Curriculum for Graphic Design & Visual Communication Major

Your career in graphic design and visual communication begins now with Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum. Discover the difference that doing on day one has on your success.

Graphic Design & Visual Communication Curriculum

Our Upside-Down Curriculum is designed to prepare graphic design and visual communication students like you with a comprehensive understanding of the principles, techniques, methods of successfully communicating ideas and messages visually. It offers a strong foundation in art design and history, theory, criticism, and practical skills including communication and professionalism necessary for success in the graphic design and visual communication field.

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including web design, art history, image technology, typography, and form in motion. Students gain a deep understanding of design and develop a versatile toolkit of skills throughout their studies. Plus, it emphasizes a hands-on approach to learning, giving you opportunities to engage in applied projects, internships, and field experiences that provide practical applications of graphic design and visual design theories and concepts.

Interested in studying abroad for a semester? We’ve designed the curriculum so you can take a semester studying abroad without getting behind on required courses for your major.

Learning Outcomes for Graphic Design & Visual Communication

First Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- ART 111 Digital Photography —OR— GDV 110 Image Technology
- GDV 201 Introduction to Typography
- MTH XXX Math Elective
- COR 103 Navigating Your Information Landscape
- COR 104 First Year Inquiry: Making, Doing, &
Second Year
Fall Semester
- GVD 200 Design & Communication
- GVD 203 Form in Motion
- ART 220 Design History & Theory I
- COR 201 Core Foundations: Making Meaning Through Science
- COR 202 Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Spring Semester
- GDV 290 Design Systems
- XXX General Elective
- VCD 270 Intermediate Typography
- COR 203 Core Foundations: Making Meaning Through Culture
- COR 204 Theoretical Perspectives
Third Year
Fall Semester
- ART 320 Design History & Theory II
- VCD 300 Projects in Graphic Design I
- VCD 301 Advanced Typography
  —OR—
  VCD 307 Form in Motion II
- XXX Program Elective (ART or VCD)
- COR 301 Core Foundations: Connecting Place and Identity
- COR 302 Field Methods
Spring Semester
- XXX General Elective
- XXX Program Elective (ART or VCD)
- SCI XXX Science w/Lab
- COR 303 Core Foundations: Connecting Past and Present
- COR 304 Digital Methods
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
- CCC 410 College Capstone
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX Program Elective
Spring Semester
- VCD 450 Portfolio Studio
- VCD 400 Projects in Graphic Design II
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX Program Elective
- XXX General Elective

A studio course emphasizing a creative discovery of two-dimensional forms. Students will consider the nature and importance of light, values and graphic composition in selectively seeing and recording a visual world.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

This course is a survey of Western and Non-Western art, architecture, and other forms of visual expression. Students will examine and critically engage with artifacts, and will consider the formal, conceptual, spiritual, social, political, economic, and cultural influences in the development of art.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

A rewarding practice in any visual art discipline begins with language of vision. In this course you will explore the dynamics of two-dimensional form, beginning with basic compositional study using only black and white forms, and then more complex projects incorporating principles of tonality and color theory. You will also be developing your skills in physical artwork, essential to later course work. Basic art supplies are required; a packet is available in the College Bookstore, or contact the instructor or department prior to the semester for the list.

Prerequisites	Visual Communication Design, Graphic Design, Game Art, and Game Design majors only
Credits	3

Why go to college? What does it mean to be educated? In this course you'll begin to answer these questions. We'll explore the academic expectations of higher education, college as a diverse community, and the significance of education around the world. By examining how these issues are negotiated and implemented at Champlain and elsewhere, you'll gain perspective on your own education and a deeper understanding of the ways that the college experience can be both liberating and transformative.

Prerequisites	Take Cor-102 concurrently.
Credits	3

Inquiry is about learning how to ask the right kinds of questions, and figuring out how to answer those questions through discussion and reflection. This course introduces you to the types of inquiry necessary to succeed at Champlain and beyond. You will explore the intersections of reading, writing, and thinking by focusing on a specific topic or theme. You will approach that focus through the interrogation of relevant texts and analysis that draws upon multiple analytical frameworks. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take COR-101 concurrently.
Credits	3

With the advent of digital technology, the pleasure of taking and viewing digital photographs and video clips is now commonplace. The professional designer, however, must be able to control this technology to a much greater degree than does the layperson, and to that end this course introduces you to the finer points of planning, capturing, transferring, modifying, and formatting your still and video imagery for use in successful graphic design projects. While students may borrow both digital still- and video-cameras from the College free of charge, owning a good SLR digital camera would be very helpful; ask the instructor for recommendations.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Students are introduced to the basic concepts of digital image-making through projects that balance the learning of creative development, technique, and design tools as they pertain to the Graphic Design field.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

An understanding of typography is fundamental to your professional graphic design practice. Through an historical overview of the evolution of letterforms, you will understand the visual evolution of the Latin alphabet as a result of social, cultural, and technical influences. You will gain an understanding of the nuances of type design and develop proficiency in speaking the language of type specification, in creating beautiful designs using letterforms and blocks of text, and in setting typography digitally.

