1) Choose a specific element of post-war culture and examine how comics or cartoons engage with or represent that element of the culture. You can choose to focus on something like the suburbs, the cultural anxieties about science and technology, the changing role of women, the nuclear arms race, the postmodern end of ‘grand narratives’ or any other aspect of postwar culture that you feel is relevant.
2) A number of the comics and cartoons that we’re looking at involve some act of re-writing, where it be re-writing histories (actual or fictional), re-writing the superhero and superhero narratives, appropriating or parodying existing texts, or writing against social codes and cultural narratives. Examine how a comic or cartoon engages in some act of re-writing.
General Instructions
a) You can choose to focus on just one comic or cartoon or you can examine and compare two of them. If you choose to use just one, your discussion should be much more in depth. If you choose to use two you will need to make relevant and significant comparisons between the two. It shouldn’t just look like two short (but separate) essays that are pasted together.
b) Your essays should include substantial academic research related to the texts you are discussing. This research might include (but is not limited to) secondary sources about the texts and/or authors, or theoretical readings related to comics and cartoon. Be sure to cite all sources using MLA format. Academic research includes articles published in peer-reviewed journals and academic books. It does not include Wikipedia or online dictionaries. If you are unsure what constitutes adequate academic research the library has resources that can point you towards proper sources.
c) Any discussion of print-comics should discuss the formal properties of the comics. That is, they should discuss the form of the comic and not just the content or subject of the comic. You should make use of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics in order to speak about these formal features.
d) Any discussion of animated cartoons should also discuss the formal properties. Be prepared to address such things as the art, aesthetics, and visual style.
e) All essays must focus on readings that we’ve done for the course. Do not write about anything outside of the course. If you are unsure about your topic, ask your tutorial leader
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