Popular Culture Courses and Curriculums

The first college course on comic books was taught at Indiana University in 1972. Since then, comics have been incorporated into classrooms across the country at an exponential rate. San Diego State University even launched a Comics@SDSU initiative in 2019, while the New York City Department of Education introduced its “Civics for All” comics program the following year. It’s not just comic books as other elements of popular culture have likewise found their way into the classroom, changing the education landscape for the better.

Civics for All Comics Group

As part of the Civics for All initiative at New York City public schools, historical graphic novels like John Lewis’s March and specially created comic books are being used as learning tools.

Comics @ San Diego State University

After having amassed an impressive collection of comic books, graphic novels, and historical artifacts, SDSU is developing a groundbreaking program on comic books and social justice.

Comics in the Native American Classroom

A professor at Duke University spent ten years collecting Native American-created comic books, then crafted a college course on Native American history that uses them as source material.

Necessary Trouble Archives

Inspired by the words of civil rights icon John Lewis, school counselor Mick Rabin created teacher guides for various historical graphic novels that include “call to action” video interviews.

The First College Course on Comic Books

Indiana University student Michael Uslan successfully proposed a course on comic books in 1972, the first solely centered on the medium, that generated publicity across the country.

Reacting to the Past

A new approach to teaching by Mark Carnes at Barnard College in 1996 led to a collection of historically-based role-playing games being used in college classrooms across the country.

TeachRock

The brainchild of rock musician Steve Van Zandt, the non-profit organization has developed over 200 lesson plans that use music to teach everything from history to science to mathematics.