Course Syllabus - Visual Arts/Graphic Novels

Transcription

Spring 2010
Graphic Novels and Graphic Cultures
ARHU106: Practical Application in the Arts
The Honors Humanities Program at the University of Maryland
Second Semester Colloquium (1 credit)
Thursdays, 4-4:50 p.m., Room 0103 Queen Anne’s Hall
Patrick R. Grzanka, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Honors Humanities 1103 Wicomico Hall
301.405.6992
pgrzanka@umd.edu
Office hours by appointment (Tues & Thurs)
The eyes have been used to signify a perverse capacity -honed to perfection in the history of science tied to militarism,
capitalism, colonialism and male supremacy -- to distance the
knowing subject from everybody and everything in the interest
of unfettered power.
-Donna Haraway, “Situated Knowledges” (1988)
Seminar Description
This course serves as an introduction to critical methods in popular culture studies, with a focus on the
graphic novel as cultural product and practice. Together, we will explore the ways in which meanings
emerge in several celebrated texts of the graphic novel genre, as well as some emerging classics. Our
readings of these texts will be informed by a diversity of theoretical perspectives, including visual
culture studies, postmodernism and intersectionality. We will interrogate the relationships between the
concepts “graphic novel” or “comic book” and “popular culture,” with each of us bringing our lived
experiences to our readings and discussions. In the context of contemporary U.S. society, we will see
how critical studies of popular culture have a distinct place in the arts and humanities. We will consider
the contradictory ways in which difference, power and knowledge are articulated in cultural production.
Through in-depth studies of several primary texts, including Watchmen, Maus, Fun Home, and V for
Vendetta, we will learn how graphic storytellers use and manipulate historical and contemporary social
issues as the building blocks for their art. Finally, we will apply these skills to create our own
application of the art of graphic storytelling.
Learning Goals
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Conceptualize graphic storytelling as a cultural and artistic process that is productive of (often)
complex meanings within the “circuit of culture.”
2. Recognize social, metaphorical, and philosophical meanings/themes in graphic novels and be
able to critically analyze these pieces as “texts.”
3. Produce a piece of graphic storytelling that deals with one or more contemporary social issues.
General Course Expectations
Despite the one-credit aspect of this course, it should be understood that ARHU106 is an Honors
course and a critical component of the Honors Humanities curriculum. The reading load may be
considered heavy at times, though this course strictly follows the University standard of three hours of
out-of-class work per credit hour. Commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the course is essential
to success in the class and will be reflected in students’ final grades. It should also be noted that many
Graphic Novels and Graphic Cultures - Spring 2010
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Spring 2010
of the ideas presented in this course will be built upon in ARHU205:
Modes of Knowing and Doing in the Arts and Humanities.
Though graphic novels will serve as primary texts, no previous knowledge
of any of these books is required (or even preferred). Every student,
regardless of her familiarity with these books or the graphic novel genre in
general, will have an equal opportunity to succeed in the course.
Patrick Grzanka will be your primary instructor for this course, though
your Honors Humanities Keystone Project progress will be evaluated by
your Keystone Project advisor (Peter Mallios, Patrick Grzanka, Sarah
Kimmet, Rebecca Peters or Sibbie O’Sullivan). Information about
Keystone advisors will be distributed at the beginning of the semester,
and it is each student’s responsibility to meet with her advisor outside of
class.
Evaluation
Grading for the course is as follows:
20%: Class participation. While attendance is not “mandatory,” thoughtful participation in class
is a crucial part of succeeding in the course. The instructor will lead discussions, but it is each
student’s responsibility to actively participate in class. Because summaries of the readings are
not required every week, in-class participation is the main way for the instructor to know
whether a student is doing the required reading. In-class participation is not limited to
speaking in class -- short, written quizzes on the assigned material will be given throughout
the semester (always either emailed in advance of the section meeting or made available on
Blackboard).
5%: Assignments. All written assignments, not including your analytic essay and final project, are
due in hard copy form at the start of class for which they are due. Late assignments will not
be accepted.
20%: Analytic essay. During the semester, you will develop a 4-7 page essay analyzing at least
one graphic novel using the analytical tools and frameworks we learn in class. This essay will
be due toward the end of the semester, but you will work on it throughout the course. This is
your only major writing assignment.
35%: Final project. This course is about practical applications in the arts. Thus, the practical
application – development of a piece of graphic storytelling – is the most important part of
this course. Students may work individually or in groups (of up to 4 people) for the final
project. More details will be provided during the first half of the course.
