EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING
INTER OFFICE MEMORANDUM
TO:
Michael Tidwell, Dean, College of Business
Murali Nair, Dean, College of Health and Human Services
Micheal Sayler, Dean, College of Education
Thomas Venner, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Susann deVries, Interim University Librarian, Halle Library
FROM:
Rhonda Longworth, Interim Provost
SUBJECT:
SAGA 195 – Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Animation (New Course)
DATE:
March 24, 2016
A request from the School of Visual and Built Environments and the College of Technology for a new course,
SAGA 195 – Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Animation, is now available for review on the
Course and Program Development electronic reserves site (bit.ly/EMUCPD).
This is a request for a new course. Please review the proposal and report the action you recommend on the
enclosed form by October 28, 2016. Lack of response by that date will signify a recommendation to
approve the proposal. If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact Pamela Speelman (4872041, pspeelman@emich.edu), or Evan Finley, Course and Program Development Associate (7-8954,
efinley2@emich.edu).
Attachment: College Response Form & Proposal
cc:
Mohamad Qatu, Dean, College of Technology
Deb deLaski-Smith, Director, School of Visual and Built Environments
Pamela Speelman, School of Visual and Built Environments
Judith Kullberg, President, Faculty Senate
Chris Shell, Registrar
Original, Course and Program Development
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS
Proposal Review Form
Complete and return this form to 304 Pierce Hall or by e-mail (efinley2@emich.edu) by the Review Deadline.
Failure to return the form by the Review Deadline signifies a recommendation to approve the proposal.
Distribution Date:
March 24, 2016
Review
Deadline:
Department:
October 28, 2016
Sponsoring
College:
College of
Technology
Type of Proposal:
New Course: X
Course Title &
Number:
SAGA 195 - Historical and Contemporary
Approaches to Animation
New Program:
Program Title:
New Certificate:
Certificate Title:
Course Revision:
Course Title &
Number:
Program Title:
Program Revision:
Academic Level:
School of Visual and Built Environments
Undergraduate
Recommendation of the Reviewing Council (Check one of the following.)
___________Approve
___________Approve with Comments
___________Do Not Approve
If Recommendation other than Approve is selected above, please explain.
Council Chair Signature
Date
Action of Dean
I concur
do not concur
College Dean (or designate) Signature
with the above recommendation.
Date
Request for New Course
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
REQUEST FOR NEW COURSE
DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL: __VISUAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENTS_____________COLLEGE:
TECHNOLOGY
CONTACT PERSON: ___PAMELA SPEELMAN,PH.D.________________________________________________________________________
CONTACT PHONE:
7-2041
CONTACT EMAIL:
PSPEELMAN@EMICH.EDU
REQUESTED START DATE: TERM___FALL__________YEAR____2016_______
A. Rationale/Justification for the Course
The Simulation, Animation, and Gaming (SAG) program faculty completed an initial accreditation proposal for the
National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) organization. EMU’s accreditation was placed on hold
for a number of recommendations to be addressed. One of the recommendations was for the SAG program to develop
and approve a history course. This Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Animation course proposal is being
submitted for approval in order to satisfy the requirements for NASAD accreditation.
B. Course Information
1. Subject Code and Course Number:
SAGA 195
(new prefix)
2. Course Title: Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Animation
3. Credit Hours:
3
4. Repeatable for Credit? Yes_______
No__X____
If “Yes”, how many total credits may be earned?_______
5. Catalog Description (Limit to approximately 50 words.):
An overview of the historical and contemporary approaches to animation by exploring the creativity and development
skills of former artist. In addition, there will be an introductory overview of the electronic game animation development
process with highlights of its history, content creation strategies, and future industry trends. This course is not
associated with the Department of History.
6. Method of Delivery (Check all that apply.)
a. Standard (lecture/lab) X
On Campus
X
Off Campus
b. Fully Online
c. Hybrid/ Web Enhanced
7. Grading Mode:
Normal (A-E)
X
Credit/No Credit
8. Prerequisites: Courses that MUST be completed before a student can take this course. (List by Subject Code, Number and Title.)
