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Comic Book are American History


Before I know it, I'm sure someone will ask me why a class on comic books. This is the natural question to ask, especially since I and my colleague William Svitavsky are gearing up to teach HIS 235: American Graphic Media. This class is dedicated to studying comic books and what those comics can tell us about U.S. culture in the modern era. While we are both highly skilled intellectuals:), we will still get troubling looks from someone. Nonetheless, the chance to challenge assumptions and create new ways of considering contemporary issue abound studying comics.

Comments

cocoababez87 said…
I have never really gotten into comic books, but I was very interested in the Batman movies and the superman shows. This course will be an opportunity for me to gain knowledge in the fields of comic books, especially since I couldn't distinguish between Marvel and DC comics. I also want to learn about the historical references seen in comic books, the racial aspects of the time reflected in these works. I also wonder what is the fascination with comic books as we see with grown-ups? I hope after this class I will actually appreciate comic books after this course.
January 18, 2008 at 12:53 AM
jkeeley said…
I have always loved comic books. Or, I have always loved the heroes behind them. In chapters one and two I was surprised how much information I learned about comics through such an imaginative text. Ideas such as my driving a car becoming an extension of myself was a concept that never occurred to me. Or how often humans see themselves in inanimate objects, provided they have a circle and dot representing an eye ball. When I saw that 90 pages of total reading was assigned I frowned, but as I got into the reading I was hooked. I look forward to discovering more of the history of comics (such as their origins in hieroglyphics) and the people behind them.
January 18, 2008 at 8:56 AM
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