITS Upper division studio courses that facilitate student work across media, genres and disciplines, while also developing skills in interdisciplinary thinking in a supportive community. Topics vary each semester. Examples include: Design Lab, Interdisciplinary Practices, Interdisciplinary Career Pathways Fulfills studio electives. LIBERAL STUDIES (LIBS) LIBS 114 Ways of Knowing3.0 UNITS An interdisciplinary theme/issue driven project based course where first year students look at how knowledge is created in different disciplines and contexts through the foundational skills of inquiry, investigation, and discovery. This course will be paired with another course in a different discipline that is exploring a similar issue/theme. LIBS 115 Foundation Seminar: Thought Lab 23.0 UNITS Where do your curiosities in the world lead you? How can you transform general interest in a subject into specific knowledge that can fuel a creative practice? Building on concepts from Thought Lab I, Thought Lab II will allow you to take a deep dive into a themed seminar of your choosing. Seminar themes may range from environmental and social justice to narrative to technology. These courses will invite you to explore a special topic through a variety of media to deepen your understanding of key events that have shaped its history. By the end of the semester, you will complete assignments which may include an exploratory essay or a research paper, and ultimately, a creative translation of course themes. LIBS 210 Contemporary Fashion Issues3.0 UNITS FASHION is a cultural and social phenomenon that involves us all. The most visible form of consumption and most relevant form of non-verbal communication, fashion is also a representation and objectification of our identity, enabling and supporting social roles and structures. It accords us individuality while validating our group belongings. It is, in short, a fascinating and befuddling aspect of human history, and one that deserves attention. Particularly now. Since the last decades of the twentieth century, what we traditionally consider ‘fashion’ has morphed into a global practice that is subverting its own traditions and jeopardizing our environmental survival. Fast Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar business and one of the biggest causes of global pollution and waste production. Widely recognized but not addressed in commercial fashion practices, the destructive power of fast fashion is now – and in the face of mounting social pressure – becoming a pivotal concern for the survival of the industry. This course aims at promoting an understanding of the most pressing issues in the field of fashion. It examines fashion theories, trends, and culture from the early 20th century to the present through the lenses of globalism, gender identity, environmental concerns, labor injustice, and ethical issues. Students will explore recent revolutions, present conditions, and possible future scenarios in the fashion world and be encouraged to question the conventional assumptions of fashion history, particularly as they determined the current crisis. Selected topics will include: the early development of the fashion industry and mid-century democratization of dress, fashion revolutions at the end of the last millennium, the phenomenon of fast fashion and the environmental crisis it caused – including current research and future trends. Required for Fashion Design majors. LIBS 212 Creative Writing Workshop I3.0 UNITS An introduction to the experience and practice of writing fiction and poetry. Includes visits by guest writers in a workshop setting. Students produce a portfolio of writing in revised and publishable form. This course is restricted to students who have submitted a writing sample to the Liberal Studies Department. Required for Creative Writing minors. LIBS 214 Introduction to Children's Literature3.0 UNITS These courses introduce students to special topics in the liberal arts and sciences that can inspire them to explore new intellectual and creative pathways. See “Browse Courses”, “LAS electives” for the sections offered this semester. LIBS 219 Methods and Materials3.0 UNITS Methods and Materials gives students a strong foundation for understanding the vast assortment of materials and methods by which things are built, made, manufactured with an emphasis on toys and consumer products. One will learn the fundamental technical means for successfully expressing a design concept in mass production. Manufacturing will also be discussed and learned from a world view highlighting in depth global centric topics like Factory Conditions, Product Safety, Sustainability and Up and Recycling. Finally, while the course will be comprehensive and rigorous, the speakers, lectures and course activities will infuse the excitement of what it’s like to truly understand and participate in the miraculous supply change of goods and services and view this dynamic system as everything comes together to make, develop, and manufacture products. Required of all Toy Design majors. Available to non-majors as approved by the Chair. LIBS 238 Sophomore Seminar II - DEI in Global Art and Culture3.0 UNITS Sophomore Seminar 2 builds on Seminar 1 through the lens of late modern and postmodern theorists and artists who challenge philosophical canons and investigate the social function of art. Students analyze the ideological dimensions of culture and artistic practice, including the ways land, space, and ecological systems inform meaning and power. The course continues to emphasize close reading, critical listening, open-minded discussion, and critical making, supporting students as they refine their capacity for thoughtful, critically engaged artmaking. Required for Fine Arts majors. Available to non-majors as approved by the Chair. LIBS 311 Teaching for Learning I3.0 UNITS Art and Design educators make a huge impact on students of all ages. The arts are often what keep K- 12 students engaged in learning, whether it is taught as a discrete subject or integrated into other subjects. Art and design education can help adult learners develop new skills and stay connected to their communities. In this introductory course, you will gain a historical overview of education and art/design development theories and philosophies while exploring models of art and design education such as student-centered, discipline-based, standards-based, and arts integration. You will observe local elementary, middle, high school and community classrooms to understand how all this theory plays out in practice. You will also learn to write your own lesson plans for a K-12, community or adult audiences and practice teaching to your peers in the class. This is your chance to begin to transform art and design education systems to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Required for ACT and ADED Minors LIBS 312 Creative Writing Workshop II3.0 UNITS Audre Lorde famously wrote the masters tools will never dismantle the masters house. What possibilities open up when we use language as a tool that often props up structures of confinement and limitation on our own terms? How can we use writing to expand the work we do as artists, designers, and makers? Is the language we use a masters tool or a tool we use to dismantle the masters house? And how do we transform the great chaos of experiences, obsessions, dreams, ideas, and observations into compelling literature? Creative Writing Workshops I & II are an opportunity to explore these questions and more with other readers and writers. You will be asked to read widely, take creative risks with writing experiments, and create community through avid participation in class discussions. Creative Writing Workshop I & II are required for Creative Writing Minors. In addition to two brief (2 to 3 pages), prompt-based writing assignments, students will complete two or more developed (6 to 8 pages), self-determined writing projects, using the forms and strategies of their choosing. All writing will be workshopped in class, allowing us to refine our ability to critique peer work. Throughout the semester, we will read a range of literary works, essays and interviews intended to inspire our writing and spark in-class discussions. LIBS 313 Teaching for Learning II3.0 UNITS Building on Teaching for Learning I, this course provides further development of your knowledge and skills as future art and design educators. Through readings, reflections, and discussions you will synthesize education theories and philosophies emphasizing aesthetic development in youth and adults, museum and community settings, public practices, critical pedagogy, classroom management, English Language Learners, Special Education, and best practices such as trauma informed teaching, culturally responsive teaching, and anti-racist / anti-biased practices. You will build your own curricula, write lesson plans, and hone your teaching skills by collaborating with a local art/design educator to teach a lesson to their students while being videotaped for your portfolio. This is your chance to refine your pedagogy (teaching practice) and update your teaching philosophy and portfolio in preparation for a career as a credentialed art teacher or a community-based teaching artist/designer. Required for Art and Design Education minors. Prerequisite: LIBS311/314 Teaching for Learning I. LIBS 314 Art of the Novella: a workshop3.0 UNITS This course can be an upper division art history or liberal studies elective. