Syllabus

Writing, traditionally conceived as stringing words on paper, is only one mode employed in effective communication. The writing you do in this class will include not only words on paper but also oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbal communication. We will read and discuss a number of nonfiction comics – including graphic memoir, journalistic comics by writers like Joe Sacco, and others forms of nonfiction comics. We’ll also look at the ways in which comics and other visual techniques can be used to visualize and analyze data.

You will write and design a nonfiction narrative comic as well as create your own data visualizations and other sorts of visual analyses over the course of the semester. No particular preexisting drawing talent or expertise is required for successful completion of this course.