Course Syllabus

FINA S-303: Lens-Based Narrative Construction | 44262 |Fall 2021  

• Instructor: Marzena Abrahamik 
•  
• Contact: Send me a message via Canvas message. I am usually able to respond within 24 hours (48 hours on the weekends). In case of emergency only email me at maabra@iu.edu or phone 773-350-5571 
• Office Hours:  Thursdays 9:30am-12pm CT schedule, please schedule an appointment via Canvas Calander.  

Course Description 

This course covers the making of lens-based visual narratives in moving and still forms, visual literacy, and the matching of ideas in verbal, visual, and written form for the purpose of effective communication. Students will learn why visual literacy is essential to the creation of visual stories.  Ethics and the impact of visual stories will be explored. Emphasis on identifying intended target audiences for content and how to create with an outcome in mind. The development of a vocabulary to assess and create visual stories.  Ability to assess the effectiveness and differences of the moving vs the still image. 

Course Website 

You will participate in this course using the IU Canvas learning management platform system. Once you are on the platform you can learn how to use Canvas effectively, by clicking the “Help” link on the top right of the course page on Canvas. 

Course Outcomes 

At the end of this course, students will be able to: 

• Construct moving and still narratives in lens-based imagery using personal devices and foundational software 
• Read visual works by assessing symbols and signifiers in order to achieve visual literacy 
• Effectively communicate ideas in visual forms, matching those ideas in verbal, visual, and written forms 
• Assess the effectiveness of and differences between the moving vs the still image 
• Use the vocabulary required to assess and communicate visual ideas in collaborative environments 
• Reflect critically on the impact of visual stories within culture while acknowledging diverse audiences with non-dominant perspectives 
• Practice ethics and accountability in visual storytelling 
• Modify your use of strategies that reinforce dominant narratives and exploitative practices in visual storytelling 
• Research a topic before creating a visual story in order to create a thesis, write a plan of action, and identify an intended outcome. 
• Communicate visually and without words using lens-based devices 
• Preparing image and video files for use in appropriate modalities 
• Understanding of creation and editing software 
• Proper citation of visual works in MLA8 

Course Requirements 

Required Text 

The bibliography and resources will be contemporary and will change from semester to semester based on current trends, occurrences, and contemporary ideas.  Resources and materials will adhere to the learning outcomes and objectives. 

You will need the following in order to participate in this course: 

• Computer; 
• Reliable internet connection; 
• Computer microphone; 
• Some way to make and post a simple video (e.g., using a webcam, or a smartphone); 
• Open Canvas in a Mozilla Firefox browser 
• Lens-based device (can be mobile phone, DSLR, mirrorless camera) 
• Lightroom & Photoshop on a computer 
• Tripod 
• Adapter for device on camera  

This course will be taught 100% online asynchronously via Canvas. All assignments, discussions, quizzes, tests, readings, and other materials will be placed in corresponding modules and will have due dates that will appear in the Course Stream.  Download the Boost app to help stay abreast of deadlines! 

Technical Support 

You may also receive support from 

• University Information Technology Services (UITS) (human support) 
• IU Knowledge Base (IUKB) (guides) 
• IUware (download free software)  

  

Course Activities and Assignments 

Overview of the Assignment Grades 
 

Assignment	Points
Discussions	215
Quizzes   Introduction	30  20
Knowledge Check	50
Final Project	500
Assignments	1055
Total	1870

 
 

Grading Scale 

 
 

Grade	% Range	Points Range
A	94-100	1758-1870
A-	90-93	1683-1757
B+	87-89	1627-1682
B	84-86	1571-1626
B-	80-83	1496-1570
C+	77-79	1440-1495
C	74-76	1384-1449
C-	70-73	1309-1383
D+	67-69	1253-1308
D	64-66	1197-1252
D-	60-63	1122-1196
F	<60%	Less than 1121

 
 

Note: If you are on track for a D, you are failing the course. 

 

University Policies 

Accommodations 

Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities (e.g. mental health, learning, chronic health, physical, hearing, vision neurological, etc.) You must have established your eligibility for support services through the appropriate office that services students with disabilities. Note that services are confidential, may take time to put into place and are not retroactive; Captions and alternate media for print materials may take three or more weeks to get produced. Please contact your campus office as soon as possible if accommodations are needed. Find your campus office serving students with disabilities. 

