Final Paper and Announcements!

First, a few quick announcements:

1. PRESENTATION DUE DATE: I'll knock it back to SUNDAY by 5pm, but no later! I want to get them graded and out of the way (for you and for me) before the Final Paper rolls around. But you can still turn them in by Friday, too. Let me know if you need help or have questions. 

2. I've been sitting on most of your Template responses, since I only got a small trickle of them until a few days ago. I'll start grading them and responding with comments today. If you don't get a response on one of your templates, feel free to let me know. Remember that you need to turn in SIX, one for each comic, by next Friday. However, doing them before you write your final paper will help you write the paper...that is, it will give you ideas (and maybe even passages) to use in the paper. That's why I made you write them! (hint, hint)

3. I'll post some more resources for your Final Paper in the days to come, as well as a final video to think about (or to use in your paper as a resource). Please let me know if you have any questions! 

THE FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT

I want you to write a kind of 'exit interview' paper that demonstrates what you learned in the class, and how you can take these ideas and apply them to the larger conversations going on in the comics world. So I want you to choose ONE of the following topics to write about, all of them based on ideas that came out of our discussions (mostly on the blog):

1. CENSORSHIP AND THE CLASSROOM: This one is especially aimed at future teachers...how would you respond to the argument that comics are illiterate and degenerate literature that has no place in the classroom, and can detract from the more serious and skill-building works of literature that are currently part of the curriculum? Use examples from some of the comics we read to explain how they could be beneficial to students and why removing them from the classroom (and the school libraries) might be counterproductive. What can students learn from "graphic" novels, even if they make them--and the teachers--uncomfortable?

2. THE ETHICS OF SUPERHEROES: How do these comics represent the ethics of being a superhero in a world of "normals"? What transformation needs to occur for a person to see themselves as heroic? Where is the line drawn between hero and vigilante? And what kinds of heroes do we want and not want? Why is having a superpower not enough to be a superhero? Why are supervillains potentially superheroes in their own minds...and when are our heroes tempted to cross the line into murky moral territory? Use some of the books to support your reading of this question.

3. GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION: Comics started out being pretty stereotypical, showing manly men protecting vulnerable (yet sexual) women. And it only got worse before it got better! And even though comics were instrumental in representing diverse races and cultures, they still made some major missteps along the way (I'll show you some more examples of this on the blog!). So where do you feel comics are on the road to representation? How are they trying to address issues of gender and racial inequality? Which comics that you read seem to best represent women, ethnic groups, and those we often label "others" in our society? Are comics uniquely qualified to offer this representation...or do they have some serious limitations in doing so? 

NOTE: If you have another theme you would like to write about that either blends some of these topics, or offers an entirely new one, TALK TO ME about it first. I want to make sure you're not being too general or trying to tackle too much in a short paper. 

REQUIREMENTS
* At least 4-5 pages double spaced, though you can do more! 
* Should use at least 3 comics in your discussion: quote/discuss them instead of just summarizing them (I'll discuss this on the blog this weekend)
* Should also use 2-3 outside sources on comics, either from the blog or elsewhere in the world (I'll give you some sources--and already have throughout the blog and on the syllabus) 
* DUE NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 29th BY 5pm