Department boasts new concentration
Lauren Haynes
Issue date: 4/15/10 Section: Features
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The curriculum will combine photography, video and other time-based media courses, some of which have been offered since fall 2009.
"The concentration is brand new and has not been announced or promoted," Jessica Westbrook, a professor of both photo media arts and graphic design courses, said. "Every semester for the next few years, the new courses will be made accessible. Up to this point, all of the photo and media art courses have filled, with waiting lists."
Photography I and II are the equivalents to 101 and 102 courses for a student pursuing a photography and media arts concentration for an art major.
Prior to the approval of the photography and media arts concentration, photography I and II were the only two photography classes available at UTC.
Now students can explore the media arts through classes such as video art I and II, history of time-based media, as well as a variety of special topics courses.
Interested students can expect to be exposed to a wide variety of software along with video, sound and various interactive technologies.
The curriculum teaches several software programs such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign that are valuable in many different fields of employment, according to Phillip Lewis, assistant photo and media arts professor.
"This has always been an evolving area highly affected by technology shifts," Lewis said. "We are in constant flux and will continue to adapt new materials and ideas into the program."
Currently, courses offered for the fall 2010 semester include photo 1, media art 2, photo and media arts studio 1, topics photo and media arts 1: expanded media, and topics photography and media arts 2: web and book for artists, along with the standard photography I and II.
Currently, it is possible to count the number of photography media majors on one hand.
Robert Parker, a sophomore from Ringgold, Ga., entered college as a computer science major then gravitated toward graphic design, finally settling with photography and media arts.
"When the option to major in photography and media art arose, I got on board right away," Parker said. "I can't wait to take more classes as I advance in the program."
For more information on classes and happenings visit the UTC photography and media arts Web site at http://utcphotograhy.blogspot.com.
