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English 5070-WA: Comics and Graphic Narratives
Course Location: RB 3047 Class Times: Friday, 8:30–11:30am Table of Contents Table of Contents ...... 1 Instructor Information ...... 1 Course Description/Overview ...... 1 Course Objectives and/or Learner Outcomes ...... 1 Course Resources ...... 2 Required Course Text(s) ...... 2 Course Website(s) (if applicable) ...... 2 Course Schedule ...... 2 Assignments and Evaluation ...... 5 Assignment Policies ...... 5 Details of Assignments ...... 6 Marking Standards ...... 7 Collaboration/Plagiarism Rules ...... 7 Course Policies ...... 7
Instructor Information Instructor: Daniel Hannah Office: RB 3039 Telephone: ext. 8663 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Wed., 11am–12pm
Course Description/Overview This course will examine recent trends in graphic narrative from a variety of national literatures and consider a range of theoretical approaches to reading the form of comics. Some of the questions this course will consider include: what kinds of questions about adaptation are raised by graphic rewritings of novels and films of graphic novels? what do graphic narratives reveal to us about the ethics and limits of representation? how do comics reconfigure familiar narrative modes of life-writing, history, reportage, and fiction? what challenges do visual narratives (or imagetexts) pose to the conventions of literary criticism and theory?
Course Objectives and/or Learner Outcomes Students who have completed all the assigned readings, attended all the classes, partaken in class discussions, and submitted all assignments, should be able to: 2
discuss and write about the formal features and challenges of comics and graphic narratives identify key trends in comic studies think independently and critically about issues raised by comics and graphic narratives use library resources to research a topic in comics studies and present their findings to a class of graduate students lead class discussion effectively
Course Resources
Required Course Text(s) Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics Paul Auster, City of Glass Auster, Karasik, Mazzucchelli, City of Glass: The Graphic Novel Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen Moore, Bissette, Totleben, Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One Julie Doucet, My New York Diary Chester Brown, Paying for It Ho Che Anderson, King: The Special Edition Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother? Art Spiegelman, In the Shadow of No Towers David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp Chris Ware, Building Stories
Course Website(s) (if applicable) Desire2Learn
Course Schedule
January 8
Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics (006097625X)
Secondary: Thierry Groensteen, “The Impossible Definition” Nick Sousanis, “Rethinking (through) comics: Unflattening”
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You could also check out Michael Chaney’s TedxDaartmouth talk from 2011: “How to Read a Graphic Novel” (available on YouTube).
*** GRAPHIC ADAPATATIONS
Jan. 15
Paul Auster, City of Glass Auster, Karasik, Mazzucchelli, City of Glass: The Graphic Novel
Secondary: David Coughlan, “Paul Auster’s City of Glass: The Graphic Novel”
Jan. 22
Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis (0375714839) and the film
Secondary: Theresa M. Tensuan, “Comics Visions and Revisions in the work of Lynda Barry and Marjane Satrapi
*** GRAPHIC FANTASY
Jan. 29
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen (0930289234) and the film
Secondary: Thierry Groensteen, “Comics as Network” Bob Rehak, “Adapting Watchmen After 9/11”
Feb. 5
Moore, Bissette, Totleben, Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book One
Secondary: Charles Hatfield, “An Art of Tensions”
***
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GRAPHIC AUTO/BIOGRAPHY
Feb. 12
Julie Doucet, My New York Diary and Chester Brown, Paying for It
Secondary: Gillian Whitlock and Anna Poletti, “Self-Regarding Art”
READING WEEK
Feb. 26
Ho Che Anderson, King: The Special Edition
Secondary: Hillary Chute, “Comics Form and Narrating Lives”
Mar. 4 (DROP DATE FOR WINTER COURSES)
Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?
