01 TTH5 CAC 12246 GLISERMAN MU-111
Introduction to the Graphic Novel will explore how graphic novels are built and told. We will learn a conceptual vocabulary to discuss how the graphic novel achieves its objective of obtaining the reader’s attention and engagement. We will develop our understanding of graphic novels by way of a graphic introduction to comics—Understanding Comics. Our understanding will develop by examining a range of graphics—e.g., Persepolis, Maus, Fun Home, Ghost World, Watchmen. These and others are examples of a range of themes and genres—autobiographic, illness narrative, costumed heroes, etc. The overall objective is to learn how to read graphic novels—i.e., how to understand the way the verbal and the non-verbal/graphic work together—and how to write about them. We will be writing discussion posts in class on a regular basis; there is a midterm exam of the formal properties of the graphic novel and a short essay; a final 5-7 page paper.