CIED 5683/ENGL 3903: Graphic Novels for Adolescents
Grad Ed 210
Tuesday 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
Instructor: Dr. Sean Connors
Office: Peabody Hall 304
Mailbox: Peabody Hall 216
Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:00 - 4:00 and by appointment
E-mail: sconnors@uark.edu
Course Website: http://seanconnors.net/eng3903/
Course Description:
In the past decade scholars have expressed an interest in graphic novels as both cultural artifacts and as
pedagogical tools for use in literacy education. Like their older sibling, the comic book, graphic novels interweave
two sign systems—word and image—to convey a narrative. As such, the ability to read and interpret them might be
said to entail different literacies—one verbal, the other visual. How do readers interpret graphic novels? What
conventions do the authors of graphic novels manipulate to influence the meanings that readers construct? What
challenges does graphic storytelling pose for authors? What makes one graphic novel more powerful than another?
These are some of the questions we’ll consider as we work together to explore the affordances and limitations of
graphic storytelling. In that regard the focus of the course is on examining graphic novels as aesthetic objects, as
opposed to strategies for teaching them.
Course Objectives:
 Students will describe the historical shifts that have occurred in critical debates about comic books and
graphic novels as a form of reading material.
 Students will explain how the visual design of comics functions to influence the meanings that readers and
authors construct.
 Students will interrogate the concept of visual literacy with the intention of examining its usefulness.
 Students will develop new skills for reading and writing graphic narratives.
 Students will develop greater autonomy as readers by generating and answering their own questions about
the graphic novels and theoretical essays they read.
 Students will read, write, and talk critically about a diverse range of graphic novels.
Essential Questions:
Throughout the semester we will work together to answer the following questions:
 What shifts have occurred in critical debates about comic books and graphic novels as a form of reading
material?
 By definition, what are comics, and what (if anything) is distinct about the form?
 What is the “language” of comics, and how does it function to influence the meanings that readers
construct as they transact with graphic novels?
 What is multimodality, and how does the concept of “Design” provide a potential framework for
understanding how readers and writers construct meaning in their transactions with graphic novels and
other forms of multimodal narratives?
 In the case of graphic storytelling, what constitutes “excellence,” and how might it be measured?
2
Required Texts: (available at Campus Bookstore / 616 N. Garland Avenue)
Abadzis, Nick. (2007). Laika. New York: First Second.
Gaiman, Neil, and P. Craig Russell. (2010). Sandman: The Dream Hunters. New York: Vertigo.
Hadju, David. (2009). The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed
America. New York: Picador.
Kelly, Joe and J. Ken Niimura. (2010). I Kill Giants. Berkeley: Image Comics.
Lemire, Jeff. (2009). The Complete Essex County. Atlanta: Top Shelf Productions.
McCloud, Scott. (1994). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial.
Moon, Fabio, and Gabriel Ba. (2011). Daytripper. New York: Vertigo.
Nakazawa, Keiji. (2004). Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima, Vol. 1. San Francisco: Last
Gasp.
Satrapi. Marjane. (2007). The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon.
Small, David. (2009). Stitches: A Memoir. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Spiegelman, Art. (2003). The Complete Maus. New York: Pantheon.
Vaughan, Brian K., and Niko Henrichon. (2006). Pride of Baghdad. New York: Vertigo.
Yang, Gene Luen. (2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second.
Course Policies:
Warning/Disclaimer: The cartoonists whose work we will study use the comics form to address a range of sensitive
issues, and they do so in an open and graphic way. This course is not for the feint-hearted or closed-minded. If you
think you might be offended by graphic representations and discussions of religion, child abuse, sex, violence,
prejudice, war, U.S. and Middle East politics, or other sensitive issues not mentioned here this course is not for you. If
you have concerns about these issues, please do not hesitate to talk with me.
Late Assignments: Late work will be assessed a penalty of 15% (the equivalent of one full letter grade). Written work
submitted two days after the assigned due date will be evaluated upon request, but credit will not be granted.
Submission of Assignments: All work turned in for evaluation should be typewritten and double-spaced, and should
employ 1 inch margins on all sides. Please use 12-point font and a legible typeface. Be sure your printer toner allows
you to produce clear copies prior to the date of submission. Written work submitted by email will not be accepted.
