Foundation Studies Courses

FND231 Design Studio I-A

[2–2, 3 cr.]

This studio emphasizes visual perception through an initiation into the different modes of two-dimensional representation and formal analysis of the basic elements of visual language, such as point, line, shape and figure/ground structure, color, and the effects of light on forms. Exercises in this studio are intended to sharpen the student’s perception of shapes and forms, and to train the eye and the hand in the process of interpretation and representation of two dimensional visuals. Supplemented by the analysis of major artworks, this studio introduces a variety of techniques, exploring their possibilities and application.

FND232 Design Studio I-B

[2–2, 3 cr.]

This studio explores the basics of plastic modeling and initiates students to critical thinking through exercises that address three-dimensional formal analysis / volumetric studies and evolve from soft materials to hard materials, with an emphasis on learning wood craftsmanship. Projects explore the syntax of 3D forms and investigate the properties of materials, structure, mass, and scale, as well as the effects of light on forms. This studio stresses the importance of craftsmanship and the different techniques of modeling requiring an active use of the workshop. This course is given with a co-requisite course on Shop Techniques.

FND235 Shop Techniques

[0–2, 1 cr.]

This course is a foundational course that initiates the student to the craft of woodworking and wood joinery, metal work, molding and casting. It is co-requisite to DES I-B, and will be taught by a staff member in coordination with faculty teaching DES I-B.

Co-requisite: FND232 Design Studio I-B

FND236 Design Studio II

[3–6, 6 cr.]

This studio is a sequence to Studio I-A and I-B and constitutes a master studio in foundation, where the techniques and methods acquired in the previous studios are taken to a higher level in a project that emphasizes process thinking in design, effectively synthesizing between two-and three- dimensions. Projects should allow each student to develop mature works that combine analytical thinking, interpretation, and experimentation in design. Formal exercises involve structural analysis, dissection, assembly and transformation, with the objective of creating elaborate objects that move beyond simple repetition of acquired types or ‘models’, and reflect articulate thought, intuitive understanding of phenomena and deductive reasoning. Students are expected to develop their faculties of creative interpretation, using a multiplicity of design tools simultaneously, from manual crafts / model making to technical sketching and precision drafting. Rather than developing independent objects, the aim of this studio is to emphasize on process in design and the generation of multiple variations on a single theme.

Prerequisite: FND231 Design Studio I-A, FND232 Design Studio I-B and FND235 Shop Techniques

FND251 Digital Media

[2–2, 3 cr.]

This studio course is composed of two parts, starting with a basic exposure to computer platforms and the primary software used in computer graphics application. The first part addresses the basics of generating and manipulating images using digital media, and covers monochrome patterns, control and mix of colors, raster images, scanning, pixel and vector graphics. The second part introduces the basic concepts of four-dimensional design, in which properties of time and movement are explored. A range of time-based media are addressed from computer-driven technologies and digital photography to interactive media. A workshop on video editing and post production is offered as integral part of this studio. 

FND261 Design Culture

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to the interrelationship between art and design, through the exploration of different contemporary topics. The first part of the course will be a survey of major artistic movements in the 20th century, and the second part will be a theoretical exploration of the cultural and aesthetic underpinnings of the various manifestations of contemporary design developments in the applied arts from spatial design to furniture, product, graphics, fashion and cinema.