May 16, 2024  
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  Artist Statement
  Colleges
  Honors College
  Degrees, Minors, and Certificates
  Course Descriptions
  Table of Programs Offered
  About NKU
  Academic Program Opportunities
  Academic Support
  Admissions and Enrollment
  Appendices
  Faculty and Emeritus Faculty
  General Education
  International Admissions and Enrollment
  Kentucky Residency
  Policies and Procedures
  Spring Semester 2020 Adjustments per Covid-19 Pandemic
  Student Engagement
  Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid
  University Administration
  My Portfolio
HELP
2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Course Description Notes

Northern Kentucky University has established abbreviations for its various disciplines. These abbreviations, which are printed next to the name of each discipline in the following course descriptions, should be used in preparing course schedules and at other times when referring to specific courses.

Following course titles in parenthesis is the number of semester hours of credit in the course. Listed below the course title are the number of classroom and lab/studio hours in the course, course prerequisites and co-requisites, and the semesters in which the course is taught.

Many courses satisfy NKU general education requirements under guidelines of the Kentucky Transfer Policy. If a particular course is approved for general education credit, a two-letter general education category designation follows the course title. The category for which the course is approved is listed in full beneath the course description. The general education category designations are:

OC – Oral Communication
WC – Written Communication
AH – Arts and Humanities
QR – Quantitative Reasoning
NS – Natural Sciences
SB – Social and Behavioral Sciences

Please refer to the General Education section of this catalog for complete information.

The university reserves the right to withdraw or modify courses of instruction at any time.
 

Media Informatics
  

  • MIN 221 Visual Fundamentals for Digital Media (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): EMB 140  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    Explores color theory, two-dimensional design, typography, layout, and web design, and user interface design.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 240 Introduction to Interactive Media (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite OR Co-requisite: MIN 221  and INF 286  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    Students will learn skills and techniques necessary to design, develop and publish animations and interactivity for the web.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 244 Principles of Digital 3D Animation (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of EMB 140  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    An introduction to 3D animation workflow, principles, and storytelling methods.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 245 3D Modeling Fundamentals (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite OR Co-requisite: Completion of MIN 221  and MIN 244  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    An introduction to 3D workflow, project management, and modeling.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 250 Analog Game Design (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 240  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    An exploration of game theory and the processes of including fun and challenge into game design.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 252 Non-Linear Interactive Storytelling (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Taught: Fall and spring
    Storytelling, interactivity, and non-linearity theory in digital media. A deepening of understanding of communication design by analyzing traditional, current(emerging), and experimental(future) media and by experiencing informatics behind media.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 294 Special Introductory Topics in Media Inf (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Focused study of significant topic from a media informatics perspective at an introductory level. Topics vary semester to semester.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 6

    ♦
  

  • MIN 307 3D Lighting and Texturing (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 245  with a C or better.
    Taught: Spring only
    Theories and principles of lighting in conjunction with UV Layouts, materials, & textures.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 309 3D Hard Surface Modeling (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 245  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall only
    Intermediate techniques for modeling hard surface assets.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 317 Virtual Sculpting for Digital Media (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 307  with a C or better.
    Taught: Spring only
    An introduction to 3D sculpting workflow and theories with material implementation.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 320 Character Modeling (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 309  with a C or better.
    Taught: Spring only
    Character development and modeling for production.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 330 Rigging and Animation (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 320  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall only
    3D Mechanics and technical setup for character driven performance.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 340 Media Scripting for Interactivity (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 240  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    A continuation of the development of skills learned in MIN 240. Students will learn how to program intermediate level of interactive experiences for digital media. 
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 352 Project Research Management (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 309  or MIN 340  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    Preparation of knowledge, skills, and techniques to produce portfolio quality work for professional presentation.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 360 Usability Testing for Digital Media (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
    Taught: Spring only
    Students will learn how to evaluate usability; usability testing principles and strategies for planning and conducting a usability test, analyzing and presenting the results in a written report. In addition, students will experience at least one usability test of digital media as a participant or an observer.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 375 Computer Games and Digital Society (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 252  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall
    A critical examination of computer games, digital communication and virtual worlds through the lens of current events, trends and research.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 381 Computer-Mediated Communication (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
    Taught: Spring only
    This seminar examines communication occurring between two or more individual people who interact and/or influence each other via the internet or network connection using social software. Topics include identity, social information processing, online romance, social network sites, Internet communities, web blogs, wikis, and workplace considerations.
    Repeatable: No
  

