Registration ends 07.4.2026 at 23:59 h

Comics and graphic novels have at long last reached credibility; today, they are regarded as popular art forms in their own right. In this seminar, we will first discuss the history of the comic, its classification as sequential art as well as further formal and functional specificities based on Scott McCloud’s pivotal book Understanding Comics. Second, we will turn to an analysis of selected texts. The body of work is focused on, but by no means limited to, adaptations of literary classics. The aim of this seminar is to acknowledge the analytical potential of graphic literature as it equally contributes to the literary canon.

Primary Texts (please buy and read):*
#1: McCloud, Scott [1994]: Understanding Comics. New York: HarperPerennial/William Morrow, 2001. ISBN-10: ‎006097625X
#2: Shakespeare, William/Appignanesi, Richard/Li, Nana: Manga Shakespeare – Twelfth Night. London: SelfMadeHero, 2009. ISBN-10: 0810997185
#3: [tba in session 1 at the very latest, please be patient]
*Note: Exact editions, please. Feel free to obtain second-hand versions. There are plenty of affordable editions out there (I have checked), please do your own research. Emails asking about specific other editions or e-books cannot be answered.

Secondary Texts:
Further texts will be provided throughout the teaching period. As a first inspiration for your presentation topics, feel free to leaf through the following publications (all open access/downloadable, I recommend starting with the most recent volume): https://www.closure.uni-kiel.de/ausgaben

To strengthen the following core competencies:
- media literacy
- adaptation studies
- critical thinking

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html