Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

Searchable Course Catalog

header image

JAPN0262A-F09

Documentary Animation

The Politics of Animation: Documentary, Propaganda, Art (Fall)
In this course we will examine films in an emerging international genre known as animated documentary. Animation plays a surprisingly influential role in nonfiction films, as in a famous segment in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine. More recently, some directors have relied solely on animation to make films with claims to telling the truth. Often politically controversial and intensely personal, these works challenge traditional definitions of cinematic form. Why is animation so persuasive? To answer this question we will explore the urban origins of early cartoons, Disney’s global hegemony, Warner Brothers’ wartime propaganda, Soviet agitprop, and the diverse ideological perspectives of limited animation in Japanese anime and American television programming. With this preparation in hand, we will analyze several animated non-fictions in their cultural and political contexts, including the artworks of William Kentridge (South Africa), Barefoot Gen (Japan), Persepolis (France/Iran), and Waltz with Bashir (Israel). 3 hrs. lect./ 3hrs. screen. ART CMP
Course Reference Number (CRN):
92681
Subject Code:
JAPN
Course Number:
0262
Section Identifier:
A

Course

JAPN 0262

All Sections in Fall 2009

Fall 2009

JAPN0262A-F09 Lecture (Cavanaugh)