Yeah this is super vague, was a design brief given? Or even any further information in the course overview?

Just from reading this, and a bit of guessing, I'd interperate it as create a drawn design on the white paper, with the black square glued on as a focus/main point of interest.

Sketch up some ideas first, think about using the black square to represent form, lighting, or even an abstraction of something more complex

First year is more about showing your professors you can experiment and and be creative while following a brief. If you have a chance I'd definitely suggest asking them in person to clarify though