Course Description
This course will provide you with a solid understanding of the medium of sequential art and visual narrative (aka “comics”) and the practical ability to incorporate visual storytelling into traditional, digital, and transmedia projects in a variety of entertainment, business, education, social and journalistic scenarios.
Why comics? Comics and sequential art have gone from the margins of popular culture to the center of a multi-billion dollar global industry and a respected art-form. Many of the most popular movies, television, video games and transmedia projects are adapted from comics and/or depend heavily on storytelling styles that originated with this unique medium. Issues of digital distribution, adaptation and audience engagement that arise in today’s “comics culture” affect the future of publishing, technology, social media and gaming. Beyond the world of entertainment, the principles of visual narrative are becoming fundamental to all manner of storytelling projects, global initiatives and creative enterprises.
This is one of our long-running classes taught by Rob Salkowitz, who is a bit of a legend among our alumni who cite this class as one of their all-time favorites. Students sometimes overlook this class because it has “comics” in the title and think it can’t possibly relate to their career aspirations. Take advantage of this misperception and sign up for this class! –Gretchen Ludwig, Associate Director
University of Washington
Department of Communication