Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation

liberal arts and sciences

Students in the BFA program will find that a strong foundation in liberal arts and sciences will be invaluable to their development as creative artists. The sequence begins with foundation courses in the first year upon which more advanced academic work builds in following two years. Courses in the Arts and Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences will emphasize critical thinking and college-level writing skills, research, and the synthesis and analysis of diverse sources of information. The selection of courses in liberal arts and sciences are designed to inform and support the BFA candidate’s interest in filmmaking and the arts.

FOUNDATION STUDIES

OVERVIEW
Courses taught in the area of basic studies focus on communications, analysis and deductive reasoning. Students practice critical thinking, analysis, scholarly research, writing and reading. These courses build a foundation for more specialized subjects requiring advanced written and oral communication skills. The skills mastered will prepare students for the advanced course work of constructing an authentic voice in their production projects. Coursework in Physical and Mental Wellness provides focus on the theory and practice of life long wellness.

English Composition and Literature
This course will introduce students to the careful reading of texts and familiarize them with the idea of literature as part of history and culture. Readings will include a selection of lyric poems, short fiction, and critical essays. Structured writing assignments develop written language skills and while fostering sophisticated analytical thinking abilities.

Public Speaking
This course covers the theory and practice of public speaking. Building on ancient rhetorical canons while recognizing unique challenges of contemporary public speaking, the course guides students through topic selection, organization, language, and delivery. Working independently and with peer groups, students will be actively involved in every step of the process of public speaking preparation and execution. Assignments include formal speeches (to inform, to persuade, and to pay tribute), brief extemporaneous speeches, speech analyses, story pitch.

Critical Thinking
This course explores the process of thinking critically and guides students in thinking more clearly, insightfully and effectively. Concrete examples from students' experience and contemporary issues help students develop the abilities to solve problems, analyze issues, and make informed decisions in their academic, career and personal lives. Substantive readings, structured writing assignments and ongoing discussions help students develop language skills while fostering sophisticated analytical thinking abilities.

Introduction to Computing
Lectures and hands-on assignments cover a wide variety of topics such as hardware organization, the Internet, computer programming, limits of computing, the research process and graphics usage. Students are introduced to software used in the business of filmmaking.

Physical and Mental Wellness
Course covers a variety of physical and mental wellness topics such as diet, exercise, stress management, mental health, team building, alcohol consumption and drug use, sexual health awareness, and safety education. Student is also introduced to safe practices in physical exercise and stunt work used in the business of film making.

Drawing
This course covers the necessary tools, materials and techniques to communicate ideas visually. Lectures and assignments demonstrate the basics of how our brains interpret form via value changes. The rendering examples demonstrate the use of pencil, chalk and marker. Students practice practical applications of technique to render value changes, form, and shadows to communicate lighting strategies. Further study leads to the visual development of a storyboard and how this tool aids the filmmaking process.

Choose ONE Math:

Algebra
This course provides a solid foundation in algebra, geometry and trigonometry for students who have moderate to no previous experience, as well as to help students succeed with science courses that require an understanding of mathematic fundamentals. The concepts examined in this course will include a review of mathematical principles, equations and graphing, practical mathematical applications and mathematical thinking.

Mathematics of Film
For students with a background in Algebra, this course explores the practical application of math as it applies to filmmaking. Lighting, Cinematography, and other specializations within the film business rely on precise calculations and formulas to achieve desired artistic results.

ARTS & HUMANITIES

OVERVIEW
Through courses in the arts, students are introduced to aesthetic values and their relationship to a cultural language. This study will develop an expanded artistic vocabulary and appreciation for arts-related skills. Coursework guides students to become conversant with the terminology, techniques, attitudes, ideas, and skills that the arts comprise so as to understand how humankind relates to the arts.

The study of the Humanities is intended to develop skills to interpret and understand the human condition and of the values inherent in it. This interpretive understanding should evolve into the development of insights and a critical evaluation of the meaning of life, in its everyday details as well as in its historical and universal dimensions.

Together, these fields are intended to provide the tools for students to utilize a visual language in their films and add depth to projects illustrating the human condition.

Choose TWO of the following:

Philosophy of Logic vs. Rhetoric
Comparison of Logic to Rhetoric. Logic allows us to differentiate good from bad arguments. The approach is two-sided: (1) the analysis and classification of fallacies and (2) the analysis as well as the construction of valid arguments. Rhetoric is a theoretical and practical introduction to the art of written persuasion. Emphasis on persuasive techniques and their ethical consequences.

Comparative Literature
An introduction to the elements of fiction, from the short story to novel, from a selection of linguistic, cultural and national groups. Course will also explore the comparative relationship between different types of art to literature.

Cultural Mythology and World Religions
Exploration of the stories and beliefs that characterize a culture. Emphasis on the interdependency of human thinking patterns and the relationship of man to myth. Explores religious doctrine as models for human behavior.

Ethics
An examination of the main theories in ethics—including utilitarianism, Kantianism, virtue ethics and contractualism—as well as some of the central topics—the objectivity and meaning of moral claims, the possibility of relativism in ethical judgments, the nature of justice, and the relationship between morality and the good life. Readings are drawn both from the classics and from contemporary writings.

SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

OVERVIEW
Social and Behavioral Sciences courses develop students' understanding of the diverse personal, interpersonal, and societal forces that shape people's lives and teach them how to approach these subjects through the concepts, principles, and methods of scientific inquiry.

Choose two of the following:

Contemporary Psychology
An exploration of the basic concepts of psychology. General introduction including topics in cognitive, experimental, personality, developmental, social, and clinical psychology. Students will be challenged to apply their understanding to contemporary issues as well as to their own artistic work.

