WR 347 - Comics in America: From Sunday Funnies to Graphic Novels

(3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: WR 100 , one WR 200-level course. From the nineteenth century's first comic strips to the present day's graphic novels, comic strips and comic books have combined conventions from various sources-fine arts, pulp magazines, genre literature, radio, film noir, and more-to produce a uniquely American art form. This course examines the ways that comics both influence and reflect the culture at large, as seen through populist heroes who embody Depression-era dreams, the censorship wars led by Frederic Wertham in the fifties, or the medium's coming of age in the hands of Art Spiegelman and others. Students explore the enduring appeal of graphic narratives and look for their pervasive influence in other media.