ENGL 3080J, Sec 117 Spring 2015, Ellis 020

Writing and Rhetoric II: Comic Composition & Ideology

Instructor: Rachael Ryerson Office: Ellis 307 Hours: MWF 1:00-2:30, or by appointment Email: [email protected]

Course Description

This course will focus on comic/graphic novel/webcomic composition and rhetoric. To that end, we will be reading comics and critical articles about comics, writing about comics, and creating our own comics. We will read texts created by artists/writers like Art Spiegelman, Brian Vaughn and Fiona Staples, , Sam Keith, Andy and Lana Wachowski, Allison Bechdel, Scott McCloud, and many others, critically analyze comics in terms of ideology and formal composition, and create comics using either digital or material means. This course will also include instruction in online comic generators, comic composing software, and comic design. This course works from two premises: one, comics are socio-cultural artifacts that reflect dominant and subversive ideologies and two, they are complex sites of multimodal meaning making where image, audio (effects), text, spatial organization, and the gestural work in concert to express meaning. With this understanding in mind, we will aim toward development of our rhetorical, multimodal, and cultural literacies through the detailed reading, analysis, and creation of comics.

Course Goals & Outcomes

 Develop cultural, critical literacy by identifying, describing, and analyzing ideological aspects of comics  Develop multimodal composition literacy by analyzing and utilizing multiple modes of meaning making  Research and write academic, critical arguments about comics  Analyze and apply visual, rhetorical principles for an audience  Analyze and evaluate the rhetorical successes/failures of comics design  Approach composing/designing as a recursive process Required Materials

 Kieth, Sam and William Messner-Loeb. The Maxx: Maximized: Volume 1. San Diego: IDW Publishing, 2014.  McCloud, Scott. Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels. New York: Harper, 2006.  Miller, Frank. Sin City: The Hard Goodbye. 2nd Edition. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 2010.  Miller, Frank. The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics, 1997.  Spiegelman, Art. The Complete Maus, 25th Anniversary Edition. New York: Pantheon Books, 1996.  Vaughn, Brian K, and Fiona Staples. : Volume 1. , 2012.  Wachowski et al. The Matrix: Volume 1. New York: Burleyman Entertainment, 2003.  USB Drive and/or online storage account to back up your files (Dropbox, GoogleDrive)  Recommended, but optional: ComicLife License for your personal computer ($30), which can be found at http://plasq.com/apps/comiclife/macwin/  Other class readings can be found on Blackboard

Course Projects

Course Blog Using Wordpress, Weebly, Wix, or GoogleSite, you will need to create a blog that will host your weekly responses to/reflections on readings, discussions, and your projects. This site is meant to be a creative representation and extension of yourself in a digital space, as well as a demonstration of your expanding knowledge and understanding of comics, rhetoric, ideology, and multimodal composition.

Project #1: Comic For this project, you will analyze the form of a short comic of your choice. In Form Analysis particular, you will investigate how the author/illustrator(s) use(s) frames/panel walls, transition(s) from panel to panel and page to page, combine(s) words with pictures, and convey(s) the passage of time.

Project #2: Mini- For this project, you will create a short comic using the medium of your choice. Your Comic comic will need to convey a narrative, as well as apply some of what you learned from McCloud's chapter on character design, facial expressions, and body language.

Project #3: Comic For this project, you will write a critical analysis of a comic, investigating an ideology Ideological Analysis the comic represents and conveys. Using critical essays you have read in the course as a guide, you will explore an ideological aspect of your choosing, and you will include textual evidence from the comic, as well as outside research, to support your claim(s).

Project #4: Create Using what you have learned about comic books in both form and content, you will your Own Sequential construct your own sequential art narrative in the genre(s) of your choice. Aside from Art Narrative genre conventions--which you may subvert-- you have little to no restrictions on the subject matter of the comic. This project can be collaborative.

Composing & Printing Resources

Early on in the course, you will need to consider the form for your comic projects. Will you draw, ink, and/or paint the comic by hand? How would you create more than one copy of your comic? Will you draw the comic, scan it into a software program like Photoshop and paint it in there? Will you draw it as a black and white comic, scan it, and arrange it using software like ComicLife? You could potentially create the entire comic by hand, scan it as a pdf (I recommend the scanners on the 3rd floor of Alden—the ones by the giant Macs), and be able to print numerous copies from that digital copy. Please start considering the form of your comic now, as it will save lots of headache later on in the process. Also, if you need a solid, mostly inexpensive local printer, I recommend Minuteman Press on 17 W. Washington. Their website: http://www.athensoh.minutemanpress.com/. You will not be required to mass produce a printed copy of your comic projects, as I and the rest of the class can view your comic digitally and materially in class. However, if you are interested in selling your work, my husband and I will be renting a table at the Athens Rathacon on May 9, and would be happy to have you display your work at our table (with you present, of course!).

