Spring Quarter 2023

This course will cover the fundamentals of sound and how they are applied in a media environment to help communicate a message. The class will address the importance of sound in the pre-production process and how to properly prepare a project with a sound state of mind. In the production environment, students will learn the proper sound tools and techniques and how to use them to record clean, consistent and intelligible recordings.

This course provides students with information on how to obtain work and succeed as a television, film, voice over, or stage actor. This course prepares students for the actor's journey, with emphasis on career tools (resumés, headshots, reels, self-tapes), strategies, audition techniques, industry terminology, and extensive information about casting, representation, and union membership.

The student will learn the basics of scriptwriting and will combine this knowledge with previously acquired writing and storytelling skills to write an animated short film script. Students will hone their presentation skills to pitch their scripts. They will work in small groups, with instructor guidance, to create visual designs for characters and locations, character bios, storyboards, and an animation pitch bible.

As this course engages apparently timeless literary works from the classical tradition, it situates them within specific historical contexts. This approach enables students to come to both a greater appreciation of the enduring power of story, and a recognition of the relationship of works of art with their surrounding culture. Masterworks of pagan antiquity (Homer and/or Virgil) give way to key texts of early Christendom (Augustine, Beowulf, et al) in order to further illuminate the impact of Christian theology and anthropology on artists and thinkers in myriad disciplines.

This class is designed to help students develop drawing skills by translating what students observe about three-dimensional objects into lines and shapes on a two dimensional medium, while incorporating surface textures and varying line qualities into object and environment design concepts.

The student will study of ethical problems encountered in business and the foundational principles to inform decisions involving ethical issues. Topics include ethical concepts, personal integrity, conscience, loyalty and responsibility.

This introduction to screen acting begins by analyzing the similarities and differences between stage and screen acting. Course work continues into exercises that instruct students on basic screen techniques and will evolve into introductory scene work in front of the camera. 

This class will build on the skills learned in Fundamentals of Post-Production. Students will analyze different editing styles and techniques for impact and effectiveness. They will apply these different approaches in various exercises relating to pacing, rhythm, emotion, montage and style, as well as the interplay of picture and sound. The application of proper media management and workflow will also be incorporated.

As this course engages apparently timeless literary works from the classical tradition, it situates them within specific historical contexts. This approach enables students to come to both a greater appreciation of the enduring power of story, and a recognition of the relationship of works of art with their surrounding culture. Masterworks of pagan antiquity (Homer and/or Virgil) give way to key texts of early Christendom (Augustine, Beowulf, et al) in order to further illuminate the impact of Christian theology and anthropology on artists and thinkers in myriad disciplines.

While mainstream 21st century life operates in the arbitrary and meaningless condition that Pope St. John Paul II called a “culture of death,” the Catholic tradition holds out the enduring reality of human nature and its supernatural vocation to beatitude. Starting from Part Three of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this course introduces the Catholic vision of morality centered on the virtues and the attainment of the beatific vision. In his “theology of the body,” our university’s patron insists that the Catholic view of moral action centers on the meaningfulness of the human body. As such, the course gives special attention to JPII’s teaching on the “nuptial meaning” of the body as an alternative to postmodern voluntarist individualism.

This class is designed to help students develop drawing skills by translating what students observe about three-dimensional objects into lines and shapes on a two dimensional medium, while incorporating surface textures and varying line qualities into object and environment design concepts.

This is an introductory course to supply chain management (SCM). It provides an overview of the fundamental concepts, business processes and models/tools of SCM. The objective of this course is to identify problems, issues and strategies in today’s supply chain operations via real-world cases. Analytical models and technical tools are introduced as needed. This course combines SCM business knowledge with analytical thinking and pinpoints the role of SCM relative to other business disciplines.

This course explores the craft of screenwriting through analyzing and studying successful screenplays in a wide variety of genres and styles. Students read excerpts from numerous masterworks of screenwriting and strive to craft writing samples that achieve artistic and technical excellence guided and inspired by what they have read.

Fictional narrative, that human invention that trips so naturally from the tongues of children and grandparents alike, appears simple, even inevitable. Such appearances can be deceiving, however. Any narrative worthy of the name—one employing richly drawn characters and tensile plotting, and set down in lucid and evocative language—functions as a highly complex artistic organism. This course brings students to notice trademarks of excellent and lasting prose fiction, and to engage critically with prominent works so as to discern accurately between a masterpiece and a piece of pulp masquerading as well-hewn literature.

