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Winter 2018

 

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English Literature (ENG)
118 Prince Lucien Campbell, 541-346-3911
English
College of Arts & Sciences
Course Data
  ENG 385   Graphic Nar & Cul Theo >1 4.00 cr.
Survey of 20th- and 21st- century graphic novels in the context of cultural theory. Sophomore standing required. Offered alternate years.
Grading Options: Optional; see degree guide or catalog for degree requirements
Instructor: Fickle TE-mailHomepage Office:   372 PLC
Phone:   (541) 346-3979
Office Hours: 1130 - 1430 W 372 PLC
Course Materials
 
  CRN Avail Max Time Day Location Instructor Notes
  27607 0 35 1400-1520 tr 41 LIB Fickle T  

Final Exam:

1230-1430 t 3/20 41 LIB
Academic Deadlines
Deadline     Last day to:
January 7:   Process a complete drop (100% refund, no W recorded)
January 14:   Drop this course (100% refund, no W recorded)
January 14:   Process a complete drop (90% refund, no W recorded)
January 15:   Drop this course (75% refund, no W recorded; after this date, W's are recorded)
January 15:   Process a complete drop (75% refund, no W recorded; after this date, W's are recorded)
January 17:   Add this course
January 17:   Last day to change to or from audit
January 21:   Withdraw from this course (75% refund, W recorded)
January 28:   Withdraw from this course (50% refund, W recorded)
February 4:   Withdraw from this course (25% refund, W recorded)
February 25:   Withdraw from this course (0% refund, W recorded)
February 25:   Change grading option for this course
Caution You can't drop your last class using the "Add/Drop" menu in DuckWeb. Go to the “Completely Withdraw from Term/University” link to begin the complete withdrawal process. If you need assistance with a complete drop or a complete withdrawal, please contact the Office of Academic Advising, 101 Oregon Hall, 541-346-3211 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday). If you are attempting to completely withdraw after business hours, and have difficulty, please contact the Office of Academic Advising the next business day.

Expanded Course Description
In 1992, Art Spiegelman won widespread critical acclaim—and a Pulitzer Prize—for his Holocaust narrative Maus, demonstrating that a comic book could be taken seriously as an important work of literature. Since then, many creators have followed Spiegelman’s lead, taking advantage of the unique representational possibilities of the graphic novel to examine issues of identity and family history in the context of world historical events. This course offers a survey of some of these late 20th and early 21st century graphic novels, considered in the contexts of contemporary cultural theory. Students will be required to think about the complex ways in which images and texts work together to create multiple layers of meaning, and to explore the relationship between art, culture, and politics (including the politics of race, gender, and sexuality).

This course meets the qualifications for Arts & Letters Group-Satisfying status because it allows students to trace how a new art form grows out of its predecessors; to analyze the relationship between arts and letters in a cross-media form of expression; to apply theoretical texts to works of art in the process of developing their own arguments and interpretations; and to see how literature and visual arts offer unique vantage points for wider cultural understanding. The graphic narratives on the syllabus explore questions of identity familiar to college students (coming of age, reflections on familial, cultural, and religious identity), but they also place questions of identity in an international context. The intimate form of the graphic memoir can open the door to understanding global issues like religious intolerance, immigration, and the traumas of war. Course readings in cultural theory will help students understand and define what a culture is, and help them explore the relationship between culture (defined as literary and visual arts) and culture (the shared social practices of a given era and place). The course belongs at the upper division level because of the sophistication of the required texts in cultural theory and the complexity of themes and allusions in several of the graphic narratives.

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Release: 8.11