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)
Prerequisites: None
Students will be introduced to all major retailing topics involving both large and small retailers, brick and mortar retailers and their combinations, and direct marketers. Topics to be discussed will include consumer behavior, information systems, store locations, operations, human resource management, customer communications, computerization, and integrating and controlling the retail strategy in the twenty–first century. Careers in retailing will also be discussed. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FS10312
A course designed to give career-oriented students a comprehensive understanding of the mathematical factors involved in profitable merchandising. It covers profit and loss statements and retail pricing as well as relationship of mark up to profit. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10220
This course is designed for fashion marketing students to evaluate the equation between quality and cost in garments. Students will be able to identify and analyze quality of trims, fabrics and construction in relationship to price point. Included will be women’s sportswear, childrenswear and menswear in a range of price points from high end to discounted. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FS10112
Develops the student’s understanding of operational objectives in a retail structure. An emphasis will be placed on planning, control, profitability, and staffing in a retail environment. The use of technology in the industry and the responsibilities of retail executives will be examined as well. Also, career opportunities and ethical behavior of those individuals who choose to enter the retail arena will be discussed. Articles pertaining to current issues (found in trade publications and newspapers) will be reviewed and discussed, in order to understand methods that have been created to expedite and increase profitability for the retailer. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM10412
Students continue to learn mathematical tools essential for merchandising and buying at a retail level. Students produce a six month plan, study shortages, open-to-buy, and terms of sale. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM10422
The student will be introduced to a range of skills needed to produce a successful fashion show. During this course, the student will gain insight into the role of creative and technical experts involved with the runway, backdrop, special effects and lighting, music, models and choreography, hair and make-up and video teams. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM10432
Students study the categorizations of stores, organizational components, and the characteristics of various wholesale and retail markets. They will explore the Private Label and Brand Name businesses, develop customer profiles and look at franchising as a means of entering the retail world. Students will become familiar with merchandise accounting as it relates to the various retail formats. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM20522
Students plan the foundation for opening and management of a small store: sales, budgets, market research, and staffing. This course is a workshop in which students design and prepare the beginning business plans necessary to open a retail store. The instructor acts as facilitator and advisor to the student, but all decisions and choices will be made solely by the student. Upon completion of the course, the student will have a foundation for a business plan that can be developed into a model for actually opening a business. Final preparation of the plan will be completed in Business Ownership II. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FS20622
Students complete the planning of a small retail store: financing, budgets, market research, and inventory. This course is a final workshop in which students design and prepare all business plans necessary to open a retail store. Students will base all plans for this course on initial sales plans completed in Business Ownership I. The instructor acts as facilitator and advisor to the student, but all decisions and choices will be made solely by the student. Upon completion of the course, the student will have a comprehensive business plan that can be used as a model for actually opening a business sometime in the future and can be used as a portfolio piece to show prospective employers. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM20622
Students will learn computer applications as they apply to the ownership and operation of a retail store. Emphasis is placed on actual usage of spreadsheets and databases for employee scheduling, inventory plans, vendor lists and other real-world retail applications. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Students study the development of clothing from the earliest time to the Renaissance and the silhouette reflected through the eyes of the designer. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
An overview of the fashion industry including design, production, and marketing of women’s, men’s, and children’s fashions, from the developing of fibers and fabrics to the strategies of fashion merchandisers and retailers. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
An in-depth continuation of FS10111 Fashion History I from the Renaissance to Modern. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FS10111
A comprehensive study of textiles with an emphasis on fiber classification, yarns, fabric construction, finishes and color applications. The use and care of textiles is studied for understanding the fiber-to-product cycle. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Students learn the importance of eye appeal and consumer buying habits. Students create their own displays using the latest principles and techniques in the visual organization of merchandise. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Introduces students to the world of modern management; the knowledge and skills needed, the requirements for effectively selecting and managing people and the constant “adjusting to change” techniques necessary in 21st century business. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Overview of the fashion industries including the terminology of fashion and an explanation of the three levels of the industry; design, production and sales. Careers and the organization, structure, and problems of the garment industry are studied. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
This course is a workshop in which students design and prepare a sales and promotion package. The instructor acts as a facilitator and guide to ensure that upon completion of this course students will have thoroughly explored the process of crafting a marketing and sales promotion that is carefully targeted and positioned to reach the goal of generating sales. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
A study of the social and economic forces of the marketplace and the research and analysis techniques used to make marketing decisions. The course stresses the key role creative marketing specialists are expected to play in all decisions affecting planning and promotion of products, services, and ideas. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Students explore and learn the elements that combine to make a successful store layout: traffic patterns, furnishings, fixtures and security. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM10412 OR Academic Director Approval
This course is a workshop in which students study the use of the computer as the tool of the designer. An overview of a vector based program and image manipulation gives the students a greater understanding of the immense power and control of computer hardware and software to create graphic / marketing materials and solutions. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: FM20512 OR Academic Director Approval
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)
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)
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)
Prerequisites: GE10110, GE10210
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)
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 provides an introduction to the principles of economics emphasizing an analysis of the economy as a whole. Interrelationships among the consumer, business, and government sectors are explored from American and international economic perspectives. (3 quarter credits, 4 hours per week)
Prerequisites: GE10110, GE10210, AND GE10220 OR GE10450
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)
Students are given the opportunity to practice the skills and knowledge they have learned in a real world situation by working in an approved industry site. (3 quarter credits, 9 hours per week)
Prerequisites: 75 earned credit hours
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 provides a framework for considering critically significant photographers and their work. Students will be expected to describe, interpret, and evaluate the origins, stylistic changes, and artistic innovations in the history of photography from the nineteenth century through contemporary times. (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)
This course is an introduction to the principles and practices of American Government. Concepts such as democracy, civil rights, civil liberties; public opinion; mass media, political parties, and the three branches of government will be discussed. Students will learn about the framework of government from colonialism to the present day. Government ideologies will be discussed and applied to various situations in an unbiased manner. Students will be able to see the importance of government and how decisions made by the government affect our everyday daily lives. (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 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)