Course
Who did not cry when Bambi’s mother died? Animation has the ability to make us cry and laugh, create worlds we have not imagined, defy the laws of physics, and sell raisins. In addition to a history of animation and its practitioners and development, the course also explores what happens to history when it is animated and how animation has been used during the twentieth century to interpret the past. The course also pays attention to the aesthetic of the animated image as well as the unique ability of the image to communicate. Finally, the offering will explore the tools, technology used in animation, and the various techniques: claymation, cel animation, CGI, and so forth. Participants will view animations (all right, cartoons) from various studios, feature-length animated films, and experimental shorts as well as try their hands at a simple (or sophisticated) animation.
Book
The following book is required for the course. It is available in the Campus Bookstore.
Of Mice and Magic
Blogs
One of the requirements for the course is maintenance of a blog. There are several possibilities. First, there is Blogger, a free service from Google. And we know free is good. Simply register and begin setting up your blog. Second, for those who want even more ease of use, there is TypePad, but TypePad costs, albeit not much for a semester. The advantage in using TypePad is its photo album feature, a nice option in a visual history course. Finally, there are a number of blog software programs available—both open source and commercial—that allow you to design your own blog.
A word about design. There are a number of designs suitable for history but please avoid anything on a black or dark background with light or white type. Known as “reversing out” among graphic designers, this format is very difficult to read. If you elect to use TypePad, avoid the special interest design or media designs unless you will be using the features of a media design template extensively. Be sure to enable comments and the RSS feed so that you can access your classmates’ blogs using a newsreader. This will save you an enormous amount of time. Or, you can simply use the ”Students” list on the website.