Syllabus

Course title: Desktop Publishing
Course number: GRA 140 (formerly ENG 129)
Credits: 3 Semester Hours
Prerequisite: Knowledge of a word processing program & eligibility for Eng 100
Grading System: A (94-100), A-(90-93),B+(87-89), B (83--86), B-(80-82),C+(77-79),C (73-76), C-(70-72), D+ (67-69), D(63-66), F (below 63).

Course Description and Rationale - Desktop Publishing
The purpose of this computer graphics course is to teach the student to produce print and web publications on the computer using the Adobe Creative Suite2 (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat Pro) as well as scanning software. Students will study page design, typography, and image editing.
Students will use the computer for writing, editing, imaging, layout and graphics.

General Course Goals
A) to produce professional quality publications on the computer.
B) to integrate writing, editing, page design, typography and graphics into one unit whereby students produce an entire publication for print or the web.
Specific course objectives
In addition to learning specific technical skills of desktop publishing, this course teaches and reinforces basic skills expected of all Three Rivers graduates and includes the following:
1. Perform basic computer operations.
2. Recognize the relationship between art and technology.
3. Evaluate publication features in terms of their ability to support the text.
4. Create a document after identifying and analyzing the essential characteristics of the work.
5. Perform basic operations on documents using different mathematical systems - inches and picas.
6. Perform basic operations on a computer calculator.
7. Use grids as a method of measuring and allocating space on a page.
8. Develop a sequence of steps to accomplish the goal of producing a professional level publication.
9. Locate journal articles on desktop publishing and assess their usefulness to desktop publishing.
10. Distinguish main ideas or generalizations from supporting details so that the student can use appropriate DTP techniques to help the reader do the same.
11. Edit written work to eliminate grammatical, spelling, and mechanical errors.
12. Use an understanding of cultural differences to develop appropriate page designs for publications.
13. Think critically about a document and the visual presentation of its ideas.

Instructional Modes
Computer graphics, scanning, digital camera use, page design, page layout, hands-on computer instruction, individual and group editing.

Instructional Materials
Adobe InDesign cs Visual Quickstart Guide
Adobe Photoshop cs Classroom in a Book
Robin Williams, The Non-Designer's Design Book, Peachpit Press, Berkeley.
Handouts

Course Skills and Class Assignments
See schedule of Course Skills and Class Assignments attached.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on the basis of 15 assignments, work in class, and the final project which will be a four color publication produced using Photoshop and InDesign. The final project will be 50% of the final grade.
Students who cut more than 4 classes will have their grade reduced for each absence beyond 4, regardless of the reason for the absence.
Students will be expected to work on their assignments in the computer lab during hours when class is not in session.

Class topics and assignments
The instructor may change the order of topics and/or the content of the assignments to meet the needs of the class.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a violation of academic honesty. It occurs when you take credit for someone else’s work (words) and submit it as your own, either intentionally or through incomplete documentation of sources. Any plagiarized work will result in an F for the semester.

College Withdrawal Policy
A student who finds it necessary to discontinue a course once class has met must provide written notice to the Registrar. Withdrawal forms are available at the Registrar’s office on campus and the Three Rivers office at the Subase. Nonpunitive “W” grades are assigned to any withdrawal requested before the various unrestricted withdrawal deadlines listed in the calendars published in front of each session’s course listings. Withdrawal requests received after these deadlines must bear instructor signatures indicating the student was maintaining at least a C- average at the time of withdrawal. No withdrawals are permitted after the last class preceding the final exam.

Disabled Students and Learning Disabilities Support
If you are a student with a disability and believe your will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Disabilities Counseling Services at 383-5240. To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the counselor as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Disabilities Counselor. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Cellular phones and beepers
Cellular phones and beepers are allowed in class only if they are turned off or turned to a silent mode. Under no circumstances are phones to be answered in class. When there are extenuating circumstances that require that a student be available by phone or beeper, the student should speak to the instructor prior to class, so that together they can arrive at an agreement.

Class #1 Intro to the G4, OSX, InDesign
dock, hierarchical files, navigating
Intro to InDesign: palettes, preferences, picas, interface elements, toolbox, contextual menus. Internet (pix from it, if time).

Class #2 InDesign document setup
column guides, ruler guides, grids, zoom, magnify, hand tool, text tool, text frames, typing text, moving and deleting text, styling text, text distortions, printing.Your pix.

Class #3 Paragraph formatting, alignment & indents, text utilities, text flow, special characters. Pix from internet.

Class #4 Working with objects
Text frames, graphic frames, creating shapes; moving, resizing, transforming objects.
Working with colors
Color modes, defining colors, tints

Class #5 Working with colors, continued
Gradients, eye dropper, overprinting

Class #6 Styling objects
Fills, stroke effects, transparency, drop shadows, feathers

Class #7 Imported graphics
File formats, placing graphics, compound paths, text to paths, paths as frames

Class #8 Imported graphics, continued
Fitting graphics in frames, inline graphics, styling placed images, links, embedding, clipping paths , importing transparent images from Photoshop,
Class #9 Dec. of Ind. workshop

Class #10 Text Effects
Text wrap, custom text wrap, text on a path, text wrap effects, alignment of text on a path, paragraph rules

Class #11 Pages and Books
Adding and deleting pages, island spreads, importing text, flowing text, master pages, automatic page numbering

Class #12 Transparency
Tabs, spell checking, find/change, working with styles

Class #13 Irregularly shaped text blocks
Converting to PDF

Class #14 Intro Photoshop 7.0
Your photo
Getting to know the work area.
Basic Photo Corrections

Class #15 Working with Selections

Class #16 Layer Basics
Organizing art on layers
Applying blending modes
History palette
Adding text and layer effects
Flattening images

Class #17 Photo Retouching & Repairing
Cropping, adjusting tone
Removing a cast, replacing color
Rubber stamp tool
Sponge, dodge, and burn tools

Class #18 Intro to reports on
publication design topics
Class #19 Photoshop painting and editing
History palette
Magic wand tool
Color swatches, palette, picker
Enhancing behavior of paint tools

Class #20 Student Reports & Intro Final Project

Class #21 Linking and embedding
Assembling your folders for your project
Placing images in letterforms in Photoshop

Class #22 Scanning, masterpages & styles again
Project workshop

Class #23 Changing WMF images to raster format, resolution
Project workshop

Class #24 Using filters and image adjustment, layer styles
Project workshop

Class #25 Text on a path in Photoshop and InDesign
Transforming letters in Photoshop and InDesign
Project workshop

Class #26 Project workshop

Class #27 Project workshop

Class #28 Project due