Objectives

By the end of the class, the student will:

 Be able to deploy a range of different methods for analyzing comics (including formal
technique, genre, authorship, and intertextual analysis)
 Grasp how comics tell stories through words and images
 Be able to describe the basic vocabulary of graphic storytelling
 Be familiar with the core figures who shaped the history of comics as a medium
 Discuss the continuing relevance of the superhero genre as an window into
understanding American life.
 Be aware of the differences between American comics and the graphic traditions of other
leading comics-producing countries, including Japan and France
 Understand the differences between mainstream, independent, and underground comics
traditions
 Understand the relationship between the comic strip and comic book traditions
 Developed a model for thinking about the ways comics have been a vehicle for
journalism, history, autobiography, and social commentary
 Explain how contemporary comics artists have built upon materials borrowed from the
larger tradition, using past themes and icons to shed light on contemporary culture
 Be able to discuss how women and minority authors have carved out a space for
themselves within the comics tradition