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This course is de­signed to in­tro­duce stu­dents to the genre of graphic nov­els. Re­quired read­ings rep­re­sent both East­ern and West­ern comics tra­di­tions, and range in pub­li­ca­tion dates from around 1930 through the 21st cen­tury. Look­ing at these pri­mary texts along­side an im­por­tant crit­i­cal work (Un­der­stand­ing Comics), stu­dents will learn to iden­tify the key com­po­nents of graphic nar­ra­tive—in­clud­ing tech­ni­cal as­pects of vi­sual sto­ry­telling as well as more tra­di­tional el­e­ments of prose nar­ra­tive—and how they work to­gether to form a graphic nar­ra­tive. Stu­dents will also be asked to iden­tify the major themes ad­dressed by the genre over time, and to eval­u­ate the ways in which those themes, and the ways they are ad­dressed, have changed.

This course is designed to introduce students to the genre of graphic novels. Required readings represent both Eastern and Western comics traditions, and range in publication dates from around 1930 through the 21st century. Looking at these primary texts alongside an important critical work (Understanding Comics), students will learn to identify the key components of graphic narrative—including technical aspects of visual storytelling as well as more traditional elements of prose narrative—and how they work together to form a graphic narrative. Students will also be asked to identify the major themes addressed by the genre over time, and to evaluate the ways in which those themes, and the ways they are addressed, have changed.

In this course we will ex­plore is­sues in re­search and doc­u­men­ta­tion for text (in print and on­line), im­ages, sound, and mul­ti­me­dia. You will in­ves­ti­gate where in­for­ma­tion comes from and how it is or­ga­nized in both tra­di­tional and emerg­ing media. We will ex­am­ine the ethics of in­for­ma­tion use and de­ter­mine how to crit­i­cally eval­u­ate sources. Through­out the course, you will cre­ate and pre­sent re­search and doc­u­men­ta­tion pro­jects using tra­di­tional and emerg­ing media and tech­nolo­gies. This is a writ­ing-in­ten­sive course. You should ex­pect to spend 4-6 hours out­side of class time prepar­ing for class each week.

In this course we will explore issues in research and documentation for text (in print and online), images, sound, and multimedia. You will investigate where information comes from and how it is organized in both traditional and emerging media. We will examine the ethics of information use and determine how to critically evaluate sources. Throughout the course, you will create and present research and documentation projects using traditional and emerging media and technologies. This is a writing-intensive course. You should expect to spend 4-6 hours outside of class time preparing for class each week.