ANI 394 Animation Project I
Summary
DePaul University
WINTER 2026
ANI 394 Capstone SYLLABUS
Instructor: Lisa Barcy Email:lbarcy@cdm.depaul.edu
Office Hours: T,Th 10am – 1pm (via Zoom) Friday by appointment (email me)
Meeting time: M,W, 1:30 – 3:00
Location: CDM room 536
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This production-based course comprises the first of a two-course sequence that provides the student with an Animation capstone experience. These courses connect the student’s Animation coursework with their overall Liberal Studies coursework through three components: class lectures and discussions, independent analysis and reflection, and the creation of a significant animation project. Students will employ the knowledge they have learned and the skills they have acquired in all their Animation courses to date to produce a polished, short animation project. The course sequence is designed to be taken in two consecutive quarters.
OBJECTIVES
This course will concentrate on facilitating the student’s production of animation projects. The topics of idea generation, experimentation, problem solving, planning and time management, and the process of critical analysis will be applied to the student’s work, with the choice of animation technique, content and form left to the individual. Students will learn the importance of bringing projects to completion.
The purpose of this class is to help you succeed in creating your animation.
WORK EXPECTATIONS - The Three Rules
Rule 1: The most important thing this quarter is that you dedicate quality work time each week towards your film. This isn’t the type of project you can do all at once at the end of two quarters!
Rule 2: You must bring something to work on during each class regardless of what is due that day.
Rule 3: Be realistic about what you can accomplish in the given time frame. Consider your course load, work schedule, family obligations, etc. If you propose an idea that is simply not feasible, you’ll have to come up with another one, which puts you behind. I strongly suggest not making your film longer than 1 ½ minutes long.
CLASSWORK – Assignments
The majority of your grade for each assignment will be based on whether or not you actually completed the work. Work that has been thrown together thoughtlessly or is incomplete will earn you a C or
D. Work that is completed will be given a B or A. Your actual grade within that range will depend upon the quality of what you did complete.
Late work: Because the majority of the grade for each assignment is based off of completeness, any late assignments will be an automatic F for that assignment.
- Written Assignments: Must be typed.
- Digital Assignments: All assignments handed in digitally must be in the following format
- lastnameFirstname_projectname.extension
- example: barcylisa_Animatic.mp4
BACK UP YOUR WORK: Failure of computer software and or Hardware will not be accepted as an extenuating circumstance for late projects or incomplete grades so back up your work on a regular basis and always save incrementally if working on a computer.
Unless I tell you otherwise, assigned work must be completed and submitted through D2L. This will keep us from wasting valuable class time. Handing in something unfinished is always better than nothing at all. Due to the large size of our class, and the limited class time, not everyone’s work will get a full review during class. If you’d like more feedback, arrange to discuss your work with me during my office hours. We will view and discuss everyone’s final project during the last class.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students are expected to attend every class during our regular sessions. If for some reason you are unable to attend a class, it is your responsibility to let me know in advance. While each class will be recorded and made available for later review, the intention is to complement not replace the regular online class experience. More than 3 unexcused absences is an automatic F. Attendance for the final is required.
You are responsible for any missed lectures and assignments. If you miss a class, it is still your responsibility to turn in the assignment on time.
No incompletes will be given without documented proof of circumstances beyond your control.
You may not miss the final class date. Doing so will equal an automatic two letter grade reduction of your final grade. If for some reason you cannot make our final you must contact your instructor BEFORE the class. Excuses given after the fact will not be accepted.
It is expected that you will make the best use of your class time. While I encourage creative conversation regarding your projects, and helping each other out with technical issued, please keep other conversations and socializing to a minimum to avoid distracting other students. If behavior in class becomes a problem I will have a private conversation with you, but if it continues you will be asked to leave the class.
GRADING BREAKDOWN
A indicates excellence, B indicates good work, C indicates satisfactory work, D work is unsatisfactory in some respect, F is substantially unsatisfactory work.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Each student is responsible for his or her own time management and for meeting the expectations in the syllabus. The instructor is not responsible for reminding students of assignment deadlines in class. In the event of an absence, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor for an assignment sheet detailing any homework. If an assignment is listed on the syllabus you are still responsible for completing the assignment on time.
DEADLINES
Video production requires strict adherence to deadlines, therefore late assignments will not be accepted for grading and written feedback will be given at the instructor’s discretion. You will NOT be eligible for an A in the class unless you turn in all assignments on time.
COURSE POLICIES
In addition to DePaul University course policies (see student handbook), the following special policies will apply to this course:
Class Participation - is encouraged and students will be graded on the extent to which they are involved throughout the quarter. Participation is an amazing tool for learning and should be done in a constructive way, especially when giving or receiving project critiques.
Final Class Exam - Attendance is mandatory. Students who do not show up will get their final grade reduced by 2 letter grades. If for some reason you cannot attend, contact the instructor before the final class. Excuses after the class will not be accepted.
Changes to the Schedule – Depending on time factors, the assignments projected for the term may require slight alteration or rescheduling.
All assignments submitted in digital format online, are due a minimum of 30 minutes prior to class. Assignments may be submitted earlier, however.
College Policies
Online Course Evaluations
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/. If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
Academic Policies
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at: cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment.
CELL PHONE POLICY: Use of cell phones in the classroom and the lab is prohibited. Please turn your phone offbefore entering class. Mistakes will happen, but repeated failure to turn your phone off will result in a lowered gradefor the class. No texting is allowed during class. If I have to ask you to stop texting more than once, there will be a fullletter grade taken off your final grade.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: If I feel that your behavior is interfering with the professionalism of our classroom(disruption, talking, napping, texting, etc.), I will adhere to the following 3--step protocol: warning email and personalmeeting, meeting with advisor or Student Advising, action taken to remove you from the class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Work done for this course must adhere to the DePaul University Academic IntegrityPolicy, which you can review in the Student Handbook or by visiting:
http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/homehandbook.html
LEARNING DISABILITIES: Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disabilityshould contact me privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that youreceive the most appropriate reasonable accommodation based on your needs, contact me as early as possible in thequarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the following offices:
PLuS Program (for LD, AD/HD) 773--325--1677, Student Center #370
The Office for Students with Disabilities 773--325--1677, Student Center #370
Emergency Plan. An emergency can occur at any time, suddenly and without warning. Proper planning is essential to minimize the impact of any emergency on the university community, operations and facilities. The following link provides detailed information on Emergency Evacuation and Fire Alarm safety: https://resources.depaul.edu/emergency-plan/emergency-evacuation/Pages/Evacuation.aspx. The University will use the DPU Alert to announce school closing or other emergencies. In the event of an emergency evacuation, the primary outdoor assembly area for CDM will be Grant Park (Southeast corner of Jackson and Michigan Ave).
Preferred Name & Gender Pronouns. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the quarter so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. Please also note that students may choose to identify within the University community with a preferred first name that differs from their legal name and may also update their gender. The preferred first name will appear in University related systems and documents except where the use of the legal name is necessitated or required by University business or legal need. For more information and instructions on how to do so, please see the Student Preferred Name and Gender Policy at http://policies.depaul.edu/policy/policy.aspx?pid=332
Students with Disabilities
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at: csd@depaul.edu.
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd. Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296