What is a superhero and what do they do for the people who imagine them? What are their antitheses, including villains, anti-heroes, and the regular human beings? What can they tell us about the cultures and times that created them? This class focuses on the superhero cultures of South Asia, East Asia, and the United States, considering figures traditionally categorized as part of the artificially-separated worlds of religion, mythology, literature, and popular culture. Special emphasis will be placed on comics, graphic novels, and films made in the United States and manga and anime from Japan.

Class meetings will focus on visual representations of superheroes, supplemented by primary and secondary readings and extensive class discussion.

There are no prerequisites for the class and all are welcome to attend.

Estimated cost of materials: $50-100.

HISTART Concentration Distributions: C. Asia, D. Europe and the U.S., 2. Medieval, 4. Modern and Contemporary

Textbooks/Other Materials: Students will be expected to procure a limited number of graphic novels and books, which will be determined by student votes at the beginning of the semester. All other materials will be made available in pdf or streaming format.