Commonly known as France's Ninth Art, the Bande Dessinée is a part of Francophone cultural and social fabric in a way that far surpasses the influence of comics in Anglo-Saxon countries. This course examines technical (the parts of a BD, 'cinema techniques', text/image interaction) and economic aspects of the BD before exploring a historical overview of the form's development.

20 1-hour seminars at days and times to be arranged.

Class exam (1.5 hours) in the examining period of semester 1 (50%); class essay (c.2000 words) to be submitted by the end of semester 2 (50%)

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The specific aims of the course are:

·to introduce students to the research-led study of French and Francophone BD art
·to offer insight into the historical and cultural contexts of BD production
·to allow students to explore an appropriate range of methodological approaches in the field of text-image studies and cultural studies

On successful completion of the course you will be able to demonstrate the following.

·the ability to analyse images from BD albums so as to demonstrate understanding of text-image relations
·detailed understanding of the formal elements, distinctive techniques and generic conventions of BD materials
·critical judgement through selective, appropriate and accurate reference or citation
·in the context of the class essay, the ability to make independent use of primary sources
·the ability to take account of the shaping effects of historical and social context on literary production
·a command of an appropriate range of critical terminology and concepts and the capacity to apply these approaches with relevance and discrimination

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.