Academic Honesty: As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to
further their educational goals through programs of study and research in an environment that promotes freedom of
inquiry and academic responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is only possible when intellectual honesty and
individual integrity prevail. Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with and abide by the
University’s “Academic Integrity Policy,” which may be found at http://provost.uark.edu/ Students with questions
about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.
Accommodations: Students with disabilities requesting reasonable accommodations must first register with the Center
for Students with Disabilities. The CSD is located in the Arkansas Union, room 104 and on the web at:
http://www.uark.edu/ua/csd/applications.htm The CSD provides documentation to students with disabilities who must
them provide this documentation to their course instructors. Students with disabilities should notify their course
instructors of their need for reasonable accommodations in a timely manner to ensure that sufficient time to arrange
reasonable accommodation implementation and effectiveness. A typical time frame for arranging reasonable
accommodations for students who are registered with the CSD is approximately one to two weeks.
3
Classroom Behavior: Appropriate classroom behavior is expected of the instructor and all students. Inappropriate
and disruptive classroom behavior (inappropriate language and gestures, class disruptions, disrespect to other students
or instructor, and other behavior determined by the instructor) will not be tolerated and will result in possible removal
from the class and/or disciplinary action as per the student handbook.
Inclement Weather: In case of inclement weather, class will be held unless cancelled by the University of Arkansas.
If classes have not been cancelled and the student feels it is too dangerous to come to class because of the weather, it is
the responsibility of the student to make up missed assignments and be prepared for the next class meeting.
Mobile Devices: I have a family and understand the desire to have a mobile device available in case of
emergencies. Please follow my lead by muting or putting your mobile device on vibrate and monitoring it as
infrequently as possible.
Incompletes: Incompletes are not given except in the case of a documented medical emergency. If you choose to take
an incomplete for any other reason, the default grade will be an “E.”
Course Requirements:
Attendance: Given the importance of our work, your attendance and participation in class discussions is required.
While you are allowed to miss one class, a second absence will lower your grade one letter. A third absence will lower
your grade two letters, meaning that you can earn no higher than a “C”. A fourth absence will result in your failing the
course. Please note that I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. If you are unable to attend
class for any reason, it is your responsibility to e-mail me in advance and explain the situation. If a student is tardy
three times, it will be considered an absence.
On-line Discussions: (100 points) Research shows that participating in discussions is integral to learning. As such,
I’ll be placing you in small discussion groups and asking you to share your thoughts about the assigned readings each
week on our class website. In addition to sharing your response to the graphic novels and articles you read, you’re
expected to respond to issues and questions your classmates raise. Your objective in sharing your response is to take a
critical stance toward the assigned readings and initiate and sustain an intelligent dialogue that challenges your peers to
think critically about the assigned graphic novels and articles. Feel free to disagree (we are here to push each other’s
thinking), but do be respectful of one another. Your final discussion grade will be based on: 1) your responsiveness to
the assigned readings; 2) your ability to inspire discussion amongst the other members of your group; 3) the frequency
of your posts; and 4) the timeliness of your posts. To earn a “B”, you must submit a minimum of two posts per week:
one in which you share your response to the assigned readings (300 words), and one in which you respond to an issue
or question another member of your group raises (200 words). Out of consideration for the other members of your
group, please make sure you’ve posted your comments no later than 6:00 on the night before class. Note, however,
that consistently posting the day before class will lower your grade. This assignment entails a considerable amount of
writing, and takes the place of a course paper. It is important that you treat it as such.
Reading Check Quizzes: (60 points) This is a reading intensive course. Recognizing that, during the semester I'll
administer three unannounced reading check quizzes. The quizzes are not meant to penalize you. Rather, they are
intended to ensure that you have completed the assigned readings and are prepared to participate productively in class
discussions. Missing quizzes (or performing poorly on them) will have an adverse effect on your grade. As such, it is
important that you take time to prepare for each class meeting. The quizzes will draw on both the graphic novels and
the assigned articles we read.
