• Comics and Graphic Narrative (Minor)

  • Overview

    The Comics and Graphic Narrative minor is offered through Parsons School of Design.

    This minor is dedicated to the study and creation of stories using text and image. The tradition of graphic narrative includes the comic strip; the graphic novel and its precursors; and forms of theatrical presentation, including the illustrated broadside, toy theater, and picture recitation. Graphic narrative spans the fields of documentary and reportage, fiction, autobiography, and educational instruction. In the minor, students are encouraged to initiate and visualize their own stories through the use of hand or computer-supported techniques.

    The Comics and Graphic Narrative minor requires successful completion of 18 credits across four subject areas, as outlined in the chart below. Please note that PSAM 1040, Reading Graphic Novels, is required of all students intending to complete this minor.

    Course availability may vary from semester to semester. Some courses may be in development and offered at a later time. Students seeking to pursue alternative coursework to fulfill the minor should consult with their advisors.

    Curriculum

    Subject AreaSample CoursesCredits
    CompositionPSAM 1040 Reading Graphic Novels
    PUFY 1233 Comics: Theory and Practice
    3
    Creative Process and CritiquePUFY 1005 Critical Studio
    PUFY 1030 Drawing/Imaging
    PUFY 1040 Time
    PSAM 1070 CD Foundations: Typography
    PSAM 1800 Exploration in Drawing
    PSAM 2705 Anatomy and Perspective
    PSAM 3740 Observational Painting
    0–3

    Students who have already completed one of these courses, or will do so for their major, should instead select another course in the subject area Text-Image Projects and Publications (below).
    History/TheoryPLDS 2190/2191 History of Design: 1850–Present: Lecture / Recitation
    PLAH 2160 Japanese Art
    PLAH 2217 Pop: Art and Popular Culture
    PLVS 1060 NYC: Zine Culture
    PLVS 4018 The Stuff of 20th-Century American Popular Culture
    3
    Text-Image Projects and PublicationsPSAM 5070 Experimental Comics
    PSAM 2542 Image and Text
    PSAM 3750 Pictozine
    PUIL 3300 Topics Studio (Journalism/Investigation and Utopia/Dystopia)
    PSAM 3731 Children's Book Illustration
    PSAM 2706 Experimental Children's Book
    9–12

    Learning Outcomes

    A student who has completed this minor should be able to demonstrate

    • Understanding of the history, theory, and practice of text-image works across several cultures
    • Understanding of the creative iterative process, including the critique of one's own work and that of peers
    • Competence in the composition of images and text for fiction and reportage projects
    • Competence in realizing a self-initiated text-image project from research through design to reproduction
    • Strength and experience in a variety of publishing and distribution systems

    Eligibility

    For questions regarding this minor's curriculum, including requests for course substitutions, please contact Ben Katchor, associate professor of illustration, at [email protected].

    How to Declare or Change a Minor

    General guidelines for declaring a minor are available here. Current students can declare or change a minor by logging in to my.newschool.edu, clicking on the Academics tab, and then clicking on the link to Major/Minor Declarations.

     

  • Take the Next Step

    Contact your Student Success advisor to discuss how a minor will fit with your degree requirements.

    Declare or change a minor on my.newschool.edu in the Academics tab. Note that some minors require an application.

  • Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

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