Grading Contract

Too often courses are focused on grades rather than learning. In this course, I want to help you focus on improving your thinking and composing, rather than work for a grade. Instead of assigning individual grades to your projects and commenting to support that evaluation, the use of a grading contract shifts the focus away from earning grades to learning and progress. Therefore, the comments I provide for your projects are intended to improve your project rather than justify a grade.

The gist of the Grading Contract is that I guarantee a final course grade of at least a B to everyone who meets all the terms of the contract, and, in return, you promise to fulfill your side of that contract with an emphasis on doing your best to learn what we are trying to learn.

Students who do not meet all of the specific terms of the contract will see their promised B grade reduced based on the system laid out in the Grading Contract document you will receive and sign. The way to improve your grade beyond a B is to turn in excellent work throughout the semester and in Project 5. If you have incurred any Major or Minor violations, excellent writing can still raise your grade if it has been lowered. The Grading Contract should ease grading anxiety and it puts you in charge of your success.

For all Major Projects, In-class work, Blogs, and Peer Reviews, I’ll use the check system (√+ = excellent; √ = good; √- = weak; - = serious issues; 0 = completely inadequate/missing) so you have an idea where your work stands and what to work toward. Anything rated under a √ can, but may not necessarily, be considered unacceptable.

Late/Minor Commitment Pass

You will be given a Late/Minor Violation Pass, which can be used one of two ways: 1. to extend any assignment (homework or major Project) due date for one class period 2. to excuse you from one Minor Violation with no penalty

The pass must be turned in with the assignment, stapled to the front. This pass cannot be used for Peer Review drafts or for the final Project. If you don’t use the Late/Minor Commitment Pass, it can be used to replace one Minor Commitment violation at the end of the semester.

Late Work

Under no circumstances will late work be accepted. If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to attend class when an assignment is due, you must submit work either digitally at the time it is due, or before the class that will be missed. After 11:50am, it will be considered late. If you email work to me and it doesn’t “go through” or I do not receive the email – for whatever reason – the assignment will be late and I will not accept it. If you email your work, I will not reformat, print or request a different version of your paper. Student Behavior

Please come to class with an open mind and understanding because each person brings unique experiences, culture, values, etc. to class. Remain respectful in the classroom, for each individual and every idea. We will often have opportunity to share our opinions and beliefs, but no racist, sexist, heterosexist, ableist or any other negative communication harmful to an individual or group will be tolerated. Whether something is offensive or not will be determined by the people whom it might offend or their advocates.

Furthermore, I expect none of you to remain bystanders in the classroom; if something offensive is said, address it. Classroom incivility will not be tolerated on any level; if you are disrespectful or if you do not adhere to the student code of conduct, you will be asked to leave.

Cell phones must be put away during class; do not text message during class – it’s rude, distracting, and disrespectful. Students caught texting, whether I acknowledge it or not, will be counted absent from class that day.

Attendance

Attendance will be taken daily. You can miss four class periods without penalty. These days are meant to cover missing class for illness, family emergency, or otherwise. Missing five classes or more will result in a grade penalty, where 5 missed classes = letter grade reduction, 7 missed classes = two letter grade reductions, and 8 or more missed classes = automatic failure of the course.

Student Writing Center

For the papers you write in the course, you should consider taking advantage of the Student Writing Center (SWC). The SWC is located in Alden Library on the 2nd floor and provides free scheduled (50 minute) and walk-in face-to- face (25 minute) appointments as well as online appointments. Tutors can assist with any stage of the writing process, from understanding the assignment to looking at a near-completed draft. You can get help with developing your thesis or main idea, organizing or developing your content, working through tricky grammatical issues, or any other writing concerns. Visit http://www.ohio.edu/writing/ to learn more.

Blackboard & OU Email

Be sure to check Bb and your OU email account daily for assignment sheets, announcements and other important course materials. We will use Bb often, so I suggest you familiarize yourself with the site. You can also use the site to connect and collaborate with/email other students.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Any ideas, language, and/or information you obtain from an outside source MUST be properly documented. This includes both direct quotations and paraphrasing. Attempting to pass off other people’s writing and ideas as your own is plagiarism. Plagiarism in ANY form will be met with a failing grade, for the assignment and/or the course, and is subject to being filed as academic misconduct with the Office of Community Standards. Please visit the following link to learn more: http://www.ohio.edu/communitystandards/academic/students.cfm

Plagiarism is defined by the Ohio University Student Handbook as a Code A offense (10); this means:

[a] student found to have violated any of the following regulations will be subject to a maximum sanction of expulsion, or any sanction not less than a reprimand . . . . Plagiarism involves the presentation of some other person's work as if it were the work of the presenter. A faculty member has to grant a failing grade. . . as well as referring the case to the director of judiciaries.

