Course Title: English 371: Introduction to Rhetorical Analysis

Course Topic: Writing with Comics

MWF, 10 – 11:20am

Spring 2017

 

Instructor: Andrew Lucchesi (Andrew.Lucchesi@wwu.edu)

 

Office Hours: MWF 11:30 – 12:30 (by appointment only: www.tinyurl.com/DrLSpring17 

Course Description

In this course, we will investigate the rhetorically rich world of contemporary comic books. We will study the forms and visual rhetoric of graphic storytelling, analyzing a range of examples that experiment with form, medium, and communicative style. We will do more than study published comics, however; we will also experiment with visual composing styles, including drawing and new media storytelling. Our central focus will be on the rhetoric and cultural context of contemporary comics. To this end, we will ask questions about how comics circulate; how they come to be written, revised, and published; how they gather audiences, and how they speak to the identities of those audiences (especially queer, female, and non-white audiences); and finally, how comics and visual writing can be used for scholarship within academic settings.

This class welcomes students from all disciplines, and there are no requirements in terms of artistic skill. Anyone wishing to take the course, but who might need accommodation or alternative formats for texts should contact Andrew.Lucchesi@wwu.edu as early as possible.

 

Required Books

All books will be available for purchase in a single bundle at The Comics Place, 105 E. Holly Street. They will be available in a bundle at a discount to students in this class.

Required Books:
– Scott McCloud. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. HarperCollins, 1994
– Ales Kot, et al. Material Vol. 1. Image Comics, 2015.
– Lynda Berry. Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor. Drawn and Quarterly, 2014.

Required Comics subscriptions:
You will be required to subscribe to three “monthlies” (comics that are in active production once every month). The staff at The Comics Place will help you find a range of comics that suit your interests, and will manage your weekly pull list. Most comics cost $3-4 per issue, and you will be purchasing a total of nine single issues for the class.

 

English Department Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to enact the English Department’s learning outcomes that students learn to

  1.  Write effectively in a variety of genres using appropriate conventions.
  2. Read accurately and critically in a variety of genres and media in relation to a variety of discourses, cultures and historical periods.
  3. Understand similarities and differences of language systems and social discourses, the subfields of linguistics, and some tools and techniques in linguistic and rhetorical analysis.

Class Organization

Class sessions come in two kinds: workshop days, and class days.

Workshop sessions are entirely devoted to sharing drafts in progress. Students will present their work in progress and receive feedback. All 3-point Workshop assignments (see below) must be put through a full workshop in order to be submitted for credit. These days are clearly marked on the daily schedule.

Class days, our standard working day, will be divided among three daily tasks:

  • 1/3rd: Students will give presentations and submit finished project for class feedback; points are awarded for finished projects
  • 1/3rd: Activities and discussions about rhetoric, drawing, writing, and comics
  • 1/3rd: Discussion about comics we are reading

Assessment

Grades in this course are determined by the number of points students earn during the course. The traditional 100% grading scale is converted to a 20 point scale. Students complete assignments that are worth one, two, or three points–depending on the difficulty of the assignment. At the end of the course, students earn a final grade equivalent to the number of points they have gathered during the course.

Assignments come in three categories:

  • Performance-based assignments (worth 1 point)
  • Synthesis based assignments (worth 2 points), and
  • Workshopped assignments (worth 3 points)

A full listing of possible assignments will be updated on the course website throughout the class.

Course Schedule (subject to adjustment)

 

 

Wk 1

W, 3/29 – Self Portraits and Course Introductions

  • Hw: Letter to Andrew; Bring 4 images with some common thread
  • Rd: Alexander et al, “Why Rhetoric?” [PDF]
  • Begin reading McCloud and Barry

F, 3/31 – Sequential Storytelling

 

Wk 2

M, 4/3 – Field trip to The Comics Place

  • Hw: Bring a favorite first issue of any comic to show and tell

W, 4/5 – Visual and Material Rhetoric

F, 4/7 – Party Game Rhetorics

  • Hw: Study a silent comic and prepare a brief presentation on how it works

 

Wk 3

M, 4/10 – Silent Comics and Invisible Comics

  • Hw: Listen to an audio comic and see if you like it

 

W, 4/12 – WORKSHOP 1

 

F, 4/14 – Rapid Inventing with Images

 

Wk 4

M, 4/17 – Comic Book Cultures

  • Begin reading Material and Bitch Planet
  • Hw: Read through the discussion forums on a comic of your choosing

 

W, 4/19 – Case Study: Bitch Planet, Issue 4

 

F, 4/21 – Digital Comics Tool Parade

  • Hw: Study the fan culture surrounding a particular comic; use a scientific voice and present your findings in a research report

 

Wk 5

M, 4/24 – Guest Speakers: Jeff and Djengo from The Comics Shop

 

W, 4/26 – Case Study: Material, Vol 1

 

F, 4/28 – WORKSHOP 2

 

Wk 6

M, 5/1 – Live Case Study: Detained

  • Hw: Study a web comic of your choosing and prepare a brief presentation

 

W, 5/3 – Rapid Publishing

 

F, 5/5 – WORKSHOP 3

 

Wk 7

M, 5/8 – Comix-olarship Pt1

 

W, 5/10 – Guest Speaker: Dr. Dawn Dietrich (English Department)

 

F, 5/12 – Comix-olarship Pt2

 

Wk 8

M, 5/15 – WORKSHOP 4

 

W, 5/17 – Guest Speakers from the WWU Queer Comics Convention

  • Hw: Read an article of advanced comics criticism

 

F, 5/19 – Rhetorical Breakdowns in Comics

  • Rd: TBA

 

Wk 9

M, 5/22 – Environmental impacts of comics

 

W, 5/24 – Guest Speaker: TBA

 

F, 5/26 – WORKSHOP 5

 

 

Wk 10

M, 5/29 – Portfolio Demonstrations Pt 1

 

W, 5/31 – Portfolio Demonstrations Pt 2

  • Hw: Score cards due next class

 

F, 6/2 – Closing the book