General entry requirements + English 6

The course aims to give basic theoretical and practical knowledge of digital comics and their cultural and media contexts. To achieve this aim, students will analyse fictional and non-fiction comics, as well as develop, produce and reflect on these comics. They will also become proficient in graphic visual communication.

Starting from digital comics, the course will introduce and facilitate detailed analysis of visual storytelling and its conditions. Students use online comics and other digital comics to develop and clarify their knowledge of the potential and limitations of relevant media channels. The collaborative learning approach central to the distance course will also be addressed.

During the course, students will study, analyse and comment on the contemporary field of digital comics. In addition, they will create and publish digital comics of their own, as well as read, evaluate and comment on digital comics published by fellow students. Results and reflections will be published in open webforums aimed at digital comics and comics in general.

The course is divided into two modules:

Module I contains short introductions to the basics of digital comics, forms of narration, the formats of digital comics and related artistic practice. It also looks at strategies for developing and marketing digital comics, and at ethical and legal aspects. This module addresses practical and theoretical issues: reflective papers as well as short comics are to be produced for the assignments applying and reflecting on these areas. Students will experiment with tools, styles, and construction of sequences to produce comic strips and visual material. This module develops the practical skills of visual narrating, layout of individual images and picture sequences, digitalisation, production, distribution andmarketing. Results are presented online.

Module II is dedicated to an individual project to be developed and presented online as part ofthe project. Students will choose the topic and medium together with their supervisor. It is carried out independently, with limited supervision. It concludes with a final reflective paper and written peer-reviews of selected other comics projects on the course.

After completing this course, students will be able to

Digital comics is a part-time (50%) distance learning course. The course relies on active student participation and reading. Teaching involves filmed lectures, online seminars and workshops, as well as media-based group work and supervised individual project-work.

Module I

Digital formats, digital media and forms of webcomics, learning outcomes 1-4; assessed by one written and three creative assignments (6 credits)

Publishing and marketing digital comics, ethics, copyright legislation, learning outcome 7; assessed by one written assignment (1 credit).

Module II

Individual project (chosen with supervisor) assesses learning outcomes 3-7 based on completion of the individual project and its presentation to the class online (4 credits), as well as a written final report (3 credits) and peer-reviews of selected comics projects (1 credit).

The course combines individual artistic work and group-work, take-home tests, a final report and peer-reviews.

Additional chapters from books and other articles are to be read amounting to approx. 100-300 pages.

Approx. 200-500 pages of digital comics to be selected partly individually and partly by the teachers of the course in relation to specific course topics.

The course ends with an individual evaluation of the course objectives. The evaluations are summarised and made available to the students on completion of the course.

In a case when a course is no longer given, or the contents have been changed essentially, the

student has the right to two opportunities during a one year period to be examined according to the course plan which was valid at the time of registration. The exam opportunities are set by the department and it is the student’s responsibility to contact the department to find out how and when the re-examination will take place.

The course is held in English.