Faster than a speeding bullet - Cult(ure) …

Faster than a speeding bullet - Cult(ure)                                    http://www.elmhurstleader.com/media/storage/paper649/news/2004/01/...



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                                     Home > Cult(ure)

                                     Faster than a speeding bullet
                                     The graphic novel is rapidly taking hold of pop culture,
                                     drawing over our comic book stores and redecorating our
                                     cineplexs. And as the art's popularity expands, it's
                                     appearing in an unexpected place: the classroom.

                                     Issue date: 1/27/04 Section: Cult(ure)
                                     "American Splendor has been the best film based on a graphic novel
                                     thus far," said Francis. "But the fact that these films are getting made is
                                     a good sign for the industry. They're perfect examples of how
                                     independent and graphic novels are coming into their own now."

                                     But it doesn't stop at the bookracks and cineplexs. Since the 1992
                                     release of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel of the
                                     Holocaust, Maus, and its subsequent sequels, many of these lengthy
                                     comic books have been getting recognition as teaching tools. Maus is
                                     currently being taught in history classes at high schools and colleges
                                     around the country. Even at Elmhurst College, graphic novels are being
                                     assigned to students. In a political science course taught by Assistant
                                     Professor Jennifer Boyle, Persepolis, the third best graphic novel of the
                                     year, according to Time Magazine, is used to teach students about the
                                     Islamic Revolution sparked by the fall of the Shah in 1979.

                                     Persepolis is also being used in various other teaching contexts. The
                                     National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE) is a non-profit


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Faster than a speeding bullet - Cult(ure)                                   http://www.elmhurstleader.com/media/storage/paper649/news/2004/01/...


                                     organization currently working to help facilitate the teaching of comics
                                     in higher education, according to their mission statement, and has cited
                                     the graphic novel for its educational value. The organization not only
                                     promotes the idea of using comics to educate, but its website,
                                     www.teachingcomics.org, offers links to various schools across the
                                     country that offer programs in creating graphic novels.

                                     Comics in Education is another website that offers information on the
                                     history of comics and graphic novels in the classroom and why they can
                                     be invaluable resources for children and young adults. Alongside
                                     promotion of the new book, Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of
                                     the Graphic Novel, much of its site includes information detailing the
                                     motivational, visual and permanent effects it can have in teaching
                                     various subjects, from using Maus for the Holocaust and Judd Winick's
                                     graphic novel, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned, to
                                     promote awareness of AIDS activism.
                                     Continued...
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2 of 2                                                                                                                       4/30/2006 12:51 PM