N/A
9. Concurrent Prerequisites: Courses listed in #5 that MAY also be taken at the same time as a student is taking this course. (List by Subject
Code, Number and Title.)
Miller, New Course
Sept. 09
SAGA 195 Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Animation
Syllabus
Term:
Professor:
Telephone:
Office:
Email:
Fax:
Fall semester
Instructor
734.487.XXXX
15 Sill Hall
instructor@emich.edu
(734) 487-7690
SAG at EMU Mission Statement
The Simulation, Animation and Gaming program is a multidisciplinary approach serving
undergraduate students seeking knowledge, training and experience in the development
of creative aspects, or computer programming, related to simulation, animation and
gaming. Students completing the program earn a B.S. degree. To that end, this course is
partial review of the history of contemporary approaches to animation, and in no way has
any connection to the EMU Department of History.
Catalog
Description:
An overview of the historical and contemporary approaches to animation by
exploring the creativity and development skills of former artist. In addition, there
will be an introductory overview of the electronic game animation development
process with highlights of its history, content creation strategies, and future
industry trends. This course is not associated with the Department of History.
Course
Format:
Lectures, discussion, exercises and computer/Internet retrieval of information
will be the tools in this course. Lectures provide an historical overview of
animation with its analog to modern techniques. Numerous exercises will be
assigned during class sessions. Some assignments will require the recreation of
various forms of simple animation to demonstrate the underlying principles that
were discovered and utilized in the past. Often times this will require students to
be broken into groups. Group interaction and dynamics are an integral part of the
preparation of any form of animation. The viewing of various animations from
the early days will also be required to gain an understanding of the development
of animation techniques over the last century.
Students will be required to read the assigned chapters in the text(s) as well as
any handouts and materials referenced on the Internet. There will be one short
1
assignment each week and five major written assignments throughout the course.
Students will be required to participate actively in class discussions. Research
materials are available beyond the required reading and lectures. Students will be
expected to find and explore additional sources of information to complete the
assignments for the course. In addition, students are encouraged to work with
your peers to be successful in this class.
Prereqs:
None
Textbook:
Sito, T. (2013). Moving innovation: A history of computer animation.
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. ISBN: 978-0-262-01909-5.
Optional
Textbooks
Williams, R. (2009). The animator’s survival kit: A manual of methods,
principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and
internet animators. New York, Faber and Faber, Inc. ISBN 978-0-86547897-8
Crafton, D. (1993) Before mickey, The animated film 1898-1928.
Stanchfield, W. (2013). Drawn to life: 20 golden years of Disney master classes:
Volume 1: The walt stanchfield lectures. Burlington, MA. Focal Press.
Gehman, C. (2005). The sharpest point: Animation at the end of cinema.
Toronto, ON: YYZ Books.
1. Drawing pad 5" x 7" minimum
2. 2HB pencil
3. Eraser
4. Ruler
5. Color pencils or crayons or pens
6. Flash drive
2
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define animation, and recognize the various types of animations.
2. Describe the origin of the various types of animation used in the world
today.
3. Name the major contributors to the development of the animation field.
4. Create simple animations using modern paper and digital techniques.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of metaphor and irony in
animation.
6. Demonstrate understanding of foreign artists’ influence on American
animation.
Grading
Policy:
Makeup
Policy:
Grading
Criteria:
All assignments and tests MUST be completed in order to receive a grade
for the course. This course is a part of a sequence of classes and thus is not
subject to the discretion of the student to opt out of assignments on the basis of
having earned sufficient points to receive a desired grade. The competencies
covered in this class are fundamental to subsequent classes and therefore all
content must be studied and all assignments completed.
No late assignments, laboratories, or drawings will be allowed. No one will be
allowed to take a late examination or quiz (written or laboratory). All of
the class work must be done at the time scheduled.
