PWR Courses

PWR 2LS: Writing About Comics

Catalog Number: PWR 2LS

Instructor: Lisa Swan

Units: 4

Grade option: Letter (ABCD/NP) 

Prerequisite: PWR 1, ESF, ITALIC 95W, or equivalent

Course Feature: WR-2 requirement

Schedule

Comics are not just for kids. Superheroes are big business, and March won the National Book Award. Comics make powerful arguments about our world, our identities, and real-life problems by combining images with text. In this class, you will learn to “read” images, the same way you already interpret memes, social media, and visual culture.

You will have the opportunity to select a comic that is fun, engaging, or meaningful to you in this project-based course. We’ll explore theoretical frameworks from genre studies, visual rhetoric, gender, ethnic, or cultural studies, to guide your research. Throughout the process, you will switch between writing and speaking to refine and focus your argument. We’ll even try our hands at making comics, representing thesis statements and storyboarding slides. Whether you are interested in literature, film, art, or just curious, this course will equip you with the skills to understand and communicate about the images that shape our world. 

Examples of Research Topics

  •  classic graphic novels, such as Maus and Watchmen
  • graphic memoirs, such as Fun Home, Blankets, The Best We Could Do   
  • fantasy and science fiction, such as Saga, Sandman  
  • superheroes, such as Batman, Black Pather, Ms. Marvel, 
  • graphic nonfiction, such as March, The 9/11 Report, Persepolis, The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry  
  • manga, such as Lone Wolf and Cub, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, One Piece
  • web comics, such as The Nib, Hark a Vagrant, XKCD
  • newspaper strips, such as Krazy Kat, Peanuts, Bloom County
  • comics for children, such as Ghost, American Born Chinese, El Deafo, Bone, This One Summer

PWR 2 Assignment Sequence

Research Proposal

(900-1200 words; 3-4 pages; 3-4 minute live oral presentation): You will select a comic to analyze, establish the significance and scope of the project, and expected theoretical framework.

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; 10-12 pages) You will write a deeply researched, persuasive argument about your comic that synthesizes a range of sources.

Delivery of Research

(10 minute live oral presentation with appropriate multimedia support) You will translate your written argument into a live oral presentation with compelling visual support and present it to your peers.