This course will familiarize students with fundamental scientific concepts and explore how the application of those concepts affects society and global economics. Topics include: the structure of the atom and its applications in biology and physics; circuits, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things; DNA, diseases, and vaccines. Each topic builds towards the question, "what does Catholic teaching tell us about how we as Christians live and participate in this rapidly changing world?" 

This course will familiarize students with fundamental scientific concepts and explore how the application of those concepts affects society and global economics. Topics include: the structure of the atom and its applications in biology and physics; circuits, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things; DNA, diseases, and vaccines. Each topic builds towards the question, "what does Catholic teaching tell us about how we as Christians live and participate in this rapidly changing world?" 

This course provides the student with the fundamental understandings of how financial issues impact the decision-making process in companies. Students learn the significance of costs, profitability, and the general financial consequences that result from day-to-day business decisions. They will learn strategies to make better investment and financing decisions in entrepreneurial settings. The course covers the stages of the company growth process, from startup to exit. The case studies cover technology-based businesses, with the emphasis on gaining financial insights. The course will introduce the student briefly to structuring multi-staged start-up financings, understanding business models, and valuing entrepreneurial ventures. The primary objective of this class is that students will be able to demonstrate, at a basic level, a global understanding of the knowledge and practice of the core business discipline of finance.

This class will approach the fundamentals of acting, structured for students outside the acting emphasis. Tools learned in class can be applied to directors, screenwriters, and storytellers of various genres.

This class is an exploration in modern electronic music, synthesizers, computer assisted rhythm, and production. Primarily demonstrated with third party software (ProTools and Ableton live), the student will produce electronic compositions and develop unique sonic environments. NOTE: Knowledge of musical fundamentals is helpful.

This course is an introductory-level course for students. Its intent is to give an in-depth understanding of the differences between—and similarities of—leadership and management. The course focuses on the major traits of leaders and managers, and augments these with examples of great historic leaders, including George Custer and Jesus Christ. The course also studies the many leadership traits of Abraham Lincoln and looks at how these can be applied in modern business to improve management techniques. As part of the learning process, students give summaries of Lincoln’s leadership lessons, using short, Power Point presentations.

This course will teach students how to write and speak effectively in business and other communication.

This final creative studio course is designed to help students finish their master-game prototype, test it and get it ready for publishing to the intended game platform.

A course designed for an aspiring entrepreneur to apply a proven process to generate leads for possible sales. Upon completion of the course, students will be prepared to assess marketing opportunities and target markets, as well as know how to integrate marketing and sales tactics/strategies to support business development. Students will implement a lead generation strategy for their individual venture or example business, and design a multipronged approach to reach the sphere of influence.

In this class, students will explore various techniques for modeling and sculpting organic assets using Maya and ZBrush. Students will produce low and high-poly animals and humans for animation and games. In addition, complementary techniques such as box modeling, edge loop modeling, UV layout, and texturing will be explored.

Students will continue their study of screenwriting with a focus on writing narrative films under 40 minutes in length. They will screen and analyze multiple examples of short cinema to gain an understanding of the qualities possessed by the best examples of the form. They will write numerous short scripts with the goal of generating one or more short scripts of high quality that can be produced either inside or outside the university setting. Students will critique one another's work with instructor supervision and guidance. Considerable time will be required for students to write. Students will read and respond to the required texts.

In this seminar-style class, students will use the fundamentals of film criticism to lead weekly 3 hour presentations (a lecture and an interactive discussion with peers) under the guidance of the instructor. Topics will include: genre, context of both the film and culture, director's background and intent, the process of making the film, and the cultural/critical response to and surrounding the film. The series of films will explore classic and contemporary works by some of mainstream cinema's successful outliers in an attempt to better understand: the principles of storytelling, the ways in which films become cultural artifacts, the filmmakers who make them, and the times in which they are made.

In this course students work closely with faculty and classmates as they pursue a writing project of their own choosing. The tutorial provides opportunities for formal and informal feedback as the quarter progresses, and the open structure and small class size aims to facilitate community-building and cross-pollination. Recommended readings are tailored to each student's specific project.