Accommodations

Please feel free to talk with me about any accommodations you feel will create a safer, more accessible learning environment in our classroom. Additionally, students can, but do not have to, register as a student with a disability with the Student Accessibility Services in 348 Baker Center or at 740.593.2620.

Course Schedule

The schedule is subject to change. How to read the schedule: If a reading, like Chapter 1 of Making Comics is listed on Friday, Jan 16, then you need to have read that text before class—that will be the text discussed in class that day.

Acronym Key: BB—Blackboard; MC—Making Comics by Scott McCloud; CSA: Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner

Week Reading and Writing Items Due/Reminders 1 (M) 1.12: Welcome and Introductions Be thinking about what comic (W) 1.14: Course Blogs you would like to analyze for (F) 1.16: Read Chap. 1 of MC Project #1 2 (M) 1.19: No Class—Martin Luther King Jr. Day Project #1 Topic Due 1.21 (W) 1.21: Project #1 Proposal Due; Read Understanding Comics, p Blog #1 Due (all blog posts 70-82, 94-117 (BB) due by Sunday at noon) (F) 1.23: Read Chap. 3 of MC 3 (M) 1.26: Read Writer/Designer Chap. 1 (BB); Read Chap. 2 of Project #1 Rough Draft Due CSA (BB) 1.28 (W) 1.28: Project #1 Peer Review Blog #2 Due (F) 1.30: Superheroes Unmasked Video (in class) Project #1 Due 2.02 4 (M) 2.02: Project #1 Due Blog #3 Due (W) 2.04: Read Chap. 2 and p. 224-228 of MC Project #2 Storyboard Due (F) 2.06: Read Kiriakakis “A Day at the Park” (link on BB); Alex 2.09 Norris “Creativity” (link on BB); “Storyboarding” (BB) 5 (M) 2.09: Project #2 Storyboard Due; Peer Review Blog #4 Due (W) 2.11: Read Hyperbole and a Half excerpt (BB); Chap. 3 of Project #2 due 2.16 CSA (BB) (F) 2.13: Project #2 Workshop 6 (M) 2.16: Project #2 Due Blog #5 Due (W) 2.18: Read “Introducing Comics and Ideology” (BB); Read Project #3 Proposal Due Writer/Designer Chapter 2 (BB) 2.27 (F) 2.20: “Second-Wave Feminism in the pages of Lois Lane” (BB); Start The Maxx 7 (M) 2.23: Finish The Maxx; Begin Sin City: The Hard Goodbye Blog #6 Due (W) 2.25: Finish Sin City; Read “Women in Sin City” p. 1-20 (F) 2.27: Project #3 Proposal Due 8 March 1-7 SPRING BREAK—No Class Project #3 Annotated Bib due 3.09 9 (M) 3.09: Read Reinventing Comics p. 96-125 (BB); Project #3 Blog #7 Due Annotated Bib Due (W) 3.11: Begin Saga; Read Chap. of MC (F) 3.13: Finish Saga 10 (M) 3.16: Read Maus I; Read "Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Blog #8 Due Tale: A Bibliographic Essay" (BB) (W) 3.18: Read Maus II (F) 3.20: No Class 11 (M) 3.23: Project #3 Due Project #4 Proposal Due (W) 3.25: Chapter 7 of Understanding Comics (BB); Chapter 4 of 4.03 CSA (BB) Blog #9 Due (F) 3.27: Read Batman Unmasked excerpt (Brooker) (BB) 12 (M) 3.30: Begin The Dark Night Returns; Read Batman-A Complete Blog #10 Due History excerpt (Daniels) (BB) (W) 4.01: Finish The Dark Knight Returns (BB) (F) 4.03: Project #4 Proposal Due; Peer Review 13: (M) 4.06: Read “Introduction from No Straight Lines” (BB); Read Blog #11 Due “The Porno” (BB) Project #4 Storyboard Due (W) 4.08: Read “Queer Characters in Comic Strips” (BB) “Dykes 4.13 to Watch Out For” (BB) (F) 4.10: Read Fun Home excerpt (BB) 14 (M) 4.13: Project #4 Storyboard Due; Peer Review Blog #12 Due (W) 4.15: Read The Wizard of Oz excerpt (BB); Begin The Matrix Project #4 Draft Due 4.24 Volume I (F) 4.17: Finish The Matrix Volume I 15 (M) 4.20: Read “Ownership Concentration in the U.S. Comic Book Industry” (BB); Read Reinventing Comics p. 56-71 (BB) (W) 4.22: In-Class Workshop Project #4 (F) 4.24: Project #4 Draft Due; Class Comicon/Pizza Party! 16 Finals Week: No Class Final Comic Due Wednesday at 10 am, turned in either digitally or physically handed in (I will be in my office at this time).