PHO 2850: Special Topics Travel

Credit Hours: 3 Catalog Course Description: Intermediate and advanced photography students will develop a cohesive body of work, while refining their technical skills. A digital SLR is required. How Program Site will be incorporated into the course: The cohesive body of work that students will be working on is photo essay titled “Sense of Place.” Students are expected to explore the culture of Peru beyond just the landmark sites and typical tourist . Students will be expected to communicate visually about a variety of aspects of the culture of Peru. The class time in Peru will consist mostly of photographic “field work” where the students are taking the images for their photo essay. Students will also have image reviews and critiques required during their time in Peru.

Prerequisites: Students must have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours in PHO courses with a grade of “C” or higher in all PHO courses. Instructor approval required.

Please note: Prospective students should be aware that study abroad programs require a great deal of walking. You should be prepared to walk at least 2 to 4 miles each day. You may also walk over uneven, possibly slippery or rocky terrain even in cities. Photography students must also be able to carry the additional weight of the equipment requirements for the class. Some of the destinations in Peru will also be at high altitude.

Textbook(s) and Other Course Materials: Required Materials:  Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex)  Camera manual   Appropriate memory card(s) (32 gb minimum)  Storage and backup device for saving and backing up photos (ie. Laptop computer and/or portable hard drive and/or cd/dvds  Electric adapter for electronic devices  Camera bag, extra batteries, extra memory cards  Text: ebook Transcending Travel by Mitchell Kanashkevich o http://www.digital-photography-school.com/travel Recommended Reading:  National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures

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I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis:

Overview of course outline, syllabus, student expectations, required textbook and supplies. Defining the goals and outcomes of the student projects. Week Equipment and technical considerations when traveling abroad as a 1-6 photographer. Overview of the locations, culture and customs of Peru. Mini Spanish Language lessons. Mini travel photography shooting assignments: could include food, cultural outings, photographing another town, etc… Field Work: Students will be expected to carry their with them at all Spring times. Students will be expected and required to locations that Break are part of group excursions as well shoot independently. See group itinerary for more information about planned excursions. Review and critique images of Peru. Application of image editing techniques, Week and continued development of creative approach to image making. Selection and editing of the strongest images to prepare for presentation and print. 7-15 Students final projects could include an exhibition, a book and/or a website.

II. Course Goals: A. Students will submit a detailed written report outlining their objectives for their project. Students will keep a journal of their progress and will submit a final evaluation of their progress on the objectives. B. Students will apply skills and techniques learned in other photography courses to complete their independent project. New skills will be learned to achieve specific goals. C. Students will demonstrate technical problem-solving skills to determine the best solutions to difficult situations. D. Students will demonstrate the ability and initiative to work independently. E. Students will successfully complete their proposed project. III. Expected Student Learning Outcomes:* Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: 1. articulate the intentions of their proposed portfolio project. (A) 2. demonstrate a clear understanding of photographic terminology. (B) 3. demonstrate knowledge of principles of composition and design in their photographs. Evaluate and critique photographs on the merits of their technical and aesthetic components. (B) 4. evaluate and critique photographs on the merits of their technical and aesthetic components. (B) 5. demonstrate sound workflow techniques for and correction of images. (D) 6. develop and strengthen problem-solving skills related to digital imaging. (C) 7. correctly size and resample images for desired output. (B) 8. demonstrate an understanding of and apply that knowledge to their workflow. (B) 9. demonstrate strong editing skills. (D) 10. produce a completed portfolio of images online or in print. (E) *Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above.

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IV. Evaluation: A. Testing Procedure: Tests and quizzes will be administered by the instructor during scheduled class meeting times or given via NSOnline. Quizzes will be over the assigned reading and course material given during class time. B. Weekly Shooting Assignments: Students will be expected to shoot a few “mini” photo essays prior to departure. C. Field Work / Laboratory Expectations: While in Peru students will be spend time photographing the culture and landscape. Upon return from the study abroad experience students will use lab time to edit, enhance and prepare their images for exhibition, book and/or website. D. Final Portfolio: Students will be expected to submit a portfolio of images demonstrating successful completion of their proposed project. Final Portfolio will consist images from photo essay. The photo essay topic will be “Sense of Place,” and will include 20-30 images and a written essay. E. Presentation: All students will participate in a group presentation of the images. This group presentation may take the form of an exhibition, a book and/or a website.

F. Grading Expectations and Calculations: 30% Weekly Assignments 50% Photo Essay: Sense of Place 20% Presentation of Final Images Weekly Shooting Assignments/ Final Portfolio will be graded on the following criteria:  Image Quality  Exposure  Sharpness  Composition/ artistic merit  Assignment requirements

Photo Essay images will be graded on the following criteria:  Adherence to project objectives.  Technical execution of the images.  Creative composition and artistic merit.

G. Grading Scale: 93 – 100 A 85-92 B 77-84 C 70-76 D 0-69 F

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V. Policies: A. Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all classes, to be on time, and to stay until class is dismissed: absences or tardiness for any reason will affect your class performance and may result in dismissal from class.

 Absences are counted from the first scheduled meeting of the class.  Any student arriving late or leaving early will be considered tardy. Two such occurrences will count as one absence.  The student is responsible for all assigned work in the course regardless of excused or unexcused absences. It is the student’s responsibility to find out what is missed by looking at the online course shell and/or talking with other students in the class.  Students missing more that one-hour of any class will be counted absent. This includes late arrivals or early departures.  Three absences of any kind may result in a “FA” recorded for the semester grade.  Attendance during all planned excursions and activities during the study abroad experience is MANDATORY.

B. Academic Dishonesty: Academic misconduct committed either directly or indirectly by an individual or group is subject to disciplinary action. Prohibited activities include but are not limited to the following practices:  Cheating, including but not limited to unauthorized assistance from material, people, or devices when taking a test, quiz, or examination; writing papers or reports; solving problems; or completing academic assignments.  Plagiarism, including but not limited to paraphrasing, summarizing, or directly quoting published or unpublished work of another person, including online or computerized services, without proper documentation of the original source.  Purchasing or otherwise obtaining prewritten essays, research papers, or materials prepared by another person or agency that sells term papers or other academic materials to be presented as one’s own work.  Taking an exam for another student.  Providing others with information and/or answers regarding exams, quizzes, homework or other assignments unless explicitly authorized by the instructor. In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed as a result of academic misconduct, the instructor has the authority to assign either (1) an F or zero for the assignment or (2) an F for the course.

VII. Instructional Hours: Instructional time spent on campus will be class meeting times of 2 hours during the regularly scheduled semester. Instructional time during the Study Abroad experience in Peru will consist of a minimum of 20 hours of class time including on location shooting assignments.

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