The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective.
Department of Digital Technology and Culture
cas.vancouver.wsu.edu/creative-media-digital-culture
Science & Engineering Building (VSCI), Room 130
360-546-9620
Program Director and Professor, D. Grigar; Instructors, J. Barber, B. Grell, W. Luers, M. Rabby, W. Luers; Academic Director, TBD; Academic Coordinator, T. Fordyce
At the Vancouver campus, the Department of Digital Technology and Culture offers the B.A. in Digital Technology and Culture with an option in Creative Media and Digital Culture, as well as the Game Studies and Design certificate, and the Social Media certificate. Anchored within the field of digital media with emphasis on the intersection of art, technology, and the humanities, the DTC program features a strong interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary focus across various colleges in the WSU system, and emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and technological expertise. The goal of the program is to offer a broad-based degree that prepares students for the media-rich, technologically complex 21st Century.
The DTC degree offers a program of study in Media Authoring and certificates in Game Studies and Design as well as Social Media. In addition to foundational course work in DTC, students also take classes in Anthropology, Art, English, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and other disciplines. Directed studies and internships encourage students to gain real world experience and engage in projects aimed at serving the community, both of which help students with professional career networking and developing a commitment to public service.
Along the way, the DTC program provides an intellectual environment comprised of special events like lectures, residency programs, performances by internationally known artists, and field trips to media arts shows and exhibits, and it offers its students state-of-the-art computer labs and studios in which to work and learn. Class sizes are kept small to assure one-on-one contact with faculty.
Options in Digital Technology and Culture
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.
Certificates
The Game Studies and Design Certificate requires 15 semester credit hours of DTC course work, including two foundational courses and three courses that focus in either design or development. The Social Media Certificate, a collaboration between the program and the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, requires 15 semester credit hours, including four foundational courses and one additional course in media authoring.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate competency with computers for designing, distributing, researching, retrieving, and preserving digital works in various mediums for humane and effective human-computer interactions
- Synthesize media forms for multimedia contexts
- Employ the principles for sophisticated manipulation of various forms of digital media
- Understand the production and assessment of media objects
- Know the basics of information architecture and knowledge management along with ways digital information can be structured for retrieval and archival purposes for different audiences
- Question the way digital media functions in multiple cultural contexts
- Recognize various forms of language processing and their implications for media authoring
- Appreciate the history of technological development, from local to global perspectives, and its implications for a variety of mediums
- Utilize an interdisciplinary perspective in order to understand the basics of social, economic, and education changes brought about by digital media
- Be practiced and capable communicators in all mediums
Schedules of Studies
Honors students complete the Honors College requirements which replace the UCORE requirements.
Creative Media and Digital Culture (Vancouver only) (120 Credits)
1) Recognize various forms of language processing and their implications for media authoring;
2) Know the basics of information architecture and knowledge management along with ways digital information can be structured for retrieval and archival purposes for different audiences; and
3) Synthesize media forms for multimedia contexts.
This option is available on the Vancouver campus. A student may be admitted to the DTC – Creative Media and Digital Culture Option upon making their intention known to the department. This option requires 42 credits of major-specific course work.
