Self-directed course

BA (Hons) Swamp Thing, Gothic Horror & the Monstrous

A self-directed course in the shape of a UK humanities degree.

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A three-year, self-directed reading of Swamp Thing and the horror tradition around it: the 1971 origin and its Gothic ancestors, Alan Moore's run read issue by issue, and the forty years, screen adaptations and scholarship since. Eighteen modules, each with weekly lessons, verified reading lists, homework and two marked assignments.

Year 1 Roots of the Swamp

Year One. Where the creature came from: the 1971 origin, the Gothic monsters behind it, the history and craft of horror comics, the body in horror, and how to research.

  1. ST101The Birth of Swamp Thing9 lessons
  2. ST102Gothic Monsters6 lessons
  3. ST103History of Horror Comics6 lessons
  4. ST104How Comics Create Horror6 lessons
  5. ST105Nature, Body & Transformation6 lessons
  6. ST106Foundations of Horror Research6 lessons

Year 2 Alan Moore and the Green

Year Two. Moore's run, 1984 to 1987, read issue by issue: identity, love, American Gothic, the Green, magic, and the cosmic final year.

  1. ST201The Anatomy Lesson and Personal Identity6 lessons
  2. ST202Love, Sex, Bodies and the Nonhuman6 lessons
  3. ST203American Gothic6 lessons
  4. ST204The Green and Eco-Horror6 lessons
  5. ST205Constantine, Magic and the Occult6 lessons
  6. ST206Cosmic Swamp Thing and Moore's Legacy6 lessons

Year 3 The Scholar

Year Three. After Moore, the wider DC horror line, the screen, folk horror and eco-horror, an independent study and a 10,000-word dissertation.

  1. ST301After Moore: Forty Years of Swamp Thing6 lessons
  2. ST302The Wider DC Horror Line: From Cain and Abel to Vertigo6 lessons
  3. ST303Swamp Thing on Screen: Film, Television and Adaptation6 lessons
  4. ST304Modern Eco-Horror and Folk Horror6 lessons
  5. ST305Independent Specialism6 lessons
  6. ST306Dissertation6 lessons

Modules marked "coming later" are part of the planned journey and open as the course is written. Sign in from the members area to record notes, complete tasks and submit assignments.