Form/Content Analysis Paper: (100 points) It is said that one “reads” books, but “looks” at pictures. Hassett and
Schieble, on the other hand, argue that “the texts students encounter today embody cues for reading that extend beyond
the letters and words on the page, requiring readers to actively focus on textual elements beyond the decoding of
print.” In the case of graphic novels, pictures constitute one such element. This assignment invites you to examine the
relationship between the content of a graphic novel and its visual design (an aspect of its form). To complete the
assignment, select what you recognize as a key scene in one of the three graphic novels you read prior to the assigned
due date for the paper. To begin the paper, contextualize the scene for your audience, and introduce and discuss
4
(briefly) a central theme it functions to develop in the narrative. Next, offer a concise description of the scene,
making sure to explain what readers would see. Having done so, apply that information to analyze the role that
different elements of the scene’s visual design play in developing the theme you identified. To conclude, discuss the
implications of the exercise so far as literacy education is concerned. Some questions to consider: Does one “read”
images as Hassett and Schieble suggest? Why, or why not? In what ways might graphic storytelling challenge us to
rethink what it means to “read”? Is the language of literary analysis sufficient for reading graphic novels closely, or is
it necessary to construct an alternative language of analysis, one that accounts for the visual as well as the verbal? If
so, what analytic concepts might it include? You are free to select the graphic novel as well as the theme on which you
focus. Include a photocopy of the scene on which you focus as an appendix. (Assignment Length: 4-6 pages for
undergraduates, 8-10 pages for graduate students; doubled-spaced, 12-point font)
Show and Tell; or Experimenting with Graphic Storytelling (100 points): This assignment builds on and extends
the form/content analysis paper, and consists of two main parts. In our quest to understand the challenges involved in
reading and writing graphic narratives, you’ll be asked to use Comic Life, a software program, to produce an original
comic book in which you present a literacy narrative from your past. Prior to doing so, however, you’ll be asked to
storyboard your ideas. Additionally, you’ll be asked to compose a reflective paper in which you unpack the vision you
wished to impart in your comic book and analyze the rhetorical choices you made as a writer to do so. Finally, you’ll
be asked to explain what your experience composing a comic book led you to understand about your interactions with
graphic novels as a reader. That is, what kinds of conventions did you find yourself drawing on to communicate your
ideas? You need not be an “artist” to complete this assignment, and you shouldn’t feel any trepidation about your
ability to do so. Although you are welcome to incorporate original drawings in your comic book, you are also free to
make use of photographs. More information will be provided about the assignment as the due date approaches, and
one class meeting will be devoted to introducing Comic Life and working on your projects. Beyond that, you’ll need
to find time in your schedule to finish your comic book in the computer lab. The finished comic books will be
assembled and published as a class graphic novel.
Final Paper: (100 points) In “Narrative in Comics,” Henry Pratt characterizes comics as “a hybrid art form that
employs narrative strategies closely connected to literature, on the one hand, and other pictorial narrative media, on the
other.” This hybridity is often charged with undermining the artistic or literary value of graphic narratives. It also
poses a conundrum for scholars interested in studying comics—namely, how does one measure excellence in graphic
storytelling? On the basis of what criteria might such distinctions be made? Drawing on the theoretical articles you
read this semester, as well as our class discussions, construct a set of criteria that scholars or literacy educators might
potentially use to evaluate excellence in graphic storytelling. To begin your paper, introduce the criteria on which you
intend to focus, making certain to explain how they function, and why you consider them indicative of excellence.
Having done so, apply the criteria to scenes from two graphic novels you read with the intention of demonstrating why
one can be considered a stronger example of graphic storytelling than the other. Note that the latter half of the
assignment requires you to complete a close reading of each scene. You are free to select the graphic novels and
scenes on which you focus. The challenge of this assignment is to synthesize your knowledge of the language of
comics and select salient features of graphic storytelling that, when executed properly, result in a cartoonist’s using the
medium of comics to its fullest potential. In that sense your concern is with issues of craft. Support your argument
using excerpts from the assigned readings, and adhere to MLA or APA format. Include a photocopy of each scene as
an appendix (Assignment Length: 8-10 pages for undergraduates; 15-17 pages for graduate students; double-spaced,
12-point font)
Grading: Grades will be assigned based on the instructor’s judgment as to whether the student has satisfied the stated
objectives of the course in the following manner:
A = 90-100% (414-460 pts.)
