Visual Linguistics of "ComicsÓ

MW 3-4:15, Anderson 309,

Tufts University

 

Instructor: Neil Cohn

 

 

Course Schedule and Topics

 

1: Comics, Art, Language: This section will explore how categories such as ÒcomicsÓ, ÒartÓ, and ÒlanguageÓ can frame our understanding of graphic images and look at alternative views to common conceptions of graphic communication.

 

1/14 – Un-Defining ÒcomicsÓ, ÒartÓ, ÒlanguageÓ

 

1/19 – Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No Class

 

1/21- What goes into a language? (Monday Schedule on Wed)

á               Cohn, Neil. Understanding Visual Language

á               Saussure, Ferdinand. 1915. Course on General Linguistics.

á               Chomsky, Noam. 1986. Knowledge of Language

Homework 1 assigned

 

1/26 Art vs. Language

á               Cohn, Neil. Art vs. Language

 

1/28 - Australian sand narratives

á               Wilkins, David. 1997. Alternative Representations of Space

á               Munn, Nancy D. 1962. Walbiri Graphic Signs: An Analysis. American Anthropologist 64 (5): 972-984.

Homework 1 due, Homework 2 assigned

 

2/2 - Children and drawing

á               Nakazawa, Jun. 2005. Development of Manga (Comic Book) Literacy in Children. In Applied developmental psychology: Theory, practice, and research from Japan. Pp. 23-42

á               Toku, Masami. 2001. What is Manga?: The Influence of Pop Culture in Adolescent Art. Journal of National Art Education 54 ( 2):11-17.

 

2/4 - Visual Language Structure

á               Cohn, Neil. Visual Language Theory

2: Photology: This section will discuss the graphic aspects of images.

                                                                                

2/9 - Vision and Perception

á               Wertheimer, Max. [1923] ÒUntersucheungen zur Lehre von der GestaltÓ (Laws of Organization in Perceptual Forms). Psychol. Forsch. 4: 301-350

Homework 2 Due, Homework 3 assigned

 

2/11 - Graphic Dialects

á               Cohn, Neil. Graphic Enunciation.

á               Wilson, Brent, and Marjorie Wilson. 1977. An Iconoclastic View of the Imagery Sources in the Drawings of Young People. Art Education 30 (1):4-12.

á               Sonesson, Gšran. 2005. From the Linguistic Model to Semiotic Ecology: Structure and Indexicality in Pictures and in the Perceptual World. Semiotics Institute Online

 

2/18 - Spatial structures in conceptual expression

á               Cohn, Neil. Spaces of Places.

á               Majid, A., Bowerman, M., Kita, S., Haun, D. B. M., & Levinson, S. 2004. Can language restructure cognition? The Case for Space. Trends in Cognitive Science 8

3: Conceptual-Morphology: This section will discuss the meaningful aspects of graphic images — what are Òlexical itemsÓ in (visual) language, and their semantic underpinnings.

 

2/19 - Semiotics – (Monday schedule on Thursday)

á               Cohn, Neil. Eye <heart> gr¾fIk Semiosis! (Saussure/Peirce section)

 

2/23 - Writing systems and graphic signs

á               Cohn, Neil. ÁEye <heart> gr¾fIk Semiosis!

Homework 3 Due, MIDTERM assigned

 

2/25 – Visual Morphology

á               Cohn, Neil. Visual Vernacular;

á               McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics, Chapter 2

 

3/2 - Categorization and ÒcartoonificationÓ

á               Levitin, Daniel. 2006. This is your brain on music pp.136-150

á               McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics, Chapter 4

 

3/4 - Metaphor, Metonymy, and blending in VL

á               Lakoff, George. 1992. The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor. In Metaphor and Thought, edited by A. Ortony. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

á               Lakoff, George. 1987. Metonymic. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things.

 

5: Attention, Events, and Narrative Structures: This section will discuss how sequential images are comprehended.

 

3/9 - Panels: Units of visual attention

á               Cohn, Neil. 2007. A Visual Lexicon. PJOS 1(1).

 

3/11 - Visual Grammar: Early Approaches

á               McCloud, Scott. 1993. Understanding Comics. Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter

á               Saraceni, Mario. 2003. Language of Comics, Chapter 3: Between the panels

á               Cohn, Neil. More than Pearls on a String.

MIDTERM Due, Homework 4 Assigned

 

 

---------------- 3/16&18 - SPRING BREAK ----------------

 

3/23 - Visual Grammar: grammatical categories

á               Cohn, Neil. Towards a Visual Language Grammar

 

3/25 - Visual Grammar: complex patterns

Homework 4 Due, Homework 5 Assigned

 

3/30 - Event Structure

á               Jackendoff, Ray. 2007. Shaking Hands and Making Coffee. In Language, Consciousness, Culture.

 

4/1 - Visual grammar 3: Syntax and semantics interfaces

 

4: Page Layouts: This brief section will discuss the strategies people use to navigate through comic page layouts.

 

4/6 – External Compositional Structure

á               Cohn, Neil. 2008. Navigating Comics.

 

6: Multimodality: This section will discuss the interactions between text and image, along with other types of multimodal interactions such as the manual domain.

 

4/8 - Hands

á               McNeill, David. 1992. Hand and Mind, Chapter 1

 

4/13 - Multimodal Interfaces between text and image

á               Cohn, Neil. Beyond Word Balloons and Thought Bubbles.

Homework 5 Due, Homework 6 Assigned

 

4/15 - Multimodal Interactions

á               Cohn, Neil. 2003. Multimodal Interactions.

 

4/20 – Holiday: PatriotÕs Day, no class

 

4/22 - Multimodality in structure

 

7: Visual Language and the World: We will close the class with a discussion of interactivity in graphic communication, and bring the discussion back out to the socio-cultural level

 

4/27 – Interactivity and Visual language in the world

á               Cohn, Neil. 2004. Interactive Comics. www.comixpedia.com

Homework 6 Due, FINAL Assigned