Sylabus
COURSE
1. Introduction: Comics as Medium and Art Form, Comics Studies COURSE
2. General History of Comics (I): Invention of Comics and Its Evolution in Europe till the 1970s COURSE
3. General History of Comics (II): Main Tendencies in European and American Comics since 1970 COURSE
4. Cartoons and Caricatures in Europe: First 19th Century Cartoons, British Anti-War Cartoonists (D. Low, A. Szyk, G. G. Butterworth) COURSE
5. European Comics Pioneers (R. Töpffer and W. Busch) COURSE
6. Birth of Belgian bande dessinée COURSE
7. Age of American Superheroes: DC vs. Marvel COURSE
8. Underground Comix (R. Crumb, H. Pekar, A. Spiegelman) COURSE
9. Raise of Asian Comics: Manga vs. Kibyōshi COURSE
10. Contemporary Comics and Graphic Novels: Searching of Identity in Marjana Satrapi’s Work COURSE
11. Contemporary Comics and Graphic Novels: Social Alienation in Chris Ware’s Traditionalist Comics COURSE
12. Contemporary Comics and Graphic Novels: Daniel Clowes’ Metafictions COURSE
13. Final Debate and Presentation of Students’ Research
Anotace
Comics studies is a rapidly expanding academic field with an interdisciplinary approach. This seminar will provide the students with an understanding of the comics medium and industry and their relation to genres, cultures, and media; the course will also present the most important historical moments of comics medium and its international significance as an art form, a mode of entertainment, and a means of communication.
The course will be divided into two main units: 1. Introduction to comics studies and general history of comics, including the following topics: a. Definitions of comics and its forms; narration and dialogues; space and time in comics, b. Invention of comics and its beginnings (1830–1880) and establishing of comics medium in Europe (1880–1930), c. Success of European comics and the American Golden (1930–1950), Silver (1956–1970), and Bronze (1970–1986) Ages; raise of Asian Comics, d. Contemporary Comics and Graphic Novels (since the 1980s). 2. Comics, culture, and identity , including the following topics: a. Study of cartoons and caricatures as comics’ “predecessor”: deep study of French and British cartoons, b. Pioneers of European comics: study of Rodolphe Töpffer’s and Wilhelm Busch’s comics (Max und Moritz), c. Hergé’s Tintin versus Spirou: Belgian comics and its success in the 1930s/1940s, d. Definition of the superhero in the American WW2 and post-WW2 comics: analyses of early DC Comics and Marvel superheroes, e. Post-1968 9th art and searching of authenticity in the everydayness: the American underground comix (Robert Crumb, Harvey Pekar, Art Spiegelman) and its influences in Europe, f. Asian comics: manga and kibyōshi, g. Contemporary Western comics and graphic novels: the study of Marjane Satrapi’s, Chris Ware’s and Daniel Clowes’ works.