SOUTHWESTERN
Southwestern College

SC Computer Science & Communication Division


Tom Jacobs

Hi,
I'm Tom Jacobs, Chairperson of Computer Science and Communication at Southwestern. The links you see below have been contributed by our faculty and students. They include professional associations, trade sites, demonstration sites, tutorials, and other educational sites with programs you might be interested in.

We're proud of the comprehensive programs we offer here at Southwestern in Computer Science, Digital Arts, Radio/Television, Journalism, Communication Studies, New Media, and our newest emphasis, Computer Game Development. These links are an extension of that integrated, comprehensive approach.

We'll be adding new links with each issue of this newsletter. We hope they help you as you survey your field of interest.

COMPUTER SCIENCE
w3schools
W3schools.com is a valuable resource for everything related to web design.

slashdot
It is billed as "News for Nerds" it has a variety of techie oriented news links in a blog style.

freshmeat

sourceforge
Both of these sites provide access to a database of software (mostly open source) that is searchable. Use them to find new programs to use and or for sample code.

COMPUTER GAMES
gamasutra
One of the major commercial game development sites. It has a section on colleges offering programs in game development.

IGDA
International Game Developers Association. In addition to game issues, it offers student/academic insight.

guildhall
This is Southern Methodist U's graduate level program in game development.


NEW MEDIA
fullsail
A more technically oriented approach to New Media/Digital Arts as opposed to the Liberal Arts approach at SC


DIGITAL ART
pixar
This is for anyone that is interested in computer animation in general.

ilm
Industrial Light and Magic, the official site. Some very cool pics, info, etc.

deviantart
A collection/community of artists that
share and critique each other.

animoids
A site and program to create little 3D animated figures,

dam
Digital Art Museum - for artists that use image composers such as Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, and others

digitalartsource
Digital Art Source - a collective database of digital artists. The site also has a few digital art tutorials.


NEWSPAPER & YEARBOOK
ACP
Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States.

SPJ
Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.

collegemedia
College Media Advisers represents the people who advise the nation’s college media.

AJR
American Journalism Review is a magazine that covers all aspects of print, television, radio and online media.

NPPA
National Press Photographers Association is dedicated to the advancement of photojournalism, its creation, editing and distribution, in all news media.

freedomforum
The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people.

firstamendmentcenter
The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education.

ADD A LINK

Have a link you think would interest others? We'll add it here. Send it to: tjacobs@sckans.edu

Our campus newspaper, the "Collegian" goes on line
The "Collegian" is now online! Having an online edition allows the school to reach prospective students and family members; it allows information to be more timely, instead of waiting 2 weeks for print copies.
Click here to read more.

New Video Game Development curriculum
This Fall will be the launch of a whole new emphasis area in Computer Game Development. Students can specialize in Game/Level Design, Image and Sound Design, or Software Design.

The new major and minor have been in development for many months, and our academic Senate has just approved them. The first formal coursework will be offered next Fall, and we're looking forward to some very exciting game work for both new and current students.

For more information about this new area, click on the Computer Games link at the top or upper left of this newsletter page.

As part of the development, we have been running "pilot" courses in game concept and prototyping. To see some of our students' early (and rough) work, go to the Communication/ Computer Science web site at:
CptrComm

Software Lab puts students at the head of their game, offers a second 'home'
Students in the Computer Science and Communication fields at Southwestern College not only have access to their own school-provided laptops, but also to a state-of-the-art computer lab.


Ksyeniya Kochyevanova, Krista Wilder, and Tara Pagenkopf spend time in the lab working on a digital arts project.

The Computer Lab is a place for teaching, experimenting and student-faculty collaboration, but it also doubles as a place to kick back and relax. The east side of the room consists of comfy couches, coffee, and a projection screen for viewing projects and movies. It's common to find students enjoying their lunch while debating over a hot topic. In addition, the Communication program orders pizza nearly every monday night as a way for students to take a break from all the hard work and enjoy themselves.

Various classes studying digital media, newspaper and yearbook production, web design, digital video, paint and draw programs, 3D modeling, computer games, as well as a few General Education courses benefit from the lab's state of the art computers and yearly upgraded/updated software.

If you are interested in viewing the software lab to check up on what's happening live, click on the link below.
Go to Software Lab Live

My name is Pahri Hafez and I am a sophomore in the Journalism Emphasis of Communication. I am also the Student Editor of this web page.

Classes I've taken at SC under the emphasis include Digital Photography, Elements of Oral Communications, Media Writing I & II, Graphic Design, Survey of Mass Communications, and many more.

When I graduate from Southwestern, I plan to work in the media for a major magazine company.

Currently, I'm also involved with Radio production which has been an interesting experience, thus far. Being able to play songs and DJ my own show every week is not only an amazing experience, but is helping me to become a well-rounded journalist.

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I can get an internship for the summer which will help prepare me for next year. Thankfully, the professors here are very supportive and will bend over backwards to get you the recommendations you need.

I am close to finishing up my second year here at Southwestern and what an experience it has been, sometimes I feel as thought I live in the computer lab! I am so fortunate to be able to be here among the school's professors, technology, and experience. I really can't imagine earning my degree elsewhere.