Course description - Learning outcomes

Course overview/description/synopsis:
The presence of comics in Greek cultural field, the history of the medium, the genres (mainstream and art-comics, comic strips, graphic novel, web comic etc.), the adaptation of literary works to comics (Classics Illustrated, Graphic novels), the narrative structures, the application of theories of text/image and semiotics (Roland Barthes), showing how notions of the sign are affected by the hybrid nature of the comic book medium, how the comic artists depict literary works, represent the social and/or historical conditions of their time, what they exclude, on what they choose to focus, how in a few words aesthetics and ideological concerns are depicted in their works.
Course objectives/goals:
In this course, we will investigate popular culture and narrative by focusing on the relationship between literary texts and comics. This course aims to develop students’ skills in analyzing comics and Graphic novels which are based in literary oeuvres (American, European, Greek, works of different eras and literary movements). Upon completing this course, students will be able to identify, understand and analyse comics’ and Graphic novels’ storytelling. Readings and materials for the course range from Shakespeare to the present (Poe, Kafka, Dimosthenis Vouturas), novels and short stories, essays and articles, older and newer comics, and some older and newer films