"Edinburgh’s Napier University will become the first university in Britain to include comic books and graphic novels on a Masters level Creative Writing course," reports Emma Towers of The Journal.
Dundee University has also added a comics course to their English degree, according to the story.
So, comics studies programs are building steam overseas. Maybe information like this can help those of us who want to see CSP's here in the states as well. I just had a student e-mail asking about comics-related coursework at UTEP and had to tell him that we were working on it but that it may or may not ever happen. I recently read a book on academic life that quoted a Cornell professor as saying the academy's mantra is "never be the first to do anything." That's probably going hold true for folks like myself in the states who would like to see CSP's, but I'm happy to let our European brothers and sisters take the lead, because another line of old school thinking is "If Europe is doing it, we should too." So, we may see some "trickle down" effect from this. :)
2 comments:
Bucky, there are ways and ways. Individual projects, independent studies, literacy courses with options, participation in summer Writing Project Institutes. If diversity in literacies is the goal, why the need for a Major? Maybe the lack of a Major is not enough to build a career.
I agree that there are multiple ways of doign things. The CSP I'd like to see would be a minor, actually. Maybe even at the graduate level. I'm not sure what you're saying in your last sentence: Are you suggesting that the lack of career opportunities is justification for not having a comics-related Major or that not having a certain Major isn't enough to earn a career, or am I misreading you completely?
Post a Comment