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the junior year. Course offerings vary by semester. See LAS Electives in Browse Courses for course offerings LIBS 316 Art of Novella: a workshop3.0 UNITS A limited choice of Upper Division Liberal Studies elective courses will count as Creative Writing Minor Electives, as determined each semester by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director, LAS Chair, and Creative Writing Minor Head. Creative Writing Minor Electives cover a range of literature and writing topics such as Reading Visiting Writers, Screenwriting Shorts, Food Memoirs, Translation/Multilingual Writing, and Human Nature (climate narratives). LIBS 317 Social Entrepreneurship3.0 UNITS What role do non-profit entities play in the art world and beyond? What is social entrepreneurship? How do the goals of non-profit arts concerns differ from their for-profit counterparts? This course will examine the current climate for non-profit arts organizations generally and start-ups, in particular, especially those involved in public service, charity work, education, and social justice. Students will research and debate various issues while considering how these may affect their future endeavors. In addition, students will work in groups on a self-generated, unique social entrepreneurship project, where they are encouraged to address social, environmental, and/or cultural issues that interest and motivate them. Students will gain insight into the realities of managing a non-profit arts enterprise by participating in the simulated launch and management of the business concept they designed. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Open as an elective for all other majors and minors LIBS 318 Business Communication3.0 UNITS What do you need when you have a product or idea for a business and you have an upcoming meeting with a potential angel investor or other funder? How do you present a proposal and tell the story of your brand, product or idea? How do you use the world of social media to enhance your business? How will you use words, pictures, video and other media to best pitch yourself and your business? Learn to hone your business communication tools for your enterprise or business in this course. Through case studies and critiques, you will learn the art of naming and creating taglines. You will do market research, write a product positioning and a brand story. By semester's end, you will present your business proposal as a pecha kucha. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Prerequisites: ENTR 301 - Intro to Entrepreneurship and MATH 137 - Mathematics of a Startup. Co-requisite: ENTR401 Launchpad. LIBS 414 Business of Fashion3.0 UNITS Assuming a position in the Fashion industry requires business knowledge necessary for merchandising, product development, marketing, creative presentations and sales. Through lectures by industry professionals, this online class provides an overview of the apparel manufacturing process outside the realm of the design room, and the marketing partnership of wholesale manufacturers and retailers. The semester begins with professional practice protocols and job search strategies in preparation for successful entry into the workplace. Required for Fashion Design majors. LIBS 440 Capstone3.0 UNITS What is the Capstone? Is it writing? Is it researching, making, thinking critically? Creating a text? In the 21st century, what is a text? Is it only the words on the page? Can it also be a film, a graphic novel or comic, an informative website or game? The Capstone allows you to create artistic and alternative text and write a well-researched paper that informs the project. This course demonstrates your ability to think critically, research, analyze, interpret complex ideas, write in an articulate manner, create something that communicates your perspectives, and to skillfully present your work to an audience. Through discussion and reflection, students will identify and explore an engaging and important question/issue within their chosen field, and write about specific issues and concerns they believe are the most critical in understanding and evaluating their roles as artists and designers. By considering your topic in relation to your general education, major, senior projects, and vocational aspirations, the Capstone class is where your LAS and studio experiences come together. You must obtain a grade of C- in this course in order to pass. LIBS 441 Capstone: Sustainability3.0 UNITS The Sustainability Capstone is designed as a culmination of the Sustainability minor; it is an opportunity for students to synthesize what they learned in Human Ecology, Science & Sustainable Design, and their Sustainability electives by developing a research paper that addresses a topic related to their disciplinary field. The goal is to give students an opportunity to a) apply what they have learned and b) to have a clear sense of their knowledge and skills as a sustainability minor so that when they enter the workforce they can adequately speak to their specialization. Required for Sustainability Minors. A minimum grade of C- or better on the Capstone paper and course is required to pass. Students who earn a D will automatically be enrolled in the 1-unit Spring semester Continuation class to raise their grade to passing. *Prerequisite: CAIL201 Human Ecology - 3.0 credits, NSCI305 Science and Sustainable Design - 3.0 credits. Students who have a dedicated capstone for their major will complete one capstone course that combines both their major and minor. LIBS 442 Capstone: Creative Writing3.0 UNITS The Liberal Studies Capstone experience is a required senior-level course designated to facilitate students’ critical reflection on a topic that intersects with their own studio practice, discipline, and/or identity. As the signature course and culminating expression of the Liberal Studies Program, the class design allows for independent research and private mentoring through Blended classes that meet both in-person and online. This asynchronous format encourages students to apply the skills they’ve accrued during their time at Otis College to a project that can advance their understanding of their career path and chosen industry. A minimum grade of C- or better on the Capstone paper and course is required to pass. Students who earn a D will automatically be enrolled in the 1-unit Spring semester Continuation class to raise their grade to passing. Note: Creative Writing, Art History, Sustainability minors, and Fine Arts majors take specific Capstones. Please see department for courses. Students who have a dedicated capstone for their major will complete one capstone course that combines both their major and minor. LIBS 445 Capstone Continuation1.0 UNIT We believe the Capstone course to be very important and we want every student to have the opportunity to do their best. If a student, for any reason, is able to write most of their capstone at a C- or above level, but cannot complete it, or if a student receives a D on their work, then they are eligible to take the 1 unit Capstone continuation course during the spring semester. This course is not a complete capstone do over, but rather a guided course to help you improve and complete your already in progress capstone. In very rare instances, in consultation and agreement with the Instructor and Capstone coordinator, students may choose to alter their capstone topic. While it is expected that the student is taking the continuation course to 'finish' their work, it is understood that extraordinary or extenuating circumstances may exist to change this. If someone Fails the course and/or receives an F on their Capstone or the Capstone is less than 60% completed, they are NOT eligible for the 1 unit Capstone continuation course and will instead be asked to retake the full 3 unit Capstone course during the spring semester. LIBS 774 Thesis Writing3.0 UNITS In this course, students will develop a written thesis about their work and practice. Students will acquire critical writing skills that will prepare them for the literary demands of an artist. LIBS 775 Thesis II3.0 UNITS This course encourages and trains students to write a thesis about their own work through the development of the requisite critical writing skills that will serve them in the future when applying for grants as well as preparing them for the literary demands of an artist. LIBS 778 Thesis Writing3.0 UNITS In this course, students will develop a written thesis about their work and practice. Students will acquire critical writing skills that will prepare them for the literary demands of an artist. MATHEMATICS (MATH) MATH 136 Infographics3.0 UNITS Math elective. Covers various topics related to mathematical concepts in art and design. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the junior year. Course offerings vary by semester. See LAS Electives in Browse Courses for course offerings MATH 137 Mathematics of a Startup3.0 UNITS This is primarily a project-based course - students will apply principles they learn in order to create their own business model or analyze a start-up venture and present their assessment to the class. One tool that will be used to provide the scaffolding for these exercises and group projects is The Business Model Generation Canvas. This is a widely used text by innovators and entrepreneurs globally, and maps out the different stages of a business life cycle: planning, raising capital, evaluation, restructuring, testing innovative ideas, mergers and acquisitions, and development. Students will study the building blocks of a business, analyze financial statements, and discuss their mathematical components. Required for Entrepreneurship minors. Open as an elective for all other majors and minors. MATH 245 AI/ML Integration3.0 UNITS AI/ML Integration is a math literacy course designed for non math majors that introduces the foundational quantitative ideas behind Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through examples and projects relevant to artists. Students build practical literacy in how AI tools represent information, learn patterns, and generate outputs by working with creative focused datasets and visual problems. The course also addresses interpretation and critique of AI outputs, including bias, fairness, and the limits of automated decision making, emphasizing critical thinking and responsible use. MATH 247 Programming/Scripting for Game3.0 UNITS This course is your gateway to the realm of game development, focusing on the programming and scripting aspects using the powerful Unreal Engine. Dive into the fundamentals of game programming, exploring programming languages, logic, and syntax. Learn to write scripts that control gameplay mechanics, implement AI, and create interactive elements. Through hands-on exercises, you’ll gain practical experience and master debugging