School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication
The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) offers a Bachelor of Arts degree that purposefully blends theory and practice to help students develop new modes of expression and communication that are emerging from the convergence of computing and media technologies. The program stresses not only the creation but also the potential applications and cultural implications of interactive media. Students begin their career by developing a foundational knowledge that prepares them to make informed choices about their pathway within the school of ATEC, which offers more narrowly focused undergraduate pathways in Animation, Critical Media Studies, and Games.
When students first declare a major in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, they begin in the general Design and Production Pathway. This general degree plan emphasizes the breadth of the School's interdisciplinary programs and allows students to explore courses across the entire ATEC curriculum. Students who chose to continue on this pathway rather than one of the more narrowly focused pathways will be able to study multiple areas within ATEC and/or focus on areas such as UX/UI design, sound design, video production, and digital fabrication.
The Animation pathway blends creative storytelling with technology to encourage experimentation in form, content, and medium. The ATEC animation program emphasizes 3D animation, which includes various artistic and technical disciplines such as modeling and texturing, character rigging, lighting and composition, computer programming and scripting, as well as character movement and acting. In addition to careers in entertainment, students will learn skills that will prepare them for new and emerging fields such as medical and scientific visualization.
The Critical Media Studies pathway questions how media and technology environments organize public thought and social relations with particular attention to the impact of social differences. This digital liberal arts approach prepares students to enter the workforce in a wide range of fields. Past students in the critical media space have become community leaders, activists, educators, writers, digital marketers, and more. Critical Media Studies students are also well prepared to continue their studies in academic graduate programs or professional programs.
The Games pathway introduces students to game development and production and also to critical game studies. Game development and production courses use a collaborative approach to solving problems using both artistic processes and computational skills. Critical game studies courses analyze the social and technological aspects of games, including their history, how people play with and learn through games, and how games can express and perpetuate social structures.
Each student in the School consults regularly with an academic advisor, who helps the student design an integrated program of coursework. The BA in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication requires a total of 120 semester credit hours, including 51 upper-division semester credit hours, for each pathway option.
Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degrees
The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication does not participate in the Fast Track program.
Faculty
Professors: Anne Balsamo, Christine (xtine) Burrough, Paul Fishwick, Roger Malina, Mihai Nadin, Marilyn Waligore
Associate Professors: Heidi Cooley, Monica Evans, Eric Farrar, Todd Fechter, Midori Kitagawa, Kim Knight, Maximilian Schich, Andrew Scott, Dean Terry
Assistant Professors: Olivia Banner, Casey Johnson, Angela M. Lee, Juan Llamas Rodriguez, Sean McComber, Josef Nguyen, Wendy Sung, Hong An Wu
Clinical Professors: Elizabeth (Lisa) Bell, Tim Christopher, Paul Lester
Clinical Associate Professors: Cassini Nazir, Harold (Chip) Wood
Senior Lecturers: Elizabeth Boyd, Christopher Camacho, Adam Chandler, Daedra Evans Christopher, Harold Fitzgerald, Sharon Hewitt, Laura Imaoka, Timothy Lewis, David Marks, Peter McCord, Roxanne Minnish, Christina Nielsen, Kara Oropallo, Monika Salter, Christine Veras