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Summary of the course
This course is an introduction to the history and development of the field of animation. We will explore this subject from various perspectives: by chronology, from its prehistory before the invention of film to the present day; by form, including method and medium; by culture, comparing the US to Japan, Russia, Europe and others; by subject; and by personality, concentrating on the figures who have shaped the art form and continue to influence it through their example. Students are expected to bring an enthusiastic interest in the medium, and to devote serious effort to reading about, viewing, researching and discussing animation and the artists who have created it.
During our examination of the artwork, we will pay special attention to the attitudes and influences of race, gender, technology, culture, and the conflict between art and industry.
Textbooks and printed resources
Animation Art: From Pencil to Pixel, the World of Cartoon, Anime, and CGI by Jerry Beck. Collins Design, 2004.
Grading
25% Reaction Papers (3 papers, 8,8,and 9 points)
20% Four quizzes
25% Research paper
30% Final exam
A = 100-93, A- = 92-90, B+ = 89-88, B = 87-83, B- = 82-80, C+ = 79-78, C = 77-73, C- = 72-70, D+ = 69-68, D = 67-63, D- = 62-60, F = 59-0.
A indicates excellence, B indicates good work, C indicates satisfactory work, D work is unsatisfactory in some respect, F is substantially unsatisfactory work.
Weekly Plan
week 1 -The evolution of animation in France and US: Reynaud, Cohl, & McCay
-European experimentation: Starewicz, Reiniger, & Fischinger, Len Lye
Readings:
Pt. 1 and 2 - Beck, pages 6-15, 22-23, 26-29 and 68-69
*Wells, pages 10-20, Russett, pages 33-34, 40-43 and 49-56
Reaction Paper 1 Assigned.
Research paper assigned Note guidelines for both reaction papers and research papers. Please note due dates.
week 2 First Reaction Paper due Tuesday
-The US studio system: Otto Messmer and Max Fleischer
Please note that I am come April 9th at a conference, you will have a substitute who will screen relevant films, pertaining to:
-Walt Disney From two man operation to International juggernaut
Readings: Beck, pages 16-19, 24-25, 30-31, 38-39, 60-63
Readings: Beck 20-21, 34-37, 46-47, 56-59, 80-83, 118-121, 150-154, 210-213, 276-277
week 3 Quiz 1 THURSDAY
-Warner Brothers Harman-Ising,Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett
Continued, next page.
-The Hollywood production code, Racism, and WW II Propaganda
Readings:
Pt. 1 - Beck pages 40-53, 64-67, 84-89, 94-95, 124-129, 156-157, and from the Course Reserves, Furniss, "Live From Trumps", an interview with Chuck Jones.
Pt. 2 - Beck pages 76-81, 90-91, 112-115
Reaction Paper 2 Assigned.
*Sampson, "That's Enough, Folks: Black Images in Animated Cartoons"
and the Wikipedia entry on the history of the Minstrel Show:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show
week 4 Second Reaction Paper due Tuesday
-Animation behind the Iron Curtain: Jiri Trnka and Yuri Norstein
-Norman McLaren and the National Film Board of Canada
Readings: Beck pp. 74-5, 110-11, 138-41,190-5, 234-5, 362-5
Moritz, William. 1997. Narrative Strategies for Resistance and Protest in Eastern European Animation
Read more about Yuri Norstein's "Tale of Tales" at these links:
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Skazka%20skazok
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,1460794,00.html
Readings: Beck pages 100-03, 248-49
Week 5 Research paper topic due Tuesday - Research paper subject due: grade lowered by 1 if this subject changes.
Quiz 2 THURSDAY
-John Hubley and the stylistic legacy of UPA
-Hanna-Barbera, Jay Ward, Art Clokey and the birth of TV animation
Pt. 1 Readings: 146 149
Pt. 2 Readings: Beck pages 132-133, 162-165, 176-185, 200-207, 246-247
Reaction Paper 3 Assigned.
*Kanfer, Stefan. 2000. We Could Get Away with Less.
week 6 Third Reaction Paper due Tuesday
-Films for adults I: Animal Farm, Allegro Non Troppo, Yellow Submarine, Fantastic Planet and Fritz the Cat
Pt. 1 Readings: Beck pages 168-169 (Animal Farm), 218-225 (Yellow Submarine), 254-257 (Allegro Non Troppo)
Pt. 2 Readings: Beck pages 242-253
week 7 Quiz 3 THURSDAY
-Independent Renaissance - Stan Brakhage, Robert Breer, George Griffin, Caroline Leaf, Suzan Pitt
-The revival of Stop-motion: Jan Svankmajer The Quay Brothers and Nick Park, Susie Templeton
Pt 1. Readings:
*Russett, Robert, and Cecile Starr, Experimental Animation: Section on Robert Breer
Pt. 2 Readings: Beck pages 92-93, 322-325
*John Grant Jan Svankmajer
*Michael Atkinson Unsilent Nights: The Brothers Quay
week 8 Research paper due Thursday
-The return of the feature: Richard Williams and Tim Burton
-The Japanese Disneys: Tezuka and Miyazaki
Pt. 1 Readings: Beck pages 274-285, 304-305
Pt. 2 Readings: Beck pp. 142-3, 174-5, 196-7, 236-9, 260-1, 294-7, 330-1, 366-73
*Drazen, Anime Explosion!