Secondary: Jon Sutliff Sanders, “Theorizing Sexuality in Comics”
*** NEW GRAPHIC FORMS
Mar. 11
Art Spiegelman, In the Shadow of No Towers
Secondary: Pascale Lefèvre, “The Construction of Space in Comics”
Mar. 18
David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp
Secondary: Catherine Labio, “The Architecture of Comics”
Mar. 25 GOOD FRIDAY – NO CLASS
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April 1
Chris Ware, Building Stories
Secondary: Matt Godbey, “Building Stories,’ Gentrification, and the Lives of/in Houses”
April 5 (MAKE-UP DAY)
Ware, Building Stories
Secondary: Goergiana Banita, “Chris Ware and the Pursuit of Slowness”
Assignments and Evaluation
Assignment Due date Value Length Oral Seminar* Throughout term 25% 8-10 pages
Research Paper** April 8th 40% 15-20 pages
Secondary Reading Response*** Throughout term 15% 4-5 pages
Participation**** Throughout term 20% n/a
Assignment Policies All assignments are individual assignments and cannot be completed collaboratively. Assignments are due by 4:30pm on the dates indicated. No late assignments are accepted. If you require an extension, you must ask for one BEFORE the due date. All assignments must be in MLA format, double spaced, with 1” margins, and in 12 point font. Exceptions to these policies are allowed only with a doctor’s note or other appropriate documentation.
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Details of Assignments
* Oral seminar topics will be assigned in the first week of the course. On your assigned date, you are expected to begin the class with a seminar presentation lasting no more than 20 minutes. The presentation should develop one or two arguments in response to a particular aspect of your assigned primary text (the secondary reading assigned for each class should provide some ideas for possible seminar topics). On the day of the presentation, please bring two printed copies of your seminar paper (8-10 pages) – one for yourself and one for me. The paper should provide clear references to secondary sources (MLA format) and include a Works Cited. Students are also required to prepare a one-page handout for the class outlining their argument, main points, and 2-3 discussion questions. The student will be expected to lead discussion after the presentation of their seminar. The seminar and ensuing discussion will be graded on the basis of: quality of the typed seminar paper, attentiveness to primary and secondary material, clarity of handout, pertinence of discussion questions, responses of the presenter to questions raised in class, and ability to productively shape the ensuing discussion. Unless you have a documented medical reason, missing a seminar presentation will result in a grade of zero for both the oral and written component of that seminar. If you do have a legitimate reason, you will be asked to present your seminar in the next available time slot. If you know you will have to miss a seminar presentation, please consult with me as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your presentation. ** The research paper (15-20 pages) is on a topic of your choosing and must be approved by me by no later than March 17th. The research paper should be on a different primary text or texts than your oral seminar.
*** Topics for secondary reading responses will be assigned in the first week of the course. On your assigned date, you are expected to present to the class a critical reading of your assigned secondary article or excerpt, outlining the piece’s argument and reflecting on the usefulness of its approach from an ecocritical perspective. The presentation should be no more than 10 minutes. On the day of the presentation, please bring two printed copies of your secondary reading response (4-5 pages) – one for yourself and one for me. The paper should provide clear references to secondary sources (MLA format) and include a Works Cited. Students are also required to prepare a one-page handout offering 2-3 discussion questions follow on from the secondary reading.
**** Participation in this seminar course will be graded according to your involvement in class discussion – asking questions, responding to comments, offering criticisms –and on your level of attendance and preparation. For each class, you are expected to come 7 with two prepared questions aimed at stimulating discussion—one question should address the primary text and the other should come out of your reading of the secondary material for that class. The questions should be typed and printed; bring two copies that you can submit one of them at the start of each class. Attendance for this class is mandatory – one missed class is OK but any further absences will result in 2% deductions from your 20% participation grade.
Marking Standards All assignments will be marked in accordance with the English Department Marking Standards. If any of your assignments have different marking standards, they should also be indicated here.
Collaboration/Plagiarism Rules Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words and/or ideas. Not acknowledging your debt to the ideas of a secondary source, failing to use quotation marks when you are quoting directly, buying essays from essay banks, copying another student's work, or working together on an individual assignment, all constitute plagiarism. Resubmitting material you've submitted to another course is also academic dishonesty. All plagiarized work (in whole or in part) and other forms of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean, who is responsible for judging academic misconduct and imposing penalties. The minimum penalty for academic misconduct is a 0 on the assignment in question. It might also be subject to more severe academic penalties. See the Code of Student Behaviour.
Course Policies
Students in this course are expected to conform to the Code of Student Behaviour:
Lakehead University provides academic accommodations for students with disabilities in accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. This occurs through a collaborative process that acknowledges a collective obligation to develop an accessible learning environment that both meets the needs of students and preserves the essential academic requirements of the course.
This course outline is available online through the English Department homepage and/or the Desire2Learn site for the course.