ENGL 557 Visual Rhetoric and Graphic Novels
To show how images communicate, this class introduces graduate students to theoretical and practical aspects of visual rhetoric, while also providing them with pedagogical groundwork via key concepts, prominent figures, and practices of looking. Through the reading and analysis of graphic novels, you will develop a working knowledge of the evolving, interdependent relationships among selected rhetorical concepts, written communication, art, and visual objects. In addition, we will examine how visual symbols are interpreted, focusing on social issues such as power, culture, and gender. Together we will gain fluency with theoretical dimensions of visual rhetoric while composing a series of texts attuned to the rhetorical nature of visual culture.