This course provides the student with the fundamental understandings of how the accounting process is used to measure and report economic events to outside stakeholders. The course focuses on fundamental concepts, required financial statements, and key relationships. The course emphasizes the role of accounting in decision making by investors, creditors, and regulators. The primary objective of this class is that students will be able to demonstrate, at a basic level, an understanding of the knowledge and practice of the core business discipline of accounting.

Students develop fundamental skills to effectively perform musical theatre songs. Students work toward producing a free sound without constriction by focusing on singing basics like resonance, diction, clear tone, and the release of physical constrictions. An introduction is made to the three main styles of vocal production: head register, chest register, and the mixed voice. Individual assessments help establish vocal range and reinforce a healthy voice and breath management. Students develop aural skills and directly apply them to sightsinging. Interval and rhythm recognition are the initial focus, with an introduction to the Moveable Do Solfege and numerical sightsinging methods. Melodic and rhythmic dictation is also explored. Individual private training will focus on each individual student's acquired foundation and develop more refined and nuanced vocal skills, including breath control, expanded vocal range, purity in vowels, projection, vocal dynamics, and techniques for singing a variety of musical genres.

The Producer:  Planning for Production provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the role of the film producer in five principle areas: 1) creative development, 2) packaging, 3) financing, 4) budgeting, scheduling and hiring, and 5) marketing and distribution.

This course provides advanced writing experience for students who have completed multiple scripts for the screen. Assignments will be individualized based on student experience, interest, and skill, and may include development and writing of feature film scripts, television episodes or pilots, short film scripts, and scripts for web-based distribution. Students may also rewrite existing works for which they've written earlier drafts. Students will read and lead discussions of numerous screenplays. Students will pitch their stories, and may be asked to pitch to students in other courses. Students will critique one another’s work in large and small groups, with instructor supervision and guidance. They will also develop a personalized career strategy as a writer for the screen. The knowledge, skills, and experience gained in this course will serve aspiring writers, writer-directors, and writer-producers for film, television, and new media. Considerable time will be required for students to write and develop scripts outside of class.

There is no counting the number of scholars, artists, and admirers who have gotten entirely knotted up contemplating the figure and literary output of William Shakespeare. By plunging into his dramatic works, students will grow entangled in the work of arguably the greatest literary writer in human history. Only by reckoning with the truly revolutionary impact of Shakespeare’s art—its massive literary and dramatic influence, and also its prompting for a new appreciation of what it means to be human—will they find themselves untied again.

This class builds on the topics covered in Hard Surface Modeling I and introduces modeling with NURBS. Students will explore the pros and cons of working with NURBS and model several kinds of vehicles.

This course serves as an introduction to the art of short story writing, providing students with the opportunity to engage in their own original work with foundational aspects of prose fiction.  Class discussions focus on the work of established masters of the short story form, and regular workshop sessions provide opportunities to explore and critique the stories of classmates, and to build a supportive community of writers in the process.

An analysis of music and social structures surrounding 20th Century American Music, including jazz, rock and roll, and hip-hop.

An introduction to the Real Estate industry. Course will show students how the industry functions from development and financing to sales and management. Both commercial and residental will be discussed.

This class focuses on applying industry-standard storyboarding and scripting techniques to Animation/Film production. Topics to be covered include the various purposes and formats of storyboards, the basic terminology and concepts used in storyboarding, and the application of storyboarding techniques to the creation of storyboards with or without a written script. Using Scripts, Sound Tracks, and Character Designs provided by the teacher, students create several Storyboards and presentation Animatics (movies of the Storyboard Panels that are timed to the Sound Tracks).

Actors collaborate with a select group of directors and cinematographers to craft compelling scenes in a narrative film environment. Scenes are performed and captured on set with active mentorship from faculty to foster fruitful collaborations between actors and directors. Students study their work in post production to develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist within narrative filmmaking to craft a dynamic performance.

This builds upon the collaboration between students that begins in Feature Film: Pre-Production II. Students are invited to participate in various roles as the pre-production process progresses from creative development through scheduling, budgeting, casting, camera and lighting tests, scouting locations, storyboarding, and more.

Students conduct research on a primary text and write a lengthy paper, practicing revision and editing skills as they develop their original theses.  This class encourages a “close reading” of a primary text, requires students to build an annotated bibliography to evaluate secondary and tertiary source material, and introduces rhetorical concepts in the effort to help students become stronger readers and writers.