Final grades for the Introduction to Simulation and Gaming will
be based on the following criteria:
Assignment
Percentage of
total
40%
20%
10%
20%
10%
100%
Class Assignments
Quizzes, tests, or exams
Attendance
Final project
Portfolio
Total
Grading
Scale:
Percentage/Letter Grade Scale
3
Percentage
93 – 100 % = A
90 – 92.9 % = A87 – 89.9 % = B+
84 – 86.9 % = B
80 – 83.9 % = B77 – 79.9 % = C+
Percentage
74 – 76.9 % = C
70 – 73.9 % = C67 – 69.9 % = D+
64 – 66.9 % = D
60 – 63.9 % = DBelow 60 % = F
Without a CD submitted containing all work = F
NOTE: Any final grade score resulting in a .5 or above will be rounded
up to the next whole number. However, any final grade score resulting
in .49999 or below will remain as the whole number with which it is
associated.
SAG Class/Program Policies:
See the following website: SAG WEBSITE
EMU Student Policies: http://www.emich.edu/studenthandbook/
Class
Civility:
Although spirited discussions are encouraged in this class, personal attacks will
not be tolerated. If you have a problem with another person in the class, contact
the instructor rather than confronting him or her in front of the entire class.
Repeated and flagrant conduct of this nature will be grounds for a lowered grade
(up to one letter grade) or dismissal from the class.
University
Policies:
Students enrolled in this course are subject to rules, regulations and standards
set by Eastern Michigan University. For policies concerning credit/no credit,
drops and withdrawals, incompletes, student conduct and grievance, and
academic dismissal please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog.
EMU Academic Honesty Policy. Education involves the search for truth.
Therefore, honesty and personal integrity are values highly esteemed by the
academic community. They are the ingredients essential to the cooperation and
communication among students and faculty. The following honest policy is
intended to clarify the University’s expectations from its students and to provide
guidance in specific situations.
4
Penalty for Cheating. The cheating may result in receiving an E grade for the
course in which the cheating occurred. The professor may also report the
incident to the Dean of Students for possible further action including suspension
or dismissal from the University. In situations where cheating incidents are also
referred to the Department and Dean of Students for possible disciplinary
action, all proceedings and appeals shall be conducted in accordance with
Eastern Michigan University Conduct Code and Judicial Structure for Students
and Organizations, which appears in the undergraduate catalog.
Week 1: Introduction
! What is Animation? What was considered animation before modern
times?
! What definition shall we use?
! How would you create an animation?
Week 2: In the Beginning: The Discovery of “Animation
! Joseph Plateau, Emile Reynaud, Emile Cohl, James Stuart
Blackton, Winsor McCay, Willis O’Brien
! Required reading: Before Mickey, Ch. 1-5
! Start drawing (You don’t have to be Picasso)
! Animate a bouncing ball! (It’s not that hard)
Week 3: Character Animation: The Early Years
! Raoul Barre, Bray Studio, Paul Terry, The Fleischers, Otto
Messmer and Felix the Cat
! Make sure students have paper and pencil of their choice and
encourage them to begin simple animations on paper
! Required reading:
! Before Mickey Ch. 6-9
! Racism and Resistance: Black Stereotypes in Animation by Karl
Cohen
! The Sharpest Point: animation at the end of cinema, Harlem:
Tangos to Crocodiles by Norman Klein
Week 4: Inventing Techniques: The Pioneers
! Ladislas Starewich, Lotte Reiniger, Berthold Bartosch, Ray
Harryhausen
Week 5: Absolute Animation: Mystical Visions
5
!
Leopold Survage, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Stanton
Macdonald-Wright , Walther Ruttmann, Viking Eggeling, Hans
Richter, Oskar Fischinger, Harry Smith, James Whitney, Jordan
Belson
Week 6: The Walt Disney Studio
! Required reading:
! European Influences on Early Disney Feature Films by Robin
Allen
! Eisenstein Shakes Mickey’s Hand in Hollywood by Esther Leslie
Week 7: “The Golden Age of Animation”
! Warner Brothers, Tex Avery, Anthony Gross and Hector Hoppin,
Hans Fischerkoesen
! Required reading:
! The View From Termite Terrace by Donald Crafton
! Resistance and Subversion in Animated Films of the Nazi Era by
William Moritz
! Optional reading Cartoons Ch. 8
!
Midterm
!
