Hosterman, S400, page 1
SPCH-S400 SENIOR SEMINAR IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION
Topic: Understanding Comics and Graphic Novels
This seminar explores the creation and impact of contemporary comic books and graphic
narratives.
“Words, pictures and other icons are the vocabulary of the language
called comics.”
- Scott McCloud, artist/author
“As the twenty-first century approaches, visual iconography may finally
help us realize a form of universal communication.”
- Scott McCloud, artist/author
INSTRUCTOR & BASIC COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor – Dr. Alec R. Hosterman, Senior Lecturer and Chair of Communication Studies
Phone – 574.520.4883
E-mail – ahosterm@iusb.edu
Office – Northside 033K
Day/Time – Wednesday, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Course Location – Northside 0044
Prerequisites – S121 Public Speaking
Required Texts:
• The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture – Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith
• Secret Wars Omnibus – Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, and Bob Layton
• Watchmen – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
• Kingdom Come – Mark Waid and Alex Ross
• Journalism – Joe Sacco
• AD: New Orleans After the Deluge – Josh Neufeld
• Shooting War – Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman
• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – Alison Bechdel
• Maus: A Survivor’s Tale – Art Spiegelman
• Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda – Stassen
• The Arrival - Shaun Tan
DESCRIPTION & GOALS
From comic books to editorial cartoons, manga to graphic novels, the comic is a distinct
genre of visual rhetoric that deserves to be critically examined. SPCH-S 400 Senior Seminar
tackles the comics and graphic novel conundrum, approaching it from a contemporary
rhetorical perspective. Our goal is to re-examine these visual objects from a communication
perspective, thereby allowing us to understand and appreciate the presence and force
comics have on society. To do this we will be looking at the discipline from a communication
perspective, read major works, and engage assignments that will assess your learning.
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As a result, our goals for the course are as follows:
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To learn the aesthetic principles and basic standards that guide rhetorical and visual
criticism;
To identify and articulate major historical developments and genres in the medium’s
evolution;
To develop an appreciation for the creativity and expression exhibited in comics and
graphic novels;
To identify the specific cultural, social, and political components apparent in comics
and graphic novels.
DELIVERABLES
Throughout the semester, you will produce deliverables (assignments) that gauge your level
of comprehension and application of the material in the course. These include:
Research Project – Students will produce a research project related to some aspect of
comics and graphic novels. Worth 250 points.
Research Proposal – Students will submit a proposal for their final research project. See
assignment information at the end of the syllabus. Worth 50 points.
Project Presentation – At the end of the semester, students will hold a roundtable discussion
and give a brief synopsis of their research project to the class. Worth 50 points.
Quizzes – There will be weekly quizzes to make sure you are keeping up on the readings.
Worth a total of 150 points.
Examinations – There are 2 essay-style exams in this course, each worth 200 points. Worth a
total of 400 points.
Attendance and Participation – The easiest part of your grade is assessed by your
attendance in class and participation in discussion and activities: don’t fall asleep, be
respectful of others, and contribute. Worth 100 points.
SCHEDULE
The following schedule is tentative. I reserve the right to change it depending upon our pace
through the course, however I will give advanced notice.
08.28 Introduction to the course; Defining Comic Books as a Medium (POC, ch. 1)
09.04 The History of Comic Books, Part I (POC, ch. 2, pages 36-48); The History of Comic
Books, Part II (POC, ch. 3)
09.11 Comic Book Creators (POC, ch. 5); Secret Wars (Shooter, Zeck, Layton)
09.18 Creating the Story (POC, ch. 6). start Watchmen (Moore and Gibbons)
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09.25 Experiencing the Story (POC, ch. 7). finish Watchmen (Moore and Gibbons)
10.02 Comic Book Genres: The Superhero Genre (POC, ch. 10); Kingdom Come (Waid and
Ross)
10.09 No class – Votre professeur sera en France. Research proposals due by 10/9. Take
home exam due by 10/11. (Because I will be out of the country, no e-mail confirmations of
received items are guaranteed until I return.)
10.16 Comic Books and Ideology (POC, ch. 11); Journalism (Sacco)
10.23 AD: New Orleans After the Deluge (Neufeld): video
10.30 Shooting War (Lappe and Goldman)
11.06 Alison Bechdel: Reframing Memory (Wolk); Fun Home (Bechdel)
11.13 History and Graphic Representation in Maus (Chute); Maus I (Spiegelman)
11.20 Deogratias (Stassen); plane crash; Ghosts of Rwanda
11.23 Research Projects due by 5pm
11.27 The Arrival (Tan)
12.04 Research Presentations
12.11 6:15pm start time Final Exam (on material from 10.16 on)
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RESEARCH PROJECT
We don’t learn in a vacuum, rather we learn by comparing and contrasting our ideas with
those around us. As such, this project is a theoretical investigation into a relevant topic
related to comics or graphic novels that will augment your learning process. You will
investigate an area of that you find interesting and deem important for the field of study. The
result will be a polished piece of original research.
CREATING THE RESEARCH QUESTION
Simply put, your research project should adopt a particular stance and argue that viewpoint
using evidence. Any topic in the field is open for study including ones listed on our syllabus,
ones brought up in discussion, and those not covered. Select something you enjoy and want
to study further, something that is not represented by our course content, and/or is currently
under- researched.
With that topic in mind, develop a research question (or set of research questions) that relate
to your topic. Research questions are what guide your investigation. According to Keyton
(2001), they ask, “what the tentative relationship among variables might be or asks about the
state or nature of some communication phenomenon” (p. 12). Research questions (RQs)
guide your research; they epitomize what drives your intellectual curiosity.
Since I will not accept “because I said so” as a valid response to your RQ, you will need to
back up your assertions with evidence. You can pull research from academic (e.g., journal
articles, papers, etc.) and popular press (e.g., blogs, magazine articles, etc.) materials. There
is a plethora of material out there – make sure to discern the appropriate pieces that will help
from those that will deter. In the end, this will help you contextualize and synthesize your own
viewpoints into a cogent argument.
RESEARCH PAPER FORMAT
A very generic format for APA research papers is as follows:
 Title Page
 Abstract (one-page overview of the paper)
 Introduction (sets the stage; proposes research questions; identifies methodology)
 Content (describing connections and critiquing positions)
 Conclusion (drawing conclusions; final thoughts)
 References
Not familiar with APA? Here’s a good resource to help you with formatting, guidelines, etc.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Finally, here are the technical specifications for your paper:
 Adherence to APA formatting guidelines
 Minimum of 10 original sources
 Microsoft Word document – either .doc or .docx (not a PDF)
 Email the paper to ahosterm@iusb.edu
 Your project is due on November 20, 2013 by midnight.
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PAPER PROPOSAL
A proposal for your paper should be the starting point for this project. Think of this as your
first foray into the discovery process. In this I am expecting to see the following:
1. Your specific area of study: what area of deception and lying are you going to study?
2. Your research question: a first stab at specifically you’d like to discover through the
research process
3. A rationale / reasoning for this: why is this an important topic to study?
4. How you think you will go about doing the project: your method
Email me the proposal in Word format by midnight on October 9, 2013.
Remember: The quality of the paper depends upon the critical and/or descriptive in-depth
analysis that you develop, not just meeting the basic page and/or source requirements.