Themes in the Graphic Novel E324C M-F (1-2:30) Class Meets in NOA 1.116 (North Office Building A) Instructor: Brian Doherty Office: Parlin 326 Hours: Mondays 11-12;45 and 2:30-3:30 Ph: 471-8798, [email protected]
Description: Some of the more exciting forms of literary expression in the past decades have come from Graphic Novels and their close cousin, the Graphic memoir. This course will examine a couple of classic graphic texts from the U.S., and will explore how the graphic form can be profitably used for explorations of world cultures.
Texts: Zeina Abirached. A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return. Allison Bechdel. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Thi Bui. The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir. Genviève Castrée. Susceptible. Lat. Kampung Boy. Joe Sacco. Palestine. Riad Sattouf. The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984. Art Spiegelman. The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale.
Requirements & Grading: Participation in Class discussion 10% Quizzes on Reading 10% Presentation on author or series—oral and written 10% Periodic short informal assignments. 10% Paper on topics in Bechdel, Catrée or Spiegelman (4-5 pages) 20% Paper on Lat to Sattouf. (3-4 pages) 15% Paper on Sacco to end of class. (3-4 pages). 15%
Attendance in Class is required. Students may miss up to 4 classes with no penalty. For each missed class beyond 4, there will be a 7 point deduction from the student’s cumulative grade. This includes absences for any reason.
Plus and minus grades will be used in the class. A = 93-100; A- = 90-92.9; B + = 88-89.9; B = 83=87.9; B- = 80-82.9; C+ = 78-79.9; C = 73-77.9; C- = 70-72.9; D = 65-69.9. Below 65 = F. Please be aware of University policies and services for students with disabilities: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/ Please be aware of the University Standard for Academic Integrity: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php
Schedule of Readings: January 18: Discuss syllabus, assignments, philosophies of the GN.
23: Graphic Novel History and timeline. Collaboration on Canvas site. 25: pages from McCloud, other theorist/practitioners
30: American Classic. origins of Art Spiegelman’swork. Raw. Influence and career of Françoise Mouly. February 1: Maus: My Father Bleeds History. Chapters 1-4.
6: Maus. To end of Vol. One. 8: Maus: And Here My Troubles Began. Chapters 1-2.
13: Maus. To end of Vol. 2. 15: Essays on Spiegelman’s Maus.
20: American Classic II. Allison Bechdel’s Fun Home. Chapters 1-5 (to page 120). 22: Fun Home II. To conclusion.
27: Girlhood/ adolescence II. Genevieve Castrée, Susceptible.
March 1: Susceptible, Fun Home in the rear view mirror. Essays, retrospectives.
March 6: GN as world literature. Lat. Kampung Boy. 8: Thi Bui. The Best We Could Do. Chapters 1-3 (to page 91).
20: Thi Bui. The Best We Could Do. Chapters 4-6 (to page 211). 22. Thi Bui. The Best We Could Do. To conclusion.
27. Discuss film of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. 29: A Game for Swallows
April 3: Riad Sattouf. The Arab of the Future. Chapters 1-2 (to page 62). 5: The Arab of the Future. to conclusion.
10: Joe Sacco. Palestine: To page 140. (“Still One of the Boys”). 12: Palestine. To Conclusion
17: Reader’s Choice. Report on another Joe Sacco book or one of the “place books” of Guy DeLisle. 19: Four Days of Reader’s choice.
24: 26:
May 1: 3: Last Class Day. Building a reading list for the future.