Comics Studies Minor
Comics Studies Minor courses present students with an international, historical, and critical perspective on the art of editorial cartoons, comic books, and graphic novels, and how these forms communicate, inform, and emotionally engage their audiences. Students will be required to think outside of accustomed disciplinary boundaries, and to analyze and experiment with the interaction of both visual and linguistic systems of meaning.
12176
This course provides an introduction to the analysis of comics and graphic narratives in terms of their poetics, genres, forms, history, and the academic discipline of Comics Studies. Our multifaceted examination will balance close reading with in-depth research and analysis of the development... (read more)
16083
Comics and graphic narratives are uniquely suited to exploring cultural location because they transform the storytelling unit of the page into a space of representation. The comics page graphically negotiates dynamics of home and away, self and other, as well as race and culture. In this course... (read more)
16950
As an introductory survey, this course emphasizes the formal, thematic, and cultural diversity of Latinx literature. We will read novels, poetry, short stories, and comics, among other media, by authors from a range of identities—including Mexican American, Central American, Cuban American, and... (read more)
42420
Aliens, monsters, killer androids, mutants.... Such metaphors may express cultural fears of the “other” that underlie social prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination. But viewers and fans may also read against the grain of normative cinematic images, finding identity and affirmation in the... (read more)
42457
This class is conceived as an introduction to the art of comics, and to the methodologies of the new academic discipline of Comics Studies. Course content will vary from term to term, according to the specialist interests of the individual instructor, within the following parameters. Students... (read more)
42459
This class will focus on crime noir, a somewhat loosely defined genre of fiction, comic, and film. Unlike detective fiction, hardboiled crime noir centers on criminal protagonists, often of the "career" variety. Tracing the trajectory of such a genre from its inception in 1920s hardboiled pulp... (read more)
33087
Monsters mirror the anxieties and fears of the cultures and communities in which they are formed, emerging more vigorously when cultural stresses are keenest. This course examines the Jewish experience in the modern world by exploring both the monsters Jewish artists and writers created and the... (read more)
35994
In this class we will map the path of the American comic book superhero and explore the ways in which that journey reflects larger processes of social change. We will consider these superheroes not only as expressions of an ancient mythic heroic tradition, but also as distinctly “modern”... (read more)
36290
In this seminar, professional comics writer Jen Van Meter (Hopeless Savages, The Death Defying Doctor Mirage) will help students explore the function and demands of the script as a technical tool in the process of making contemporary comics. Readings will include professional... (read more)
20774
Explores ways in which physical, perceptual, affective, and cognitive modes of learning interact when viewing, interpreting, and assessing designed visual information within sociocultural contexts.
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21416
Applies technology as a drawing medium to communicate concepts visually. The entire creative process is researched in an experimental studio environment. Prerequisites: ART 115, 116, 233 and ARTD 250.
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26755
Surveys the 1,000-year history of visual-verbal narratives—comics—in Japan, ranging from medieval picture to modern manga.
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26844
One could say that most comics are about the human body, in all its variations, exaggerations, erotics, poses, powers, and vulnerabilities. This course looks at the human body in contemporary comics with particular attention to disability and gender. We’ll read 4 comics genres: anime, memoir,... (read more)
27607
Asian American Comics
The growing acceptance of comics and graphic novels as “serious” literature owes much to the genre’s embrace as a powerful vehicle for memory, especially by minority writers seeking to showcase “non-normative” accounts of American life: the experiences of being gay,... (read more)
10154
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
12142
This class provides an introduction to the political and aesthetic history of Anglo-American comics and to the academic discipline of Comics Studies. You will be exposed to a spectrum of comic-art forms (the newspaper strip, the comic book, the graphic novel) and a variety of modes and genres (... (read more)
16001
This course is an introduction to cultures of the Spanish-speaking world with an emphasis on comics and graphic novels. In this course we will learn about the graphic novel as an artistic vehicle for studying the history and cultures of Spain and Latin America (including the Latino US). There... (read more)
16551
This class provides an introduction to the political and aesthetic history of Anglo-American comics and to the academic discipline of Comics Studies. You will be exposed to a spectrum of comic-art forms (the newspaper strip, the comic book, the graphic novel) and a variety of modes and genres (... (read more)
40083
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
40657
The Mediterranean is a site of exchange between three different continents. In this course, we will explore the way that graphic narrative – as a genre of crossroads – constructs Mediterranean identity and the impact of visual media on present-day regional conflicts. We will examine Italian,... (read more)
40808
Aliens, monsters, killer androids, mutants…. Such metaphors may express cultural fears of the “other” that underlie social prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination. But viewers and fans may also read against the grain of normative cinematic images, finding identity and affirmation in the... (read more)
42390
This class is conceived as an introduction to the art of comics, and to the methodologies of the new academic discipline of Comics Studies. Course content will vary from term to term, according to the specialist interests of the individual instructor, within the following parameters. Students... (read more)
30066
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
31659
While many consider comics an American form of popular culture, sequential art is a global medium. Around the world, cultures have developed unique comics traditions with their own rich histories. In “World Comics,” we will investigate a few of these traditions. By examining comics and comics... (read more)
36049
Focuses on comic books in 18th and 19th century Japan and their place in the “floating world” of popular culture.