techniques to ensure smooth game performance. In the second part of the course, we’ll delve deeper into the Unreal Engine and its scripting language, Blueprint. Unlock the potential of Blueprint’s node-based system to create visually stunning and highly interactive games. Discover event-driven programming and object-oriented design to craft complex behaviors. Through engaging projects, you’ll design game mechanics, create user interfaces, and integrate audio-visual effects. By the end, you’ll have a solid foundation in programming and scripting for games using the Unreal Engine. Unleash your creativity into Programming/Scripting for Games, empowering you to bring your game ideas to life! Required for all Game and Entertainment Design majors. MOTION DESIGN (MOTN) MOTN 210 Type for Motion Design3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to the fundamentals of dynamic typography for motion design. Students will begin by learning essential principles of letterforms, spacing, hierarchy, and readability, then apply those skills to animated type in motion graphics workflows. Emphasis is placed on using motion—timing, rhythm, and transitions—to create clear, compelling, and expressive communication. MOTN 230 Motion Design Fundamentals3.0 UNITS An introduction to basic design and motion design principles and techniques. The pre-requisite for Motion Design Fundamentals (Storytelling for Digital Artists) will be waived for Motion Design minors MOTN 299 Motion Design Electives3.0 UNITS A limited choice of LAS and Studio courses will count as Motion Design Minor Electives, as determined each semester by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director, Animation Chair, Game and Entertainment Design Chair and Graphic Design / Illustration Chair. Examples include: AHCS222 History of Graphic Design and Illustration, various courses in typography, social media, motion design, UX/UI and video editing. MOTN 310 MOTN Production Workflows3.0 UNITS MOTN 320 Motion Design: Motion Design I3.0 UNITS MOTN 321 Motion Design: Cinema 4D Mograph3.0 UNITS This class will focus on using Cinema 4D to create repeating, geometric 3D models and dynamic type animations. Mograph is used extensively to create elaborate environments for network sports graphics projects. Students will learn how to use cloners to iterate objects and effectors to make complex 3D animations. The class will also cover the use of soft bodies and colliders to simulate real-world interactions. Prerequisite: MOTN 330 MOTION DESIGN I MOTN 325 Design Explorations: Motion Design Campaign Studio3.0 UNITS This course guides students through the full process of creating a comprehensive identity rebrand campaign for an existing product. Through research, concept development, design production, and professional-style pitch sessions, students will learn how to translate strategic insights into a polished, portfolio-ready campaign. Learning objectives: • Conduct in-depth research and competitive analysis within the industry • Identify core brand challenges and interpret a creative brief • Develop a distinctive, concept-driven identity rebrand • Produce visual assets that demonstrate strong design craft and cohesive brand systems • Present and defend creative decisions in a professional pitch environment • Assemble a refined, portfolio-ready identity rebrand campaign MOTN 330 Motion Design I3.0 UNITS This course gives students a comprehensive overview of the motion graphic production process using industry standard applications. Emphasis will be placed on the fundamental concepts of digital media, motion design, editing techniques and art direction Prerequisite: MOTN210 TYPO FOR MOTION DESIGN MOTN 440 Practicum in Motion Design II3.0 UNITS Continuing the work from Practicum I, spring semester will consist of Test, Select and Iterate, Plan, Produce, and Deliver the finished pieces. Prerequisite: MOTN430 Practicum in Motion Design I MOTN 460 Motion Design II3.0 UNITS In this course, students will delve into advanced motion design techniques while developing a comprehensive, semester-long project. Topics include advanced typography animation, camera tracking for integrating graphics into live-action footage, the use of JavaScript expressions to create complex motion, color keying and rotoscoping, and multi-plane animation in After Effects. In addition to exploring 2D animation in After Effects, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of Cinema 4D for creating motion design in 3D. Prerequisite: MOTN 321 CINEMA 4D MOGRAPH MOTN 464 Particle Systems & Lighting Effects3.0 UNITS In this class students will learn how to create animated particle systems using 2D and 3D applications. Dynamic particle systems and volumetric lighting effects are used extensively in visual effects and high-end motion graphics projects. Topics will include: particle effects, emitters, fluid dynamic simulation, 3D volumetric lighting effects and thinking particles. Prerequisite: MOTN 321 CINEMA 4D MOGRAPH MOTN 490 Cinema 4D Mograph3.0 UNITS MUSIC - LMU (MUSC) MUSC 455 African Music Ensemble1.0 UNIT MUSC 491 Consort Singers1.0 UNIT MUSC 492 Guitar Ensemble1.0 UNIT MUSC 493 Oriana Vocal Ensemble1.0 UNIT MUSC 495 Concert Choir1.0 UNIT NATURAL SCIENCE (NSCI) NSCI 305 Science and Sustainable Design3.0 UNITS With the shift toward more sustainable forms of art and design, the task facing artists and designers is uniquely challenging from previous eras. Sustainable design is concerned with the processes and outcomes to meet a world that is growing increasingly conscious of the significant impacts of art and design on the world’s ecological systems and humankind. Through a predominantly science-based approach, students will study approaches to sustainability including, but not limited to, climate change, biodiversity, biomimicry, cradle to cradle, and life cycle analysis. It will emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of sustainable design and how it is defined, measured and tracked, looking at concepts like design for use, dematerialization, substitution, localization, and design for reuse. Through a combination of online lectures and discussion, field trips and hands-on exercises students will learn about the broader issues of sustainability as they pertain to the global context, and also how as individuals they are personally affected by these issues on a daily basis. After providing a thorough scientific background to the subject of sustainability through case studies and activities looking at the natural world as inspiration for design-based problems and solutions, students will be asked to identify and explore a specific design based sustainable project of their own using the biomimetic solution concept. Through this process it is intended that they will begin to understand the relevance of sustainability to the practice of art and design, and the necessity of its integration into their individual practices as they go forward in their career. Required for Sustainability minors. NSCI 307 Art and Physics3.0 UNITS Natural Science Elective. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the junior year. Course offerings vary by semester. See LAS Electives in Browse Courses for course offerings NSCI 308 Human Factors in Toy Design3.0 UNITS Human Factors in Toy Design examines the physical, sensory, and emotional considerations that inform the design of toys and juvenile consumer products for diverse users. Through lectures and applied studio-based practicum, students analyze a variety of juvenile product types, assessing mechanical, ergonomic, and aesthetic design strategies that enhance usability, safety, and meaningful interaction between products and juvenile users. Students develop familiarity with statistical data tables and professional terminology related to human physical and emotional diversity, including sensory perception, anthropometric measurements, and dynamic capabilities, without engaging in statistical computation. Design and manufacturing discussions emphasize materials, processes, and constraints typical of light-assembly production environments. Regulatory compliance and product safety are addressed as central components of ethical practice, social responsibility, and professional accountability in the design of toys and juvenile consumer products. NSCI 315 Textile Science3.0 UNITS Study fibers, yarns, knit construction and acquire a practical understanding of how each affects the appearance and performance of the textile product. Knit swatches using a variety of stitches, combining yarns of varying gauges. Other topics include dyeing, printing, and finishes as processes that affect the aesthetic appeal of the finished product, and as functional finishes which enhance performance. The impact of these processes and issues of sustainability are examined as they relate to the cultivation and production of fibers. Learn to make fabric choices based on an understanding of the woven structure and knowledge of individual fabric properties. Required textbook: Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book, Second Edition, by Clive Hallett & Amanda Johnston. Lab Fee: $30 Required for Fashion Design Majors. Available to non-majors as approved by the Chair. NSCI 319 Human Factors in Product Design3.0 UNITS This course introduces Product Design students to human-centered design principles that explore physical, sensory, and emotional responses to consumer products. