Description
NMD 343 is a class in Story Design. We will review basic storytelling skills like character design, plot construction, settings choices, moral arguments, and symbols, metaphors, and visual cues and apply them to digital tools and content.
This class is a great pair with other skill classes you may be taking like animation, unity game design, or video production, and you may use elements from each class to craft strong stories. Using a variety of tools, you will practice telling rich media stories—using simple to complex formats from social media graphics to web stories, from documentary video to animation.
Disclaimer
In order to best accommodate student projects and course goals, the format, schedule or content for this course may be modified. In addition, student input may alter the content and direction of our work. In such case, changes will be made directly to this online syllabus, with in-class announcements.
Professor
- Joline Blais, Associate Professor of New Media
- 225 Boardman Hall
- Zoom / Slack
Please use Slack direct message to contact me–it’s private and much faster than email - email: jblais@
Class
- Barrows 126 T/TH 11:00-12:15
- Remote–if needed via Zoom
- 3 credit hours
Office hours
Required
- The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, John Truby
- Website: http://umainenewmedia.net/nmd343/ You MUST be logged in to see ALL class content.
- Register for the class website during the first class using your @maine.edu email (all others deleted for security)
- Login: https://umainenewmedia.net/nmd343/wp-login.php/
- Adobe Creative Cloud with Adobe Express (Post, Page, Video)
Free for Students
Recommended
- Adobe Creative Suite, esp Photoshop, Illustrator
- Class Story Magazine: Tributaries
- WordPress portfolio (wordpress.com or .org–if you’ve had NMD 340)
Use your @maine.edu email for BOTH this class website AND your portfolio account–then you will link them
Learning Objectives
- Explore and understand basic story elements–premise, characters, plot, setting, symbol, metaphor
- Analyze and practice the story creation process in a series of clear steps
- Develop storytelling skills and strategies for telling personal, fictional and/or community based stories
- Learn techniques for useful feedback and revision
- Develop story skills for use in various media environments or platforms
Learning Outcomes
- Understand basic elements of story structure–premise, characters, plot, setting, symbol, metaphor
- Understand how specific stories, like Anime, use story elements to create compelling stories
- Design stories using stages and basic elements, getting confident through practice
- Know how to mine life experiences, place, history, family and values for story ideas
- Acquire skills for evaluating and giving useful feedback to your peers
Requirements
Avoid missing any quizzes or assignments. Any missed work = 0, and that can really bring down your grade and give a poor reflection of the overall quality of your work.
Make up work: Life happens, and sometimes it’s more important than school. For these occasions, you will have 1-2 “freebies”, which are opportunities to turn in late work, without an excuse. Do not use these unless you have a serious issues–save them for when you might need them.
Projects
- 20% Weekly Tasks ( this includes steps in developing main project)
- 20% Quizzes
- 25% Project 1
- 25% Project 2
- 10% Attendance & participation, class work, exercises; including developing a habit of contributing to peer learning–learning how to collaborate, give feedback, support each other, and learn from each other. Both giving and getting support earn credit.
There will be no final exam. Final projects will be due at the beginning of Exam week–see schedule for specific date.
It is easy to earn a high C or B in this class with consistent weekly effort on quizzes and tasks. It is also easy to fail the class if you miss classes and are late with work. My goal—and that of your classmates— is to help you earn the best grade you can:
- A Outstanding work, generous contribution to improvement of your own and other student work, robust contribution to class and peers
- B Very good work, clear contribution to improvement of your own and other student work, robust contribution to class and peers
- C Good work without much improvement from initial class assignments, some contribution to class or peers
- D Most of the work done, but without much learning, contribution or improvement. Missing many classes and some assignments.
- F Failing over 40% of the work, and completed work bare minimum
Completing work
My main expectations for the class are that you do the work as best you can and keep up. Even partial work is better than no work or late work, since you will get a few choices of projects to revise. While quality is important, it is more important to keep up, and perhaps revise or drop any low grades. Assignments have clear logged due dates on the class website, and you will lose points for unexcused late work. I will also factor in unexpected individual circumstances where needed..
Attendance
Factored into your grade–see above. For medical, family or school events, you may request to do make up work at my discretion.
Talk to me beforehand if you know you’ll have to miss time in class. I will work with you as best I can to support you if I see evidence of responsibility and effort.
Behavior
Encourage diversity of thoughtful viewpoints. This means telling your truth and doing so in ways that are constructive and supportive. Respect professor, guests, and classmates with clear attention and engagement, and give thoughtful, genuine feedback designed to encourage growth.
Equipment
Have your computer and/or whatever you need to enable you to work during every class. Phones will NOT be sufficient for class work.
If conditions are safe, you may make use of the various equipment and labs on campus, including IMRC, Focus Ring/Stillwater, SCIS labs and any other available resource you need.
Personal constraints
See me if you have an especially difficult personal constraint–such as your own illness, or children or parents you need to care for. I may not be able to help, but I can probably direct you to someone who can. Students with disabilities can also go directly to Services for Students with Disabilities (581-2319). I do not hold any personal circumstance against you in terms of grading (though I cannot credit you for work not done) and will work with you to achieve your best work.
Don’t wait until these constraints affect your class work, however. Try to alert me to any impending or disruptive issues before and as they happen, so I can do my best to get you the support you need (and have paid for) to get over those common life challenges.
Register to Vote
Voting is one of the key powers you have to shape your future. Don’t give away your power.
For information about voting–how to vote, how to register, absentee ballots, see https://umaine.edu/studentlife/uvote/
UMaine Policies
Covid 19: For more information see Black Bears Care Pact: https://umaine.edu/return/black-bears-care/
And: UMaine Covid 19 policy
• Academic Honesty
• Students Accessibility Services Statement
• Course Schedule Disclaimer
• Observance of Religious Holidays/Events
• Sexual Discrimination Reporting
Additional Policies
• Student Conduct Expectations
• Classroom Civility
• Inclusive and Non-sexist Language
• Copyright Notice for Materials Accessible through the Course Website
• Contingency Plans in the Event of an Epidemic