Ed Trayes, Professor of Communications
John Williams, adjunct and Knight Ridder Digital

Phone:

(office) 204-8344 (if there is no answer please leave a message)
(home) 884-7986 (please do not call after 10 p.m.)

Office: 324 Annenberg Hall
Office Hours: Immediately after class or by appointment

These are capstone courses where each student is encouraged to work as independently as possible in areas of personal and professional interest. Students are encouraged to consider the following over the course of the semester:

• The development of a book-length effort in traditional and on-line versions. Photos and text. Reports and updates due on February 13, March 6, and April 10. Final versions due no later than Friday, May 1. In-class presentations of proposals (with handouts and sample work) will be on January 30.
• If you have already produced a book in an earlier photo seminar, you have the option of producing a multi-media effort to be place on a CD-ROM and published (multiple copies). This could include: photos, quicktime video (not required), voiceover/narration, text and anything else deemed necessary to produce a first-rate effort. The topic is open-ended and probably will be hammered out during class discussion. Possible topics might be documentary work (certainly plenty of topics in and around Philadelphia), something on a photography-related topic (fashion photography, sports photography, Pulitzer Prize photos through the years, Philadelphia's Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers, the work of a specific photographer who will grant access and cooperate fully over the semester, nature photography, or anything else that is of mutual interest and concern. A "slide show" with perhaps some text and audio throughout would be a variation on this theme, but it would need to be configured to work from a CD and be able to be viewed on a computer and projected. This means special attention to the aspect rations of photos used (horizontal unless some approaches are utilized).
• Photographer of the month selected from a list provided by the instructors. Each student will research the background and photographic effort of a photographer and prepare and in-class presentation that includes a biographical sketch/timeline in hard copy form for distribution to each member of the class. These presentations are scheduled for February 20, March 20, and April 24. Selection of photographers will be during class time on January 30. Generally the centerpiece of each presentation is a slide show or other presentation of the photographer's work. A bibliography of books and articles related to the photographer and his or her career should be included. If you are interested in a photographer not on the list, it is entirely possible this topic will work out. Just clear it in advance.
• Alternatives to "the photographer of the month" include the selection of a genre of photography and pulling that together in terms of words and photographs. Another option would be to take an event or a subject such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and see how he was handled and portrayed in photographs over the years. Another example might be something like "Photographers of the Civil War" or "Philadelphia Sports Photography." Some Internet-based topic could also be acceptable. In any event, a handout of summary as well as bibliographical material is required for distribution to all class members as a supplement to each in-class presentation.
• Exploration of current developments in photography the profession and the science. Internet applications and utilization. Each student is required to have an e-mail address, preferably through Temple. Efforts will be made to develop digital as well as conventional darkroom skills during the course of the semester. There will be assigned readings from time to time. A class e-mail list will be developed for the distribution of information related to the class. This list (not PHOTOTUJ) also will be used for discussion between classes.

Grading. All assignments must be on time.

Absences. lateness. These are only acceptable for reasons related to matters of emergency.

Plagiarism or otherwise presenting work that is not one's own will result in automatic failure of the course.

Incompletes are given only under extreme circumstances

Withdrawal. If you are passing, a WP; if your are not, a WF.

More detail. Please see the university catalog for information on incompletes, withdrawals, plagiarism and cheating. Other information is available in the JPRA offices, AH200.

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