Making Comics to Understand Science

• In Event: Comics as Research: Toward an Imaginative Methodology

Abstract

In this paper I will discuss how creating science comics for my classes informs my understanding of fundamental biological concepts. Experienced instructors know that one develops a much deeper understanding of material when you have to teach it. This depth of understanding is magnified for me when the explanations I am developing are visual narratives. In these cases, the boundaries between fact and fiction must be combined so that they are simultaneously unambiguous and synergistic so that reader engagement and understanding is maximized. The visual elements of the explanations play the critical role of giving readers a concrete conceptual architecture for the invisible worlds of biological processes. Developing these stories forces me to actively see, compare and mentally manipulate biological systems. The results have been surprising insights that I can share with students about structural and functional similarities that are shared by diverse and distantly related organisms.

Author

• Jay Hosler, Juniata College