Students conduct research on a primary text and write a lengthy paper, practicing revision and editing skills as they develop their original theses.  This class encourages a “close reading” of a primary text, requires students to build an annotated bibliography to evaluate secondary and tertiary source material, and introduces rhetorical concepts in the effort to help students become stronger readers and writers.

Drawing from draped models with props and controlled lighting. Students examine the rendering of draped, multi-textured fabric; pattern repeats in textile art; structural fit and accessories as they apply to the human figure. Manipulation of composition, light, shadow, value, color, proportion, and scale are explored to achieve mood, gesture, drama, and attitudes related to human reactions, situations and character.

This course is an introductory-level course for students. Its intent is to give an in-depth understanding of the differences between—and similarities of—leadership and management. The course focuses on the major traits of leaders and managers, and augments these with examples of great historic leaders, including George Custer and Jesus Christ. The course also studies the many leadership traits of Abraham Lincoln and looks at how these can be applied in modern business to improve management techniques. As part of the learning process, students give summaries of Lincoln’s leadership lessons, using short, Power Point presentations.

This course introduces students to the diverse world of radio, television, news, cinema, internet, print and advertising. Students will learn how to critically experience such media and analyze its desired results. Students will also explore how media has developed and evolved through history and examine the current influences of media on society from a cultural, artistic and economic perspective. In addition, we will explore what the role of Christians in this new media environment can and should be, and how we can best utilize the opportunities available to us to become who we want to be.

From first reading through to performance, students rehearse and perform a musical from a classic or contemporary writer. Students must audition to register for this class. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.

The senior project is a series of courses (up to three) in which students will work either individually or as part of a team and create or contribute to a significant media project that spotlights their area of emphasis. Class III is the post-production phase. Instructor approval is required to take this class.

This course enables focused study of a specific author, era, or literary movement. Focus will be on significant literary texts with additional attention to critical literature, historical context, and cultural influence as needed. Repeatable for credit with different topics.

This course introduces students to the diverse world of radio, television, news, cinema, internet, print and advertising. Students will learn how to critically experience such media and analyze its desired results. Students will also explore how media has developed and evolved through history and examine the current influences of media on society from a cultural, artistic and economic perspective. In addition, we will explore what the role of Christians in this new media environment can and should be, and how we can best utilize the opportunities available to us to become who we want to be.

Covers the nature of human resource development and utilization in organizations; government programs and policies, labor force statistics, organizational personnel departments, personnel planning, forecasting, selection, training, development, and integration of government and organizational human resource programs.

In this course students learn the human-centered design process, which moves from concrete observations about people to abstract thinking then back to the concrete with tangible solutions that are desirable, feasible, and viable in today's global business environment. 

A continuation of the skills developed in Vocal Techniques I, this course will provide the student with the opportunity to explore their natural singing voice and find their vocal identity through a variety of musical genres. Utilizing healthy vocal technique, students will develop and practice skills to enhance solo vocal performance. Topics may include but are not limited to: body alignment, releasing tension, onset/offset, breathing, resonance, focus of tone, registration, articulation, and expressivity. Students continue to work on sightsinging techniques, further developing aural skills and melodic and rhythmic dictation and working with sightsing material with shifting meters. Individual private training will have continued focus on each individual student's abilities as well as development of more refined and nuanced vocal skills needed for singing a variety of musical genres.

In this course students learn about the basic structures of sound reasoning, focusing largely on classic Aristotelian logic. The course serves to help students think and argue with clarity as well as to effectively analyze arguments of others. The course includes a careful analysis of the operations of the intellect, i.e., understanding, judgment, and reasoning, focusing on their products, i.e., term, proposition, and syllogism.

This class is designed to help students understand basic programming concepts and programming tools. The class will focus on object-oriented programming.

Building upon previous philosophy courses, this class examines the causes of human knowledge. Specifically, students will be introduced to philosophical solutions to questions relating to the nature of knowledge, the object of knowledge, the role of the internal and external senses, and the concepts of truth and certainty. After thoroughly examining the sophisticated understandings of the nature of truth and certainty found in Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, we will closely examine the skepticism of the modern period through the writings of Hume, and the systematization of the structure of the mind in Kantian idealism, concluding in the 20th Century attempt to fuse idealism and realism in Martin Heidegger.

