Teaching Comics and Graphic Narratives ─ Essays on Theory, Strategy and Practice

Teachers of English, literature, and American studies offer ideas and examples for using comics and graphic novels as primary texts in undergraduate and graduate classrooms. The book hopes to promote discussion of the value of graphic narratives in college classrooms and also of the pedagogical approaches and methodological challenges facing instructors who are using graphic narratives. Chapters are divided into sections on using these graphic narratives different types of courses: American studies; ethnic studies; women and gender studies; cultural studies; genre studies; and composition, rhetoric, and communication. Some specific topics include teaching Asian American graphic narratives in a post-race era, teaching visual literacy through 9/11 graphic narratives, teaching Keith Knight's The K Chronicles in American studies and black studies, and teaching Abouet and Oubrerie's Aya. The book includes many b&w examples from graphic novels. Dong teaches English at the University of Illinois-Springfield. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Lan Dong is an assistant professor of English at the University of Illinois, Springfield. She is the author or editor of three books and has written a number of journal articles and book chapters on Asian American literature, children’s literature, and popular culture.