If you attend Selkirk College or want to enroll in a new course, then Spiderman, Batman, the Justice League, and Avengers could be your study partners. That’s because the school is launching a new literacy program for graphic novels and comics, both juvenile and mature.
English 209: Introduction to Comics and Graphic Novels will be introduced through remote learning in the upcoming Winter Semester. The second-year literature course will examine texts that have taken the form of visual narratives.
“There is something incredibly powerful about marrying images with words in order to tell a story,” said Renée Harper, an English Instructor at Selkirk College. “Perhaps it’s because we often associate comics with juvenile narratives that seeing grown-up themes drawn in panels is so startling and compelling. It’s the tension that often exists between the words and the images on the pages that keep me returning for more.”
Those who take the program will learn how to write about sequential graphic narratives, have the opportunity to experiment with the medium, and examine the adaptation of famous literary text.
Harper feels this new course will appeal to a wide range of people. Whether they are interested in making a graphic novel, love comics and graphic novels, or those who appreciate the various forms the literature takes, Harper believes the course can be for anyone and everyone.
“Whatever it is that brings students to the classroom, I’m certain that the discussion will be lively and challenging,” said Harper. “I can’t wait!”
The program opens January 6th. Current students as well as community members are welcome to enroll in the course this Winter Semester.
