This is a composition course that stresses the writing process. Students will write multi-paragraph essays using the following expository modes: description, narration, example, comparison/contrast, classification/division, process analysis, and causal analysis. Nonfiction readings will be covered to help illustrate writing structures and the organization of ideas. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: ASSET placement OR successful completion (grade "C") of GE0011EN and/or GE0012RD
This course surveys Western art forms relative to political, social, religious, and economic movements from antiquity to the Mannerist period. Topics include painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: None
This is a composition course that focuses primarily on analytical and persuasive writing, as well as the research paper. Emphasis is also placed on critical reading and thinking. Cultural issues such as diversity, multiculturalism, tolerance, and effective communication will be discussed in connection with some writing assignments. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10110
This course covers algebraic techniques and problem-solving, such as algebraic and complex fractions, operations with real numbers, linear functions and systems, quadratic equations, radicals and radical expressions, factoring, polynomials, conic equations and applications, exponents and radicals. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: ASSET placement OR successful completion (grade "C") of GE0013MA, GE0013MA
This course surveys Western art forms relative to political, social, religious, and economic movements from the Baroque to present day. Topics include painting, sculpture, decorative arts, architecture, photography, and conceptual art. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course focuses on international literary selections. Topics include the critical evaluation of the literary genres: short story, poetry, and drama. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10110, GE10210
In this course, students will learn professional methods of speaking and of communicating their ideas and experience to others. Students will prepare and deliver demonstration and persuasive speeches designed to be effective with a variety of audiences. Students will also participate in small group presentations. Topics include subject selection, audience analysis, research, organization, and the use of voice and body in speech delivery. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course focuses on a working knowledge of human sensory processes and their subsequent perceptual and behavioral manifestations. Topics include learning, memory, consciousness, and cognition. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course will introduce the student to the physical, ecological, social and political principles of environmental science. The student should gain an understanding of scientific method and how it is used to analyze the relationship between humans and the natural environment. The course will help the student to develop an analytical framework that he/she can use to judge environmental issues and intelligently discuss environmental responsibility. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This is course an introduction to the concepts, theory and practice of ethical decision-making in the personal and social realms. Concepts such as justice, mercy, responsibility, and morality are considered. Students will learn about a broad range of ethical theories and theorists, ancient to modern. These theories will be compared, contrasted, and applied to a variety of ethical problems, dilemmas, and controversies. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Students will study the following principles: motion and the effects of unbalanced force systems acting upon rigid bodies; Newton’s laws of motion; motion along straight and curved paths; weight; work, energy and power; impulse, momentum and impact. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10220 OR GE10450
In this course students will examine group interaction within human society. Through texts, lectures, videos, and discussions, students will learn about the variety of ways sociologists view human culture and society, as well as the sociological phenomena that affect the lives of individuals within the world-wide human family. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course focuses on the development of critical reasoning skills, including the ability to evaluate a wide variety of information. Students will consider what an argument is, how arguments go wrong and what makes an argument valid. Students will study both informal and formal logical arguments and structures. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course will cover the history of 20th Century art. It will explore the inter-relationship between historical, social, political, religious and technological developments in the 20th century and the art that was a reflection of these developments. The course will discuss the modern artist’s role in society as innovator, social activist, explorer, critic and prophet. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10110, GE10210 AND GE10120 OR GE10230
Visual awareness is expanded through the observation of the principles of light and the translation of three-dimensional form into two-dimensional drawings. Advancing from simple to complex forms, skill levels in construction and an understanding of line and perspective will be developed. Students study the effects of light and movement on the human body. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course will introduce the basic principles of design. Using a variety of materials and techniques, the creative process will be introduced and developed. An exploration of design elements and relationships will establish a basic aesthetic sensitivity. An introduction to basic typography will be explored, in order to integrate simple type with imagery. A demonstration of basic tools for learning craftsmanship and presentation skills will be emphasized. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This fundamental course provides an introduction to the principles of color and an exploration of color theory as it relates to graphic design. The psychological and cultural aspects of color will be examined in making appropriate design decisions. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course explores the fundamentals of drawing the human figure. Observation and rendering skills are developed and the use of various drawing media is examined. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10110
