Graphic Novels

This is a year-long online course that explores comics and graphic novels as a form of literature, with a focus on analyzing the visual and textual elements of the medium. The course is limited to 15 students and is offered to high school students in grades 10-12 as a core English course or elective. The course covers a wide variety of graphic novels, including memoirs, nonfiction reporting, fantasy stories, and superhero comics. The course is divided into two semesters, with the first semester focusing on the visual language of graphic novels and the history of the medium, and the second semester exploring superheroes and stories that center immigration as a theme.

Students can expect to participate in live discussions and complete writing assignments, including thesis-based literary analysis, personal narrative, and creative writing. The course involves a steady volume of reading, with more than a dozen graphic novels to be covered throughout the year. The course has two projects per semester, including an essay with revision, and students will complete a presentation and a graphic-based story of their own. Prerequisites for the course include understanding the basics of analytical essay writing, and students must have access to high-speed broadband Internet, sound card, microphone, streaming video capabilities, and the ability to scan or take pictures of certain assignments.