This course is designed for junior and senior entrepreneurial business students, and builds upon earlier courses in leadership, project management, and Project Execution I. The course’s intent is to show how to successfully visualize, plan, brief, execute, and debrief a more complex project involving the entire class. The center piece of the course is the actual execution of a three-day wilderness campout involving JPCatholic students as part of their overall academic experience. The course shows how management (represented by half students) can successfully plan and brief a project that is executed by other staff (represented by the other half), which in-turn demonstrates the importance of visualization, discussion, and tapping into the experience of others, as well as how to successfully debrief the team to learn valuable lessons. Consequently, the course gives valuable insight, since the division of duties mimics real-life project execution in the business world, where management and staff have different roles and responsibilities.

This course is based on the Compassion Cultivation protocol developed at Stanford University, with insights and techniques from psychology, neuroscience, and contemplative practice and presented in a Catholic context. Dynamics of compassion explored are: fostering self-compassion, receiving compassion from others, and extending compassion to others. The course integrates evidence-based meditation and prayer techniques, interactive discussions, and lectures as well as real-world exercises to put learning into practice. Students commit to a daily meditative period to cultivate compassion.

Movie sets and props empower filmmakers to tell stories that take place in locations and environments that are either difficult to attain or simply do not exist in the real world. This course allows students the opportunity to collaborate within the art department to build sets and craft props for a feature film.

Students will gain a better understanding of contemporary theology through studying the works of John Henry Newman.

As this course engages apparently timeless literary works from the classical tradition, it situates them within specific historical contexts. This approach enables students to come to both a greater appreciation of the enduring power of story, and a recognition of the relationship of works of art with their surrounding culture. Masterworks of pagan antiquity (Homer and/or Virgil) give way to key texts of early Christendom (Augustine, Beowulf, et al) in order to further illuminate the impact of Christian theology and anthropology on artists and thinkers in myriad disciplines.

This class will introduce students to preparing both hard surface and organic models for texturing using various methods of UV unwrapping. Students will create texture maps from scratch using cameras and Photoshop. Students will also be exposed to texture painting techniques in Mudbox.

This course is part of the Feature Film Program. Students apply the knowledge and experience gained in Fundamentals of Story Development to craft entertaining and unique story concepts that are producible on an independent scale. The best projects will be selected as candidates for  production within the Feature Film Program.

The course examines the legal relationships in the motion picture and television industries, as well as the legal relationships between artists and their personal managers. It covers the key legal principles that are involved in most media productions. This includes with trade unions, licensing, intellectual property and contract issues. In addition, this course explores ethical challenges students are likely to encounter working in entertainment and guides them through the development of a personal code of ethics that is informed by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

From first reading through to performance, students rehearse and perform a musical from a classic or contemporary writer. Students must audition to register for this class. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.

As this course engages apparently timeless literary works from the classical tradition, it situates them within specific historical contexts. This approach enables students to come to both a greater appreciation of the enduring power of story, and a recognition of the relationship of works of art with their surrounding culture. Masterworks of pagan antiquity (Homer and/or Virgil) give way to key texts of early Christendom (Augustine, Beowulf, et al) in order to further illuminate the impact of Christian theology and anthropology on artists and thinkers in myriad disciplines.

A continued senior-level graphic design capstone experience. This course builds on the previous and provides opportunities for more hands-on and practical design projects, interactions with local businesses and/or non-profit clients, and a focus on building out students’ creative portfolio and resume.

In this senior level workshop, students will have the opportunity to develop key deliverables for a current client or prospective client of a local social media agency. The student will learn about the research, strategy, execution, promotion, and creative elements that make up a digital agency, or service-based business. The class will be structured around short lectures, supported by scheduled in-office training with the social media agency team to implement course material in service of an actual client or prospect. At the end of the course, students will have a solid understanding of how social media can communicate a brand’s story, and how to deliver this service in a viable way.

Fictional narrative, that human invention that trips so naturally from the tongues of children and grandparents alike, appears simple, even inevitable. Such appearances can be deceiving, however. Any narrative worthy of the name—one employing richly drawn characters and tensile plotting, and set down in lucid and evocative language—functions as a highly complex artistic organism. This course brings students to notice trademarks of excellent and lasting prose fiction, and to engage critically with prominent works so as to discern accurately between a masterpiece and a piece of pulp masquerading as well-hewn literature.

