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Timeline

The timeline project was the first of the three. It involved an initial investigation into traditional and non-traditional timelines. A timeline is an interesting way to begin learning about the interaction of pictures symbols and text. I think an bit too much emphasis was put on this part of the class and there could easily have been less time and effort devoted to the understanding of the word picture relationships and a lot more time devoted to actually working with them. The analysis part of the project was important to get people involved in actually making the connections of the word and picture relationships.

357 reflection

This was my final portfolio for the English 357 class at North Dakota State University entitled “Visual Culture and Language”. The instructor was Kevin Brooks and it was a 3 credit hour class. The class was a required course for the program I am currently ernrolled at NDSU. I readily acknowledge the need for my communication skills to be as strong as possible especially in the field of architecture which is indeed my ultimate goal as of right now. I believe this class has offered me some insight into the relationships between us as a culture and the constant information we are bombarded with every day. Three major projects took place during the duration of this course each one involving an analysis portion and a production portion. The first was a timeline project, second was a photo essay, and third was a video remix project. Displayed here in my portfolio are my answers to the three individual projects’ criteria. I think each project had its own pros and cons as did the class and instructor as a whole but overall the summation of all of these served as a cohesive venture into the study of visual culture and language.

Photo Essay

The photo essay assignment was a great assignment that had the ability to really open people’s eyes to the possibility of using a series of pictures to tell an entire story either completely by themselves or with minimal textual assistance. Although the photo essay is not a new concept it does work well to reiterate the concepts introduced in the previous timeline assignment. Because this course was intended to be rooted a little more in technology than a typical English class I believe that some of the time from the timeline assignment could have been reserved for this unit. It would have made sense that a little more time was used to learn about the photo manipulation part of photography. I also think that there needs to be less structure in the criteria (written or not) for the grading of the timelines. Less structure and guidelines lead to new ways of thinking about things and new ways of using old ideas and new technologies.

Video Essay

This unit was really, as intended, the pinnacle of the course. It was a proper mix of technology and traditional process. Basically it is the course. This was the section that taught me the most. Even without books and assigned and scheduled reading it is possible to learn a great deal. I can’t help but think how much more involved and interested I could have been if the entire course was as interesting. The best part was the creative freedom. There were far fewer rules for this project. As I said before, with less rules come greater freedom to explore what things really mean. After working on my project and viewing the completed work of others in the class I was really satisfied with this final part of the course. I can’t help but wonder what if the entire course was just based on the remix portion. I believe it would allow people to become far more involved and enthusiastic about the idea of visual culture and language. The most important thing however is to make sure the structure is very loose (regarding the criteria for the assignments) so as to create a more inviting environment into a topic new to many people.

The Class and Instructor

I believe that in middle and upper level college courses especially one of this nature there needs to be far less structure by criteria and instructor preferences. I realize I’ve beaten this idea totally senseless and maybe my experience with my architecture classes have a lot to do with my impressions however I believe that this class was intended as a design class and with that intention there needs to be room to move around and work outside of the rules and guidelines. A bit more time should have been spent on integrating more technology into the course; but at the same time if all the new ideas are shunned by a student or two and they are still able to make their point and communicate their intended message there should be no dock to score. A design course on communication should be about the message and its effectiveness not the way it was created.
The McCloud book was an excellent addition to the course as was “The Medium is the Massage.” Both of these books have a direct bearing on the courses intended message and are helpful in the interesting way they use to convey important information. The third book “Complete History of Photography” from National Geographic was a bit unnecessary. The pertinent information could be gleaned from this book and the money saved in the future.
Kevin Brooks as an instructor seemed to know the material well and had an understanding of the books used and the authors of them. He seemed to maintain a laid back attitude towards the going on during class time which worked well early Monday mornings. One thing I found a little annoying was the updates and e-mails between classes. I realize that we should be checking our e-mail but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. If changes are to be made I think they ought to be made during class and left unaltered until the following class unless they are of the utmost importance, even then if intentions fail to be communicated it shouldn’t be held against those people. Kevin seemed extremely excited about the third and final unit on remix. This leads me to once again suggest that maybe this could be a much larger part of the class; it is just so important to remember in a genre such as remix creative solutions should never be hindered by rules.

Conclusion

Overall the class achieved what I think it was intended to and I ended up learning a thing or three about visual communication, a skill that continues to be important to both my education and business ventures. I will be retaining the book “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud. I believe this book was well worth the money and will serve a useful purpose amongst the stack of reference books I have on the shelf. I still think more time should have been spent on actually integrating technology into the course but also realize that just as technology and ideas change so do these courses. In conclusion a successful class and I am always thankful for anything I learn that can improve my personal or professional self. Good luck in years to come!