Create short, simple, drawn animation using a notepad of their
choice as a “flip-book.”
.
Week 8: Composition of Movement
! Mary Ellen Bute, Len Lye, Norman McLaren, Jules Engel
! Required reading:
The Education of Mary Ellen Bute by Lillian Schiff
! Len Lye by Roger Horrocks
! The Definition of Animation, A Letter From Norman McLaren
! Norman McLaren on the Creative Process
! Norman McLaren and Jules Engel: Post Modernists by William
Moritz
! Statement by Jules Engel
! Evelyn Lambert an interview with Joan Churchill
! Optional reading Cartoons Ch. 7,10,12
Week 9: Inventing Techniques: Part Two
! Alexandre Alexeieff, Claire Parker, Robert Breer, Frederic Back,
Caroline Leaf, George Griffin, Lejf Marcussen, Raoul Servais
6
Week 10: The Art of Metaphor: Middle and Eastern European Animation
! Walerian Borowczyk, Jan Lenica, Jiri Trnka, Jan Svankmajer, Priit
Parn, Yuri Norstein, Nina Shorina
Week 11: Journey to the Far East: Animation in Asia
! Osamu Tezuka, Yoji Kuri, Kihachiro Kawamoto, Hayao Miyazaki
! Required reading:
! Animation in China by David Erlich with Tianyi Jin
Week 12: Animation in the Digital Age
! John Whitney, Ed Emshwiller, Peter Foldes, John Lasseter
! Is 3D necessary?
Week 13: Thanksgiving….
Week 14: Final
As Scheduled…
!
The students will hand in a flipbook animation of two characters
interacting.
7
References
Allan, R. (1999). Walt Disney and Europe: European influences on the animated feature
films of Walt Disney. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP.
Amidi, A. (2006). Cartoon modern: Style and design in 1950s animation. San Francisco,
CA: Chronicle Books.
Auzel, D. (1998). Émile reynaud et l'image s'anima. Paris: Dreamland.
Cabarga, L. (1988). The fleischer story. New York: DaCapo Press.
Canemaker, J. (1991). Felix: The twisted tale of the world’s most famous cat. New York:
Pantheon.
Canemaker, J. (2005). Winsor McCay: His life and art (Revised ed.). New York: Abrams
Books.
Crafton, D. (1993) Before Mickey, The animated film 1898-1928. Chicago, IL: University
of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-0226116679
Crafton, D. (1993). The view from termite terrace: Caricature and parody in Warner
Bros. animation. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Gehman, C. (2005). The sharpest point: Animation at the end of cinema. Toronto, ON:
YYZ Books.
Horrocks, R. (2015). Len Lye: A biography. Auckland, NZ: Auckland University Press.
Klein, N. (1993). 7 minutes: The life and death of the american cartoon. New York:
Verso.
Leslie, E. (2004). Hollywood Flatlands. New York: Verso.
Maltin, L. (1987). Of mice and magic: A history of American animated cartoons. Penguin
Books.
Moritz, W. (1997). Resistance and Subversion in Animated Films of the Nazi Era: The
Case of Hans Fischerkoesen. In J. Pilling’s (Ed.) A reader in animation studies.
New Barnet, UK: John Libbey Publishing Ltd.
8
Moritz, W. (2004). Optical poetry: The life and work of Oskar Fischinger. Eastleigh, UK:
John Libbey Publishing.
Wiedemann, J. (2007). Animation now by Julius Wiedemann (Editor). Los Angeles, CA:
Taschen.
Sito, T. (2013). Moving innovation: A history of computer animation. Cambridge, MA:
The MIT Press. ISBN: 978-0-262-01909-5.
Smoodin, E. (1994). Disney discourse: Producing the magic kingdom. New York:
Routledge.
STANCHFIELD, W. (2013). Drawn to life: 20 golden years of Disney master classes:
Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield lectures. Burlington, MA: Focal Press.
Wells, P. (2002). Animation: Genre and authorship. New York: Wallflower.
Williams, R. (2009). The animator’s survival kit: A manual of methods, principles and
formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet
animators. New York, Faber and Faber, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-86547-897-8
9