Visual Literacy introduces you to ways of understanding visual images in art, photography, film, and digital media. You will learn about the aesthetics and production of visual images, immerse yourself in dimensions of seeing, and come to appreciate the influences on visual symbols and communication. The concepts you learn in this course you will put into action by creating public service announcement, short informational films, photo essays and other visual media that will make a positive difference for the non-profit that extends far beyond the American University Campus. Your work will also be featured throughout the semester on Professor Menke-Fish’s website of student work. 

This class 3 credit hours of the Foundational Area 1 General Education

This seminar is a full year program.

From the Professor...

What is distinctive about your teaching style?  

I have a lot of focused energy and I love to teach. I am a positive and supportive professor, who demands a great deal from each student. We will work very hard...but we will also have fun while working hard. I believe that when one enjoys the work that they do-- time eclipses. Hands-on experiential learning with real world results/consequences can be expected. 

What is distinctive about the way you teach this class? 

In this course student apply the concepts taught to a non-profit that has a need for visual communication. The final products created in this course are ones that go far beyond the classroom and have a positive impact for years to come. This is a hands-on course that moves at a fast pace. You will apply the principles learned in this class every day for the rest of your life-- The Menke-Fish guarantee.

What do you like best about teaching undergrads? 

I like the energy of undergraduate students, and in particular 1st semester freshman. I work with my students to become empowered young adults who apply the concepts taught in my classroom to real world application and significance. I want to make a positive difference in their lives and I want them to do the same for others.

 Sarah Menke-Fish is a full-time professor of Film and Media Arts. She is a master teacher in the School of Communication. She serves as associate director for the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, launched and directs Discover the World of Communication, a summer program that brings high school students from around the world to AU and U.C. Berkeley for intense, hands-on courses in environmental communication, video production, screen writing and journalism. Prior to joining the SOC faculty, Menke-Fish coordinated Montgomery County Public Schools' Humanities and Communication Magnet Program. She produced a short film on the Big Bang Theory which is screening at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum through July 7.  She has won numerous awards for educational documentaries produced with middle school and high school students, including CINE awards for If You Change Your Mind and Remotely Science. She and her students received the Presidential Environmental Youth Award for Trash: What A Waste, a comprehensive look at recycling.  In 2006, while on Faculty Exchange at Tecnologico de Monterrey University, Mexico, she was the highest evaluated professor. In 2005 she was selected Faculty Member of the Year by the AU Student Confederation; in 2002, she received American University's award for Outstanding Teaching in an Adjunct Position.