English 396CO: Comic Books as Literature
(#16880)


SPRING 2005 SCHEDULE
(tentative and, of course, subject to change)

Sierra Hall 285 / Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-10:45am

   R = read this text before coming to class

   D = Discussion topic

   L = Lecture

   (CP) = reading(s) in our course packet

RED text = major assignment due [links to these assignments will be added in future]

WEEK 1

2/01:    Course Intro & Syllabus; D: What do we have to know to read comics?

2/03:    D: 1. What are comics?, or, the problem of definition; 2. The contours of the field.

WEEK 2

2/08:    R: McCloud, Understanding Comics, Ch. 1; plus (CP) Kunzle, “The Comic Strip”; Witek, “Comics Criticism….”

D: The “minicomic” assignment.

2/10: R: McCloud, Chs. 2 & 3.

D: Breakdown and “closure.”

RESPONSE PAPER #1 DUE: Applying the concept of “closure.”

WEEK 3

2/15: R: McCloud, Ch. 4, plus (CP) Eisner, "Ten Minutes"; Kurtzman, "Big 'If'"; Barks, "A Duck's-Eye View of Europe."

D: “Timing” in comics.

2/17: R: McCloud, Chs. 5 & 6, plus (CP) Ware, “I Guess”; Kannenberg, “The Comics of Chris Ware.”

D: Text/image relationships.

WEEK 4

2/22: In-class writing: text/image relationships.

2/24: R: McCloud, Ch. 8, plus McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern.

WEEK 5

3/01: In-class writing: McSweeney’s vis-à-vis McCloud.

3/03: “Minicomic” assignment due:

In-class critique / discussion of our minicomix (this will include substantial in-class writing).

WEEK 6

3/08: R: (CP) Siegel & Shuster, “Superman”; Kane, “The Legend of the Batman”; Simon & Kirby, “Meet Captain America.”

L: The history of comic books: mid-1930s to late 1940s.

            D: The “comic shop” assignment.

3/10:    R: (CP) Eisner, “The Story of Gerhard Shnobble.”

            In-class writing: the superhero genre.

WEEK 7

3/15: R: (CP) Feldstein & Kamen, “The Orphan”; Anonymous, “Archie”; Kurtzman & Elder, “Starchie.”

L: The history of comic books: late 1940s to mid-1950s: moral panic and the rise of the Code.

3/17: R: (CP) Wertham et al., excerpts from Literary Censorship; Fiedler, “Both Ends Against the Middle”; Crumb et al.,

various comix.

L: History: the emergence of underground comix, late-1960s forward.

SPRING RECESS (no class, 3/22 or 3/24)

WEEK 8

3/29: L: Special Guest: Artist, writer and teacher Brian Tucker on the impact of underground comix.

RESPONSE PAPER #2 DUE: Regarding underground comix.

3/31: NO CLASS (Cesar Chavez Holiday)

WEEK 9

4/05: R: Spiegelman, Maus Vol. 1: Prologue and Ch. 1; plus (CP) Crumb, Pekar & Crumb, and Kominsky-Crumb,

various autobiographical comix; Hatfield, “Coming Home to Roost.”

   L: The rise of autobiographical comix.

“Comic shop” assignment due.

4/07: R: Spiegelman, Maus Vol. 1 (to conclusion).

WEEK 10

4/12: R: Maus Vol. 2; plus (CP) Halkin and Gopnik on Maus.

4/14: R: Satrapi, Persepolis, Vol. 1.

RESPONSE PAPER #3 DUE: Regarding autobiographical comics.

WEEK 11

4/19: R: Gilbert Hernandez & Jaime Hernandez, Love & Rockets Book 6: Duck Feet.

4/21:    D: Duck Feet, continued.

WEEK 12

4/26: L: Special Guest: TBA.

4/28: R: Miller et al., Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

WEEK 13

5/03: L: Special Guest: Former DC Comics editor Kevin Dooley on changes in “mainstream” comics, 1980s-90s.

5/05: D: Dark Knight, concluded.

RESPONSE PAPER #4 DUE: Topic TBA.

WEEK 14

5/10: R: Tezuka, Phoenix: Dawn.

5/12: L: Special Guest: CSUN’s Prof. Aki Hirota on manga (Japanese comics).

R: (CP) Schodt, “Enter the Id” and “Modern Manga at the End of the Millennium” [excerpt].

**Take-home final exam essay topics given.**

WEEK 15

5/17: R: Drechsler, Summer of Love; plus (CP) Groensteen, “ Why are Comics Still in Search of Cultural Legitimization?”

5/19: R: Clowes, Ghost World.

LAST DAY TO HAND IN EXTRA CREDIT WORK!

WEEK 16 (FINALS WEEK)

5/24: Take-home final exam ESSAYs due no later than 12:00pm (noon) in my office, ST 735.

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This page maintained by Charles Hatfield                                                                                    Last updated 25 Jan 2005