The creative professions require innovative individuals with clear vision. Freshmen at The Art Institute of Philadelphia will work together to develop the vision of what makes a successful student and professional. The course begins by welcoming students into The Art Institute of Philadelphia community and helping them integrate into this student environment. Students will become acquainted with college and community resources, explore their goals for success, and work on establishing a visionary course for the development of their professional portfolio. The course concludes with attending the portfolio show of the graduating class. (0 quarter credits, 2 hours per week)
Students learn how to cut, glue, and finish three-dimensional objects in a variety of materials. Students also learn to safely use all shop equipment, and are tested and certified on all equipment. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course addresses composition in space for the designer/artist. The student will be given some of the basic principles, rules, and concepts in organizing visual experience, solving practical design problems, and creating coherent formal relationships. The elements of design (conceptual, visual, relational, and technical) will be explored through various projects that are based on a principal to master and a problem to solve. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10120
This is a basic course that provides the student with fundamental skills and practices in orthographic projections and isometric projection specific to, and coexisting with, the practice of drafting for industrial design. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course in sculpture is designed to give the student the ability to perceive and model volume and movement in the human form. Instruction in basic anatomy and proportion, with an emphasis on gesture (the stance) and balance provide the foundation for the student to work from the life model. Students will sculpt in clay over a wire armature, working from simple block forms towards a naturalistic rendition. Instruction for building the armature, modeling with clay, and use of tools will be included. Lecture and demonstration will also be part of classroom study. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10220
This course builds upon the knowledge of basic mechanical drawing skills stressing isometric and oblique representations, sections and auxiliary views. Students create assembly drawings that clearly show overall product configuration and highlight critical fits. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10221
This course is the first of two levels of drawing and rendering. Students will explore various dry and wet media. Introductory techniques in rendering textures and surfaces will be explored. Students will study form and various light conditions. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10220 OR Academic Director Approval
This is a practical course in engineering that takes simple materials like paper, string, or dowels, and through principles of applied geometry and physics, utilizes them to construct loadbearing structures. The emphasis is on the problem-solving and creative thinking necessary toward good design. It investigates the aesthetics of function as a dimension of 3-D design. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10211
This course is an introduction to the computer drafting interface, including automated perspective and extrusion. Students will design a product, toy or futuristic space hardware and render the design in plan elevation, perspective, isometric and axonometric views. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: LS10110, IT10321 OR Academic Director Approval
This course will address human response through interaction with manufactured objects, environments and systems and the ergonomic, practical, informational, aesthetic and safety provisions confronted in the design of these products. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10220, IT10211, GE10110
The central theme of this course is to assist the student in forming a basic understanding of design principles for advancing imaginative, creative, and eloquent discoveries in all manner of industrial design (2-D and 3-D). Attention will be focused on typographic imagery that has profound influence in various areas of product, environmental and display designs. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GR10120, IT10331
Students in this advanced techniques class will use skills gained in design and fabrication classes to solve problems utilizing three-dimensional working models and one-of-a-kind prototypes in support of special visual effects for motion pictures, television, advertising, and product prototypes. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10111, IT10311, IT10321
To be a truly effective designer, a thorough knowledge of fabrication processes and manufacturing materials is essential. This course focuses its attention on accepted and reliable manufacturing methods and exposes students to a variety of materials currently being employed for all types of product, toy, and exhibit design. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10311, IT10321
The focus of this intense drawing course in natural and man-made forms includes the figure, objects, and structures. Advanced procedures involving visual concepts of mechanical objects in rendering, representation, and graphics are examined and practiced. Experimental use of different media is explored to create an advanced repertoire of image flexibility. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10441
This course will chart the progress and evolution of graphic design and product design with an emphasis on the significance of attitudes and historical events. Graphic design will cover two-dimensional design from Johann Gutenberg to the present, targeting design trends, styles, noteworthy designers, and works that impacted societies. Product design will be covered from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the present, highlighting consumables, housewares, tools, furnishings, electronics, fixtures, and architecture. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
An introduction to precise three-dimensional rendering is this course’s main offering. Students will design and render projects in multiple-view programs, assign lighting, color, and make a film-roll in preparation for animation. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10421
