Tentative Schedule of Topics and Assignments
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Topics |
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Readings (for following class) |
| Week 1 | |||
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1/10 |
Intro to course; comics as literature |
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1/12 |
Early history/prehistory; comic strips, collections, penny dreadfuls, dime novels, early pulps |
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Wright, Chapter 1 |
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Week 2 |
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1/17 |
The Platinum Age, Yellow Kid, earliest comic books |
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1/19 |
1930s history; depression years; rise of the pulps |
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McCloud, Understanding Comics |
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Week 3 |
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1/24 |
Big Little Books, earliest comic books, early historical figures, quasi-superheroes and costumed adventurers |
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Course packet 1, 2, 3 |
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1/26 |
Understanding Comics -- Rhetoric of the comic book; the medium, vocabulary, grammar, defining terms |
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Course packet 4, 5 |
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Week 4 |
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1/31 |
1938 -- Superman: History, origins, mythos |
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Course packet 6, 7, 8 |
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2/2 |
Superman's imitators and competitors; Superman as a cultural icon, the psychology of dual identities; hero narratives and superheroes |
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Week 5 |
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2/7 |
1939-1941 -- The New York World's Fair, pre-WWII; Timely Comics, Captain America, the Batman |
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Wright, Chapter 2 |
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2/9 |
MIDTERM EXAM #1 |
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Week 6 |
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2/14 |
Batman as a cultural icon; Wonder Woman as proto-feminist; images of women in the comics |
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Course packet 9 |
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2/16 |
WWII -- the "Golden Age"; comics as propaganda |
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Week 7 |
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2/21 |
WWII -- stereotypes, racism, politics,
and women Graphic Novel paper due |
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Wright, Chapter 3 |
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2/23 |
The early post-war period |
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Wright, Chapter 4 |
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Week 8 |
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2/28 |
The Cold War, the Red Scare, and the emergence of new genres |
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Wright, Chapter 5 |
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3/2 |
EC Comics |
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Wright, Chapter 6 |
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Week 9 |
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3/7 |
Seduction of the Innocent, the Kefauver hearings, and the Comics Code |
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Wright, Chapter 7 (180-201) |
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3/9 |
The 1950’s and the dawn of the Silver Age; monsters, flying saucers, superheroes ascendant |
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Course packet 19-23 |
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Week 10 |
SPRING BREAK |
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Week 11 |
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3/21 |
Disney, Dell, Ducks, and cultural imperialism |
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Wright, Chapter 7 (201-225) |
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3/23 |
CLASS CANCELLED |
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Week 12 |
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3/28 |
MIDTERM EXAM #2 |
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3/30 |
The Marvel Age of Comics |
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Wright, Chapter 8 |
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Week 13 |
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4/4 |
The 60’s and 70's – Vietnam, civil rights, and feminism |
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Course packet 25- 27 |
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4/6 |
Underground Comix |
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Wright, Chapter 9 |
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Week 14 |
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4/11 |
The early 1980’s – independents, X-Men, and direct marketing |
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Moore, Watchmen |
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4/13 |
Alan Moore and The Watchmen; The Dark Knight Returns |
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Waid, Kingdom Come |
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Week 15 |
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4/18 |
The late 80s and early 90s – “savage” heroes and adult readers; Kingdom Come |
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Course packet 28 |
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4/20 |
Comics fandom and the rise of fan culture |
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Week 16 |
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4/25 |
Creators’ rights, Jack Kirby, and
Image Comics |
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Course packet 29
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4/27 |
Critical respect, graphic novels, and Hollywood |
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Wright, “Spider-Man at Ground Zero” (287-293) |
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 2nd, 10:00 - 12:00
Syllabus |
Schedule |
Assignments | Graphic Novels | Sample
Comics | Cover Galleries
Online Resources | Misc |
Dept. of Writing and
Linguistics | Writing
Center
This page last updated 1/5/06