I’ve finalized the reading list for my Fall 2009 course on graphic novels. This is the same super-sized class that I’ll be teaching with technologies that may help me preserve my student-centered pedagogy. The syllabus was especially hard to settle on, as there are so many compelling graphic novels worthy of inclusion. I had to make some tough choices: Neil Gaiman didn’t make it on, nor did Kyle Baker, Jessica Abel, Charles Burns, Rutu Modan, and a host of other possibilities. But what I’ve got is some great stuff, spanning genres, styles, and mood.
- Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
by Scott McCloud
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
by Frank Miller
- Watchmen
by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
- Maus : A Survivor’s Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began
by Art Spiegelman
- Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
by Chris Ware
- American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
- The Complete Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
- Uzumaki, Volume 1 by Junji Ito
- In My Darkest Hour
by Wilfred Santiago
- Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
by Alison Bechdel
And here’s a more appropriately visual presentation of the same required texts, complete with pricing information.
I had a hard time pinning down books too. There are quite a few interesting and fun texts out there to incorporate, but I didn’t want to overwhelm those poor students. Here’s what I went with:
Understanding Comics
Comics & Sequential Art
X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga
Watchmen
Marvels
Persepolis
Three Shadows
Fun HOme
9/11 Report
Slow Storm
Deogratias
The Arrival