Prerequisites	VCD- 100 or approval of Dean.
Credits	3

What makes an argument good or bad? What counts as evidence in our post-truth world? How can you understand and assess the truth value of a claim when you're not an expert? In this course you'll learn rhetorical strategies about how to examine arguments and types of evidence in different disciplines and fields of study. To help learn these strategies, you will do close readings of texts from a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences, popular culture, and social media.

Prerequisites	Take COR-104 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course introduces you to interdisciplinary inquiry using applied, project-based, and/or experiential methods. Regardless of the specific course focus, you'll have opportunities for making and doing interdisciplinary knowledge creation through a variety of approaches and activities. You will collaborate with other students, iterate on ideas, and work to develop a project. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take Cor-103 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course will include both cultural immersion sessions and exploration and analysis of the culture through the lens of the fine arts. Students will meet weekly with their instructor to discuss their explorations and intercultural interactions. The semester will conclude with the students creating a presentation that highlights their experiences and learning. Their presentations will be shared with the Champlain community the following term.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Science holds an elevated place in society. The knowledge and meaning that science makes are seen as having a particular and special value. This course explores knowledge and meaning making in order to allow a thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, science as a way of knowing, and then engages with the methods and theories of the sciences themselves, to understand the analytical, creative, and generative possibilities of science.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

While each section of COR 202 addresses a different problem, issue, or topic, they all focus on interdisciplinary research. You will collect, analyze, and assess information from different disciplines in order to recognize patterns, contextualize arguments and synthesize ideas while collaborating on a project. Emphasis will be placed on helping you translate and apply what you learn about interdisciplinary research to other professional contexts. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

Students will employ effective visual communication strategies and adopt a user-centered methodology to craft aesthetically compelling designs that cross media. This course prepares students for the dynamic shifts in the design industry through the acquisition of a comprehensive skill set, spanning both traditional and emerging design platforms. Learning focuses on the integration of design elements within diverse systems and cultivates capabilities in critical thinking and problem-solving.

Prerequisites	Take 1 course: GDV-100 GDV-110 GAA-105 IXD-200
Credits	3

Culture impacts everything we do, experience, and learn, but what is culture? Where does it come from, how does it form, and why does it have such a wide and deep impact on people's lives? This course explores culture as a system of meaning and meaning-making in order to allow for a more thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, cultural texts and media using different methodological approaches.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In this course, you will go in depth about a theoretical perspective that asks you to interrogate systems of power and power relationships. You will learn about the history of that perspective, including how it too was shaped by multiple contexts and compares with other viewpoints. You will use that perspective to analyze a specific topic, collection of texts, or cultural phenomena. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

This course begins in the 1960s and delves into both the creative works and ground-breaking texts that moved the graphic designer through modernism into postmodernism and beyond. During this period, graphic designers challenged the notion of universality, considered the endless diversity of individuals and communities, and engaged with the constantly changing meaning of visual forms.

Prerequisites	Complete 60 credits.
Credits	3

Where we are shapes how we understand ourselves and each other. In this course, we will dig into the relationship between place and identity. We will learn how to think spatially, recognizing how one's identity is situated within and constructed through movement through different spaces--be they natural and built environments, rural and urban, or actual and virtual. COR 301 will help us understand the complex meanings of identity in a world defined by movement and change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Field methods are a collection of practices used in the sciences, arts, and humanities to understand phenomena in situ or as it is happening in a specific time and place. In this course, we will apply one or more field methods to research a topic, theme, or question that varies by section. We will learn practices associated with research in the field including but not limited to participant observation, data collection, and experimentation in order to navigate an uncontrolled environment. We will also examine the power dynamics between the researcher, informant, and subject matter to help us understand how, if not practiced ethically, field methods can create or reinforce biases rather than helping us learn with and make sense of the world around us. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

By learning from the past, we can make sense of the present and prepare for the future. In this course, we will learn how the 21st century has been and continues to be shaped by past social practices, ethical frameworks, power relations, and discourses. COR 303 is a course about how we know what we know about the past, and the ways different narratives about the past shape the present. Making connections between past and present will help us better understand how to live and make decisions in a globalized world defined by constant change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Digital methods are widely used forms of inquiry that employ technological tools to interrogate research questions important to the humanities and sciences (including the social sciences). Some examples include digital archiving, data mining, and story mapping. In this course, we will use one or more digital methods or tools to research a topic, theme or question that varies by section, with the express purpose of critiquing and reflecting on its application. This includes an examination of the values, flaws, and impacts of the methods or tools we are using, paying particular attention to their ethical implications and power dynamics. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

The college capstone is an opportunity for students to pursue a self-directed experience in their professional program that intentionally integrates their liberal learning in the Core curriculum with their program learning. In addition to the substantive professional-based hands-on project in this class, the capstone will include a professional ethics component and a self-evaluation/self-reflection component.

Prerequisites	Must complete COR-310, COR-320, and two sections of COR-330 All Game majors (EGPR.BS, GDES.BS, GART.BS must also complete EGD-320 with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	5

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