Applied Arts and Design Courses

Architecture (L1/2)

(Full Year - 1.00 Credit) 

8210 - Level 1 Strongly recommend CAD Prerequisite and/or instructor approval 

8410 - Level 2 

Architectural Design is for those students who are interested in residential design, commercial design, and building construction techniques. Students will develop professional drawings required in the design and construction of a residential home. Students will also develop skills in Architecture design including structure prototypes and scale model construction, including the use of 3D printing to mock up architectural elements. This course may be elected twice. 

Level 1 will include the level 2 criteria with additional research into the analysis of building materials and their use in selected design problems. Participation in practical design opportunities, including state and national design contests, will also be available. (FA, H, G) 

Graphic Design Lab (L1/2/ECE)

(Half Year - 0.50 Credit) 

8375- Level 1 (ECE) 

8376 - Level 2 

Students will develop the foundational design and production skills to design and create graphic products using computer and professional software packages such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Students will concentrate on essential design concepts as well as color theory, typography, and layout. They will be challenged to design and produce products for school organizations, and events, as well as for themselves, family, or friends. Students will have access to a wide range of industry-standard printers and related machinery to create products such as custom clothing, posters, signage, decals, and more which will provide students with real-world production experience. The level one option for this course will include the components of the level two course and additional independent work and advanced criteria to align with the University of Connecticut Digital Media and Design 1101 course. Students taking this course may enroll in the UCONN ECE program. See a video of some of our great machines and tools here! (FA, H, S, G) 

Photography

(Half Year - 0.50 Credit) 8350 - Level 2 

This is a beginning to intermediate-level course dealing primarily with camera controls as they relate to digital photography, and how to make the best out of every digital image. The basics of shooting successful pictures with a digital camera will reference tips from traditional photography and highlight how traditional photography applies to digital shoots. Students will then learn how to improve, repair, and manipulate digital images within professional software to achieve the best possible digital image. Students will learn composition through the practice and completion of various types of pictures and will learn how to prepare them for print, computer slideshows, and the web. Digital SLR cameras are available for student use during class time, so students do not need to bring one from home. (FA, H, S, G) 

Advanced Photography

(Half Year - 0.50 Credit) 8360 - Level 2 

(Offered for grades 10, 11, and 12) 

Prerequisite: Photography or consent of Instructor 

This course extends the student's knowledge of both the technical and artistic aspects of photography. Students will work extensively with digital SLR cameras, specialty lenses, flashes, and other camera accessories. Mobile devices can be used at home if needed to complete projects. During the course, students will choose several topics of interest within the photography field, and then research and create picture projects to demonstrate their deeper understanding of the topic. Professional software will be used to preprocess all digital work to ensure technically correct and well-composed photographs. Students will then learn how to create several different types of portfolios to display work ranging from traditional to multimedia slideshows and web pages. In addition, students will have access to large format archival quality photo printers to produce show-quality prints. (FA, H, S, G)