Superheroes and US Media Culture

Superheroes and US Media Culture

COMM 495/595

Spring 2010 T/TH, 7:10-8:50PM, BAL 2070

Professor:Dr. Avi Santo

Office: BAL 3012

683-6971

Office Hours:T/TH 5-7PM & by appointment

COURSE OVERVIEW:

Superheroes and US media will explore the shifting construction of heroism in US society through the lens of its most commodified and mediated representation: the superhero. The class is designed to give students a complex understanding of how superhero brands are exploited through and across multiple media sites and how their formulas are reworked to negotiate changing cultural attitudes toward violence, nationhood, race, gender, sexuality, class and politics. Finally, the class will focus on the legal status of superheroes as intellectual property safeguarded by media institutions who otherwise seek to promote their iconic status as Americana. We will be reading comic books watching television and films, listening to old-time radio, playing videogames and visting internet sites in order to analyze how different media (at different historical moments) have adapted/shaped the superhero brand, as well as how all media work together to construct the superhero inter-text.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Attendance and Participation (20%): It goes without saying that you are expected to attend every class, be here on time and stay until the end. If you will be absent, late or you must leave early, you should consult with me in advance. These cannot be regular occurrences. Moreover, every student is expected to actively contribute to class discussions through in-class participation. Showing up will not be enough to get full credit. Please keep in mind that you are being graded on the substance of your contributions to any conversation, not the number of times you raise your hand.

Superhero Portfolio assignment (30%): This will be an on-going project that will begin the week of January 18 and continue through the week of April 21. Each student will select/be assigned a superhero icon whose career as both commercial brand and ideologically-charged-and-changing popular hero they will trace across a broad spectrum of media texts and products. Students will create a blog and build a weekly portfolio for their assigned hero. Each week, new contributions to the portfolio will be expected to critically address readings and other materials covered in class. I will provide a weekly prompt question.

Midterm Take-home exam (25%): Students will be given a take-home short essay exam during the winter break, which will ask them to both synthesize knowledge they’ve acquired in the first half of the semester and apply said knowledge to an original object of analysis selected by the instructor. The midterm will be distributed on March 3 and will be due at 7:10 on March 15.

Final Take-Home Exam (25%): Students will be given a take-home short essay exam during the last week of the semester, which will ask them to both synthesize knowledge they’ve acquired in the second half of the semester and apply said knowledge to an original object of analysis selected by the instructor. The final exam will be distributed on April 26 and will be due at 5:00PM on Wednesday, May 3.

STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE 545 SECTION OF THIS CLASS WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE ADDITIONAL WORK ASSIGNMENTS

GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Class attendance & participation = 20%

Superhero Portfolio = 30%

Take-home Midterm = 25% [Due March 15]

Take-Home Final = 25% [Due May 3]

CLASS POLICIES

Attendance:

Excused absences include only the following:

Illness that requires medical treatment (must provide written documentation from a doctor)

Death in immediate family (must provide obituary)

Official college sponsored activity (must provide note from college personnel)

Similar policies apply for arriving late or leaving class early.

Documentation of the absence must be provided on the first class meeting after your return. In other words, I need some piece of paper to prove the legitimacy of your absence. It is best to contact me prior to the absence.

Email account activation

As a participant in this class, you are required to have an active ODU email account. This is important for class communication, as well as required for you to access Blackboard and to fill out the teaching evaluations at the end of the semester.

Student Evaluations of Teaching

As a participant in this class, you are required to fill out a student evaluation of teaching performance online at the end of the semester.

Paper Submission and Late Papers:

Papers are due at the beginning of class (as they are designed to help you formulate your ideas prior to class discussion). Papers will be deducted one letter grade per calendar day they are late (note: calendar day, not class day). Papers over 5 calendar days late will receive a failing grade. I do not accept papers via Email. You are responsible for printing your work yourself.

All assignments must be complete to receive a passing grade in this class. This means that even if you are over 5 calendar days late in submitting an assignment and you will receive a failing grade for it, you must still submit it in order to pass the class.

All of this said, if you have a legitimate reason for turning work in late, you should speak with me well in advance of the due date to discuss other options.

Blackboard Readings

Many readings for the class are posted in .pdf files (readable with Adobe Acrobat) on Blackboard. If your computer does not have Adobe (most do), it can be downloaded for free at

Student Progress and Withdrawing from the Class

The last day to drop this class without grade or financial penalty is January 14, 2011(you should double check this date as it can change from semester to semester).

Students with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations are provided for students with disabilities. Students should present me with the appropriate documentation from the Office of Disability Services and contact me as soon as possible to discuss the appropriate accommodations.

Disruptive Behavior

The Office of Student Judicial Affairs has published a guide on College Classroom Conduct. In short, you should refrain from:

 Arriving late!

 Holding private conversations during a lecture

 Answering a cell phone (or allowing it to ring by not turning it off)

 Leaving without permission; packing to leave before class is finished

 Sleeping or studying unrelated materials in class

Surfing the net or instant messaging

Grades:

The following grade scale applies to all written work:

A = 94-100

A = 90-93

B+ = 87-89

B = 84-86

B- = 80-83

C+ = 77-79

C = 74-76

C- = 70-73

D+ = 67-69

D = 64-66

D- = 60-63

F = 0-59

An “A” paper will have an argument to make on the approved topic, a logical structure in which to make it, reasons/evidence to support all claims, and no significant errors in spelling, grammar or general presentation.

