Fall 2005
Introduction to Composition: Writing About Comics
Course Description:
English 106 is a writing based course. Students are expected to receive “extensive practice in writing clear and effective prose,” as well as “instruction in organization, audience, style, and research-based writing” (Official Course Description, http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/ICaP/instructor_resources/english106_resources/106_course_description.html ).
This course will not be easy because we will be studying comic books. In fact, I expect this course to be more difficult than a traditional English course because you will be learning a new way to read comic books, and this way of reading is applicable to every text you will ever encounter.
You are expected to compose your work at the college level, which means being aware of all aspects of a composition and of the choices that went into it on both the visual and the textual levels. This applies not only to all the works that we will be studying, but to the work that you complete in this classroom as well.
Grade Breakdown:
2 Analyses 10%
Film Adaptation Project 20%
Compare & Contrast Project 20%
2 Reflective Essays 10%
Final Portfolio 30%
Attendance/Participation 10%
Total 100%
Assignments:
Analyses
You are required to turn in two analytical essays on pages from comic books. At least one must be on a two-page spread. The analyses are 3-5 pages long, and go into excruciating detail on everything that is happening on a given page: thematically, visually, textually. The essays are expected to use Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics as the basis for the analysis. You may select any of the comics from the course. If you wish to use comics outside the course, you must first get your selection approved by me.
Reflective Essays
You are required to turn in two reflective essays on three titles from the syllabus. They must be 3-5 pages in length. In contrast to the analytical essays, which are expected to be specific in their scope of analysis, the reflective essay is expected to encompass the entire series and reflect upon your reaction to different parts, for example, the themes the comic book brought up, the style of the artwork, the way the text was written, the purpose behind the comic, the audience for the comic, etc..
Film Adaptation Project
In this project you will look at the film adaptation of a comic book and compare it with the original comic. This project requires research on both the comic book and the film, as well as an in-class presentation to the class on the film and comic book you have elected to study. The paper component of this project is a minimum of seven pages.
Compare & Contrast Project
In this project you will study a comic book adaptation of a pre-existing story. This might be a comic book written from an alternative perspective within the same universe, an adaptation of a story into another universe (or culture), etc.. This project will require research, as well as in-class presentation to the class on the adaptation you have elected to study. The paper component of this project is a minimum of seven pages.
Final Portfolio
You are required to make a final portfolio for this class. You will select one analytical essay, one reflective essay, and one of the two projects to revise, and we will work in conferences on drafts of these entries to your portfolio.
Attendance:
Class attendance and participation is mandatory. We will be completing daily assignments in class and those assignments cannot be made up, regardless of whether the absence is excused or not. I appreciate adequate notification if you will be absent in class. Adequate notification means at least one class period in advance. If you are absent more than five times I will lower your overall grade one grade level. If you are absent 8 or more times, you will fail this course.
Special Circumstances:
If you must miss class for a prolonged period of time for medical reasons or in the case of a family emergency, notify the office of the dean of students immediately . This way, each of your instructors will be officially notified by the university. Remember, however, that it is your responsibility to communicate with them about making up class work.
Peer Editing Workshops :
Students will be responsible for participating in in-class writing workshops where they can benefit from the constructive criticism of their fellow students. Attendance and participation in peer workshops is mandatory and workshopped drafts of all projects with peer comments must be submitted with the final draft. I will not accept essays that have not been peer reviewed during class.
Academic Dishonesty (plagiarism):
Cheating: All written work submitted for a grade in this course must be the product of your own composition. Ideas generated due to reading and group discussion may provide the inspiration for your work, but should not be the sole ideas represented. With collaborative projects, of course, ideas should be representative of the group's work.
Plagiarism is the act of presenting as your own work another individual's ideas, words, data, or research material. The concept applies equally to written, spoken, or electronic texts, published or unpublished. All ideas and quotations that you borrow from any source must be acknowledged: at a minimum, you should give the name of your author, the title of the text cited, and the page number(s) of the citation. The only exceptions to this requirement would involve what is familiar and commonly held (e.g. the fact that the earth is round).
You should know that penalties for plagiarism are automatic failure of the entire course and notification of the office of the dean of students. It can also entail suspension from the university. Students are responsible for reading and understanding the university policy on cheating and plagiarism set forth in Purdue University 's "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students" available at http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm
Citing Sources:
It is essential to cite any sources that you use (even those you paraphrase). We will use the citation method of the MLA (Modern Language Association) for this course. For anyone not familiar with MLA it is recommended to purchase an MLA handbook or, alternatively, visit the website at the OWL for any questions or concerns you may have (the URL for that is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html )
Comic books are difficult to cite and not agreed upon professionally. A handout with the citing requirements for this class will be given to you.