  • MIN 394 Topics: Media Informatics (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Focused study of a significant topic from a media informatics perspective. Topics vary semester to semester.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 6

    ♦
  

  • MIN 396 Internship: Media Informatics (1-3 credits)

    Hours: 0 classroom + 12 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Written consent of supervising faculty member; junior or senior standing; and a GPA of at least 2.75.
    Taught: Fall, spring, and summer
    Selected placement for majors in businesses and non-profit organizations. Internships may involve content design, web and mobile applications, digital advertising, animation, game design, production writing or other areas within field. Repeatable once for full credit if different responsibilities.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 6

    ♦
  

  • MIN 417 Adv. Virtual Sculpting for Digital Media (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 317  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall only
    Advanced 3D sculpting workflow and theories with material implementation.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 420 Professional Practices (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor.
    Taught: Fall and spring
    An examination of business and ethical practices within the media informatics industry. A focus on freelance and self-employment techniques will include business development and management, project management, legal issues, ethical practice and self-marketing.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 426 Advanced Digital Compositing (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of EMB 326  with a C or better.
    Taught: Fall only
    Advanced methodologies in digital compositing, motion graphics, and post-production techniques.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 430 Advanced Rigging and Animation (3 credits)

    Hours: 1 classroom + 2 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 330  with a C or better.
    Taught: Spring only
    3D Mechanics and technical setup for character driven performance with implementation into a game engine.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 440 Advanced Media Interactivity (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 252  and MIN 340  with a C or better.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    A continuation of the development of skills learned in MIN 340. Students will learn how to program advanced level of interactive experiences for digital media.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 445 Intermediate 3D Modeling and Animation (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 245 .
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    This course will continue the development of 3D modeling skills with a focus on rigging, animating and visual effects.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 452 Advanced Portfolio Production (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Completion of MIN 352  with a C or better.
    Taught: Spring only
    Application of acquired knowledge, skills, and techniques to produce portfolio quality work for professional presentation.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 475 Advanced 3D Animation and Gaming (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): MIN 445 .
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Advanced modeling, rigging, shading, rendering, and character-design skills are developed in conjunction with traditional story, animation, lighting, and cinematography theoretical concepts. Students complete individual, independent projects and also work as a team to develop, design and produce an animated movie or video game environment and assets.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 492 Directed Research or Creative Work (0-6 credits)

    Hours: 0 classroom + 0-6 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Junior Standing or Instructor Permission
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Research/creative experience that culminates in completion of one of the following: at least one peer-reviewed presentation/publication, an exhibition/performance, or at least one mentored, out-of-class presentation that exhibits the student’s project outcomes.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 6
  

  • MIN 495 Study Abroad (1-3 credits)

    Hours: 1-3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Varies by topic.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Varies by topic. Course includes a classroom portion and a trip abroad.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 12

    ♦
  

  • MIN 496 Senior Practicum (3 credits)

    Hours: 3 classroom + 0 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Students work on team projects that allow them to integrate academic experience into real world situations. Required electronic portfolio is reviewed and evaluated with revisions applied. Students undertake assignments to build organizational competencies such as communication skills, teamwork, and critical thinking.
    Repeatable: No
    ♦
  

  • MIN 499 Independent Study (1-3 credits)

    Hours: 0 classroom + 4 -12 lab/studio
    Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing and consent of instructor.
    Taught: Variable, check with department
    Individually supervised work involving reading, research, writing, and/or production in specified area of interest in Media Informatics. The student will work with the instructor to select and develop the topic. May be repeated for a maximum or 6 semester hours as topic varies.
    Repeatable: Yes
    If Repeatable, Max. Credits: 6

    ♦