20%: Annotated bibliography for the Honors Humanities Keystone Project. All HonHum
students are required to maintain
satisfactory progress toward completion of
their Keystone Project throughout
Evaluation Summary
ARHU106. By the end of the semester,
students will have expanded and annotated
20% Participation
their bibliography to 20 sources.
5% Assignments
The grading will be on a traditional scale of
90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, etc. Plusses and
minuses will be awarded when appropriate.
20% Analytic Essay
35% Final Project
20% Keystone Bibliography
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Spring 2010
Required Texts
Moore, A., & Gibbons, D. (1995/1986-7). Watchmen.
DC Comics.
Moore, A., & Lloyd, D. (1995/1981). V for Vendetta.
Reissue edition. Vertigo.
Bechdel, A. (2006). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
Houghton Mifflin
Vaughn, B. K., & Henrichon, N. (2006). Pride of
Baghdad. DC Comics: Vertigo.
***These books can be purchased from Big Planet
Comics, 7315 Baltimore Ave (Rt. 1) in College Park
opposite the CVS shopping center. We encourage you
to patronize this local establishment. Phone: 301.699.0498***
Course readings, available via Blackboard (www.elms.umd.edu) or provided in photocopy format. To
view electronic versions of any graphic novels we read in class, you must download a free, digital
comic book viewer, such as Comical. More information will be provided during class time.
Recommended Overview Texts
Duncan, R., & Smith, M. J. (2009). The power of comics: History,
form and culture. New York: Continuum.
Lopes, P. (2009). Demanding respect: The evolution of the American
comic book. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Keystone Project Annotated Bibliography
Students are required to maintain satisfactory progress toward
completion of their Keystone project during the spring semester in
ARHU106. This semester, you will read the sources you identified in
your bibliography during the fall semester, you will expand your
bibliography from 5-10 to at least 20 sources, and you will annotate
all of your sources in MLA style (Chicago style is also acceptable;
other research/documentation styles, such as APA, must be approved). Guidelines for annotation are
available on Blackboard. To access your Blackboard space, go to http://www.elms.umd.edu.
Analytic Essay
For your analytic essay, you may write on any of the graphic novels we read in the course, or you may
select from other substantive texts. Below is a list of suggested sources:
Uncanny X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Marvel Comics.
Astonishing X-Men: “Gifted,” “Dangerous,” “Torn” or “Unstoppable,” by Joss Whedon. Marvel Comics.
In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman. New York: Pantheon.
Maus, Book 2, by Art Spiegelman. New York: Pantheon.
Perspepolis: The Story of a Childhood or The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi. New York:
Pantheon.
Death: The High Cost of Living, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo. DC Comics: Vertigo.
Death: The Time of Your Life, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo. DC Comics: Vertigo.
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Spring 2010
Michael Turner’s Fathom, Vol. 1, by Michael Turner. Image Comics: Top Cow Productions.
300, by Frank Miller. Dark Horse Comics.
Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes. Fantagraphic Books (4th Ed. 2001).
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller. DC Comics.
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, by Frank Miller. DC Comics.
Rising Stars, by J. Michael Straczynski, Image Comics: Top Cow Productions.
Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn. DC Comics: Vertigo.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. DC Comics: America’s Best
Comics.
Lucifer, by Mike Carey. DC Comics: Vertigo.
Dykes to Watch Out For (1986) and Invasion of
the Dykes to Watch Out For (2005), by
Allison Bechdel.
The Sandman (1989) by Neil Gaiman with
pencillers Kelly Jones, Charles Vess and
Colleen Doran. DC Comics: Vertigo.
American Way (2006), by John Ridley with
penciller Georges Jeanty. Wildstorm.
Blankets (2003), written and drawn by Craig
Thompson. Top Shelf.
Akira (2000), written and drawn by Katsuhiro
Otomo. Dark Horse 2000. [Note: this is
arguably the best English version, and
certainly the easiest one to get a hold of.]
Love and Rockets (2007), written and drawn by
Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez.
Fantagraphics.
Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm (2007),
written by Percy Carey with penciller
Ronald Wimberly. Vertigo.
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982), written by
Chris Claremont with penciller Brent Anderson. Marvel.
Planetary (2000), written by Warren Ellis with penciller John Cassaday. Wildstorm.
The Swamp Thing. Any of Moore's collected Volumes 1-9. Written by Alan Moore, art by various.
Vertigo 1984.
Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography (2006), written by Andrew Helfer with penciller Randy DuBurke. Hill
and Wang.
Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery (2009), written by Mat Johnson with penciler Warren Pleece. DC
Comics: Vertigo.