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on practice, students will assess a range of products for mechanical function and stylistic impact, focusing on enhancing user interaction and experience. Students will engage with statistical data tables and human factors terminology (no mathematical calculations required) to understand the diversity of the human body—its sensory capabilities, physical measurements, and dynamic movement—when designing usable and appealing products. Assignments will feature real-world manufacturing constraints, particularly within light assembly environments. Additionally, students will analyze regulatory compliance and product safety protocols as essential components of responsible and ethical design. Required for Product Design majors. OUTBOUND MOBILITY/EXCHANGE (MOBI) MOBI 300 Mobility/Exchange - OutboundNaN UNITS Students who take part in exchange programs will register for this course in order to maintain their full time status. PAINTING (PNTG) PNTG 204 Painting I3.0 UNITS This is a hands-on investigation of technical and formal issues in painting (oil, acrylic, and mixed media), focusing on developing technical abilities in collaboration with concepts and exploration of different methods of achieving visual “dexterity.” Offered fall semester only PNTG 214 Painting II3.0 UNITS Painting 2 is the second core class devoted to painting. Each person who teaches it will have a slightly different approach but in general the class will provide students with an intermediate level painting experience. Equipped with the skills and knowledge of painting 1, students in Painting 2 will further develop their command of the technical and conceptual knowledge of western painting. They will develop a group of works specific to the requirements of the class and they will increase their confidence and their production. Perhaps devoted to critical concepts of interpretation or to material exploration or both, painting 2 will provide a dynamic and open, inclusive environment in which students will feel supported as they explore their own ideas and the rich landscape of contemporary painting. PNTG 306 Painting Genres:3.0 UNITS The genres courses provide students with the opportunity to explore a variety of topics within the context of painting, targeting specific conceptual, aesthetic and material approaches in depth, offering theoretical and vernacular driven investigations. Recent topics offered: Real Art; Methods, Materials & Concepts of Color, Figure PHOTOGRAPHY (PHOT) PHOT 204 Photography I3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual aspects of the medium of photography. Basic skills, including digital and analog (film) camera operation, the fundamentals of image exposure, black-and-white film processing, black-and-white and digital color printing, and basic presentation techniques, are covered in regular lab sessions. Group critiques, slide lectures, and field trips help students to develop a critical vocabulary. Offered fall semester only PHOT 214 Photography II3.0 UNITS This is an intermediate course within the Photography program that aims to build upon technical knowledge and conceptual structuring acquired in Photo 1. Students will spend time working with image capture and output processes, refining technical and communication methods, and making decisions to achieve their desired aesthetic and conceptual frameworks. Experimentation with new processes is expected as is the development of artistic and critical reasoning. PHOT 230 Lighting Studio I3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to basic studio skills in lighting and electronic flash applications, including 4x5 and medium formats, tungsten and strobe lighting, and in-depth exploration of genres such as photo illustration, still life and portraiture. Students develop a critical understanding of how imagery functions within a commercial context and the relationship between fine art and commercial work. Shooting assignments include still life, portraiture, and photo illustration projects. This course is required for Photography emphasis. Prerequisite: Photo I or equivalent PHOT 335 Photo Genres: Flattened Space3.0 UNITS Genres courses provide students with the opportunity to explore a variety of topics within the context of photography, targeting specific conceptual, aesthetic, and material approaches in-depth, offering theoretical and vernacular driven investigation. Recent topics offered include Text and Image, Photography and Space, and Our Private Selves. Offered on a rotating basis. See schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. PRINTMAKING (PRNT) PRNT 362 Letterpress for Graphic Design3.0 UNITS PRNT 373 Print Media Workshop3.0 UNITS Students refine their vision in advanced projects based on their conceptual practice and critical dialogue. Emphasis is on development of personal imagery and exploration of the media through one or two projects that form a body of work related to their practice. In depth consultations and reviews are held.Students draw upon Los Angeles' wide range of print publishers and shops, learning professional methods. PRNT 375 Hybrid Letterpress3.0 UNITS Embark on a creative journey where digital dreams come to life through the artistry of letterpress printing with photopolymer plates. This on-campus course provides an exciting progression in your printing expertise expanding letterpress printing to include photopolymer plates, exploring every aspect of this pioneering process for digitally-driven relief printing. Beginning with digital prepress and plate processing, and transitioning into the hands on craft of letterpress printing. Students will learn digital imaging essentials, font editing,plate creation, and the nuances of operating the Vandercook flatbed cylinder press. This course thoroughly investigates printing techniques and typography, preparing you for your own creative endeavors. After the initial training, apply your skills to your own unique design projects. Pre-requisites: PRNT362 / DGMD310 Introduction to Letterpress and prior experience with Adobe Illustrator. PRODUCT DESIGN (PRDS) PRDS 101 Designing the World3.0 UNITS Product Design Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. PRDS 202 Design Studio I: The Profession, Process, Culture and the User3.0 UNITS This course forms the introduction to the profession, practices, and thinking involved in the product design process. Through a series of individual and team-based investigations and projects, students begin their acculturation into the field of Product Design. They use the design process while applying various 2D drawing, computer, and making skills to develop their ideas and explore the relationships between form, function, and how culture can be expressed by and be an influence on the object of design. Skills introduced: design process, user experience, identification of form and function relationships, cultural design influence and forces. PRDS 203 Design Studio II: Structure and Connections3.0 UNITS Students deploy the skills learned in the first semester, in thoroughly investigated and contextualized designs, that demonstrate cultural awareness, and self-expression. Digital modeling and design components are introduced as part of the design process. Different projects throughout the semester, allow students to learn how to distill research, contextualize and visualize data and information, recognize trends, and understand the user. Students will connect these insights to questions and decision-making in their design process. Skills introduced: Students learn to communicate their design concepts and user scenarios using 2D, 3D, and 4D methods (UX). Skills reinforced: design process, research, contextualization, user interaction. PRDS 210 Design Communication I: The Process from Start to Finish3.0 UNITS Sketching and technical drawings are fundamental to product design in developing and communicating ideas, designs, and concepts. This course presents techniques, tips, and tricks, from quick concept sketching to producing technical drawings to develop and communicate ideas. Students will begin to delineate 3-D forms in 2-D space and the various phases and deliverables of the design process. Skills introduced: rapid ideation, iterations, concept sketches, perspective drawing and shading, color rendering, visual fluency, cross-sections, exploded views and digital rendering, 3-D modeling, and visual presentation. Skills reinforced: design process, design communication, storytelling, and intention. PRDS 211 Design Communication II: Communication and Interfaces3.0 UNITS Students continue to develop a 2D drawing foundation of 3D space by hand and digitally. Interface design is introduced to add a digital element to the previous semester's project. Students will learn orthographic hand drawing and rendering (precise annotation, translating physical assets and photographic references into graphic representations) with pencil, pen, and marker, as well as 2D digital drawing and rendering (Illustrator, Photoshop, basic technical package for manufacturing, storyboarding), and advanced digital sketching. Skills introduced: orthographic drawing, composition, digital drawing. Skills reinforced: hand and digital rendering, 2D form, visual fluency, and visual stylization. Software and tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Figma. Students will learn to prepare work for portfolios, presentations, exhibitions, decks, and websites. Pre-requisite: PRDS210 or Chair approval PRDS 230 Methods & Materials I: Learn to Make, Make to Learn3.0 UNITS An introduction to all the shops, labs, tools and techniques used in the fabrication of both study and presentation models for Product Design. In this hands-on studio, students work with various materials in a series of small skills-oriented projects. This is an introduction to the basic tools used for both hard and soft materials. Students develop skills in form making, surface treatments, and finishing techniques. Field trips and off-site workshops at local manufacturers enhance students’ knowledge of production techniques. Skills introduced: model making, shop skills, 3D form, surface finishing, sketching, visual fluency, and forces on the form, PRDS 231 Methods & Materials II: Learn to Make, Make to Learn3.0 UNITS A continuation of the previous semesters' course students continue to visit manufacturers and work with various materials in a series of small skills oriented projects. Students build upon their prior semester's experience and begin to integrate the design process skills they have learned in the Design Studio courses while exploring processes and materials. Skills reinforced: sketching, 3D form giving, forces of form, visual fluency, surface finishing, and craftsmanship. PRDS 299 Product Design Elective3.0 UNITS PRDS 302 Design Studio III3.0 UNITS Students further develop their design process while learning to design a family of products within a brand’s