ADEN2050 · Advancing Studies

The Graphic Novel and Graphic Narratives

ADV

Storytelling via images is as old as humankind, and is the first way that human beings memorialize narratives. From cave drawings to tapestries to comic books and manga, graphic narratives have moved from the worlds of primitive sketches of gods and men to political discourse, countercultural manifesto, and culture-shaping revolutionary works. Beginning with art narratives ranging from cave drawings to Greek sculpture and the Sistine Chapel, passing through mid-century advertising, Stan Lee, Maus, and moving into the contemporary era of Persepolis, Myers, Takei, Medina and the marvelous Nick Sousanis, this course will survey the history and reception of graphic narrative as the genre moves from a predominantly white and male medium towards an increasingly popular international cultural movement that crosses gender, class and ethnic lines.