Rate My Professor John Thompson

John Enrique Thompson is a Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts at Indiana University South Bend's Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, specializing in graphic design. A native of the Michiana region and a veteran of the United States Army, he brings over thirty years of professional experience in graphic design to his teaching role. Thompson has been instructing courses in graphic design, computer art, interactive design, animation, 3D modeling, and drafting since 2009 and has served as a faculty member at Indiana University South Bend since 2012. His academic credentials include an Associate of Science in Commercial Art & Design from Vincennes University earned in 1998, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Arts from Indiana University South Bend in 2006, and a Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Design & Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2014. He also holds numerous certificates in design, animation, and game development.

Thompson teaches a range of courses such as FINA-A109 Ways of Seeing: Visual Literacy, FINA-A399 Art, Aesthetics and Creativity: History of Graphic Design, FINA-P323 Introduction to Web Design, FINA-P454 Graphic Design IV, FINA-P455 Advanced Typography & Lettering, FINA-P475 Computer Art & Design III, FINA-S305 Graphic Design Internship, and FINA-S497 Independent Study in Studio Art. His scholarly interests include the history of comic strips and comic books, animation history, interactive design, digital sculpting, animation, and narrative history. He has delivered lectures on comic book and comic strip history, art, and design, and led workshops on drawing comics, producing comic books, zines, and small press publishing. Thompson's publications feature comics in National Lampoon, the Seattle Scroll, BC Magazine, and various other outlets, alongside paintings, illustrations, and prints exhibited in regional, national, and international shows. He authored and illustrated the true crime graphic narrative 'The Comely Widow: The Crimes of Serial Killer Belle Gunness' in 2021. Among his honors are the Trustees' Teaching Award received in 2020 and 2023. Additionally, he is a founding board member of the Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum in Elkhart, Indiana, and maintains freelance practice in comics and sequential narratives.