Graphic Novels as Literature

Stories are how we distill a complex world into something more understandable. Graphic novels are a relatively new take on this age-old tradition. In this course, students will engage their world through graphic novels, classic and modern. Superheroes like Superman and Batman become the new pantheon of gods; mice and cats endure World War II and the Holocaust; unfamiliar heroes ruthlessly apply the laws of the US, falling from grace in the process; lions carry the burden of freedom in Iraq amid a raging war. By reading Maus, A Contract with God, Watchmen, Kingdom Come, Pride of Baghdad, and an excerpt of Nimona, students will better understand modern world events, redefine the literary canon, and explore the idea of a unifying modern mythos.