B = 80-89% (368-413 pts.)
C = 70-79% (322-367 pts.)
D = 60-69% (276-321 pts.)
F = 0-59% (0-275 pts.)
5
Course Schedule
Date
1/17
1/24
1/31
2/7
2/14
2/21
Topics To Be Covered
Course Introduction
- Overview of syllabus
- A (Brief) History of Comic Books and
Graphic Novels
Framing the Debate: Reading Comic
Books and Graphic Novels
- How have comics historically been
regarded as a form of reading material?
- What underling issues have informed
debates about comics reading?
Getting Serious: The Evolution of the
Graphic Novel?
- By definition, what are comics?
- What are the origins of the term
“graphic novel?”
The Vocabulary of Comics (Part I)
-What conventions are available to
authors of graphic narrative?
What might a metalanguage for
engaging in visual analysis look like?
The Vocabulary of Comics (Part II)
-What conventions are available to
authors of graphic narrative?
What might a metalanguage for visual
analysis look like?
The Relationship Between Word and
Image in Comics
- How do word and image collaborate to
create meaning?
Reading Assignments
Hadju, The Ten-Cent Plague
GN: Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen
Wolk, “Auteurs, the History of Art
Comics”
McCloud, Chapter 1
GN: Spiegelman, Maus
McCloud, Chapter 2
Ewert, “Reading Visual Narrative”
GN: Gaiman & Russell, Sandman:
The Dream Hunters
McCloud, Chapters 5 and 8
Hassett & Schieble, “Making
Space”
GN: Kelly & Niimora, I Kill Giants
McCloud, Chapters 6
Nikolajeva & Scott, “Introduction”
2/28
Multimodal Composing Workshop
(Class will meet in Grad Ed 351)
3/6
Semiotics and Image as a Mode of
Communication
- What is “semiotics”?
- How do “signs” function?
- Are images encoded?
Multimodality and Multiliteracies
- Why study graphic novels?
- What is multimodality, and why does
it warrant attention?
- What is meant by “Design,” and how
does it account for multimodal meaning
making?
No Class – Spring Break
GN: Yang, American Born Chinese
Chandler, “Introduction”
Barthes, “The Rhetoric of Images”
The Role of the Reader in Interpreting
Graphic Narrative
- What are diegetic, non-diegetic, and
hermeneutic images?
GN: Abadzis, Laika
McCloud, Chapters 3 and 4
Duncan & Smith, “Experiencing the
Story”
3/13
3/20
3/27
Assignments Due
GN: Small, Stitches
New London Group, “A Pedagogy
of Multiliteracies”
Form/Content
Analysis Paper
Materials for Comic
Book and Finished
Storyboard
Comic Book and
Reflective Paper
6
4/3
4/10
4/17
4/24
5/1
- How might the aforementioned
typology account for the different
communicative functions images serve?
Reading by Design: Experiencing the
Unity of Multimodal Narratives
- How do readers construct meaning as
they read texts that make use of several
different modes?
- What metaphor best captures the
processes readers engage in to construct
meaning in their transactions with
graphic novels?
Visual Literacy: Fact or Fiction?
- By definition, what is visual literacy?
- What problems (if any) does the
concept of a “visual literacy” pose?
Comics Exceptionalism?
- Are comics capable of accomplishing
things that elude other mediums?
- How are comics and film similar? In
what ways are they different?
Are Graphic Novels Art?
- Do graphic novels warrant a place in
the literature curriculum?
- What makes one graphic novel more
powerful (or aesthetically pleasing) than
another?
Putting It All Together
GN: Vaughn & Henrichon, Pride of
Baghdad
Hatfield, “An Art of Tensions”
GN: Moon & Ba, Daytripper
Gillenwater, “Lost Literacy”
GN: Satrapi, Persepolis
Harvey, “Only in the Comics”
GN: Lemire, Essex County
Hawkins, “Should We Study”
Groensteen, “Why are Comics”
McCloud, Chapter 9
Final Paper
Note: Throughout the semester you are responsible for contributing to your small group’s online discussions. Given
the amount of writing this entails, I regard the discussions as the equivalent of a paper. Your contributions to your
group’s discussions will be assessed at the mid-term, and again at the conclusion of the semester.