Program Curriculum
The publishing industry has been seeing rapid change brought on by the extraordinary growth of global information networks and changes in publishing technology. The Publishing Program is a one-year, three-term program designed to provide a broad base of training for the following identifiable groups:
- Those who wish to enter the rapidly evolving publishing industry, including the corporate communication and electronic publishing sectors;
- Those who have set up, or who wish to set up, their own publishing businesses;
- Those already in the industry who are trained in traditional production methods and who wish to upgrade their skills.
A Diploma in Publishing will be awarded for successful completion of the full three-term, one-year program.
It is not the objective of the program to produce graduates who are experts in all areas of publishing. Rather, our goal is to promote a comprehensive understanding of the publishing process and to allow students to develop their own areas of expertise. The emphasis is on creative problem solving within each area.
The Langara College Publishing Program is product-based and hands-on. Students work to create a line of professional-quality products. These include Pacific Rim Magazine (print run 18,000 with local distribution by the Globe and Mail), Pacific Rim Magazine Online (a website), a newsletter, personal projects and occasional outside projects — using the most advanced tools and techniques available.
The focus is on all-colour magazine production, online publishing, writing and editing -- although corporate publishing, book design and production, typography, and publishing issues are also emphasized. This approach encompasses a complete, advanced publishing sequence, setting a level of knowledge and skill that will equip students for a wide variety of publishing tasks.
Upon graduation, students will have a portfolio of tangible products they helped to create. They will have also acquired enough basic knowledge to start their own business, if that is their goal.
The Program will cover the entire print-based, graphics-and-photo intensive publication production sequence from initial concept to finished product: writing, research, text editing, page layout, graphics applications, scanning, digital photography, digital image editing, system calibration, colour correction, colour separation, colour proofing, imagesetting, ink and paper, and signature and offset printing. In addition, students will transform finished text and graphic material into web pages, to be published on the World Wide Web.
The following are the three key components of the Langara College Publishing Program which will be integrated with other related courses in the curriculum and aligned with the magazine production path.
- Print-based publishing: students will learn three main software packages — Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop.
- Web publishing: students will learn how to make web pages, both hand coding and using visual software such as Adobe Dreamweaver.
- Flash publishing: students will learn how to incorporate images, text, video, sound, and interactivity in Adobe Flash.
Program content and the order of courses may be subject to modification without notice, prior to the commencement of the program, although the main scope of the curriculum will be unchanged.
CURRICULUM
TERM ONE
Total Credits: 23
| Credits |
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- PUBL 1115
- Writing for Publication
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 0.0
This course examines how to write for publication in popular media. Most lessons concentrate on magazine writing, but advertising copywriting and writing for the Internet are also explored. Students generate and summarize story topics, and learn interviewing and research techniques. The focus is on gathering compelling content and writing with a tone that engages the audience.
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- PUBL 1118
- Designing for Print I
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 0.0
Students will learn the basic principles of print publication design: typography, the design process, and layout principles. Participants will learn about logo design and then implement a communications package. Provides an overview of various publishing formats. Studies the effective use of graphic, computer graphics, and photographic illustrations. Evaluations are project-based, with an emphasis on portfolio development.
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- PUBL 1124
- Adobe Photoshop
- 6
-
Lecture Hours: 4.0 | Seminar: 2.0 | Lab: 2.0
Students will learn Adobe Photoshop, the most used photo-retouching, pixel-based image editing software in print-based, online and CD-ROM publishing, working on Macintosh computers with colour monitors using a variety of tool functions. They will learn monitor calibration, colour correction, and colour verification techniques. By the end of this condensed, project-based course, students will be able to put together a number of imagesetter-ready photo collages on the computer, using multiple techniques and filters as well as combining graphics and image files from other sources.
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- PUBL 1129
- Page Layout Software
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 2.0
This course serves as a foundation to spring magazine courses: the page layout software application used in the industry, its uses and applications as tools for graphic design and production artists. Instruction, exercises and projects are designed to develop proficiency in using the application through mini-lesson demonstrations, in-class exercises, projects, and lab time. Students will receive credit for only one of PUBL 1129 and PUBL 1126.
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- PUBL 1131
- Digital Illustration Tools and Software
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 1.0
In this condensed, hands-on, project-based course students will learn illustration software currently used in the publishing and publishing-related fields. Software applications feature precise drawing and transformation tools, multiple layering, colour palettes, automatic graphing, precise typographic control over text, compound paths, masking, blending and gradations. Working on Macintosh computers, students will use graphics tablets, allowing them to combine illustration and photo-manipulation software to produce colour logos, 2D (or 3D) graphics, drawings, illustrations, and icons geared for high-quality offset printing, as well as for online and multimedia publishing.
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- PUBL 1159
- Designing for Print II
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 0.0
Building on skills gained in Designing for Print I, students will explore and practice print publication design theories in greater depth. Additional publishing formats, such as magazines and promotional materials, are explored. Evaluations remain project-based, with an emphasis on portfolio development. The major assignment will be a comprehensive magazine design project as preparation for the production of Pacific Rim Magazine.
