My name is Shane and I'm an English teacher at Urbana High School in Urbana, IL. UHS is launching a new elective class for students about comics and graphic novels, which I will be teaching in the Spring 2026 semester. In this class, students will learn
- How graphic narratives employ visual storytelling techniques to convey narrative themes, character development, and emotional depth.
- The cultural significance of graphic narratives, and how they reflect and influence societal attitudes, values, and identities across different contexts and time periods.
- The study of graphic narratives enhance our understanding of literature, art, history, and popular culture.
The class is also hoping to engage students with comics and graphic novels to improve not only literacy skills, but to encourage a stronger affection for reading!
We have already successfully completed one round of fundraising for some of the books on the reading list, but not all of the books needed were available through the initial funding service. This second round of fundraising will complete the list of books for the class, ensuring a classroom set of all graphic novels studied in this course. The second round of fundraising is for:
- 15 copies of Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
- 15 copies of Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen
- 15 copies of Journalism by Joe Sacco
These books will allow students to experience how the graphic medium is applied to various genres, as well as how they can report on and reflect real life experiences.
Thank you for helping me build this class into something that UHS students will want to be a part of!
Organizer
Shane Dijkstra (née Schubbe)
Organizer
Champaign, IL