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36657
This course provides an introduction to the academic discipline of Comics Studies, which focuses on
comics as a form of literary production and asks questions about how and why comics are written and
read. You will be exposed to a variety of comic-art forms (the newspaper strip, the... (read more)
36747
Survey of the history of Manga (Japanese comics) from the 19th century to the present.
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36934
The growing acceptance of comics and graphic novels as “serious” literature owes much to the genre’s embrace as a powerful vehicle for memory, especially by minority writers seeking to showcase “non-normative” accounts of American life: the experiences of being gay, non-white, foreign, non-... (read more)
20239
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
21817
Despite the fact that critics and scholars across the globe have been writing about comics for decades, many people were surprised to hear that at the University of Oregon, the Department of Comparative Literature now offers comics-dedicated courses and you can even minor in Comics and Cartoon... (read more)
21818
Introducing the history, forms, and discourses of Japanese “cyberpunk” in contemporary anime and film, this course explores the urban dreams (and nightmares) that constitute cyberpunk’s posthumanist vision of Neo-Tokyo. Viewed not as a reflection of contemporary Japanese society but rather as... (read more)
22242
This course provides an introduction to the history and aesthetic traditions of Anglo-American comics, and to the academic discipline of Comics Studies. Together we will explore a wide spectrum of comicart forms (especially the newspaper strip, the comic book, the graphic novel) and to a variety... (read more)
27009
This course offers an in-depth examination of one particular group – Asian Americans – which has gained especial prominence in the comics world in recent years. Artists like Gene Yang, Lynda Barry, and Adrian Tomine have begun to demonstrate how the combination of image and text can capture the... (read more)
10058
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
10059
The Mediterranean is a site of exchange between three different continents. How do individuals from North Africa, West Asia, and Southern Europe navigate questions of national and regional identity at these geographic crossroads? We will explore the way that graphic narrative – as a genre of... (read more)
12092
Comics are suddenly everywhere. Sure, they’re in comic books and the funny pages, but now they’re on movie
screens and TV screens and the computer screens, too. Millions of people attend conventions around the world
dedicated to comics, many of them wearing comic-inspired costumes. If... (read more)
16522
This course considers how gender is relevant to the creation, study, and appreciation of art and culture. This class introduces and addresses socio-cultural factors influencing gender expression and discusses gender as a vehicle for understanding artistic creation and select artistic mediums in... (read more)
42261
This class will explore the creative ambition, political courage, and pop-cultural legacy of what was once regarded as a “trash” publisher of the 1950s. Because our primary materials are comic books, we will spend a portion of our time thinking about what makes the comics form distinctive from... (read more)
26810
What is Manga? How does it work? This course traces the history of Japanese modern comic book (Manga) from the nineteenth century to present.
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30668
This course is an Introduction to comics & sequential art. Focus will be on fundamental principles of drawing combined with various cartooning methods. Techniques will be introduced for drawing people, buildings, modes of human transportation, and creating scenes based on the language of... (read more)
30668
Examines application of print media in contemporary visual culture; explores its use in a fine art context. Introduces digital drawing, digital photo editing, and typographic layout to visually communicate expressive concepts. Laboratories, lectures.
(read more)
30683
Applies technology as a drawing medium to communicate concepts visually. The entire creative process is researched in an experimental studio environment.
(read more)
31628
his course considers the way graphic narratives often mediate traumatic historical events through seemingly simple images. Symbolic representations of moments of violence, conflict, and transformation can shape the way history is told—whether it is the history of an individual, a family, or a... (read more)
36178
Junot Díaz’s 2007 novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, is complex and heart wrenching, but still gut-bustingly funny. One of its most famous characteristics is its narrator’s constant barrage of references, in-jokes, quotations, and innuendo. In “COLT 380: Allusion and/as Identity,” we... (read more)
36696
Taught by nationally syndicated cartoonist, Jan Eliot — the creator of Stone Soup — this four-credit class will meet from 2pm to 5pm on Wednesdays throughout Spring Term of 2016. Ms. Eliot will guide you through the design, development, and production of your own strip or comic, and offer... (read more)
36709
In this class we will map the path of the American superhero and consider the ways in which that journey reflects larger processes of social change. But we will also attempt to analyze superhero comic books as significant aesthetic achievements in themselves: expressions of a misunderstood and... (read more)
36781
This class will focus on a genre of American fiction, comic, and film somewhat loosely defined as crime
noir. Distinct from detective fiction, hardboiled crime noir centers on criminal protagonists, often of the
“career” variety. Tracing the trajectory of such a genre from its... (read more)