design language and visual vocabulary. Projects may include consumer electronics, lighting, or other hard-goods categories. The focus is on exploring human factors, needfinding, materials, functionality, internal components, and user/product interaction, with a strong emphasis on concept development and formal excellence. The content, theme, and focus of the studio vary each semester, allowing for dynamic and responsive learning opportunities. Skills and knowledge introduced: product category analysis, business dynamics, value analysis, product development, and design writing. Skills reinforced: prototyping, sketching, photography, 2D layout, information design, branding, materials, manufacturing, sustainability, industry awareness, individual and group critique, meaning/semantics, model making, 3D form, storytelling, visual and oral presentation, design research, observational research, ideation, and brainstorming. PRDS 303 Design Studio IV3.0 UNITS In this junior-level course, students apply and expand upon foundational soft goods–making skills to design objects within the soft goods category, including fashion accessories, footwear, and apparel. Students design and construct three-dimensional products from flat patterns, developing a deep understanding of form, function, and style. The course emphasizes concept development, material exploration, and technical execution. Students investigate human factors, need finding, material and hardware selection, and performance considerations while producing high-quality prototypes. Skills and knowledge introduced: patternmaking, CLO software. Skills reinforced: prototyping, sketching, photography, 2D layout, information design, branding, materials, manufacturing, sustainability, industry awareness, individual and group critique, meaning/semantics, modelmaking, 3D form, storytelling, visual and oral presentation, design and observational research, ideation, and brainstorming. PRDS 310 Design Communication III: Introduction to SolidWorks3.0 UNITS This introductory course to SolidWorks teaches the basics of 3D modeling, rendering techniques, and the processes for manufacturing. Students learn to digitally build and manipulate 3D forms and communicate these renderings, drawings, or 3D objects. There are weekly demonstrations of the software techniques and capabilities. Feedback on each student’s design process and abilities is provided through individual desk crits as well as group presentations and critiques. Skills introduced: Solidworks 3D CAD software, modeling, rendering, and 3D print output. Skills reinforced: drafting, rendering, 2D digital fluency, visual stylization, and composition. Software: Solidworks, Keyshot. PRDS 311 Design Communication IV: Intermediate SolidWorks3.0 UNITS This studio course is a continuation of Design Communication III. The instructor provides feedback on each student's design process and abilities through individual desk crits and group presentations, and critiques. Skills reinforced: 3D modeling, digital rendering, and visual storytelling. Skills introduced: SolidWorks or Rhino 3D CAD software, modeling, rendering, and 3D print output. Skills reinforced: drafting, rendering, 2D digital fluency, visual stylization, and composition. Pre-requisites: PRDS310 PRDS 345 Furniture and Lighting3.0 UNITS Product Design Electives. See the schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. PRDS 362 Beginning Ceramics3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to a wide range of ceramic practices through cross-cultural, thematic, and technical approaches. Students explore functional, sculptural, and production ceramics, beginning with sketched ideas or sketch models and culminating in finished ceramic pieces. PRDS 363 Intermediate Ceramics3.0 UNITS This introductory is designed for students in all disciplines. The course is new to the field of ceramics, pushing traditional and historic boundaries and blending them with the state-of-the-art technology. In this project driven studio students learn a variety of hand building techniques such as Potter's wheel, plaster hump, slump, hollow and solid 2-piece plaster molds; extruder, slab coil combined with the use of 3D printing technology. PRDS 402 Design Studio V3.0 UNITS This advanced project-based studio guides students through complex product design scenarios, exploring potential solutions, users, and markets. Students conduct research within a field of interest to identify a problem, theme, or opportunity, and develop a self-directed brief rooted in their personal interests and professional goals. This brief guides their design direction and supports the development of their senior project. Students are expected to integrate previous learning and knowledge into a comprehensive design process that includes research, concept development, and design. Instructors assign key deliverables throughout the semester. Final outcomes include a presentation, physical models, and written process book. Students are assessed on critical thinking, creativity, aesthetics, functionality, craftsmanship, communication, and presentation Skills developed: research, teamwork, information design, sustainability, prototyping, leadership, ideation, time management, semantics, design writing, ethics, and personal voice. Pre-requisite PRDS 302 & 303 PRDS 403 Design Studio VI3.0 UNITS Having completed their designs the previous semester, the course serves as a place to execute and create a professional-grade prototype. This course also prepares students for their post-Otis experience by introducing professional practices germane to product design. This includes a heavy focus on their presentation skills and exhibition design aimed at their Senior Exhibition. Skills introduced: Exhibition design, graphic communication, video, animation, and editing. Skills reinforced: design research, observational research, UX-UI, FIGMA, teamwork, information design, sustainability, prototyping, leadership, ideation, brainstorming, time management, meaning/semantics, design writing, ethics, point of view, and voice. Pre-requisites: PRDS 402 PRDS 410 Design Communication V3.0 UNITS This studio allows students to further advance their digital skills as they prepare to graduate. Skills introduced or reinforced: 3D modelling, digital rendering, and visual storytelling. Solidworks or Rhino 3D CAD software, rendering, and 3D print output. Software: SolidWorks or Rhino 3D CAD software. Keyshot, drafting, rendering, 2D digital fluency, visual stylization, and composition. Pre-requisite PRDS 311 PRDS 440 Design & Market I3.0 UNITS Design-driven companies increasingly seek hybrid designers who can navigate the intersections of design, business strategy, and marketing while maintaining a strong foundation in creative thinking and craft. Many designers also pursue independent careers as entrepreneurs or individual consultants, where the ability to position, brand, and launch a product becomes essential. This advanced, project-based course challenges Product Design seniors to integrate real-world market considerations into their design process. Students will work within defined market segments, brand identities, and manufacturing constraints to develop product concepts that are not only insightful but viable for production and distribution. Through assigned, industry-facing projects, students will examine how market research, consumer insights, competitive analysis, branding, and pricing affect product design decisions. Emphasis is placed on collaboration, critical thinking, and adaptability as students refine their concepts with the realities of positioning, promotion, and scalability in mind. Line extensions, packaging, and product families may also be explored as students learn to develop cohesive, strategically aligned offerings. Rather than emphasizing purely personal expression or speculative design, this course mirrors professional practice, preparing students to respond to real-world design briefs and contribute meaningfully within industry contexts. PRDS 441 Design & Market II3.0 UNITS Students continue to deepen their understanding of brand alignment, production considerations, and user experience. The course integrates strategic thinking and encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration as part of the design process. Students are guided to think beyond the studio, considering how their designs function within markets and larger systems of use, value, and communication, as well as how they operate within professional contexts. Skills reinforced: collaboration, strategic thinking, brand development, production planning, communication, and presentation. Pre-requisite PRDS 440 PSYCHOLOGY - LMU (PSYC) PSYC 1000 General Psychology4.0 UNITS SCULPTURE/NEW GENRES (SCNG) SCNG 204 Sculpture/New Genres I3.0 UNITS An introduction to the history and practice of sculpture and new genres (new art forms that use time and space). Students are introduced to technical and contemplative approaches to commanding space and material to produce meaningful objects, events, or places. Technical instruction covers introductory use of wood and metal shops (including digital 3D printer), adhesives and joinery, basic mold making and casting, as well as contemporary new genres forms such as performance and installation art. Offered in Fall semester only. SCNG 214 Sculpture/New Genres II3.0 UNITS Sculpture New Genres 2 is an intermediate studio course that expands on concepts and skills in 3- dimensional and time based media developed in SCNG I. This class will consist of a series of both short and long term prompts, lectures, readings, critiques and demos aimed at providing a wide range of cultural concepts, contexts and techniques to consider when developing works and situating them within time and space. New skills will include advanced techniques of construction in wood, metal, clay, fabric, video, further mold making, some plastics, and new computer technologies. SCNG 236 Ceramics: Intro to Ceramics3.0 UNITS This sculpture elective will teach fundamental skills of working with clay. You will learn the foundational skills of wheel throwing and hand building: centering and forming shapes on the