Humanities and Fine Arts 191HFA26 - FYS-Social Life of Comic Books

This seminar uses comic book culture to introduce first-year students to key topics and skills in the study of the humanities. We will explore how comic books can provide valuable social and political commentaries, with a particular focus on how comics have contributed to conversations about race, gender, and the many ways in which individuals have been marginalized or ?othered? in US-American and global societies. We will ask: what are the generic conventions of comic books, particularly for superheroes, and what do those conventions tell us about the societies that produced them? How do comics challenge and/or reinforce stereotypes? How have past and present writers and artists addressed diversity in comics, and how successful have they been in doing so?

When we discuss comics and films, we'll also consider them alongside articles from blogs and fan communities in order to see how literary-critical conversations come in many forms, often extending far beyond the classroom. To begin, we'll think about race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and (dis)ability in comics such as Black Panther, Y: The Last Man, Ms. Marvel, and TV adaptations such as Jessica Jones and Daredevil. In the latter half of the course, we'll take a macro view of imagined societies, using our previous conversations to inform our readings of Civil War and Monstress. Finally, we'll end by turning to a classic superhero - Captain America - and reconsider his origin story in light of our work over the semester.

Open to first-year Humanities and Fine Arts Exploratory Track students and first-year HFA Majors.