EN 257 - Visual Rhetoric and Document Design

Description
Document Design provides a foundation in visual rhetoric and graphic design as elements of effective written compositions. Students study how the look of a message and its content work together to reach readers who are living in our information-immersed world. Students learn to understand and manipulate layout, style, and typography as they explore information landscapes through a designer’s eye, analyze the rhetorical choices of others, and create their own print and web documents.

Credit Hours: 3
Contact Hours: 3
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: EN 101 (C or Higher)
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corequisite(s): None
Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
Programs Where This Course is a Requirement:
None

General Education Requirement:
None
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
NA
Course Learning Outcomes:

Illustrate understanding of how visual rhetoric and graphic design principles, such as typography and layout, enhance the meaning of a message.
Illustrate understanding of how context, audience, and purpose affect the design of a document.
Discern design principles at work in a variety of documents.
Develop design ideas and create effective original compositions using written and visual rhetoric.
Make effective presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices when developing a communication.
Create and/or organize data and information into meaningful patterns in order to interpret and draw inferences from it.
Use creativity and alternative thinking to brainstorm new ideas and possible solutions to problems or issues.

Course Outline:
I. Written and Visual Rhetoric (Theory)

Instructors should introduce students to the interplay between written and visual rhetoric, providing a broad foundation in theoretical concepts which students will apply as they begin designing. Concepts which may be covered include:

A. Context, Audience, Purpose, and Mode

B. Writer’s Identity, Performance, or Credibility

C. Aesthetics

D. Style

E. Historical and Recent Trends

II. Design Principles (Application of Theory, Bridging to Practice)

While they are not limited to these, instructors will teach at least the following principles of design:

A. Proximity and Alignment

B. Arrangement and Organization

C. Repetition and Contrast

D. Color

E. Typography

III. Ethical Design (Complicating the Situation)

Informed visual rhetorical decisions must respond ethically to the document’s context:

A. Designing for different communities and cultures (universal design)

B. Accessibility

C. Copyright, Fair Use, Creative Commons

IV. Document Types (Actual Practice)

Instructors will require students to analyze and create a range of document types. The following is a list of potential options:

A. Poster

B. Brochure

C. Flyer

D. Webpage

E. Book Cover

F. Identity Markers and Logos

G. E-portfolio

H. Resume/cover Letter

Approved for Online and Hybrid Delivery?:
No
Instructional Strategies:
Facilitated discussion: 25-60%

Technology use: 15-50%

In-class writing/designing: 15-40%

Team work: 15-40%

Oral reports/short presentation: 5-20%
Mandatory Course Components:
NA
Equivalent Courses:
None

Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: NA

Course-Specific Placement Test: None
Course Aligned with ARW/IRW Pairing: N/A

Mandatory Department Assessment Measures:
NA

Course Type:
Elective- Offering designed to expand learning opportunities for degree seeking students. May or may not be required for students in a specific GRCC program.
Course Format:
Lecture - 1:1
Total Lecture Hours Per Week: 3
People Soft Course ID Number: 104990
Course CIP Code: 23.01
Maximum Course Enrollment: 25
School: School of Liberal Arts
Department: English
Discipline: EN
First Term Valid: Fall 2019 (8/1/2019)
1st Catalog Year: 2019-2020
Faculty Credential Requirements:
18 graduate credit hours in discipline being taught (HLC Requirement), Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details:
None

Major Course Revisions: N/A
Last Revision Date Effective: 20240401T14:15:29
Course Review & Revision Year: 2028-2029