Intellectual Dishonesty 

All work should be your original product, unless explicitly noted otherwise. Any materials you reference or take from others should be properly cited. Cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication in any form will not be tolerated, regardless of any justification. For more detailed information see the Student Responsibilities section of the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. The minimum consequence is failing the assignment. In a case of more serious offense, a student may fail the course. Students should NOT present work from other courses in this class (i.e., using pieces of previous papers you have done is considered plagiarism). I may use the services of Turnitin.com to check for originality of your written work.  

Title IX Sexual Misconduct 

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help. I encourage you to visit Stop Sexual Violence website to learn more.  If you are seeking help and would like to speak to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with a Mental Health Counselor on campus.  

It is also important that you know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator.  In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed.  Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. 

Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct 

Students are expected to adhere to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct at all times. Any inappropriate behavior, disruptive conduct (e.g., engaging in hostile or disrespectful commentary on the site, or discussing irrelevant evidence) or non-compliance with faculty directions can result in a charge of Academic and/or Personal Misconduct, the consequence of which could be a variety of sanctions either from the instructor or the Dean of Students. For more information see The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct. 

IU Northwest Grading Policies 

The following includes highlights paraphrased from several campus or university policies pertaining to grades and grading. For official descriptions of these and other related policies, click the Campus Course Policies button on your Canvas toolbar and then click the link for IU Northwest Campus Academic Policies.  

Grade Appeal 

If you believe the grade received in a course is incorrect, you should follow the Grade Appeal Policy.  

Dropping a Course 

During the first week of classes you may drop a class with no grade recorded on your transcript. From the second week of classes through the ninth week (the ‘auto W’ period), you may withdraw from a class with an automatic grade of ‘W’. This will be recorded on your transcript, but not included in your GPA.  

After the ninth week (and before the final exam period), a student wishing to withdraw with a grade of ‘W’ must be passing the course at that time. You must complete a ‘Drop Only’ form and contact the offices listed for signatures before giving the form to the instructor. The instructor will confirm on the form that you are passing at that time for a ‘W’ grade or that your grade is an ‘F’. This ‘F’ grade WILL be included in calculation of your GPA.  

Faculty members are required to report any student who stops attending a class and does not withdraw (with a grade of ‘W’ or ‘F’). Failure of a course due to non-attendance may affect financial aid award amounts. 

 

Course Expectations  

Classroom Civility 

It is important to build a classroom climate that is welcoming and safe for everyone.  Please display respect for everyone in the class. You should avoid racist, sexist, homophobic, or other negative language that may exclude members of our campus and classroom community.   

Participation 

You should be logging onto Canvas at least three times a week to view assignments, presentations, contribute to discussions, post questions, read posting of others, etc. Activities and assignments will be posted in advance providing ample time for completion. Please plan your schedules accordingly. 

Course Absence 

If you plan to be absent from class activities for longer periods of time because of a sport, school, medical, or family event, please let me know and complete your work in advance. For a scheduled exam/quiz, forum, or other course events, arrange with me for an earlier date. In case you miss these scheduled events, you will receive a zero. 

Late Work 

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a grade deduction.  The deduction is identified in the rubric for each assignment.   

If the assignment is a grade for completion, then late assignments will receive no credit.  

 
 

For the final project due in week 15, late assignments will not be graded and a student will be given an Incomplete for the course.   

Plagiarism 

Honesty requires that any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged. Offering the work of someone else as one’s own is plagiarism. The language or ideas thus taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches, or the writings of other students. The offering of materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment also is considered plagiarism. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas or materials taken from another source is guilty of plagiarism. 

(Faculty Council, May 2, 1961; University Faculty Council, March 11, 1975; Board of Trustees, July 11, 1975) Source comes from IU's Policies site. 

According to the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (2010), a student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge indebtedness whenever: 

1. Directly quoting another person's actual words, whether oral or written; 

1. Using another person's ideas, opinions, or theories; 

1. Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others, whether oral or written; 

1. Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; or 

1. Offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgement. 

Right of Revision 

The instructor reserves the right to revise or adjust the course syllabus to best accommodate the pace and needs of the students. 

