Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English

Committee Chair

Lorinda Cohoon

Committee Member

Amanda Young

Committee Member

Loel Kim

Committee Member

William Duffy

Abstract

Comics and graphic novels, as well as comics studies courses, are being increasingly recognized as important multimodal texts in higher education. Medically themed comics and graphic novels, or graphic medicine texts, however, have not been used as frequently as the basis for course offerings, and there is a need for them to be used and for their significance to be studied.This dissertation advocates for the inclusion of graphic medicine in college curricula because of its ability to demonstrate and facilitate agency. As my readings of graphic medicine texts and my pedagogical explorations indicate, medically themed graphic texts express themes of agency and facilitate the expression of student agency. Based on teaching graphic medicine classes to students at the Memphis College of Art, the study bridges perspectives from medical humanities, comics studies, social cognitive theory, and education pedagogy. Drawing from scholarship on human agency, patient agency, and student agency, the study develops a concept of graphic agency and the behaviors associated with it. The sequence of chapters corresponds to the teaching of graphic medicine in three course contexts: as a literature class, and as two successive hospital collaboration classes. The collaboration classes prepared students for the production of patient education materials for the high-risk asthma and diabetes clinics at LeBonheur Childrens Hospital. Following the graphic medicine preparatory classes, students produced their materials in studio classes with the professors of illustration and comics, respectively. The methodology for this study is based on close reading of graphic medicine texts, particularly student-produced visual responses to class readings, student personal graphic medicine narratives and essays, and student-produced patient education materials; these were examined for evidence of agentic themes and multimodal rhetorical agency. Findings yielded examples of student agentic behaviors, including critical assessment, problem-solving, choice and decision-making, multimodal rhetoric, creative expression, goal setting, implementation of plans, identity construction, collaborating with others, advocacy, community building, self-reflection, self-healing, and self-efficacy. These positive outcomes suggest that offering graphic medicine courses, or adding graphic medicine to existing curricula, can contribute to student agency and assist students in addressing their own experiences with health or illness.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

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