In this course we will be exploring the intersection of two categories: the graphic novel genre and issues of social justice. We will address this intersection through a study of eight graphic novels that include or focus on social justice issues, plus one book about social justice issues (How to Be an Antiracist) and one book about the graphic novel genre (Making Comics). In addition to the reading, there will be brief weekly in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, collaborative student-teaching assignments, and a final project, which can be an academic analytic essay or the authoring of a portion of a graphic novel or some other class-relevant project of adequate scope that you agree on with the instructor. By the end of the course, you should have a good intellectual and artistic framework for evaluating the art form of the graphic novel, as well as a considerably expanded understanding of different kinds of social justice situations in terms of definitions, issues, causes, responses, and how those are represented in particular graphic novels. I look forward to our adventure through this material together!
- Teacher: Moncrieff, Scott