YOU WILL FIND THE COURSE SYLLABUS IN THE WEEK 1 MODULE
CMS 275A
UNDERGROUND COMIX
W/F 10:30-12:20pm
SMI 115
FALL 2023
José Alaniz, instructor
THE COURSE
This course surveys the Underground Comix scene which emerged during the countercultural 1960s and forever altered the development of US graphic narrative. Reading and discussing some of the key Underground figures and works, we will along the way learn about how arts movements form, develop and diminish; the place of comics in post-war US culture; and the rise of “Autographics” and what today we call the graphic novel. We will also not shy from a frank airing out of the many controversies surrounding the Undergrounds: their often problematic representation of racial/ethnic minorities; misogyny; and sexual violence — for starters! But we will also see that from the beginning there existed voices from within the movement who pushed back with their own inclusive, egalitarian visions. By the end of the quarter you will have a grounding in the history and main issues involved in Underground Comix — aka comics for adults.