Fair Use Policy 

Copying or recording synchronous classes and asynchronous course materials without the express prior approval of Professor Jennifer Greenburg is prohibited. All copies and recordings remain the property of Indiana University and Professor Jennifer Greenburg. IU and Professor Jennifer Greenburg reserve the right to retrieve, inspect, or destroy the copies and recordings after their intended use. These policies are not intended to affect the rights of students with disabilities under applicable law or IU policies. 

Other: 

Add any personal course policies that you feel are important and have not already been stated /e.g., email etiquette, professionalism, etc.). For example, your campus may also have religious observances policies or other syllabus statements that you should include. Also check for departmentally specific statements.  

 

Course Weekly Schedule 

 
 

Date	Topic	Assignments	Assignment Due Dates
Course Overview		Course syllabus and Quick Check  DISCUSS: Introduce Yourself & Meet Your Class!	Readings:  Friday  11:59pm  Quiz:  Friday  11:59pm      Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59
Module 1	Poorly considered visual stories	Applying Ethical Factors to Images  DISCUSS: Ethics & accountability in visual storytelling	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59
Module 2	The technology behind creating lens-based still images	Creating with the camera using Exposure Triangle  Practice Using The Exposure Triangle  Enhancing your images by understanding file types  Installing and setting up Adobe Lightroom Classic  Screenshot of Lightroom Classic Catalog  MODULE 2 QUIZ: Exposure Triangle & File Types	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 3	Creating lens-based still images	Composition and Framing  Lightroom Classic tutorial: The basics  Photo Submission of "Applying the Exposure Triangle To Still Imaging"  DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of "Applying the Exposure Triangle To Still Imaging  MODULE 3 QUIZ: Exporting and File Preparation Quiz (classic)	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 4	Crafting still images with the use of light	Color theory and Terminology for Visual Works  Color Corrections and Color Casts  Using Artificial Light  Lightroom Classic tutorials: More on Editing Still Images	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 5	Subtractive art of photography	Inclusion and Exclusion in Photography  Reflection Journal Entry Assignment: The Human Made Capture    Lightroom Classic tutorial: Tone curve, Presence Panel, HSL, and Detail Panel	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm
Module 6	Aesthetics in Still Photographs	Aesthetics in visual communications    Photo Submission of "One Subject, Two Opposing Ideas"    DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of "One Subject, Two Opposing Ideas"    Lightroom Classic Tutorials: Batch Processing  Batch Processing JPEGs	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 7	Concepts in Still Photographs	Concept in visual communications    Writing an artist statement	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 8	Context in Still Photographs	Context in visual communications  Photo Submission of "Transforming an ordinary subject matter"      DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of "Transforming an ordinary subject matter"  Audience engagement on Instagram and TikTok    DISCUSS: Instagram Examples	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 9	Creating a series of lens based works	Creating a series of lens-based images: Long-form Project	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm
Module 10	Moving lens-based images	Photo Submission Project: "The Referential"  DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of "Symbols and Signifiers"  Understanding the advantages and challenges of moving images  Technical instruction on shooting video  Lightroom Classic tutorials: Importing and exporting video  Project proposal and action plan	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 11	Crafting the moving lens-based narratives	Advancing your moving image making techniques  Moving footage editing using Adobe Premiere	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm
Module 12	Verbal Presentation of Visual Works	Give an extemporaneous speech about visual works | The Artist Presentation  Photo Submission of "Adding motion to benign subject matter"  DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of "Adding motion to benign subject matter"	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 13	Additional editing software for moving images	The TikTok explosion of 2020  DISCUSS: Why Nathan Apodaca's video on his skateboard went viral  Intermediate moving footage Editing Premiere Pro/Rush tutorial  Project Rough Draft	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59  Quiz  Friday 11:59pm
Module 14	Combining Clips & Additional Editing in Premiere	Premiere Pro/Rush tutorial: Advanced tips on editing  DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of Work in Progress - Long-Form Lens-Based Final Project	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59
Module 15	Final Project	Long Form Lens-Based Final Project  DISCUSS: Peer visual analysis of final project	Readings:  Friday 11:59pm  Assignments:  Friday at 11:59pm  Discussion: First Post Wednesday 11:59  Second Post Friday 11:59