YUCAIPA>> A Crafton Hills College student and her parents have complained to college administrators that graphic novels taught in an English course are pornographic and violent.

Tara Shultz, 20, of Yucaipa, her parents and several friends on Thursday protested outside the campus administration building.

Four of the graphic novels discussed in the course depict nudity, sex, violence and torture. They also contain obscenities.

“It was shocking,” Shultz said. “I didn’t expect to open the book and see that graphic material within. I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography.”

The course was listed as a core course for Shultz, who is seeking an associate’s degree in English. She is also seeking an associate’s degree in American Sign Language.

Ryan Bartlett, associate professor of English, taught the English 250 course last semester.

The syllabus for the course describes it as “the study of the graphic novel as a viable medium of literature through readings, in-class discussion and analytical assignments.”

This is the third time Bartlett has taught the course. He said this is the first time a student has complained about the material.

“I chose several highly acclaimed, award-winning graphic novels in my English 250 course not because they are purportedly racy but because each speaks to the struggles of the human condition,” Bartlett said in an email Thursday. “As Faulkner states, ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.’ The same may be said about reading literature. The characters in the chosen graphic novels are all struggling with issues of morality, self discovery, heart break, etc. The course in question has also been supported by the faculty, administration and approved by the board.”

Ten books are required for the course.

The four Shultz and her parents found offensive were “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel; “Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1” by Brian Vaughan; “The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll’s House” by Neil Gaiman; and “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi.

“At least get a warning on the books,” Shultz said. “At most I would like the books eradicated from the system. I don’t want them taught anymore. I don’t want anyone else to have to read this garbage.”

Shultz said if she had known what the materials were she would not have taken the course.

“I had no warning,” she said. “I had nothing. The professor should have stood up the first day of class and warned us.”

Shultz said she approached Bartlett about the curriculum in class and chose to remain in the class to avoid receiving a zero.

Shultz’s parents have also been meeting with college officials.

“If they (had) put a disclaimer on this, we wouldn’t have taken the course,” Greg Shultz, Tara Shultz’s father, said.

College administrators, he continued, “said they will do that, but at the same time we haven’t gotten into the issue of these books being sold in the bookstore and there are under-aged kids here at this campus.”