wheel, wedging, pinching, coiling, soft and hard slab construction, building and assembling in parts, using a banding wheel, and various ways to manipulate the surface of the clay, such as carving, stamping, printing, drawing, painting, and glazing. You will learn how kilns work and various ways to fire the clay, with an introduction to how different glazes and clays react to different firing techniques. Exposure to the historical use and international variety of techniques in ceramics will be integrated into the contemporary context. This is an introductory course; no experience is necessary. SCNG 237 Advanced Ceramics3.0 UNITS This advanced ceramics elective is ideal for student artists seeking to deepen their relationship to the clay studio. Together, we will explore (and aim to understand) clay's most distinctive quality - its mystical plasticity - with a sequence of sculptural provocations meant to expand our portfolio of technical skills. Simultaneously, we will consider ceramics as a position within the larger sphere of contemporary art, thinking and working through the possibilities available in installation, performance, collaboration with emerging technologies, and perhaps even the humble vessel. Get ready to probe the limits of this sticky, gooey, muddy, dirty, impressionable Stuff. Prerequisites: Ceramics or Introductory Ceramics SCNG 306 Advanced Techniques: Materials and Fabrication3.0 UNITS This class introduces a variety of methods in advanced sculpture fabrication and aims to give students a broad range of skills in transforming sculptural ideas into professional works of art. Throughout the term, students will work individually and collectively as a class to develop material research, schematic planning, and fabrication practices. Through demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and lectures, students will learn different approaches to making sculpture in a diverse array of materials. Some of the workshops include: laser cutting, hot shop glass working, foam carving, metalwork, silicone mold-making, and casting. SCNG 309 SCNG: Genres3.0 UNITS Advanced Sculpture Workshop supports Sculpture majors with more in-depth instruction in particular techniques and technologies in use in contemporary art. In addition to more traditional technologies like woodworking, metal working, bronze casting, glass blowing, and fiber arts; contemporary practices also include digital technologies like Virtual Reality, computer-aided 3-D prototyping and C-N-C milling. Some sections include a fee of up to $250. See the schedule of classes for course offerings and course descriptions. SOCIAL SCIENCE (SSCI) SSCI 210 Anthropology through a Sci-Fi Lens3.0 UNITS Social Science elective. May be taken in either fall or spring, must be completed in the junior year. Course offerings vary by semester. See LAS Electives in Browse Courses for course offerings SSCI 211 Child Psych:Development& Play3.0 UNITS This course provides a comprehensive overview of child development from birth to adolescence, including developmental stages, critical periods, effects of early stimulation, environmental enrichment, and how to apply this information when designing children’s toys, books, games, products, and entertainment. Special attention is given to toy design issues of aesthetics, safety, age-relevance, socio-cultural parameters, marketability, and characteristics of successful toys. By the end of this course students will have an introduction to the principles, theories, and practices of developmental psychology as they relate particularly to the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence. They will demonstrate the ability to apply these principles in the design process for toys and games. Specifically, they will: • Demonstrate that they can think about toys from a developmental perspective. • Learn to see the activity of play as central to developing healthy individuals. • Will demonstrate that they can creatively apply the results of developmental psychology to design, creation, and critique of toys. • Understand qualitative and quantitative tenets and tools of consumer research as they relate to play and toy design. • Be able to identify concepts of play such as play patterns and storytelling to name a few and how they impact toy design and development in positive ways for children. Required for Toy Design Majors SSCI 213 Cultural and Social Design for Game3.0 UNITS This course will focus on the cultural and social aspects of games (computer games / video games) through the history of games. Students will explore the impact of games on social demographics and cultural events. Students will take this information and learn to create their own characters and worlds based on their research and analysis. This class is a co-requisite of GAME331: Cultural and Social Design for Games In this course we will engage with how developers and artists are navigating AI and ethics in practical and imaginative ways. These ideas will be grounded in the perspectives of local artists, and prominent reference points connecting representation, cultural concerns, the use and exploitation of art/artists, and if the characters and world created reflect the cultural values of the workplace and industry that creates these games. Games will be explored in holistic and tangential ways to explore the complex formation of culture (for example parsing the differences between appropriation and theft). Furthermore, we will start with a study- group styled introduction to how historical technological advancements shifted the landscape and playing style of art/games and how that connects to the present day. After a cursory exploration of bias in race, class, gender and other identity markers, students will shift towards teaching giving the class their own deep dive presentation on a topic of their choice resulting in either a re-imagined game or drawing from lived experiences of researching games. Disability justice will also be used to guide our activities where we embrace interdependence (relying on one another), auditing products for their accessibility, and to practice creating solidarity and promoting diversity and equity ahead of entering the workplace. Overall, students will actively participate in shaping the course experience. This course aims to have students lead discussions and classroom activities pre-figuring their professional work. By practicing a critical engagement with ‘neutral’ tools, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the cultural and social design of games and be able to advocate for conscientious choices in characters, worlds, and game play. SSCI 214 Community Arts in LA3.0 UNITS How do artists and designers engage communities and the public in their work? What does it mean to work within a community as a collective, as opposed to publicly presenting work as a solo artist or designer? In this course, you will explore the aesthetic, historical and socio-cultural aspects of community arts and socially engaged art through lectures, videos, readings, reflections, and discussions. We will uncover the relationship artists and designers have with building communities and creating localized cultures, and how specific Los Angeles communities have used art as a means to occupy political territories over time. We will meet with contemporary artists, designers and local non-profit arts organizations, museum education departments and public sites to engage in current social practice work in the field and to learn how they create cultural agency and cultivate a rich sense of place. Lastly, you will learn how to develop and write your own proposal for working with local communities to create positive change through socially engaged art. Required for Art and Design Education minors, open to all others as an elective. SOCIOLOGY - LMU (SOCL) SOCL 1000 Principles of Sociology4.0 UNITS SPANISH - LMU (SPAN) SPAN 2101 Spanish 14.0 UNITS STORY (STRY) STRY 320 Screenwriting and Production3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to the fundamentals of writing for animation and preparing stories for production. Students develop original scripts individually and collaboratively, developing their storytelling skills and screenwriting techniques. Emphasis will be placed on narrative structure, character development, visual storytelling, and constructive critique. Through creative writing exercises, group work, and peer feedback, students will cultivate their unique voices and gain confidence in expressing their visual ideas on the written page. STRY 321 Boards to Motion: The Art of the Animatic3.0 UNITS In this course, students learn to bring stories to life by creating animatics—the essential bridge between static storyboards and fully produced scenes. They will practice breaking down a script and transforming it into a timed visual sequence that conveys pacing, tone, and emotion. Using both traditional and digital tools, students will combine storyboards with sound and motion to refine and strengthen storytelling choices. The class emphasizes experimentation with shot angles, timing, and transitions to develop animatics that are clear, engaging, and ready for production. Prerequisite: STRY 320 SCREENWRITING AND PRODUCTION STRY 460 Creative Storytelling & Cinematography3.0 UNITS This course introduces students to the creative and cinematic foundations of animated storytelling. Through studies in composition, staging, lighting, and camera movement, students learn how visual choices shape narrative meaning and emotional impact. Projects focus on generating ideas, crafting clear story moments, and applying cinematic principles to produce compelling animated scenes Prerequisite: STRY 321 BOARDS TO MOTION: THE ART OF THE ANIMATIC STRY 464 Makers and Making3.0 UNITS Makers and Making is a seminar course that explores the creative processes behind art and animation practices. Students will investigate how artists and animators conceptualize, design, and realize their work—from initial inspiration and research through experimentation, iteration, and production. Through documentary, film and television screenings, artist talks, and exercises, the class examines the tools, materials, and decision-making