This course serves as an introduction to design and design management of familiar products and new product ideas. Design attitudes are developed regarding a product’s aesthetic qualities, the economy of its manufacture, its sales environment, its various visual components, and other factors that come together to create a strong and integrated entity. All processes of design and development are explored and prototypes executed. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20531, IT20511, IT10431
This course is an introduction to basic make-up. Students begin by learning safety rules on the use of various make-ups, adhesives and latex. Hair application, teeth, eyes, and air bladder effects are discussed. Students complete the course with life casts. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT10311 OR VE10210
In this course, solid modeling and 3-D coordinate systems are introduced. By demonstrating basic concepts, the students manipulate forms and create realistic representations of 3-D objects in the computer environment. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20611, IT20621
This course is an introduction to the field of exhibit and display design, with an emphasis on simple three-dimensional design solutions that evolve from concept and application of three-dimensional design principles through the execution of a model. Students will explore direct marketing through trade shows, display and design of simulated environments for museums and point of purchase displays. Ideas and concepts will be employed through two-dimensional sketches utilizing simple three-dimensional shapes, along with an introduction to the basics of model making using foam core, matte board, balsa wood, and a variety of other soft woods. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20621, IT20611
Set against the accomplishments of Product Design I, students will venture into aspects of bridging the gap between raw materials and end products, elevating a sense of responsibility for humanitarian values, such as the environment, natural resources, and technological issues involved with the design of new products for the future. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20621
Students are introduced to current uses of CNC technology in the Industrial Design fields. The course includes 3-D computer modeling training and the primary controls of a CNC machine, its software, and use as a design and prototyping tool. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20711
This course provides a general overview of various engineering systems and their components. An understanding in these areas will give the student a greater appreciation for design concepts and the ability to discuss product limitations and possibilities with engineers. A quick economic review will start the student thinking about the financial ramifications of a particular concept or project. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20511, GE20520
Using various three-dimensional rendering and animation programs, students will model, light, and animate their designs in order to prepare a video tape project presentation. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20811
The student proposes an Industrial Design topic for their graduate project. In this course, students conduct in-depth research that will be the foundation for their graduate project. Pertinent information is gleaned from literature as well as first hand interviews with experts in the field. Research results are documented in a comprehensive paper. Based on their research, students develop a range of alternative concepts using the design process techniques they have learned in the program. Brainstorming is applied to generate innovative concepts and resolve conflicting requirements to achieve balanced design tradeoffs. Concept sketches and study models are used to evaluate concepts and select the most appropriate direction for further development. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: Academic Director Approval
The package as an extension of the product is explored in this advanced course. Particular attention is paid to graphics, structure, form, function, interactivity, texture and material as they are considered in the design and planning of a suitable package. Students will understand the importance of careful consideration of these important features as they solve complex packaging problems for presentation and production. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20731, IT30911
The selected concept is systematically developed into a final design. All aspects of the design are considered in detail, including aesthetic, functional, marketing, manufacturing, and user interface issues. Detailed mechanical drawings are prepared for all components that are critical to the selected design, including all essential dimensions and tolerances. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT31011
This course is designed to initiate the creation of the student’s portfolio, which enhances the student’s knowledge of computers in design. Utilizing the computer studio, the student will use computer presentation technology to analyze the best formats for presentations. The student will be able to implement several types of computer portfolio presentations. The course will address how computer technology can be applied to enhance, capture, and refine portfolio work. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
In this course the student will employ professional practices and oral, written and visual presentation techniques. The student will develop effective presentation and create strong visual samples to illustrate knowledge of required skills. A major goal of the course will be the development of the graduate project presentation designed to present the student’s project work in a professional and visually attractive style. This course concludes with the public presentation of the graduate project. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT41111
The student will review all various presentations of the completed portfolio book, which will assist the student in finding an entry-level position. The student will create a portfolio that clearly expresses his/her ability to design by using learned skill sets in drawing, rendering and model-making. The course will also address how to conduct an effective job search using his/her portfolio and enhance professionalism. Topics include: resume writing, letter writing, interviewing and professional image. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT41131
