Program Overview

School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication offers a comprehensive program in Arts and Technology with an Animation Concentration. This program provides students with a thorough grounding in the mutually productive interaction of technology with the arts, with specific emphasis on the interplay of visual art, music, and narrative with the new modes of expression and communication that have emerged from the convergence of computing and media technologies.

Program Description

The program stresses not only the creation but also the potential applications and cultural implications of interactive media. Students majoring in Arts and Technology will be required to channel selected coursework according to individual needs and specialties. Particular attention should be given to the Prescribed Electives for the major, and close consultation with academic advisors is recommended. By selecting courses from a variety of the remaining elective headings, students are able to combine courses in technology and fine arts with coursework in literary criticism and interpretation, creative writing and translation, and linguistics and languages.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in Arts and Technology with Animation Concentration requires 120 semester credit hours.

Core Curriculum Requirements

• Communication: 6 semester credit hours
  • COMM 1311 Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication
  • RHET 1302 Rhetoric
• Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours
  • Choose one course from the following:
    • MATH 1306 College Algebra for the Non-Scientist
    • MATH 1314 College Algebra
  • Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Mathematics core courses
• Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours
  • Select any 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences core courses
• Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours
  • Choose one course from the following:
    • HUMA 1301 Exploration of the Humanities
    • LIT 2331 Masterpieces of World Literature
    • PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy
    • PHIL 2316 History of Philosophy I
    • PHIL 2317 History of Philosophy II
  • Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture core courses
• Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours
  • Choose one course from the following:
    • ARTS 1301 Exploration of the Arts
    • AHST 1303 Survey of Western Art History: Ancient to Medieval
    • AHST 1304 Survey of Western Art History: Renaissance to Modern
    • AHST 2331 Understanding Art
    • DANC 1310 Understanding Dance
    • DRAM 1310 Understanding Theater
    • FILM 2332 Understanding Film
    • MUSI 1306 Understanding Music
• American History: 6 semester credit hours
  • Choose two courses from the following:
    • HIST 1301 U.S. History Survey to Civil War
    • HIST 1302 U.S. History Survey from Civil War
    • HIST 2301 History of Texas
    • HIST 2330 Themes and Ideas in American History
    • HIST 2332 Civil War and Reconstruction
• Government / Political Science: 6 semester credit hours
  • GOVT 2305 American National Government
  • GOVT 2306 State and Local Government
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours
  • Select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral Sciences core courses
• Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours
  • Choose two courses from the following or other Component Area Option
    • ARHM 2340 Creativity
    • ARHM 2341 Global Media
    • ARHM 2342 Connections in the Arts and Humanities
    • ARHM 2343 Science and the Humanities
    • ARHM 2344 World Cultures

Major Requirements, Lower-Division

• 21 semester credit hours
• ARTS 1316 Drawing Foundations
• ATEC 2326 Computer Animation Processes
• ATEC 2340 Project Management for Arts and Technology
• ATEC 2382 Computer Imaging
• ATEC 2384 Design I
• CS 1335 Computer Science I for Non-majors
• CS 2335 Computer Science II for Non-majors

Major Requirements, Upper-Division

• 24 semester credit hours
• Major Core Courses
  • Any 3000-level or 4000-level Art History (AHST) course
  • or DRAM 3323 Performance in Historical Context
  • or FILM 3321 Film in Historical Context
  • or MUSI 3322 Music in Historical Context
• ATEC 3317 Modeling and Texturing I
• or ATEC 3327 Lighting and Composition I
• or ATEC 3328 Rigging I
• or ATEC 3336 Computer Animation I
• ATEC 3320 Digital Content Design and Usability
• or ATEC 3325 Introduction to Computer Mediated Communication
• ATEC 3329 Tools Development for Arts and Technology
• or CS 3360 Computer Graphics for Artists and Designers
• or CS 4352 Human Computer Interaction I
• ATEC 3330 Digital Video Production I
• or ARTS 3371 Photography: Black/White
• or ARTS 3372 Photography: Color
• or ARTS 3377 Photography: Altered Image
• or ARTS 3379 Photography: New Media
• or ARTS 4368 Advanced Visual Arts
• ATEC 3384 Design II
• ATEC 4380 Capstone Project
• or ATEC 4381 Senior Seminar
• HIST 3328 History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine
• or HIST 3337 Technology and Western Civilization
• or HIST 3374 American Technological Development
• or LIT 3316 The Literature of Science Fiction
• or LIT 3334 Literature of Science

Elective Requirements

• 33 semester credit hours
• Prescribed Electives: 15 semester credit hours
  • Choose any five courses from the following: at least 2 must be 4000 level
    • ATEC 3315 Motion Graphics
    • ATEC 3316 Procedural Animation
    • ATEC 3317 Modeling and Texturing I
    • ATEC 3318 Pre-Production Design I
    • ATEC 3327 Lighting and Composition I
    • ATEC 3328 Rigging I
    • ATEC 3329 Tools Development for Arts and Technology
    • ATEC 3336 Computer Animation I
    • ATEC 3370 Topics in Arts and Technology
    • ATEC 4318 Pre-Production Design II
    • ATEC 4322 Digital Sculpting
    • ATEC 4328 Rigging II
    • ATEC 4336 Computer Animation II
    • ATEC 4339 Special Effects
    • ATEC 4345 Motion Capture Animation
    • ATEC 4348 Modeling and Texturing II
    • ATEC 4349 Lighting and Composition II
    • ATEC 4351 Animation Studio I
    • ATEC 4352 Animation Studio II
    • ATEC 4356 Computer Animation III
    • ATEC 4370 Special Topics in Arts and Technology
    • ATEC 4371 Topics in Animation
• Free Electives: 18 semester credit hours
  • Both upper-and lower-division courses may be used as electives, but students must complete at least 51 semester credit hours of upper-division courses to qualify for graduation.

Faculty

The faculty for the Arts and Technology program includes:

• Professors: Anne Balsamo, Frank Dufour, Monica Evans, Paul Fishwick, Roger Malina, Mihai Nadin
• Clinical Professors: Elizabeth (Lisa) Bell, Michael Breault, Tim Christopher, Carie King, Paul Lester
• Professor of Practice: Marjorie Zielke
• Associate Professors: Christine (xtine) Burrough, Eric Farrar, Todd Fechter, Scot Gresham-Lancaster, Rosanna Guadagno, Midori Kitagawa, Kim Knight, Maximilian Schich, Andrew Scott, Dean Terry
• Clinical Associate Professors: Cassini Nazir, Derek Royal, Harold (Chip) Wood
• Assistant Professors: Olivia Banner, Kristin Drogos, Phillip Hall, Casey Johnson, Angela M. Lee, Sean McComber, Ryan McMahan, Josef Nguyen
• Clinical Assistant Professors: Janet Johnson, Jillian Round, Michael Stephens
• Senior Lecturers: Elizabeth Boyd, Christopher Camacho, Filip Celander, Melissa Hernandez-Katz, Christina Nielsen, Barbara Vance