Program Overview

Program Overview

The certificate program in Arts and Humanities in Games is designed to train students to design, create, and analyze games from holistic and interdisciplinary perspectives. This program aims to understand the utilization, consumption, and impact of games in a diverse culture and society.

Program Description

The goal of this program is to make students' minds more supple, critical in thinking, and expansive through an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses the design, development, and qualitative study of toys and games. The program provides a complementary approach to the technically based study of games offered by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

At a Glance

• College/school: New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
• Location: West Valley

Curriculum

The certificate in Arts and Humanities in Games consists of 18 credit hours of coursework, of which a minimum of 12 hours must be upper division. A minimum of six upper-division credit hours must be earned through courses offered by the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. All courses used to satisfy requirements for the certificate must be completed with a grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) or better.

Required Courses

• Required Foundational Course: IAP 220 Games, Culture and Aesthetics (GCSI) - 3 Credit Hours, Minimum Grade: C
• Game Emphasis Area: Students select and complete one emphasis area (comprised of two required courses and one elective course). At least six hours must be upper division.
  • Game Sound Emphasis:
    • Required courses: IAP 362 Games and Narratology, IAP 421 Composition: Process, Technique and Style or IAP 469 Advanced Audio Production
    • Elective: IAP 322 Multitrack Digital Recording, IAP 325 Sound Performance: Exploring Alternative Performance Groups
  • Game Writing Emphasis:
    • Required courses: IAP 362 Games and Narratology, IAP 494 Topic: Scriptwriting for Games
    • Elective: ENG 379 Travel Writing, ENG 388 Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop in Fiction: Form, Theory, and Practice, IAP 222 Games and Ethics (HUAD), IAP 368 Digital Graphic Technologies, IAP 462 Games and Play (SOBE)
  • Toys and Game Culture Emphasis:
    • Required courses: IAP 222 Games and Ethics (HUAD), IAP 462 Games and Play (SOBE)
    • Elective: COM 312 Communication, Conflict, and Negotiation (CIVI), COM 324 Rhetoric and Media Criticism, COM 416 Gender and Race in the Media, COM 429 Visual Communication and Semiotics, ENG 449 Masculinities, Femininities and Literacies, IAP 464 Media and Diversity (HUAD), IAP 494 Topic: Cyberfeminist Cultural Production
  • Toys and Games as Works of Art Emphasis:
    • Required courses: IAP 362 Games and Narratology, IAP 462 Games and Play (SOBE)
    • Elective: IAP 352 Seeing and Drawing, IAP 354 Visual Representation, IAP 366 3D Modeling and Media Literacy (HUAD), IAP 368 Digital Graphic Technologies
• Portfolio:
  • IAP 495 Playworks Capstone I - 3 Credit Hours, Minimum Grade: C
  • IAP 496 Playworks Capstone II - 3 Credit Hours, Minimum Grade: C

Enrollment Requirements

This certificate is open to students in any major. Students who wish to pursue this certificate should consult an academic advisor in the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies to ensure that the appropriate set of courses is taken. A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded before an undergraduate degree is completed. A student who already holds an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:

• Apply principles of semiotics to the design and evaluation of games and toys.
• Implement effective marketing strategies to promote creative work

Career Opportunities

The certificate in Arts and Humanities in Games is appropriate for students who are seeking employment as:

• artists
• board game designers
• game archivists and librarians
• game curators
• game sound designers
• game writers
• multimedia artists
• narrative designers
• video game designers

Additional Information

For more information about the program, including admission criteria, tuition fees, and research areas, please refer to the official program documentation.