This course provides an overview of business and marketing principles. Students are taught to plan budgets, work within plan, draft invoices, and develop contracts. Also, students work with methods that will promote their abilities in business. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: LS20620, IT20731
This course introduces the theories and applications of both the IBM and Macintosh computers. Topics include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, PowerPoint, computer graphics, file preparation for high-end output, file management, basic data storage and retrieval and the Internet. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course gives an overview of basic legal principles related to starting and conducting a business. Topics include legal systems, litigation, dispute resolution and contracts. The protection of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and service marks, is also emphasized. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course covers the period of U.S. history from early colonization to the Spanish/American War. Primary emphasis is on the English colonies and the period of nationhood. This course will examine U.S. history in terms of social, economic and political perspectives, and students will also trace the histories of various American populations, such as women, African-Americans, Native Americans, etc., throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course covers the period of U.S. history from the turn of the century to the present. This course will examine U.S. history in terms of social, economic and political perspectives. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course covers Western civilizations from the Ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, to the Middle Ages, the rise of Christianity, and the Renaissance. These civilizations will be examined in terms of social, economic, political and cultural perspectives. Major historical events, ideas, and developments will be discussed, and issues of race, class, and gender will be considered. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course covers European history from the Reformation/Counter-Reformation, through the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, ending with World War II. This course will examine social, economic, political and cultural perspectives. Major historical events, ideas, and developments will be discussed, and issues of race, class, and gender will be considered. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course is designed for students who wish to study abroad. Students will travel between the spring and summer quarters and will return to campus to complete a final exhibition project during the summer quarter. The course will consist of lectures, activities, research, and discussions designed to examine the culture, history, and aesthetics of the city or cities chosen for the study abroad experience. Students will also be encouraged to explore issues of identity and place, ideology (values, norms, customs), society (conformity/autonomy, gender, class), and structure (religious, political, economic) as they share, analyze, and reflect upon their experiences throughout the course. (3 quarter credits, 44 hours over two week break)
Theatre Appreciation introduces students to the art, in theory and in practice, of live theatre and the many types of artists who collaborate to create a theatrical production. This course will enhance students’ appreciation of the nature and place of theatre in contemporary culture. Students will experience theatre in depth through reading scripts, analyzing productions, and completing a creative theatre project. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course focuses on aesthetics, which is alternately defined as philosophy of art, philosophy of beauty, and philosophy of taste. All three definitions point to the ways in which we create, experience, think about, and write about the fine arts. Through texts, lectures, videos, and discussions, students will learn about the variety of ways in which individuals generate their own critical voice and aesthetic theories. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course is an introduction to theories about the process of communication, including key concepts and terms for human communication. Additionally, listening and feedback, nonverbal communication, intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, group and organizational communications will also be a focus. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course focuses on past and current social issues and political and economic trends that influence America and its people. Additionally, the course will focus on how political and economic trends impact world affairs. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course offers students the opportunity to explore the diversity of cultures through the reading and analysis of modern literary works. Included in the study will be historical and political influences, social trends, customs and values. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course will focus on the museum and its function in society. Topics will include the role of museums, their history and philosophy, and their structure and nature. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10110, GE10210, AND GE10120 OR GE10230
This course will consider up to three genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry and the nonfiction essay. Throughout the quarter, assignments and activities will provide students with opportunities to hone their creative voices and have their work, as well as that of their peers, critiqued in a workshop setting. In addition to producing creative writing, critical and formalist approaches will be applied to contemporary and canonical works; these exercises will provide students with an objective vocabulary with which to evaluate two rather polished pieces that they will generate during the course. Students will also be introduced to the methods and procedures of the publishing market. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course is designed for students who wish to study abroad. Students will travel between the spring and summer quarters and will return to campus to complete a final exhibition project and an in-depth research paper during the summer quarter. The course will consist of lectures, activities, research, and discussions designed to examine the culture, history, and aesthetics of the city or cities chosen for the study abroad experience. Students will also be encouraged to explore issues of identity and place, ideology (values, norms, customs), society (conformity/ autonomy, gender, class), and structure (religious, political, economic) as they share, analyze, and reflect upon their experiences throughout the course. (3 quarter credits, 44 hours over two week break)