Economics
An interdisciplinary introduction to the positive and normative aspects of economics. Topics include: markets as a means of coordinating human behavior toward the achievement of specific social objectives, how and why markets may fail to achieve these objectives, the evolution of non-market institutions such as rules of law as responses to market failures, and theories of unemployment and inflation in their historical context.

International Politics
An introduction to international politics, applying various theories of state behavior to selected historical cases. Topics include the balance of power, change in international systems, the causes of war and peace, and the role of international law, institutions, and morality in the relations among nations.

General Anthropology
The course examines contemporary anthropological theory in terms of abstract concepts and ethnographic analyses. It will concentrate on several key theoretical approaches that anthropologists have used to understand society, such as structuralism, interpretation, Marxism, feminism, practice theory, critical ethnography, and postmodern perspectives.

Introductory Sociology
An introduction to the systematic study of the social sources and social consequences of human behavior, with emphasis upon culture, social structure, socialization, institutions, group membership, and social conformity versus deviance.

NATURAL SCIENCES

OVERVIEW
The Natural Sciences reveal the order, diversity, and beauty of nature and in so doing enable students to develop a greater appreciation of the world around them. The chosen Natural Science courses will require the student to acquire scientific factual information, to use scientific methodology and to develop an appreciation of the natural world. Students should gain an understanding of how scientists reason and how they draw conclusions and think critically.

Environmental Biology
An interdisciplinary study of human interactions with the environment, examining the technical and social causes of environmental degradation at local and global scales, along with the potential for developing policies and philosophies that are the basis of a sustainable society. This course will include an introduction to ecosystems, climatic and geochemical cycles, and the use of biotic and abiotic resources over time. The relationship of societies and the environment from prehistoric times to the present will also be discussed. Interrelationships, feedback loops, cycles, and linkages within and among social, economic, governmental, cultural, and scientific components of environmental issues will be emphasized.

Introductory Physics
Algebra-based physics course which covers the fundamental principles of physics, including Newton’s laws of motion, the mechanics of motion, vectors, velocities, and elastic and inelastic collisions, amongst others. Students will incorporate examples from everyday life, such as car crashes, basketball, air travel, and sports in their work. The emphasis will be on developing a conceptual understanding of the physical processes, as well as problem solving skills.

Anatomy
Introduction to Concepts of Human Anatomy and Physiology. This introductory course provides an overview of the basic anatomy and physiology of all body systems. It is designed as to be useful for other health-related technologies and for strengthening or developing a vocabulary in human anatomy and physiology.

Introductory Astronomy
The fundamentals of planetary, stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astronomy will be covered. Designed for the non-specialist, the course provides a basic understanding of the nature of astronomy and its relation to physics. In addition to focusing on selected topics within our solar system, the course will engage students in more philosophical debates within astronomy including the origin of the universe and the search for extraterrestrial life.

ART/DESIGN HISTORY

Required courses:

Critical Film Studies I
This seminar teaches students to identify the techniques used by cinematic innovators throughout the history of filmmaking. Through screenings and discussions, students will grow to understand how filmmakers have approached the great challenge of telling stories with moving images from silent films to the digital age. The course explores ways that the crafts of directing (particularly shot construction), cinematography, acting, and editing have developed. Students are then challenged to place themselves within that development with regard to their on-going film projects.

Critical Film Studies II
This seminar examines the contemporary landscape of narrative filmmaking. Style, structure, and the narrative form itself are discussed through close analysis of current filmmakers from the international arena as well as examples from the world of documentary and the burgeoning field of new media. This course challenges students to identify techniques and a conceptual framework to apply to their own body of work.

Critical Film Studies III
In this seminar, students will explore advanced topics in the contemporary world of critical film studies. These could include a survey of international film movements, third world cinema, alternative narrative forms and strategies, and the cinema of from “the margins” as well as others. The course gives students an understanding of how cinema has developed to the present moment and where they find themselves in that development.

Choose ONE of the following:

Art History
Course emphasizes the language of visual culture with a particular focus on the symbols, strategies and messages employed in major works. Incorporating the methods of art analysis, the course introduces students to different forms of visual culture (television, advertising, fashion, gaming, architecture and the media), while comparing and contrasting these within a philosophical and historical setting.

History of Photography
Covering the history of documentary photography, students examine major photographic movements, styles, critics and theoretical perspectives. The focus is on the rich and varied critical and theoretical discourse circulating between photographs, or images using photography, and the texts, which helped frame the most significant contributions to contemporary photography.

History of Graphic Design
This course surveys the pivotal events and achievements that led to the current state of graphic communication. Through lectures, videotapes, discussions, presentations and research, students are introduced to the creative thinkers, important innovations and breakthrough technologies that have shaped the evolution of visual communication.

Film History
This course will explore major developments in film history, theory, and criticism. Students will become familiar with several different film movements in the development of the art form and will be introduced to basic ideas in film theory. Through a variety of film movements and historical periods, students will develop an understanding of the cultural, industrial, and political contexts for some of most significant debates about film.

History of Animation
This course focuses on the history and aesthetics of animation, with references to related arts such as live-action cinema, puppetry and comics. Screenings include a wide range of commercial and experimental works produced throughout the world. Students create small projects and written works pertaining to course topics.

History of Sequential Art
Highlighting significant works of sequential art including their historical roots and major influences, students in this survey analyze trends, styles, techniques, subject matter and works of important artists across the sequential art spectrum.