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- PUBL 1240
- Publishing Issues and Practices
- 2
-
Lecture Hours: 1.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 0.0
This course looks at publishing management practices and issues in magazine, book, corporate and Internet publishing. Topics will vary according to current publishing issues and may include circulation management, subscription fulfilment, book and magazine promotion, electronic rights, advertorials, e-books, print-on-demand, marketing to advertisers, the vanity press, split-run magazines, choice of publishing formats, stakeholder groups in corporate publishing, and government support for publications. A few classes will shift to a seminar format involving discussion of management practices pertinent to the publication of Pacific Rim Magazine.
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TERM TWO
Total Credits: 21
| Credits |
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- PUBL 1155
- Editing Theory and Techniques
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 3.0
Through work on Pacific Rim Magazine and other projects, students will engage in substantive editing, learning how publications are created and developed. Students will be responsible for content development, research, structure and organization of articles, corporate communications, and books, fact checking, choice of illustrations, writing of titles and subtitles, copyright, plagiarism, libel, and tone and level of language. They will also learn copy editing and proofreading, again through work on Pacific Rim Magazine and other projects. They will prepare copy on the computer using house style and attending to matters of style, usage, grammar, and mechanics. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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- PUBL 1157
- Advanced Typography
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 0.0
Students learn about typography at an advanced level through a combination of hands-on projects, research, and the evaluation of typography as a core element of publication design: books, magazines, and electronic media. This course explores the subtleties of type in relation to audience, page structure, and personal style. Prerequisite: A minimum 'C' grade in all previous term PUBL courses.
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- PUBL 1158
- Magazine Design
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 3.0
Students will take a hands-on, project-based approach to magazine design with Pacific Rim Magazine as the main project. Topics include publication planning, developing appropriate magazine formats, design considerations, typography and page layout, graphics, the make-up of a magazine, stock and digital photography, and designing advertising for Pacific Rim Magazine. The main software programs are those for print, taught in a prior semester. The course instructor will act as Managing Art Director of PRM. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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- PUBL 1161
- Magazine and Offset Print Production I
- 6
-
Lecture Hours: 5.0 | Seminar: 1.0 | Lab: 3.0
Students will build portfolio-driven spot colour and full-colour publishing projects, with a focus on preparing materials for commercial printing. They will learn industry standards for providing print-ready digital files, including scanned images and illustrations, to create a magazine. Media kits, magazine workflow and planning will be explored, including prepress techniques, such as trapping, colour separation, and proofing methods. Industry tours to commercial printers, publishing houses, and other related businesses will be arranged in the early part of the semester. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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- PUBL 1164
- Magazine and Offset Print Production II
- 6
-
Lecture Hours: 3.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 9.0
In this lab-intensive course, students will work with skills from previous courses to finalize the print-based 64-page glossy, colour version of Pacific Rim Magazine - the key project of the Langara Publishing program - on the computer, and output the entire digital magazine to colour proofs, ready for the commercial printer. This full-colour prepress process, one of the most sophisticated and widely-used forms of publishing, is a major focus of the Publishing program. Once the newsstand quality magazine is printed, it will be distributed throughout the Vancouver area. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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TERM THREE
Total Credits: 17
| Credits |
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- PUBL 1225
- Electronic Communications
- 6
-
Lecture Hours: 4.0 | Seminar: 2.0 | Lab: 2.0
Students will learn to write standards-compliant HTML and publish it to the web via FTP. Approximately half the courses will focus on developing HTML and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) competence. The second half of the course will introduce an industry-standard visual authoring package such as Dreamweaver. This course also covers Photoshop treatment of web graphics and the differences and similarities between print and electronic design. Prerequisite: A minimum 'C' grade in all previous term PUBL courses.
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- PUBL 1231
- Intermediate New Media Publishing
- 6
-
Lecture Hours: 4.0 | Seminar: 2.0 | Lab: 2.0
This project-based course will introduce students to basic animation, interactivity and programming for the Web using Adobe Flash software. Students will complete exercises and projects, possibly including a practical lab exam to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and competency with the software. Students will design and produce a web-based portfolio website. They will prepare and submit a pre-production (copy content, content map, design) and production schedule as well as give brief weekly written progress reports. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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- PUBL 1241
- Self-Promotion in the Publishing Industry
- 2
-
Lecture Hours: 1.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 2.0
Students learn self-promotion techniques to increase their employability and to market their work as freelancers. They develop a portfolio that highlights their specialty in design, production or editing. Other topics include market research, client negotiations and presentation skills. Prerequisite: Minimum C grade in all previous term PUBL courses, or permission of the department.
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- MARK 2400
- Advertising
- 3
-
Lecture Hours: 4.0 | Seminar: 0.0 | Lab: 0.0
This course introduces advertising theory and practice and its role within Marketing Communications. Topics include the role of advertising, advertising plans/strategies and a detailed analysis of media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television and out of home. Students will receive credit for only one of MARK 2323 and MARK 2400. Prerequisite: MARK 1115, PUBL 1115, or permission of the department.
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Program Option Notes: Students must successfully complete all Term One courses with a minimum "C" grade in the Fall Semester before they can proceed to Term Two courses in the Spring Semester. In extenuating circumstances, students who do not meet these minimum grade requirements may request department permission to proceed with some or all of the next term courses.
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