| First Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| Communication [COMM] or Written Communication [WRTG] | 3 |
| HISTORY 105 [ROOT] | 3 |
| Humanities [HUM] | 3 |
| Foreign Language, if needed, or Electives1,2 | 6 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| DTC 101 [ARTS] | 3 |
| ENGLISH 101 [WRTG] | 3 |
| Foreign Language, if needed, or Electives1,2 | 6 |
| Quantitative Reasoning [QUAN] | 3 |
| Second Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| Biological Sciences [BSCI] with lab3 | 4 |
| DTC 201 | 3 |
| Social Sciences [SSCI] | 3 |
| Electives2 | 5 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| DTC 336 | 3 |
| Physical Sciences [PSCI] with lab3 | 4 |
| Electives2 | 8 |
| Complete Writing Portfolio | |
| Third Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| DTC 355 | 3 |
| DTC 356 [M] | 3 |
| Equity and Justice [EQJS] | 3 |
| Approved Non-DTC Upper-Division Courses4 | 6 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| Diversity [DIVR] | 3 |
| DTC 375 [M] | 3 |
| DTC Electives5 | 6 |
| Approved Non-DTC Upper-Division Course4 | 3 |
| Fourth Year | |
| First Term | Credits |
| DTC Electives5 | 6 |
| Electives2 | 9 |
| Second Term | Credits |
| DTC 497 [CAPS] | 3 |
| Electives2 | 12 |
Footnotes
| 1 | Two years of high school foreign language or at least two semesters of college-level foreign language are required by the College of Arts and Sciences for graduation. |
| 2 | Electives must include sufficient 300-400-level coursework to meet the University requirement of 40 credits of upper-division coursework. |
| 3 | To meet University and College of Arts and Sciences requirements, students must take a [BSCI] course with lab and [PSCI] course with lab. |
| 4 | Approved Non-DTC Upper-Division Courses (9 credits): Any 300-400 level courses outside of DTC approved by the DTC advisor or a faculty member. These courses are meant to expand a student’s interdisciplinary perspective on media, technology, and culture. |
| 5 | DTC Electives (12 credits): Any DTC course not included in the degree requirements, except for DTC 498 and DTC 499, is eligible to be a DTC elective. |
Minors
Digital Technology and Culture
A minor in DTC requires 18 credits including DTC 101, 201, 336, 355, and 375, plus one more 3-hour course from the following: DTC 335, 356, 435, 477, 478, ART 331, 332, 333, 363, 434, or 435. 9 hours of upper-division work must be taken in residence at WSU or through WSU-approved education abroad or educational exchange courses.
Certificates
Game Studies and Design Certificate (Pullman and Vancouver only)
The Game Studies and Design Certificate prepares students for conceptualizing and producing video games and gameful environments with a special focus on genres such as educational, serious, and games for change. Completion of the Game Studies and Design Certificate requires a total of 15 credits. Students are required to complete DTC 392 or 476 and 492 plus 9 credits chosen from one of two options. Students who select the Design Option select three courses (9 credits) from DTC 335, 336, 354, and 435. Students who select the Development Option select three courses (9 credits) from DTC 338, 355, 477, and 478.
Social Media Certificate (Vancouver only)
The Social Media Certificate prepares students for working in the emerging field of digital communication and product promotion. It covers social media in a variety of aspects, including its role in advertising and public relations, how campaigns work, and the relational nature of online engagement. Completion of the Social Media Certificate requires a total of 15 credits. Required courses: COMSTRAT 312, 380; DTC 330, 331; and a minimum of one course from DTC 336, 354, 355.
Courses
The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective. Courses showing two entries of the same number indicate that the course information is changing. The most recently approved version is shown first, followed by the older version, in gray, with its last-effective term preceding the course title. Courses shown in gray with only one entry of the course number are being discontinued. Course offerings by term can be accessed by clicking on the term links when viewing a specific campus catalog.
Digital Technology And Culture (DTC)
101 [ARTS] Introduction to Digital Technology & Culture 3 Inquiry into digital media, including origins, theories, forms, applications, and impact with a focus on authoring and critiquing multimodal texts. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
201 [ARTS] Tools and Methods for Digital Technology 3 An introduction to the tools and methods of production for multimedia authoring in digital contexts.
204 Introduction to Text Analysis 3 Introduction to computational and statistical text analysis using the open source programming language R; designed for students with no prior experience with programming but who wish to extend their methodological tool kit to include quantitative and computational approaches to the study of text. (Crosslisted course offered as DTC 204, DATA 204.)
206 [DIVR] Digital Inclusion 3 Examination of global reach of digital environments, structures, and tools with focus on inclusion in terms of access, availability, affordability, adoption, and application across cultures.
