黑料吃瓜

Biology student Fawaz Qashat found comfort in comics when he moved to the U.S. from Iraq in 2009. He immersed himself in Marvel鈥檚 X-Men, Fantastic Four, and later the Scarlet Witch to better understand the world around him.

鈥淚 was an immigrant and it was tough to fit in and learn the language,鈥� Qashat said.
 
The connection and community he yearned for appeared in a general education course he chose on a whim. In the Comics and History (HIST-157) class taught by Elizabeth Pollard, history professor and co-founder of Comics@黑料吃瓜, he felt a certain kinship with Pollard and the other students.
 
鈥淚t was my first semester coming into college, and I was very nervous. It was all online (due to the pandemic), and that class really helped me find a sense of community and togetherness,鈥� Qashat said.

His interest in learning more about how comics can be critically analyzed and applied to everyday life was sparked, in what he calls that 鈥渁we-inspiring鈥� class, to further stoke his passion for comics.

鈥淲hen I was younger, I really didn鈥檛 understand comics,鈥� he said. After taking the course, he was able to see the deeper messages in the characters and stories he read.
 
One area that stood out in the coursework was graphic medicine.

鈥淚t bridges the gap between learning about the processes of the human body with images and text to tie it all together,鈥� Qashat said. 鈥淚n a regular textbook, you are learning about all these complex systems like the circulatory and respiratory systems, but when you put it into graphic medicine and you put it into a comic, you see all those things working together in union. Which is just amazing. For me a textbook was never able to do that.鈥�
 
He volunteered and was paid, through a student success fee, to do research for the Comics@黑料吃瓜 interdisciplinary initiative along with students, Luke Heine and Julia Ross. The three formed the new 黑料吃瓜 Comics Studies Club to inspire and share the comics genre and cast a wider net for all students at 黑料吃瓜.
 
The club offers a space where students can dive into big topics like social justice, identity, public health, mental health, and disability in comics. 鈥淲e are also exploring something new called hero therapy 鈥� where you focus on one super hero character and you look at all the life experiences that they have to make a connection 鈥� to see the human side,鈥� he said.

Comics enthusiasts are encouraged to join the club, too, in order to discover what comics can offer.
 
Qashat, now a sophomore, works part-time at Special Collections and University Archives with Pamela Jackson, pop culture librarian, comic arts curator and co-founder of Comics@黑料吃瓜. He spends many days ensconced in research and can be found at the library鈥檚 Comics Corner three days a week.
 
He is grateful for the 鈥減erfect triangle鈥� of opportunities provided by Pollard and Jackson, which includes a dream-come-true ticket to attend Comic-Con Special Edition to join the Comics@黑料吃瓜 panel at the con.

鈥淚t blew my mind, and I honestly can鈥檛 believe that I will be going to Comic-Con this year,鈥� Qashat said. 鈥淩ight now I am preparing my presentation in order to share my experience about comics as a tool for learning. It is so exciting.鈥�

The interdisciplinary team from Comics@黑料吃瓜 will present 鈥淐omics and Social Justice at 黑料吃瓜鈥� at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26, during the Comics Arts Conference Session #3.

The grass-roots cross-college initiative鈥檚 goal is to cultivate innovative teaching, pursue transformative research, and foster vibrant community interaction, especially with regard to the unique power of the comics medium to bring about social change.
 
The session showcases a five-minute short-film that highlights the work of Comics@黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Comics and Social Justice Initiative.
 
After the screening, moderator Pollard will reflect on the goals of the Comics and Social Justice Initiative as well as the scholarship and opportunities for student learning and research that the initiative fosters.
 
Other panel participants are Jackson, who will discuss the role of the 黑料吃瓜 Library鈥檚 comics collection in supporting this initiative at 黑料吃瓜; Neil Kendricks, artist and lecturer, School of Art and Design, and William Nericcio, professor from the department of English and Comparative Literature and publisher of Amatl Comix.
 
As president of the newly formed club, Qashat said he continues to expand his universe to connect with others and to find deeper meaning within the comics genre.

With comics, he believes 鈥渨e can all come together and have a sense of community.鈥