Courses > 2011 Fall

Graduate Courses

CINE 793 - The Art of Animation

ARTH 793 | ENGL 797
401 | R 1:30-4:30pm

This course will address the recent interest that artists and art museums have shown in both the contemporary and historical practice of animation.  In addition to familiarizing ourselves with some key works from the history of animation, we will closely study the work of contemporary artists and filmmakers. Examples of artists who may be included are:  Peggy Ahwesh, Martha Colburn, Paul Chan, Nancy Davenport, Kota Ezawa, Jacqueline Goss, Brent Green, Tommy Hartung, Maria Lassnig, Ruth Lingford, Oscar Muñoz, Joshua Mosely, Robert Pruitt, Robin Rhode, and Kara Walker.  Throughout the semester, we will consider why film theory has historically excluded animation from its audio-visual field, where animation fits within the history of art, what terminology we need to describe and analyze the works we study, and how animation is changed by different venues (e.g. museum, YouTube, cinema, television). Our discussions will address questions that include realism, affect, documentary truth, comedy, the medium, movement, phenomenology, the body,  absence and presence, production and exhibition, sound, temporality and history. No prior experience needed. Course limit 15. Requirements: full participation in reading, discussion, and end of semester symposium; in-class presentations; final seminar paper. Graduate students only.