strategies that shape creative outcomes across various media. Emphasis is placed on understanding how things are made, not only what is made, cultivating a deep appreciation for the invisible labor and thought embedded in every artistic process. While the course centers on animation creators—from independent experimental animators to major studio artists—it also broadens to include sculptors, illustrators, designers, and interdisciplinary makers whose practices inform and intersect with animation. Students will analyze case studies, reflect on their own studio habits, and engage in collaborative projects that connect theory to practice. By the end of the semester, participants will have developed a personal framework for their own making process, informed by the diverse methods and creative journeys of artists who bring ideas to life. Prerequisite: STRY 460 CREATIVITY, STORYTELLING, AND CINEMATOGRAPHY SUSTAINABILITY (SUST) SUST 299 Sustainability Electives3.0 UNITS A limited choice of Creative Action, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Studio Elective courses across the college will count towards the Sustainability minor Electives, as determined each semester by the Interdisciplinary Studies Director, Sustainability Minor Area Head, and Department Chairs. Examples include Photographing an Inconvenient Truth, Call to Action, and Post-Apocalypse, Otis Goes Green, Costal Stories, Human Nature, Futuristic Foodways and Avoiding Climate Change. SUST 300 ST Sust: TBD3.0 UNITS Upper division courses that combine studio practice with theory and/or science to address interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability through art and design. Topics vary each semester. Fulfills studio electives. THEORY AND CRITICAL STUDIES (CRIT) CRIT 304 History + Theory III2.0 UNITS A diversity of critical and generative approaches to twentieth and twenty-first century design is situated historically, while introducing current themes and debates in contemporary architectural practice and related disciplines. Prerequisite: CRIT205 History + Theory I or CRIT206 History + Theory II. Required for Architecture/Landscape/Interiors majors. CRIT 406 History + Theory V2.0 UNITS Landscape as a system of representation and performance is studied through the tradition of formal and picturesque gardens, the discourses of the beautiful and sublime, urban parks, the integration of modernism and landscape, earth art, everyday and extreme landscapes, industrial and natural ecologies, and landscape urbanism. Prerequisite: CRIT304 History + Theory III. Required for Architecture/Landscape/Interiors majors. TOY DESIGN (TOYD) TOYD 101 Introduction to Toy Design3.0 UNITS Toy Design Foundation elective. See Browse Courses for specific topics each semester. TOYD 200 Toy Design I3.0 UNITS Toys are fundamental to our growth and culture. We learn to make decisions, socialize, and create through play. In these on-campus courses, you will develop an understanding of the creative process of toy design and learn the fundamentals of becoming a successful toy designer. Emphasis is placed on brainstorming and designing both hard and soft good toys that engage children across various play patterns. You’ll apply drawing, model-making, and fabrication skills to create original toy concepts across categories such as Plush and Preschool toys. You’ll learn to conduct market research and analysis to ensure your designs are viable and positioned strategically for their intended audience. Using various fabrication techniques, you’ll translate your idea into a 3-D model and present the final product to faculty and visiting toy industry professionals. Toy Design studio courses may be sponsored, in which case the toy category or brand would be predetermined. TOYD 201 Toy Design II3.0 UNITS Toys are fundamental to our growth and culture. We learn to make decisions, socialize, and create through play. In these on-campus courses, you will develop an understanding of the creative process of toy design and learn the fundamentals of becoming a successful toy designer. Emphasis is placed on brainstorming and designing both hard and soft good toys that engage children across various play patterns. You’ll apply drawing, model-making, and fabrication skills to create original toy concepts across categories such as Plush and Preschool toys. You’ll learn to conduct market research and analysis to ensure your designs are viable and positioned strategically for their intended audience. Using various fabrication techniques, you’ll translate your idea into a 3-D model and present the final product to faculty and visiting toy industry professionals. Toy Design studio courses may be sponsored, in which case the toy category or brand would be predetermined. TOYD 200 - Toy Design I is a prerequisite for TOYD 201 - Toy Design II TOYD 232 Visual Communication I3.0 UNITS To communicate effectively, a designer should have a broad range of both traditional and digital drawing skills. In these on-campus courses, you will develop your ability to communicate ideas through drawing from quick ideation sketches to final illustrations. Through the study of shape, perspective, style, use of character, and storytelling, students will learn to communicate with compelling, dynamic drawings. On the digital side, you’ll learn how to take a concept from rough sketch to a refined set of technical illustrations. You’ll learn Adobe digital tools that will enable you to produce drawings that accurately convey your design intent and serve as a blueprint when creating a prototype model. The skills acquired during these courses will be utilized throughout the remainder of your Toy Design studio courses. TOYD 233 Visual Communication II3.0 UNITS To communicate effectively, a designer should have a broad range of both traditional and digital drawing skills. In these on-campus courses, you will develop your ability to communicate ideas through drawing from quick ideation sketches to final illustrations. Through the study of shape, perspective, style, use of character, and storytelling, students will learn to communicate with compelling, dynamic drawings. On the digital side, you’ll learn how to take a concept from rough sketch to a refined set of technical illustrations. You’ll learn Adobe digital tools that will enable you to produce drawings that accurately convey your design intent and serve as a blueprint when creating a prototype model. The skills acquired during these courses will be utilized throughout the remainder of your Toy Design studio courses. TOYD 232 - Visual Communication I is a prerequisite for TOYD 233 - Visual Communication II TOYD 242 Design Prototyping I3.0 UNITS As a Toy Designer, it’s essential to know how to translate your 2D concepts into 3D form. These on-campus classes will equip you with practical prototyping skills and vocabulary that will enable you to develop and communicate your designs accurately. With guidance from your instructor, you’ll work in the model shop, and learn to use the tools, equipment, and machinery. You’ll integrate these skills and techniques into your concepts, developing an understanding of the design and development process. Ultimately, these courses will provide you with working knowledge in the processes and techniques used in model-making for the toy industry. Fabrication, sculpting, molding, and casting will be taught through lectures and hands-on experience. With the building blocks learned throughout the year, you can move on with confidence to more advanced prototyping in subsequent courses. TOYD 243 Design Prototyping II3.0 UNITS As a Toy Designer, it’s essential to know how to translate your 2D concepts into 3D form. These on-campus classes will equip you with practical prototyping skills and vocabulary that will enable you to develop and communicate your designs accurately. With guidance from your instructor, you’ll work in the model shop, and learn to use the tools, equipment, and machinery. You’ll integrate these skills and techniques into your concepts, developing an understanding of the design and development process. Ultimately, these courses will provide you with working knowledge in the processes and techniques used in model-making for the toy industry. Fabrication, sculpting, molding, and casting will be taught through lectures and hands-on experience. With the building blocks learned throughout the year, you can move on with confidence to more advanced prototyping in subsequent courses. TOYD 242 - Design Prototyping I is a prerequisite for TOYD 243 - Design Prototyping II TOYD 302 Toy Design III3.0 UNITS Students will apply principles they have learned in Toy Design I and II to create original toys across categories such as Dolls, Action Figures, Vehicles and Playets, which can be expanded to become a toy brand with line extensions. Story-based toys and line extensions are important in building toy brands. In these on-campus courses, you will conceptualize and bring a character based product line to life. Storyboarding will be utilized to show how the characters live in their world. You will also create your own accessory as a stand-alone item or to complement your existing toy line. Advanced presentation and building techniques will be used to showcase toy concepts and features. Students will learn the most effective methods of presenting their toy concepts visually, demonstrating new features digitally when it is the most effective way of communicating play patterns and function. Corporate sponsored projects may occur during either semester, but regardless, critiques will include visiting toy industry professionals. TOYD 201 - Toy Design II is a prerequisite for TOYD 302 - Toy Design III TOYD 303 Toy Design IV3.0 UNITS Students will apply principles they have learned in Toy Design I and II to create original toys across categories such as Dolls, Action Figures, Vehicles and Playets, which can be expanded to become a toy brand with line extensions. Story-based toys and line extensions are important in building toy brands. In these on-campus courses, you will conceptualize and bring a character based product line to life. Storyboarding will be utilized to show how the characters live in their