In this course, we will read a range of graphic novels by artist-writers who have helped to make this new form of story-telling worthy of critical and popular attention. Because there is only a slim body of critical work on the graphic novel, it will be largely up to us to develop our own vocabulary and approach. We will need to pay close attention to the aesthetic in these works, including the way in which image and word collaborate. Understand that this is not a lecture course, but one in which student participation is key. Weekly and diverse forms of group work are required of all students and counts toward the final grade, so please be prepared to attend and to talk. Written assignments will include two short close reading exams, and the choice of either a final longer analysis that can be based on one of the two short exams, or a creative graphic narrative drawn and written by...you.

Texts:

• Alison Bechdel. Fun HomeMariner Books. Mariner Books. [10-0618871711]
• Joe Sacco. Palestine. Fantagraphics. [10-156097432X]
• Chris Ware. Jimmy Corrigan. Jonathan Cape. [10-0224063979]
• Lynda Barry. The Greatest of Marlys. Sasquatch Books. [10-1570612609]
• Chester Brown. Louis Riel. Drawn & Quarterly. [10-1894937899]