HTY 221: History and Comics
Instructor: Mark McLaughlin
Time: MWF 10-10:50am
Location: S365
Course Number: 47283
Course Description: This course provides a concise introduction to the field of comics studies, and then relies on the comics medium to acquaint students with some of the major topics and themes that are commonly encountered in the discipline of history. Comics are highly accessible and foster active engagement, making it a powerful medium through which to experience the discipline of history. In particular, we will be examining comics as historical documents, but also as a medium for historical analysis. Students will develop the intellectual tools, as they relate to the field of comics studies, required to interpret and criticize the content and meaning of a range of comics materials from the past and present. While it is impossible to cover the whole of the discipline of history, students will be introduced to a wide and varied selection of subject matter, including politics and political discourse, armed conflicts and mass atrocities, nature and the environment, race and ethnicity, Indigenous peoples, labor and the working class, and gender.
General Education Requirements: Western Cultural Traditions and Artistic and Creative Expression