world. You will also create your own accessory as a stand-alone item or to complement your existing toy line. Advanced presentation and building techniques will be used to showcase toy concepts and features. Students will learn the most effective methods of presenting their toy concepts visually, demonstrating new features digitally when it is the most effective way of communicating play patterns and function. Corporate sponsored projects may occur during either semester, but regardless, critiques will include visiting toy industry professionals. TOYD 302 - Toy Design III is a prerequisite for TOYD 303 - Toy Design IV TOYD 334 Visual Communication III3.0 UNITS Sketching original characters and developing storyboards is an effective way of communicating original concepts and features of toys and related accessories. In this on-campus drawing and portfolio development class, you’ll acquire advanced skills in the theory and practice of sketching, drawing, and rendering techniques as applied to toy products. You’ll design a logo and create a promotional sheet that reflects your graphic skill and creative styling with best-in-class examples of your work. You will also concentrate on the creation, organization, and presentation of your portfolio. Finally, you’ll write a résumé that expresses your creativity and design experience with links to a digital portfolio. TOYD 233 - Visual Communication II is a prerequisite for TOYD 334 - Visual Communication III TOYD 340 Design Prototyping III3.0 UNITS The use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs is an essential and necessary skill in the field of Toy Design. These on-campus courses focus on 3D modeling programs such as Rhino, which is often used in the construction of prototype models. You’ll learn modeling and prototyping techniques used in the toy industry. These courses combine instruction on the computer with guidance on the standards required to produce 3D models through output to a rapid prototyping machine. Students will progress to more advanced modeling techniques and will continue to develop their rendering and animation skills. You’ll be introduced to programs such as Adobe After Effects to create more compelling digital video presentations with animation, titles, sound effects, and transitions. Students will be able to apply acquired learning to improve all their toy design projects and presentations. TOYD 343 Design Prototyping IV3.0 UNITS The use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs is an essential and necessary skill in the field of Toy Design. These on-campus courses focus on 3D modeling programs such as Rhino, which is often used in the construction of prototype models. You’ll learn modeling and prototyping techniques used in the toy industry. These courses combine instruction on the computer with guidance on the standards required to produce 3D models through output to a rapid prototyping machine. Students will progress to more advanced modeling techniques and will continue to develop their rendering and animation skills. You’ll be introduced to programs such as Adobe After Effects to create more compelling digital video presentations with animation, titles, sound effects, and transitions. Students will be able to apply acquired learning to improve all their toy design projects and presentations. TOYD 340 - Design Prototyping III is a prerequisite for TOYD 343 - Design Prototyping IV (3.00) TOYD 404 Toy Design V3.0 UNITS In this advanced level on-campus course, students will continue in their development of conceptual, technical, and creative skills and methodologies relating to toy design across categories such as Games, Collectibles or a category of their choice. Toy Design studio courses may be sponsored, in which case the toy category or brand would be predetermined. TOYD 303 - Toy Design IV is a prerequisite for TOYD 404 - Toy Design V TOYD 405 Toy Design Vi3.0 UNITS The focus of this advanced level on-campus course is professional preparation and presentation of a collected body of work to be displayed at the Annual Senior Exhibition. Seniors will participate individually and work cooperatively as a class to prepare. Seniors will plan and execute a formal exhibition with each student having their own designated “gallery space” where they will display selected projects that showcase their best work. Students will participate in the scheduled event with industry professionals. In addition, the class will work together to curate and create a class website. Each student will also have completed a personal design website, pdf portfolio, resume, promo sheet, and contribute work to the online Otis Senior Exhibition. All required TOYD courses must be completed or in progress and students must be eligible for Commencement in order to participate in TOYD 405 - Toy Design VI TOYD 436 Visual Communication IV3.0 UNITS This advanced on-campus computer lab course featuring programs in the Adobe Creative Suite allows you to apply your skills and knowledge to improve ongoing projects and enhance your portfolio. Students may have participated in summer internships where they gained real world experience and will be able to apply that learning as well as their classroom experience to design and prepare their final projects, portfolio, and senior show. The course covers a wide range of Advanced Photoshop techniques, including AI Art integration into your ideation process and how to prepare your digital assets for senior show. TOYD 437 Package Design3.0 UNITS Branding and packaging play a pivotal role in the success of toy products. This on-campus course emphasizes developing branding strategies and creating three-dimensional package mockups to address a range of packaging styles and retail challenges. In conjunction with marketing considerations, package design must also account for storage, safety, and sustainability factors. Participants can tackle these issues while implementing unique graphic treatments on full-color 3D mockup packages. Upon course completion, attendees will understand various packaging types, including the closed box, window box, tray box, and blister card options. They will recognize the significance of effective communication on packaging to engage consumers. TOYD 442 Design Prototyping V3.0 UNITS The use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs is an essential and necessary skill in the field of Toy Design. These on-campus courses focus on 3D modeling programs such as ZBrush, which is often used in the construction of prototype models. You’ll learn advanced modeling and prototyping techniques used in the toy industry. These courses combine instruction on the computer with guidance on the standards required to produce 3D models through output to a rapid prototyping machine. TOYD 443 Design Prototyping Vi3.0 UNITS The use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs is an essential and necessary skill in the field of Toy Design. These on-campus courses focus on 3D modeling programs such as ZBrush, which is often used in the construction of prototype models. You’ll learn advanced modeling and prototyping techniques used in the toy industry. These courses combine instruction on the computer with guidance on the standards required to produce 3D models through output to a rapid prototyping machine. TOYD 442 – Design Prototyping V is a prerequisite for TOYD 443 – Design Prototyping VI TOYD 452 Professional Development I3.0 UNITS This two-course professional development series requires students to engage in an immersive manner on career development and working professionalism by exploring and participating in all facets of career development in the toy and related industries. These classes are part of a professional development journey that requires each student to engage in a path of focused study of working professionalism by actively participating in and interacting with classroom simulations, industry speakers, and seminars that will bring the toy industry directly to the classroom in a one-of-kind hands on experience. Students will gain an understanding of toy industry practices across the board. It introduces core behaviors, business and industry concepts including but not limited to advertising, brand directional outlines, consumer behavior, costing, legal, logistics, marketing, marketing research, management, manufacturing, merchandising, operations, pricing, product development, sales, and social media as well as workplace recognition and decolonization. Students will understand how this industry scaffold impacts design and how it will affect them as designers. TOYD 453 Professional Development II3.0 UNITS This two-course professional development series requires students to engage in an immersive manner on career development and working professionalism by exploring and participating in all facets of career development in the toy and related industries. These classes are part of a professional development journey that requires each student to engage in a path of focused study of working professionalism by actively participating in and interacting with classroom simulations, industry speakers, and seminars that will bring the toy industry directly to the classroom in a one-of-kind hands on experience. Students will gain an understanding of toy industry practices across the board. It introduces core behaviors, business and industry concepts including but not limited to advertising, brand directional outlines, consumer behavior, costing, legal, logistics, marketing, marketing research, management, manufacturing, merchandising, operations, pricing, product development, sales, and social media as well as workplace recognition and decolonization. Students will understand how this industry scaffold impacts design and how it will affect them as designers. TOYD 452 - Professional Development I is a prerequisite for TOYD 453 - Professional Development II TYPOGRAPHY ELECTIVE (TYPG) TYPG 299 Typography Elective3.0 UNITS Choose from: GDES/220 Typography I GDES/221 Typography II GDES/320 Typography III TGDES/321 Typography IV GDES312 Experimental Typography GDES312 Experimental Type in Motion GDES/315 Experimental Typography For The Web ILUS220 Type for Illustrators