week 9
Quiz 4
-TV grows up: Groening, Kricfalusi, Judge, Stone and Parker
-The Birth of VFX OBrien, Harryhausen
-Tron, Pixar and the birth of CGI The Uncanny Valley phenomenon
Readings:
Pt. 1 Readings: Beck, pages 92-97, 158-159, 306-307, 352-357
Pt. 2 - 268-271, 308-311, 338-347, 354-5
*Canemaker, John. 2004. Part Human, Part Cartoon: A New Species. The New York Times
*Dargis, Manhola. 2004. Do You Hear Sleigh Bells? Nah, Just Tom Hanks and Some Train. The New York Times
week 10
-Animation today:
-Contemporary independent animators, William Kentridge, Joanna Priestly, Priit Parn, Koji Yamamura and more!
Pt. 2 Readings:
*Danto, Arthur, William Kentridge
*Chris Robinson, A Moment Please: Koji Yamamura
*Chris Robinson, Fat Chicks and Imbeciles: The Films of Priit Parn
*Interview with Joanna Priestly:
http://mag.awn.com/index.php?article_no=691
Final Exam 6/10
11:45AM 2:00PM
ATTENDANCE MANDATORY
Additional Policies
Class Work This class will require a large amount of reading: at least 40 pages per week. We will watch examples of the animations discussed in the text. All students are expected to have completed the scheduled reading, and be prepared to participate in the discussion of the text and its relation to the work viewed.
Every two weeks you will write a one page (approximately 400 words) reaction paper about an animation that we watched in class. For some of these the subject will be your choice, other times I may assign a specific animation or subject.
There will be four quizzes which will each cover the previous two weeks subjects (including the lectures and discussions). The final exam will cover larger subjects from throughout the semester (including the lectures and discussions), as well as the final two weeks of class.
All reading assignments will be listed on our Course Online site: http://colweb.cti.depaul.edu
You will research and write a five page ( approx. 2000 words) research paper, with supporting sources, on any of the general animation topics covered in the syllabus, or an equivalent (Animation Behind the Iron Curtain, for example). You may discuss any animators who are listed in bold in the lecture schedule, and whose work relates to your chosen subject. Writing about animators who are not covered in the class will be subject to my discretion. You need to make sure that you have watched at least one example of each animators work, and discuss it in the paper. Your paper needs at least three research sources other than the course textbook (Beck), two must be non-Internet.
Your papers topic is due Week 8 and it must include a list of the 2 non-internet sources you will use. If the subject is changed after this date your final papers grade will be lowered one grade (maximum grade is then a B), so make sure you spend time and research deciding on your topic.
There are several useful books on animation history on reserve at the DePaul Loop Library (see below under Recommended).
Please be aware that all written work submitted in this course will be verified using Turn-It-In http://www.turnitin.com/ technology in order to ensure that the work is the student's own creation and not in violation of the University's Academic Integrity Policy. Submission of work in this course constitutes a pledge that the work is original and consent to have the work submitted to verify that fact.
The Writing Center is a great resource for those of you who might need assistance with any aspect of writing for this class. Regardless of your writing skill, I recommend it to everyone. Should your writing demonstrate early on that it could use some help, I may require you to go before handing in your research paper. I would rather you go there first before giving you a mediocre grade, rather than force you to do a rewrite later. Research papers (not reaction papers) can be revised for a better grade as provided they are submitted one week after I have given you the first grade. A better grade is not guaranteed, only if significant improvements have been made.
If you are required to go to the Writing Center remember to request that a confirmation be sent to me, so I know that youve gone.
www.depaul.edu/writing
Screenings We will be watching many examples of animation, complete when possible, but often just selected parts due to our time constraints. Unfortunately, some of you may not find all of them as enjoyable as I do. But I will try to share with you why they are worth watching, and how to gain a better appreciation of some of the more challenging examples. Remember, this is a university class, and the purpose is education, not just entertainment.
Animation, especially the independent variety, can be purposefully crude and provocative, and some may take offense at what is shown. This is an academic environment, and a mature and respectful attitude must be maintained towards the subject and your classmates.
Students are also expected to respect the film and each other during screenings, so please refrain from talking or anything noisy (like opening that bag of Funyuns you just purchased) during the films.
School policies:
Online Instructor Evaluation
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over two weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online at https://mycti.cti.depaul.edu/mycti
Email
Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and
students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should
be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at
http://campusconnect.depaul.edu is correct.
Academic Integrity Policy
This course will be subject to the academic integrity policy
passed by faculty. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/
Plagiarism
The university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work any assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
Incomplete
An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in
the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete
request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the
College of Computing and Digital Media. Any consequences
resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for
such a request.
Resources for Students with Disabilities
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted either: - PLuS Program (for LD, AD/HD) at 773-325-4239 in SAC 220
- The Office for Students with Disabilities (for all other disabilities) at 773-325-7290 Student Center 307
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