Professor Paul Watkins
Class: Tuesdays 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

English 390 will investigate intersections between word and image in an emergent genre loosely defined as “graphic memoir,” or what others have called “autographics” (Gillian Whitlock), “graphic narrative” (Hilary Chute), “Graphic-Novel-Memoir” (David Itzcoff), or “comics journalism” (Joe Sacco). Along the way, we will explore how graphic texts push the boundaries of literature and memoir. We will also delve into the intricate relationship between popular culture, politics, and art. The final text will be chosen from two options through a class vote. Additionally, a creative intervention project will be part of the course.

See the course outline on VIULearn for course policies and a detailed breakdown of assignments.

Required Texts:

  • Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
  • Maus by Art Spiegelman 
  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  • Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
  • Ducks by Kate Beaton
  • TBA (class vote)

Schedule:

Please note that this schedule is subject to change as the term progresses.

I. Intro to Comics

Sept 15, Course Intro and Understanding Comics 

  • Introduction: course outline; standards and expectations; final text options
  • Reading: Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics (chapter 1-5)

Sept 22, Understanding Comics

  • Reading: Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics (chapters 6-9)
  • Show and Tell [short presentation and submission due before class]
  • Discussion of Creative Interventions and Discussion Questions 
  • VOTE FOR FINAL TEXT: due before class

Additional Readings and Media for Understanding Comics

III. History and Graphic Memoir

Sept 29, Maus (I: My Father Bleeds History)

  • Reading: Art Spiegelman, Maus (I)

Oct 6, Maus (II: And Here My Trouble Began)

  • Reading: Spiegelman, Maus (II)
  • Additional VIULearn Readings: Jonathan Kincade, “Art Spiegelman’s Maus;” Rosemary V. Hathaway, “Reading Art Spiegelman’s Maus as Postmodern Ethnography”
  • Discussion Question 1 due

Additional Readings and Media for Maus

Oct 13, no class, replaced by classes scheduled on a Monday. READ Persepolis. 

Oct 20, Persepolis

  • Reading: Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (pages 1-275)
  • Start Persepolis film

Oct 27, Persepolis

  • Reading: Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (276-341)
  • Additional VIULearn Readings: Chute, “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis”; Darda, “Graphic Ethics: Theorizing the Face in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis”
  • Discussion Question 2 due
  • Close Reading Due by 11:59 pm on VIULearn
  • Discussion Question 2 due

Additional Readings and Media for Persepolis

III. Feminist and Queer Perspectives in Graphic Memoir

Nov 3, Fun Home

  • Reading: Alison Bechdel, Fun Home (full text)
  • Additional VIULearn Readings (choose two): Watson, “Autographic Disclosures and Genealogies of Desire in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home;” Abram, “Beyond the Front, Specificity is Abandoned: Illustrating Backgrounds in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home“; Tison, “Loss, Revision, Translation”
  • Discussion Question 3 due

Nov 9-13, STUDY DAYS (no class). Read Ducks. 

Nov 17, Ducks

  • Reading: Kate Beaton, Ducks (pages 1-250)
  • Discussion of final paper
  • Discussion Question 4 due

Nov 24, Ducks

  • Reading: Kate Beaton, Ducks (250-end)
  • Additional VIULearn Reading: “The Liminal World of The Oil Sands in Kate Beaton’s Ducks” and “The Messiness of Humanity” (CBC, Kate Beaton Interview); [note: might be one more]
  • Creative Interventions Due and Sharing

Additional Readings and Media for Fun Home and Ducks

IV. Present Pasts: History, Memory, and Comics

Dec 1, TBA: Either Footnotes in Gaza or March

  • Reading: TBA

Dec 8, TBA: Either Footnotes in Gaza or March

  • Additional VIULearn Readings TBA on VIULearn
  • Exam Prep
  • Discussion Question 5 due
  • Research paper due on Dec 8 by 11:59 pm on VIULearn (Dec. 11 if your essay focuses on the final text)