Course Details

Experiences of displacement disrupt our life rhythms both inside and out. The goal of this course is to examine the intersections of displacement and the healing power of storytelling. Through reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the course will explore the soldiers’ experiences of displacement. We will delve into the psychological toll of being separated from home and familiarity, and reflect on the role of storytelling in the novel. The course will then interrogate the concepts of narrative medicine and graphic medicine, both of which are ways of storytelling that communicate the lived experiences of pain and suffering. Drawing on elements of graphic medicine in Thi Bui’s graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir, the course will examine how this work conveys individuals’ experiences of suffering. This course offers students many opportunities to develop a well-rounded understanding of the power of storytelling that strengthens empathy and care. Students will engage with relevant articles and multimedia to deepen their knowledge. Activities will include collaborative pair work, classroom discussions, and hands-on activities on the final zine project.