Comics go to college

The Greensboro News-Record has a story up on college professors assigning "out of the ordinary" textbooks, including comic books:

Salisbury also uses "Birth of a Nation," a comic-book novel by Aaron McGruder, creator of the popular cartoon strip "Boondocks." And she's not the only professor outside the art department assigning comics. An English 105 course this semester was required to read "Watchmen" -- a dystopian comic about superheroes who are outlawed by presidential order and struggle with existential dilemmas.

For many professors, the question of what makes a good text isn't always a simple one.

"I think it's necessary to push the envelope on texts to keep up with the students and what they're reading," said Fran Arndt, a UNCG professor who teaches a detective fiction class. Her students read classics such as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Maltese Falcon," as well as modern best sellers such as "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency."

Read more