General entry requirements + Civics 1b or Civics 1a1 +1a2, English 6

No main field

The course aims to enable the student to develop an understanding of how popular culture in the form of comics can actively contribute to the construction or formation of religious and existential worldviews. Another aim of the course is that the student develops theoretical perspectives on critical religious studies in relation to comics studies.

The course offers an overview of the field of religion and comics and introduces scholarly tools for the interpretation of comics in relation to religion and identity, power, gender, and myth, among other things. The course emphasizes that comics do not only give expression to pre-existing forms of religion, but rhetorically construct ideas and understandings of what religion can be. With the aid of critical religious studies and comics studies, the course discusses different forms this meaning-making can take in both production and reception contexts, what consequences it can have, and how one can understand comics in relation to religion. Examples from different genres and geographic comics cultures are discussed in relation to content, reception, and relevant contexts.

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to

• explain how different ways of speaking about religion and comics can contribute to the construction of religious meaning;
• problematize rhetoric about comics and religion with support in relevant theory;
• identify and account for the importance of historical, rleigious, and socio-cultural contexts in comics-creation;
• analyze a comic using critical religious studies and comics studies.

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The course is assessed in the following ways:

Test 1: Written Reception Study, 3 credits. This examination assesses intended learning outcome 1 and 2.

Test 2: Written Comics Analysis, 4,5 credits. This examination assesses intended learning outcome 3 and 4.

The course coordinator will provide information about grading criteria at the start of the course.

It must be possible to distinguish between individual performances for
all assessments.

To be awarded the final grade of VG, a VG is required for at least 2/3 of course credits.

Barthes, Roland (2009). Mythologies. London: Vintage. (Chapter: “Myth Today,” c. 50 p.)

Earle, Harriet E. H. (2020). Comics: An Introduction. London: Routledge. (226 p.)

Lund, Martin (2016).Re-Constructing the Man of Steel: Superman 1938-1941, Jewish American History, and the Invention of the Jewish-Comics Connection. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. (188 p.)

McCutcheon, Russell T. (2018). Fabricating Religion: Fanfare for the Common e.g. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter. (181 p.)

In addition to the above there will be c. 100 pages of articles and book chapters in a compendium, c. 300 pages of comics for discussion and analysis, and c. 100 pages of additional readings for the assessments, which will be chosen in consultation with the teacher.

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.