A “B” paper will make an argument on the approved topic and have a structure and reasons/evidence to support claims. But it may have sections where the structure becomes confusing or ineffective, or the evidence to support claims is deficient, in addition to a few errors in spelling, grammar or general presentation.

A “C” paper will have an argument to make on the approved topic, with some viable claims. But there may be serious deficiencies in the evidence provided and a notable absence of structure, as well as several errors in spelling, grammar and general presentation.

A “D” paper will have no real argument and deficiencies in every area.

An “F” paper has no argument and fails to do the minimum requirements or is a paper never turned in at all.

If you would like to discuss how to improve your grades, please come see me during office hours (I don’t discuss graded work in the hallway or after class). I also require a 24hour pause or moratorium between the time you receive a grade and when I am willing to discuss it with you.

Writing Basics

Remember to include or address the following items. Failure to address these will result in grade deductions.

1. Page numbers

2. Title of your work (give it some name that invites the reader to be interested, something beyond the name of the assignment)

3. Spell Check

4. Grammatical Errors

5. Sign and Date all work (make certain your name and the date you handed in the assignment are typed clearly at the top of every page in the header).

6. Be consistent in your citation style. I have no preference between MLA, APA or Chicago, BUT please choose only one and stick to it.

Editing

It is highly recommended that you ask someone to edit your writing prior to submission. Every article, book, news story, etc., that you see in print is the product of several sets of eyes. Students should develop the habit of having someone mark their papers for grammatical errors or awkward syntax and phrasing. Learn to give and take criticism productively.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is one example of violating copyright law. Furthermore, there are no acceptable instances in written language of using someone else’s words with quotation marks, including your own. For this class, submitting materials written by you for another class without prior authorization and without proper citation will also count as plagiarism. If you plagiarize, you will receive a hearing through the judicial affairs division of the Office of Student Services. You will also receive a failing grade in the class. It is my belief that at least half of student plagiarism cases occur because students do not know what it is or how to avoid it. Please see the handout, and take it upon yourself to learn the proper means of citing someone else’s words and ideas.

Required Reading Materials:

All scholarly readings will be made available via Blackboard.

In addition, you are responsible for reading several collected editions of comic books. All have been put on reserve in the library but in most instances, there is only one copy. Often, such material is cheaper to acquire via Amazon.com or e-bay than through the bookstore.

Schedule:

Topics and readings are subject to change, though always with sufficient warning. Readings, whether scholarly or comic books must be read prior to class on their assigned date.

A note on screenings: in some instances, screenings will run slightly past the 8:50PM end of class. I will let you know in advance when this is the case. Though you are not required to stay beyond 8:50PM, you are responsible for viewing all materials in their entirety.

DATE / TOPIC / READINGS / COMIX / SCREENING
1/11 / INTRO: POPULAR HEROES, CULTURAL ICONS, CORPORATE PROPERTIES / ANDRAE/BROOKER
1/13 / COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY HISTORY AND OVERVIEW / HARRIS/RAVIV
1/18 / SUPERHEROES: GENRE OR FORMULA? / COOGAN/ COLLINS / SUPERMAN OTR/ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN/LOIS & CLARK/SMALLVILLE
1/20 / SUPERHEROES: GENRE OR FORMULA? / SUPERMAN VS LEX LUTHOR VARIOUS
1/25 / IP MANAGEMENT / MEEHAN/JONES
1/27 / ADAPTATION / JOHNSON / WOLVERINE
2/1 / ADAPTATION / MCALLISTER
2/3 / CONTINUITY / BERGER/PEARSON AND URRICHIO
2/8 / CONTINUITY / CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS
2/10 / WORLDBUILDING / URRICHIO/ BAINSBRIDGE / CITY OF HEROES/DCU ONLINE GAMEPLAY
2/15 / WORLDBUILDING / MARVEL ATLAS /ASTRO CITY
2/17 / MULTIPLICITY / JENKINS/BAINSBRIDGE
2/22 / MULTIPLICITY / ELSEWORLDS
2/24 / REVISIONISM / KLOK/ WOLF-MEYER
3/1 / REVISIONISM / LOEG
3/3 / REVISIONISM / BRAT PACK
3/15 / REVISIONISM / WANTED
3/17 / FANDOM AND PARTICIPATION / PUSTZ/RAE AND GRAY / JUST SOME RANDOM GUY VIDS
3/22 / FANDOM AND PARTICIPATION / FAN FICTION SELECTION
3/24 / GENDER: MASCULINITY / WELTZIEN/ LENDRUM / UNBREAKABLE
3/29 / GENDER: MASCULINITY / DAREDEVIL: REBORN
3/31 / GENDER: FEMININITY / STABILE/O’REILLY / POWERPUFF GIRLS/MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND
4/5 / GENDER: FEMININITY / WONDER WOMAN VARIOUS /ULTRA
4/7 / SEXUALITY / MEDHURST/ PALMER-MEHTA/BATTIS / X2/BATMAN 1960S TV
4/12 / SEXUALITY / HERO
4/14 / RACE / BROWN/ LENDRUM/CUNNINGHAM / HANCOCK
4/19 / RACE / MILESTONE COMICS/CAGE/ TRUTH
4/21 / GLOBALIZATION / TBA / SPIDERMAN JAPAN/SUPERMAN INDIA EXCERPTS
4/26 / GLOBALIZATION / SPIDER-MAN INDIA /THE GREAT 10/THE 99

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