Since the 1930s, comic books have been taking on issues ranging from political, historical and interpersonal, writing about them in a way that is relatable to readers.<\/p>\n
A sociology class titled Comic Books and American Culture was available for students to enroll during the start of spring semester, but because of low enrollment, the class was cancelled. However, Craig This, an instructor in the Sociology department, said he has been teaching the class since 2010 and it is a fun alternative for students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think courses like comic books, music, science fiction and literature give us a different way to view our world than the usual courses,\u201d he said in an email interview. \u201cThe comic book course enables us to examine and review our culture through a different lens and see the world differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
This said comic books have had a lasting effect on American culture because of how the characters and stories relate to interpersonal issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike any piece of fiction, comic books give us characters and situations that while we are detached from them, [we] also see ourselves in them,\u201d he said. \u201cI think another way that we can view comic books is through Sociologist Erving Goffman\u2019s dramaturgical analysis and his hypothesis that we each have a public persona and a private persona.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said comics are able to tap into a historical perspective of America, in the sense that we are all immigrants wanting to search for a better world.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the early days of comic strips in newspapers, started by William Randolph Hearst, the colored panels with action and little words were a way to sell newspapers to non-English speaking immigrants,\u201d he said. \u201cSuperman and Wonder Woman are both immigrants to this country, who gave up their identities to become \u2018American.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that characters in comic books want to fit in to the world around them, which is another reason they have stood the test of time \u2014 because of the strong relation between the reader and his or her own experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharacters in comic books just want to fit in \u2014 they want to hide their superheroes, their differences, so they can fit in \u2014 just like immigrants,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, it is their differences that are their strengths and what this country needs, and what makes us better because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This has published three essays regarding comic books. The first titled, \u201cCap Lives and So Do the Nazi\u2019s,\u201d in Nazisploitation:\u00a0 The Nazi Image in Low-Brow Cinema and Culture, was about the role of the superhero after the attacks on Sept. 11. The second, titled \u201cThe Iconic History of the Incredible Hulk,\u201d in Icons of American Comic Books was about the history of the Incredible Hulk in American culture and how he can be seen as a metaphor for the Cold War, the evils of nuclear power, bipolar personalities and alcoholism. The third, \u201cContaining Wonder Woman:\u00a0 Frederic Wertham\u2019s Struggle against the Amazon Princess\u201d in Ages of Wonder Woman, showed the struggle of women in the post-World War II America.<\/p>\n
\u201cComic books have come a long way since the 1930s when comic books were nothing more than a collection of previous Sunday comic strips collectively printed in a booklet,\u201d he said. \u201cComic books these days tackle all kinds of social and political issues.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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