Special Topics: Graphic Novels and Visual Literacy

This online course in continuing communication will focus on sequential art (comics/graphic novels/manga) and visual literacy skills. Though we will have fun reading fast-paced graphic novels, these stories will allow for discussions on serious topics. While most of the books will be fictional narratives, some of the graphic narratives will be in the medical field, including medical ethics. Other texts will focus on the ways graphic novels often address larger ethical questions involving empathy and purpose, allowing students to consider different ways of finding meaning in one’s life.

This emphasis on student flourishing will offer the opportunity to write and talk about personal values in relation to the characters in graphic novels who wrestle with these issues. Finally, we will study nonverbal communication in sequential art (with supplemental readings on applied social intelligence in the field of psychology with a guest lecture from the author of the psychology textbook on this topic.).

We will read a wide variety of genres in Eastern and Western comics: Science Fiction, Superheroes, Memoir, Slice-of-life, Coming-of-Age, Fantasy, Graphic Medicine, and more.