Interdisciplinary Arts 0252 - Who Watches the Watchmen?: An Interrogation

Considered the greatest graphic novel in the history of the medium, Watchmen "presents a world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history-the U.S. won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the Cold War is in full effect." Damon Lindelof's adaptation/remix/continuation of the 1986 graphic novel updates its themes of Cold War and nuclear annihilation to center race and white supremacy. This course will closely examine both treatments, along with interstitial materials that act as supplementary documents and a crucial part of each narrative's structure. What can these stories teach us about racism, policing, propaganda, and uses/abuses of power? What can they teach us about the necessity of storytelling? Keywords:watchmen, graphic, comic, television

In/Justice Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time Books: Title:Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art Author:Scott McCloud ISBN:978-0060976255 Cost:$16.00 Title:Watchmen Author:Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons ISBN:978-1401238964 Cost:$18.25