A thorough breakdown of the process of creating from initial concepts to final design taught by professionals in the design industry.

This course introduces students to the motion graphics industry through a study of various trends, techniques and programs, as well as hands-on design and animation projects that will guide students through industry standard workflows using Photoshop, Illustrator and the fundamentals of After Effects.

This final creative studio course is designed to help students finish their master-game prototype, test it and get it ready for publishing to the intended game platform.

This course is an exploration of stage movement based on work of masters such as Suzuki, Alexander, Feldenkrais, and Bogart. It may include physical character development, Kabuki theatre physical techniques, Noh theatre physical techniques and mask work.

Students conduct research on a primary text and write a lengthy paper, practicing revision and editing skills as they develop their original theses.  This class encourages a “close reading” of a primary text, requires students to build an annotated bibliography to evaluate secondary and tertiary source material, and introduces rhetorical concepts in the effort to help students become stronger readers and writers.

While mainstream 21st century life operates in the arbitrary and meaningless condition that Pope St. John Paul II called a “culture of death,” the Catholic tradition holds out the enduring reality of human nature and its supernatural vocation to beatitude. Starting from Part Three of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this course introduces the Catholic vision of morality centered on the virtues and the attainment of the beatific vision. In his “theology of the body,” our university’s patron insists that the Catholic view of moral action centers on the meaningfulness of the human body. As such, the course gives special attention to JPII’s teaching on the “nuptial meaning” of the body as an alternative to postmodern voluntarist individualism.

Students conduct research on a primary text and write a lengthy paper, practicing revision and editing skills as they develop their original theses.  This class encourages a “close reading” of a primary text, requires students to build an annotated bibliography to evaluate secondary and tertiary source material, and introduces rhetorical concepts in the effort to help students become stronger readers and writers.

The second in a sequence of three 3-unit classes offered to upperclassmen, generally seniors. This course works towards creating a product or service prototype, which allows for an assessment of customer reaction to your value proposition. The team will seek to build relationships with external collaborators, develop a market entry strategy, and develop a clear awareness of the challenges of delivering your product or services idea to the market.

From first reading through to performance, students rehearse and perform a musical from a classic or contemporary writer. Students must audition to register for this class. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.

In this course students work closely with faculty and classmates as they pursue a writing project of their own choosing. The tutorial provides opportunities for formal and informal feedback as the quarter progresses, and the open structure and small class size aims to facilitate community-building and cross-pollination. Recommended readings are tailored to each student's specific project.

In this course students learn about the basic structures of sound reasoning, focusing largely on classic Aristotelian logic. The course serves to help students think and argue with clarity as well as to effectively analyze arguments of others. The course includes a careful analysis of the operations of the intellect, i.e., understanding, judgment, and reasoning, focusing on their products, i.e., term, proposition, and syllogism.

This course examines the Church’s response to social, economic, and historical developments from 1000 AD to the present. Special attention is paid to the Medieval papacy, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and the Second Vatican Council.

There is no counting the number of scholars, artists, and admirers who have gotten entirely knotted up contemplating the figure and literary output of William Shakespeare. By plunging into his dramatic works, students will grow entangled in the work of arguably the greatest literary writer in human history. Only by reckoning with the truly revolutionary impact of Shakespeare’s art—its massive literary and dramatic influence, and also its prompting for a new appreciation of what it means to be human—will they find themselves untied again.

This is a discussion-based class focusing on Plato’s Republic. While it is often thought of as a book describing a utopian vision, this work offers much more: a thorough analysis on everything from the nature of the human soul, the human desire for justice, and the ordering of human society. Systematic—and at points, outrageous—Plato challenges his readers to consider what it means to be just, how to best structure a society, how government ought to work, what are ideal standards for human lifestyle, how education should be carried out, and much more. What is justice?  Is it good to be just?  What is the best form of government?  The best education?  The best way of life?  What are the obstacles in the way of these things?  What is truth and how do we find it? This course offers a slow and close reading of the text, offering careful analysis of the challenging ideas Plato lays out in this landmark work.

This course concentrates on the understanding of how light works, how to manipulate it, and how to use light and its supporting instruments to light in a way that will communicate emotion and help establish the visual character of a film. Students work with various types and styles of lighting instruments, stands, grip equipment and light modifiers as they light a variety of scenes.