Catalog Description:

EN215:  Studies in a Literary Genre.  This course allows students to develop their skills in literary analysis and knowledge of literary history in more depth by concentrating on intensive study of a specialized study in genre. 

QS212:  Ideas and Expression.  A sophomore-level core course, this course is designed to provide students an inquiry-based opportunity to develop core abilities in communication (written and oral), critical evaluation of information, and the formation of arguments and decisions based on sound reasons and evidence.  Students will also explore the history of ideas and artistic and creative expression.  Each section will focus on particular topics that will be explored throughout the semester in order to provide students additional understanding of themselves and the world around them. 

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About the Course:

When you think of comics, you might think of the Sunday funnies or the flimsy pamphlets that you read as a kid (or now!).  The word might also conjure ideas of “action” or “horror,” as you think of superheroes or fantastic settings.  Those of you more familiar with the genre might think of other stock figures, like the goth-girl, or you may focus on specific sub-genres like Japanese manga.  While these all are legitimate parts of the world of comics, in this class, we will be focusing on graphic narratives, or what some describe as “serious” comic books that are more equivalent to literary novels than to Peanuts strips.  Even more specifically, we will examine graphic narratives that focus on important moments in history:  the Holocaust, the Iranian Revolution, the Bosnian War, the 1982 Lebanon War, the September 11 attacks, and a landmark murder case in Kansas.  (For the final book, we even will get to meet the author!)

Throughout our study, we will be guided by the following questions: Why would these writers and artists choose the comic book medium—which often has been considered childlike and unserious—to write about such grave subjects? What storytelling possibilities does this genre have that makes it attractive to writers and artists? Also, what narrative lenses do they discover (ranging from memoir to political journalism to a “drawn novel”), and in what ways do these choices have the potential to both tell certain kinds of truths and manipulate interpretations of history and social issues?  Along the way, we also will have opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of this relatively new art form, as well as the important events from history that they depict. 

Required Texts and Materials: 

(every student needs his/her own physical copy)         

Maus 1:  A Survivor’s Tale:  My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman.  ISBN:  978-0394747231

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi.  ISBN:  978-0375714573

Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco.  ISBN:  978-1560974703

American Widow by Alissa Torres, illustrated by Sungyoon Choi.  ISBN:  978-0-345-50069-4

Capote in Kansas by Ande Parks, illustrated by Chris Samnee.  ISBN:  978-1934964873

Course Outcomes:   

• To become familiar with the vocabulary, structure, and history of graphic narratives, and to appreciate graphic storytelling as a cultural and artistic practice.
• To learn how to recognize meanings and themes in the graphic texts, as well as to consider how graphic narratives are set apart from (yet also connected to) other artistic forms, such as literature, visual art, and film. 
• To recognize the similarities in and differences between works, and to make connections between individual texts and their broader cultural contexts.
• To consider how graphic storytellers draw from history and social issues as building blocks of their art. 
• To find and critically evaluate information about important historical events. 
• To work in collaboration with other group members.
• To continue to develop critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills by crafting well-informed and thoughtful presentations and written pieces that are clear, concise, and supported by strong evidence.

Course Requirements: 

Participation and Quizzes:  15%

Mid-Term Exam:  10%

Literature Circle Assignment:  10%

Course-Long Writing Project:  45% (includes five pieces of writing)

Two Presentations:  20%

Participation and Quizzes: 

In order to maximize our learning experience, it is important that this class becomes a vibrant, thoughtful, and respectful community of readers and thinkers.  To create this community, your presence and participation is crucial; the classroom dynamic will suffer without you.  Please come to class prepared and on time, ready to participate.  I recognize and value different personalities, so I will notice more than the frequency and duration of your contributions to the discussion (although a good rule of thumb is to aim to speak up at least once per week).  I also will consider your preparation for class, your willingness to ask difficult questions, your demonstration of critical thinking, and your readiness to respond thoughtfully and considerately to ideas presented by your peers.  This portion of your grade will also be influenced by exercises and activities we do in class; if you are not here, you will not receive credit for them. 

While I do not love giving quizzes (and often students do not love taking them), they are an effective way to hold students accountable for their reading and to reward students who read consistently and carefully.  My goal on these quizzes is not to trick you or to ask interpretive questions; instead the quizzes test whether you have completed the reading with a high level of attentiveness.  Because all of us sometimes have a bad day, I will drop your lowest quiz score when I calculate your final grade for this category. 

Midterm Exam

QS212:  Each student who takes QS212 also takes a linked course, with the goal of drawing connections between them.  Halfway through this course, you will complete an in-class essay in which you explore the relationship between this class and your linked course.

EN215:  Students taking the course for English credit will take a midterm exam on the literary content of the course.  Nearer to the exam, I will provide you with information about what to expect. 

Literature Circle Assignment: 

One of the goals of QS212 is that students grow in their ability to face challenging situations and come to conclusions together by completing a team project.  Similarly, one of my goals for students in English courses is that they grow in their ability to read and analyze texts without always relying on the instructor to supply questions and answers.  The Literature Circles Assignment will help both groups of students develop these skills.  You will discuss one of our graphic narratives in groups (during class time), generating all of the material for your discussion from among your group members.  To aid your discussions, you each will have one of five roles (which will rotate, so that each of you will experience each of the roles).  This assignment includes your active participation and a reading journal.

Course-Long Writing Project: 

In this class, we are exploring why authors and artists are drawn to the graphic narrative genre to explore moments of conflict or crisis.  Through our readings and discussion in class, we will come to some answers to that question.  However, I’m also interested in exploring that question experientially, and to that end I am asking you to develop your own idea about a graphic narrative that you could write about a conflict or crisis that you are connected to in some way.  This project will span the entire course, and it will include several parts: 

• Part 1:  Personal Connection.  After identifying a historical crisis to develop into a graphic narrative, you will write a personal essay in which you narrate your connection to the topic, explain its interest to you, and address what you hope to gain by writing about it.  (3 pages)
• Part 2:  Historical Context.  For this part of your project, you will research your topic using reputable library sources and/or interviews to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the moment of crisis.  (4 pages)
• Part 3: Textual Influences.  For this section, you will analyze the effects of the artistic and literary techniques that other authors have used as you consider what ideas and techniques you would like to borrow (or avoid) as you start creating your own graphic text.  (4-5 pages)
• Part 4:  Graphic Narrative.  This piece will be your own work of art—the equivalent of about one chapter of the overall story you envision.  (Length will vary.)
• Part 5:  Artist’s Statement.  In your final section, you will offer an artist’s statement to communicate what you want a reader to know or understand about your work.  (1-2 pages)

You will turn in parts of this assignment throughout the semester for instructor feedback, and you will collate all of the pieces together at the end for a final evaluation.  Creating a graphic narrative ourselves will no doubt give us deeper insights into the genre’s storytelling possibilities, particularly when exploring fraught historical moments. 

Two Presentations: 

In this course, you will give two presentations.  Although we are reading five graphic narratives together, there are many more that explore moments of historical crisis.  For the first presentation, each student will select one additional text to present to the class.  These presentations will expand our knowledge of this genre and help us become aware of the multiple artistic options that authors have used.  The second presentation will provide you with an opportunity to present the work you have done in your course-long writing project to your classmates (who will be curious, no doubt, about what you have created and learned through the process).  You will give this presentation during our final exam period.

Joanne Janssen, Baker University