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Caltech Course Catalog / 2025-2026 Catalog / Courses 2025-26 / Graphic Non-Fiction: Memoir, History, and Journalism

En/VC 198 - Graphic Non-Fiction: Memoir, History, and Journalism

En/VC 198

Graphic Non-Fiction: Memoir, History, and Journalism

9 units (3-0-6)   |  second term
For a long time, comics were trivialized as a form of popular entertainment. Graphic novels helped change that, and now it's widely recognized that comics can, indeed, rise to the level of literature. In this class we will look at comics that tell "true stories"-ones that draw on the imaginative interplay between image and text to illuminate the layers of lived experience. We will ask what comics can do that conventional literary forms cannot and explore how authors like Art Spiegelman, Alison Bechdel, and Joe Sacco have utilized the comics toolkit to write personal stories, rewrite history, and report the news. In addition to class discussion and written assignments, we will do some low-stakes drawing and storytelling exercises.
Instructor: Earhart
Published Date: Aug. 19, 2025