A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (2009), by Josh Neufeld. Pantheon.
In addition to these texts or one of your choosing, you may want to write an essay that compares an
original graphic novel to its cinematic adaptation (e.g. Persepolis, 300, League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen). Though such an essay might be daunting (especially if your goal is not simply to highlight
what is “different” about the film), we will be discussing adaptation in class.
Final Project - An Original Piece of Graphic Storytelling
For the course’s final project, students may work individually or in groups of up to four members to
create a piece of original graphic storytelling. This may take the form of an issue of a series, an outline
of a story with character sketches, a complete storyboard with script, a series outline, or an outline of a
complete graphic novel. This may be a completely original story, or use characters already existing in a
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Spring 2010
graphic universe/series/continuity. The plot of the outline must deal with one or more contemporary
social issues (loosely construed). The extensiveness of the project will depend on the format chosen by
the student and group size. For example, if working alone, the student will be expected to demonstrate
that they have developed both a plot and some graphic storytelling for at least one issue (20 pages or
so, depending on what visual medium is being used). If four students work together, they must submit
a more thorough outline of a complete issue or series with a substantial graphic component. I am
extremely flexible with the form this final project takes, and I encourage all students to be creative and
draw from their strengths (e.g. if visual art isn’t your forte, then team up with someone who might be
stronger in this area). More details about the final project will be provided later in the course.
Extra Credit
From January 25-April 9, 2010, the Stamp Gallery will present an exciting new exhibition with works
from three very talented emerging Asian American artists. The exhibition, Disidentifications, explores
how artists react or respond to the complex and intricate reality of cultural and physical identification,
whether they embrace duality or hybridity, search for meaning in their cultural background, or even
reject any notion of static or quantifiable identity. The exhibition is named for the book,
Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics, by José Esteban Muñoz, in which
Muñoz looks at how groups with identities outside of normative or expected categories negotiate and
transform mainstream culture. Students who wish to pursue extra credit may visit the exhibit and write
a 3-page review that describes the form, content and overall aesthetic value of the exhibit, as well as
relates the exhibit content to specific ARHU106 course texts. Students must submit this assignment
by the last day of class (May 6) and may earn up to 10 extra points on their final graphic storytelling
project. More information about the exhibit is available at http://www.union.umd.edu/gallery/
index.shtml
Documented Disabilities
Students who have documented disabilities and who wish to discuss academic accommodations
within this course should contact the instructor as soon as possible after the beginning of the course.
Incompletes
In this course, the mark of "I" will be granted only to a student who meets both of the following criteria:
(1) the student has satisfactorily completed a major portion of the work of the course and (2) the
student has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course because of illness
or other circumstances beyond the student's control. Examples of reasons for the inability to complete
course work that will not qualify a student for an "I" mark include the following: employment or
volunteer commitments, social responsibilities, travel plans, and unexpected difficulties in satisfying
course requirements.
Academic Integrity
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity,
administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at
Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding
these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of
cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic
Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit
http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html
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Spring 2010
January 28 Seminar Introduction
Image Matters...
Visual culture studies as a paradigm, the place of the visual in the arts and
humanities, introduction to the course.
All assignments and course readings will be due on the week they are listed unless otherwise
noted.
February 4 Representation and the Circuit of Culture
Grounding the theory (part 1 of 2)
What is representation? Using readings by Stuart Hall, Nicholas Mirzoeff and
Roland Barthes, we will discuss how representations work in popular culture.
Assignment
What is your favorite graphic novel/comic book and why? If you’ve never
read one, say more about that…
Readings Hall, S. (1997). Introduction. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation: Cultural
representations and signifying practices (p. 1-13). London: Sage
Publications & Open University. BB
Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What is visual culture?
In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual
Culture Reader (selected pages).
New York: Routledge. BB
Barthes, R. (1998). Rhetoric of the image.
In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual
Culture Reader (p. 70-73). New
York: Routledge. BB
Key
“BB” indicates that the reading is available on
Blackboard (www.elms.umd.edu)
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Spring 2010
February 11Graphic Novels and/at/are the Margins
Grounding the theory (part 2 of 2)
What is a graphic novel? Where are graphic novels situated
(in popular culture, in critical media studies)? What does it mean to claim
that graphic novels are both marginalized genre and marginalized subject?
How do they work?
Assignment
Bring a magazine advertisement to class.
Readings Lopes, P. (2006). Culture and stigma: Popular culture and the case of comic
books. Sociological Forum, 21, 387-414. BB
Selections from Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling and Comics and Sequential Art
BB
That life is complicated may seem a banal expression of the
obvious, but it is nonetheless a profound theoretical
statement -- perhaps the most important theoretical
statement of our time.
-Avery Gordon, Ghostly Matters (1997)
February 18
History, Biography, Memoir
Maus, Book 1
Discussion of Spiegelman’s Maus
Readings Spiegelman, A. Maus: Book 1 - My Father Bleeds History.
New York: Pantheon. BB or at Liberty Books and Comics on Rt 1.
See “Required Texts” for more information.
Wolk, D. (2007). What comics are and what they aren’t. In Reading
comics: How graphic novels work and what they mean (pp. 3-28).
Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. BB
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February 25 Future History
DMZ
Discussion of Wood and Burchielli’s DMZ
Readings Wood, B. & Burchielli, R. (2007). DMZ. DC Comics: Vertigo. Issues 12;
18-22. BB
March 4
Re-envisioning the Superhero
Watchmen (Part 1)
Discussion of the first half of Moore and Gibbons’
Watchmen. How is the “superhero” archetype
refigured in this dystopic American culture?
Readings First six issues of Moore’s Watchmen
Selections from Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling/
Comics and Sequential Art BB
March 11
Postmodern Visions
Watchmen (Part 2)
Discussion of the second half of Watchmen through the lens of
postmodernism. How does postmodernism function as critique? How is
Watchmen representative of postmodern storytelling?
Readings March 18
Issues 7-12 of Watchmen
Wolk, D. (2007). Alan Moore: The house of the magus. In Reading comics:
How graphic novels work and what they mean (pp. 228-257).
Spring Break
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March 25
Brave New Worlds
V for Vendetta (Part 1)
The cultural politics of V for Vendetta are at once fascinating and horrifying.
How are we implicated in this interpretation of Britain’s future? How do we
as readers differentially relate to V and Evey?
Assignment
Analytic essay proposal (<1 page)
First five annotated sources for Keystone bibliography
Readings First half of Moore and Lloyd’s V for Vendetta
April 1
Adaptation
V for Vendetta (Part 2)
From the page to screen, what are the challenges
and issues endemic to the process of adaptation?
How is graphic novel adaptation distinct from the
adaptation of traditional (i.e. non-visual) novels?
Readings and viewings Second half of Moore and Lloyd’s V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (2006). Starring Hugo Weaving,
Natalie Portman. Directed by James
McTeigue. Written by the Wachowski Brothers.
April 8
A “Different” World
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Part 1)
What’s real about Bechdel’s realisim? How do both her style and topic
challenge normative literature and social structures? What kinds of
differences are represented here? How does Otherness inform our
consumption of Bechdel’s work?
Readings First half of Bechdel’s Fun Home
Buckley, S. (1998). ‘Penguin in bondage’: A graphic tale of Japanese comic
books. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.) Visual culture reader. New York:
Routledge. BB
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April 15
Queer Gazes
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Part 2)
What are situated knowledges, and what do they have to do with feminism?
How can vision become a productive metaphor for approaching truth and
objectivity? Once we challenge truth, how do we see Bechdel’s narrative
differently?
Assignment
Final project proposals due in class.
Readings Second half of Fun Home
Haraway, D. (1998). The persistence of vision. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.) Visual
culture reader. New York: Routledge. BB
Wolk, D. (2007). Alison Bechdel: Reframing memory. In Reading comics:
How graphic novels work and what they mean (pp. 359-364).
April 22
Representing War
Pride of Baghdad
Vaughn and Henrichon tell the true story of unsuspected causalities of the
United States’ invasion of and war in Iraq. In the process, they paint a
harrowing picture of the tragedy of war - almost completely without human
beings. What are the politics of such a representational move, and is Pride
effective as a political text?
Readings Vaughn, B. K., & Henrichon, N. (2006). Pride of Baghdad. DC Comics:
Vertigo.
April 29
Presentations
Assignment
Final Projects Presentations
Final project presentations due in class, including presentation of works-inprogress; discussion of analytic essay topics.
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May 6 Conclusions
Image Matters?
Exam Week Analytic Essay due May 17 by 5 p.m. submitted to Honors Humanities
office, 1103 Wicomico Hall
Final Project due May 19 by 5 p.m. submitted to Honors Humanities
office, 1103 Wicomico Hall
Keystone Annotated Bibliography due May 19 by 5 p.m. submitted to
Honors Humanities office, 1103 Wicomico Hall
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Course Syllabus - Visual Arts/Graphic Novels

Transcription

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