The Comparative Religions course is an introduction to the academic study of religion. The course objectively examines religious beliefs and practices across human history, with particular emphasis upon how the human past has shaped worldwide religious belief and experience in the present. Students learn about a broad range of religious traditions, and how particular beliefs might affect ritual behavior, interpersonal relationships and the practice of “community.” (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE20510 OR GE20530
In this course students will explore the different media theories and their impact upon society, ethics, and popular culture. Students will use this information to inform and enrich their own work and to critically evaluate media art. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course serves as an introduction to the field of toy design and production. Included in this studio/lecture course are units on the history and current direction of the toy industry and will give new designers and innovators hands-on direction and guidance for developing skills in the entire design, prototype, and production process. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Through a field internship experience, students will be able to apply acquired subject matter and career/professional skills in a real and practical situation. The main objective of the internship is to allow students the opportunity to observe and participate in the operation of successful businesses in relation to their fields of study. The students will gain experience needed to enter the field upon graduation. (3 quarter credits, 9 hours per week)
Prerequisites: Minimum of 90 credits completed
Using the life cast generated from the make-up course, students develop drawings and sculpt features for a character creation. The final result is the application of a high-grade prosthetic hot foam appliance that will create a realistic effect for their character creation. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20631
This course examines, in practical terms, the development, research and design of many types of exhibits and displays. The student works with typical exhibit and display from conceptual stages to fabrication of models to communicate, attract attention, and present information relevant to a visitor’s personal experience. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20721, IT20711
Prerequisites: Minimum of 150 credits completed
The course will introduce and familiarize students with the specialized design methodology unique to vehicle design. The course will examine the criteria under which these products are developed; cultural, historic, and economic. Projects involving auto, aircraft, marine, and task-specific vehicle designs are explored. The course will utilize and expand the students 2-D and 3-D design skills. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20731, IT20711
Using the life casts once again, the students develop drawings, sculpt features, and finally slush cast latex for completion of a full head mask. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20751
Provides students with a basic understanding of design, function, materials, and manufacturing of furniture and the relationship to other aspects of design (graphics, fine arts, etc.). Students design and develop scale models, as well as one full-scale piece of furniture. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20811, IT20731
This course is an introduction to clay modeling for transportation and other related fields. Measuring processes, tools, and clay will be developed to execute detailed scale models. Emphasis will be on precision and surface quality rather than creative development. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: IT20831
The objective of this course is to convey the information required in the design of metal products. A metal product is scrutinized and redesigned. During the course, students review specific materials and processes related to the development of a design in metal; assess alternative manufacturing and design processes and discuss topics related to industrial design and its use of metal as a useful and complex manufacturing and design material. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: minimum of 120 credits earned AND Academic Director Approval
The objective of this course is to convey the information required in the design of plastic products. A plastic product is scrutinized and redesigned. During the course, students review specific materials and processes related to the development of a design in plastic; assess alternative manufacturing and design processes and discuss topics related to industrial design and its use of plastic as a useful and complex manufacturing and design material. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: minimum of 120 credits completed AND Academic Director Approval
This course is designed to accommodate topics in the evolving field of Industrial Design and will change on a regular basis. It will look at specific and current market relevant topics in product design, tradeshow/exhibit design and/or manufacturing techniques. Students will learn topic specific variations through lectures, field trips, completed proto-types and relevant application of medium. Projects will vary and future topics will be selected based upon input from our Professional Advisory Committee, our faculty, our students and the Industrial Design Technology Department’s Director. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
The objective of this course is to convey the information required in the design of wood products. A wood product will be scrutinized and redesigned. During the course, students review specific materials and processes related to the development of a design in wood: assess alternative manufacturing and design processes and discuss topics related to industrial design and its use of wood as a useful and complex manufacturing and design material. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: minimum of 120 credits completed AND Academic Director approval