CMPL 245 - Manga and Anime in Cross-Cultural Contexts

FC ARHU CD WINT

4 credits
This course considers the relationship between politics and aesthetics through an examination of manga and anime. What makes manga and anime “Japanese”? How do they differ from Western comics and animation, and how does a medium become tied to national identity? Introducing the cultural conditions behind the booming popularity of manga in Japan after WWII, this course explores not only differences between comic forms from the East and West, but the ways they have influenced and transformed each other throughout history. We will consider how geopolitical relations shape the role these mediums have in their national and transnational contexts. Texts include works by Hergé, Osamu, Tezuka, Disney, and Studio Ghibli.

This course is appropriate for new students.