ENG 2610 - Summer 2025 - Adhikari

This course explores how graphic novels are a medium for engaging with urgent sociopolitical, cultural, historical, and environmental issues. In addition to the aesthetics, we will examine the themes and the development of the genre of the Graphic Novel from popular culture to high-literary genre. Students are invited to analyze the visual narratives combined with the texts, imagery, and design to deepen their understanding of human resilience, the complexities of history, and ecological crisis. We will study Tintin in Tibet, Dark Rain, Parable of the Shower, Maus, The Sandman, and Fun Home. Drawing insights from historical inquiry, environmental studies, and through literary analysis, this course critically examines how graphic novels interrogate traditional narratives, amplify marginalized voices, make the public aware, and inspire action. This course prompts students to explore and write about how literature reflects the human condition.