The Washington State University General Catalog

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Department of Digital Technology and Culture

dtc.wsu.edu/
Morrill Hall 108 (Pullman campus)
509-335-0698

Professors, K. Christen (Pullman), D. Grigar (Vancouver), G. Turner-Rahman (Pullman); Professor (CT), J. Barber (Vancouver); Associate Professors A. Plemons (Tri-Cities); Associate Professors (CT), R. Gregory (Pullman), B. Grell (Vancouver), W. Luers (Vancouver), M. Rabby (Vancouver); Assistant Professors, D. Beverly-Porter (Pullman), J. Clapper (Pullman), E. Ortiz (Pullman); Assistant Professors (CT), A. Brave (Pullman), T. deVries (Global), P. Mudd (Tri-Cities), S. Park (Pullman), J. Riddle (Pullman), J. Sanders (Pullman); Lecturers, T. Buffington (Pullman), C. Dreger (Vancouver), L. Roper (Pullman), V. Varay (Pullman). Academic Advisors, T. Fordyce (Vancouver), A. Rocha (Pullman).

Students in Digital Technology and Culture (DTC) develop critical and creative thinking skills, cultural competencies, and digital expertise. The program offers courses in web design, animation, 3D modeling, multimedia and graphic design, social media, video production, game creation, augmented and virtual reality, and other emerging fields of study. Along with technical skills, students gain critical perspectives from diverse sources that prepare them for the complex needs of contemporary society on both a local and global level.

There is a strong focus on praxis – whereby students explore technological, cultural, and media theories and histories alongside multimedia creation. In addition, there is a focus on community-based learning – where students develop digital media projects in a collaborative environment for community-based organizations.

DTC students emerge from the program with diverse technical and media production expertise as well as essential skills like written and oral communication, teamwork, project management, and social ethics.

Digital Technology and Culture Options

There are five options for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Digital Technology and Culture. Each requires 42 credit hours of major-specific coursework to complete.

Creative Media and Digital Culture (Vancouver) is for students who want careers in web design and development; game studies and design; 2 and 3D animation; digital publishing, social media and SEO strategy; or physical computing, including virtual and augmented reality. Students graduate with a deep knowledge of the theories relating to digital technologies, as well as strong essential skills like written and oral communication, teamwork, project management, and ethics.

Digital Cinema, Sound, and Animation (Pullman) is for students who are interested in learning more about moving image creation and critical commentary. This option focuses on the examination of the history, production, and cultural impact of time-based technologies like sound, film, and animation. Courses in this option explore topics like podcasting, soundscapes, 3D animation, cinema history, video production, and related media histories and theories.

Digital Design (Pullman, Tri-Cities) is focused on visual communication and adaptive methodologies in design for diverse communities. Students pursuing this option learn more about methods and approaches in graphic design, multimedia design, content creation, and information visualization. This option also integrates static, moving, and interactive media theories, histories, and production to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary design field.

Game Studies (Pullman) is for students interested in a praxis approach to critical play studies and game creation. Students in this option explore the histories and theories associated with interactive media and video games. They also create games for diverse audiences using a range of software. Graduates of this option will be well versed in front-end design, narrative construction, as well as basic game and interactive media mechanics.

Web Design and Development (Pullman) explores the principles of web design, web coding, user experience (UX), content management, information architecture, usability, accessibility, and more. Students in this option will learn HTML, CSS, and scripting languages such as JavaScript or PHP. Graduates of this track will be able to create and manage websites through all stages of development, from planning and setup, to developing and managing code and content.

Students may also select Digital Technology and Culture as a primary or secondary concentration within the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities or the Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. The Primary Concentration option requires the completion of at least 24 semester credit hours of approved DTC course work, including at least 15 upper-division semester credits. The Secondary Concentration option requires the completion of at least 15 semester credit hours of approved DTC course work, including at least six upper-division semester credits.

Digital Technology and Culture Programmatic Outcomes

A graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Technology and Culture will be able to:

Demonstrate culturally responsive competencies in working with digital media and technology for ethical and effective human interactions.
Employ design principles in the creation of various forms of digital media and technology.
Explore, analyze, and critique the ways digital media and technology function in multiple cultural contexts using diverse methodologies and perspectives.
Demonstrate understanding of the histories of technological development, from local to global perspectives, and their implications for a variety of mediums.
Utilize an interdisciplinary perspective to understand contemporary and future cultural impacts of digital media and technology.
Communicate effectively, to diverse audiences, how and why digital media make meaning.

Campus Contact Information

Pullman campus: Morrill Hall 108; 509-335-0698; dtc@wsu.edu; dtc.wsu.edu/.

Tri-Cities campus: Campus Registrar's Office, Floyd 269; 509-372-7351; tricities.registrar@wsu.edu; tricities.wsu.edu/cas/.

Vancouver campus: Science & Engineering Building (VSCI), Room 130; 360-546-9620; van.casadvising@wsu.edu; cas.vancouver.wsu.edu/creative-media-digital-culture/.

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Office of the Registrar, PO Box 641035, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-1035, 509-335-5346, bitter@wsu.edu