208 [ARTS] Introduction to Digital Cinema 3 A practical introduction to the technological and cultural transformations driving the evolution of cinematic techniques from the birth of motion pictures to emerging technology.
209 [COMM] Visualizing Data 3 Introduction to the tools and methods of visually communicating data for diverse audiences and scenarios. (Crosslisted course offered as DTC 209, DATA 209.)
301 [M] Professional Preparation 3 Development of materials and skills to prepare for entry into technology or media professions.
330 Social Media Case Studies 3 Inquiry into ways businesses and individuals use social media as a marketing tool with special emphasis on media impact.
331 Social Media Practices 3 Inquiry into social media practices from a ground-up approach, focusing on social media message creation and consumption; online self-presentation; online relationships; reputation management; social media data analysis.
335 3D Digital Animation 3 3D digital animation for creative and professional productions, art skills, story-telling and team problem-solving techniques. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
336 Multimedia Design 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 201. Design practices and process for composing for a multimedia environment including color, pattern, and shape. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
338 Special Topics in Digital Technology and Culture V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Major trends or artists in digital technology and culture. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
354 [ARTS] [M] Digital Storytelling 3 Nonlinear, multi-linear, and interactive narrative using elements of creative writing such as character, dialog, setting, plot and image. (Crosslisted course offered as DTC 354, ENGLISH 354). Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
355 Introduction to Web Design and Development 3 Introduction to design, development, and coding for the world wide web and interactive media. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
356 [M] Information Structures 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 101. Social and cultural role of information; research with electronic sources; production, validation, storage, retrieval, evaluation, use, impact of electronic information. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
375 [M] Language, Texts and Technology 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 101. Relationship between technology and communication; writing practices from a historical point of view. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
392 Video Games Theories and Histories 3 History and theory of video games with a focus on innovation and cultural impact.
435 Advanced Animation 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 335. Advanced investigation of tools and methods for 2D and 3D digital animation.
436 Advanced Multimedia Design 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 336. Advanced design principles and projects in digital media; projects include visual, sound, haptic, and interactive experiences.
475 [DIVR] Digital Diversity 3 Cultural impact of digital media in cultural contexts; issues of race, class, gender, sexuality online. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
476 Digital Strategies 3 Examines multiple digital strategies for engagement with immersive and emerging technologies. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
477 Advanced Web Design and Development 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 355. Advanced web development and coding for creating interactive media and websites. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
478 Usability and Interface Design 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 355. Design of websites using best practices of visual literacy, interface architecture, and usability. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
491 Advanced Digital Cinema 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 201 or 208. Exploration of advanced techniques, theories, and aesthetic strategies of cinema in the age of digital media.
492 Engines and Platforms 3 Course Prerequisite: DTC 355. A study of software platforms and engines used for media design, with special focus on intuitive tools, rapid work flow, multimedia platform environments, and asset management.
497 [CAPS] Senior Seminar 3 Course Prerequisite: Completion of Junior Writing Portfolio; admitted to the major in Digital Technology and Culture; senior standing. Major multimedia project for nonprofit organization or small business with special focus on project management, planning, and execution. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
498 Internship V 1-6 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Course Prerequisite: By department permission; admitted to the major in Digital Technology and Culture; junior standing. Direct professional learning experiences in the area of digital media, technology, and culture. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
499 Special Problems V 1-4 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 credits. Course Prerequisite: Admitted to the major in Digital Technology and Culture; junior standing. Independent study conducted under the jurisdiction of an approving faculty member; may include independent research studies in technical or specialized problems; selection and analysis of specified readings; development of a creative project; or field experiences. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
560 Critical Theories, Methods, and Practice in Digital Humanities 3 History, theory, and practice of digital humanities, with attention paid to how digital humanities are transforming disciplinary knowledge. (Crosslisted course offered as DTC 560, ENGLISH 560).
561 Studies in Technology and Culture 3 Foundation examination of key concepts, tools, and possibilities afforded by engaging with technology through a critical cultural lens. (Crosslisted course offered as DTC 561, ENGLISH 561).