HIST 3909A Topic in Public History – History Through Comic Books

Fall 2026

From the first appearance of Captain America (1941) punching the face of Hitler, comics have been important facets of North American social and cultural history–albeit often under considered ones. This course introduces students to ‘Graphic History’ – history told through and taught using comics and graphic novels. Covering the early twentieth century to the present, this course considers comic books and graphic novels as historical documents and historical representations. Specific topics this course will cover include: the 1950s comics censorship campaigns and legislation under the Canadian Criminal Code, comics and their use in public history, the growth of the Canadian comics industry, current comic bans and challenges, as well as future potentials for graphic history.

This class will review notable works of Graphic History including Maus alongside recent titles including award winning Canadian texts, This Place: 150 Years Retold and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. Building on the work of visual literacy scholar Nick Sousanis, this class will be focused on ‘unflattening’ fixed viewpoints of what we consider to be ‘Graphic History’ discussing a spectrum of visual historical narratives including political cartoons and superhero comics, such as Captain America and newer figures like Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan, alongside nonfiction graphic novels. This course situates comics within the larger growing landscape of visual narratives and formats used in the telling, teaching, and understanding of public history including zines, video games, and digital platforms. This class queries ideas of what is a historical ‘document’ and in doing so interrogates our own practice(s) as public historians.

Schedule dependent, this course will host visits from Library & Archives Canada and/or the Library of Congress curators to discuss comics as cultural and historical artifacts, as well as guest lectures from comics creators and publishers.

Online class format:

This is an online asynchronous class class, which means we will not meet at any set time. The course materials consist of weekly readings, podcast episodes, and lecture videos. Throughout the course you will be asked in participate in online discussion forums as part of our participation mark for this course.

Prerequisites: None

Assignments:

Online discussion posts, comics video review, reflective paper, proposal for final take out assignment and final take home assignment – 4 panel history. Learn more about the course and its assignments in “Teaching History Through Comic Books: Opportunities for Public & Visual History,” in International Public History (2024, vol 7, issue 02: Special Issue on Graphic History).

Texts:

Readings will consist of journal articles available electronically through the library catalogue or other resources available for free online.

Questions? Feel free to email me at amiewright@cmail.carleton.ca