English 333 (Comics and Graphic Novels)
ENGL 333 is an junior-level undergraduate English course at CSU Northridge that qualifies for General Education credit and indeed is part of CSUN's GE Path in Arts, Media, and Culture. The course is also available as an elective for diverse students. Here's the official CSUN catalog copy for the course:
Study of comics, including comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels, from literary and cultural studies perspectives. Emphasis on both history and form, including image-text relationships. Topics may also include fan culture, particular genres of comics, and connections between comics and other forms of visual text. Critical writing required. Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. (Available for General Education, Arts and Humanities; part of the GE Path in Arts, Media, and Culture)
Launched in 2005, ENGL 333 was offered in an experimental capacity each year from 2005 to 2008. After a slight name change, it became a permanent part of CSUN's Catalog in 2008, and has since been offered at least once per year. Since 2013 it has been routinely offered two to three times per semester. The course was founded by me (Prof. Charles Hatfield) and is now taught regularly by both me and my colleague, Prof. Nicole Eschen. This summer, 2015, CSUN will offer a single section of the course, taught by me, while this fall CSUN will offer three sections, two taught by me and one by Prof. Eschen. (Note that most of the information on this website pertains only to my 333 classes, not Prof. Eschen's.)
For further information about 333, follow these links:
Intro to 333
This page gives a more thorough introduction to my 333 classes, including a sense of my priorities and interests and some hints about how 333 fits into the developing field of comics studies (as I see it).
Intro to 333
This page gives a more thorough introduction to my 333 classes, including a sense of my priorities and interests and some hints about how 333 fits into the developing field of comics studies (as I see it).
333 Course Work
This page lists the course requirements and assignments for the current version of 333 (that would be Summer 2015).
333 Textbooks
This page lists what students will be reading in the current version of 333 (Summer 2015).
This page lists the course requirements and assignments for the current version of 333 (that would be Summer 2015).
333 Textbooks
This page lists what students will be reading in the current version of 333 (Summer 2015).
Also, check out this PDF of the course summary or mini-syllabus, which I'll be handing out on the first day of class: