ENGL 108A
Instructor: Dr. Michael Hancock
email: m3hancoc@uwaterloo.ca
Lecture: 02:30-03:50 MW HH 150
Office Hours: W 4:00-5:00, F 10:00-11:00 or by appointment
Office: Hagey Hall 369
Teaching Assistant: Hannah Watts hwatts@uwaterloo.ca
Course Description
This course teaches critical perspectives on superheroes. Since the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938, superheroes have gone on to achieve global popularity, selling millions of copies and inspiring a media empire of films, television shows, amusement park attractions, videogames, and more. Given this massive influence on popular culture, it becomes important to examine superheroes critically, and the main objective of this course will be to discuss how the concept of the superhero plays out in a variety of media. Where do superheroes fit in terms of the traditions of myth, fantasy, and legend? How does it address larger themes such as identity, growing up, and alienation? Does the superhero genre grant us ways to approach contemporary issues such as gender, race and sexuality? Why has it been so successful in inspiring devoted creative works and cosplays? What purpose, if any, does the genre serve in how we live our lives? This course will address these issues and others, while also push students to develop traditional English-based skills regarding critical analysis and essay composition.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will have been introduced and be expected to successfully demonstrate some of the following skills:
- To critically investigate and discuss major themes regarding superheroes
- To appreciate and apply some critical and theoretical approaches to superhero narratives across media
- To understand and communicate some of the history behind superheroes and their influence on the past century
- To recognize how the superhero overlaps with related genres (fantasy, science fiction, melodrama), and how it varies across media (graphic novel, web comic, cartoon, film, videogame)
- To propose and carry out a critical investigation of a well-ordered argument concerning a given research topic regarding superheroes
Required Texts
Age of Bronze vol 1: A Thousand Ships by Eric Shanower. Image, 2001. ($9.99, Amazon; $26.50 physical)
Hercules: The New Labors of Hercules by Frank Tieri, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Texeria Marvel, 2005. ($13.50, Marvel Unlimited; or $10.00 from Comixology)
Lone Wolf and Cub vol 1: The Assassin’s Road by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. Dark Horse, 1995. (Originally published 1970) ($4.21 Amazon, $29.95 physical)
Superman Batman vol 1 by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines. DC Comics, 2014. ($9.99, Amazon; $23.99 physical)
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. Marvel Comics, 1982. $3.99 Comixology; $16.59 physical)
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. HarperTeen, 2015. ($7.49 Amazon; $18.50, physical)
Strong Female Protagonist vol 1 by Brennan Le Mulligan and Molly Ostertag. (free online; $9.59 Amazon; $19.95 physical)
Ms Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. Marvel, ($8.99, Comixology; $13.50, Marvel Unlimited ;$17.99 physical)
Students are permitted to use whatever editions of these books that they may find. In particular, students should be aware that most of these texts can be purchased cheaply in digital form, and that physical copies of each book will be on 3 hr reserve at the Porter library. It is a student’s responsibility to make sure they have come to class having read the works assigned for that class.
Note: Marvel Unlimited is a service where you have access to a wide number of Marvel comics; the service costs $13.50 a month, or $90.80 a year. Comixology prices are in American dollars. All physical prices come from the UWaterloo book store.
Evaluation
|
Participation and Attendance |
10% |
Continuous | |
|
Midterm Essay |
20% |
Oct 31st |
5-7 pages |
|
Response Papers |
15% (5% each) |
Oct 3, Oct 17, Nov 14 |
3, each min. 2pages |
|
Final Essay / Project |
25% |
Dec 3rd |
8 pages / 4 pages |
|
Final Exam |
30% |
TBD |
Participation and Attendance. Students will receive a portion of this mark for being present in class, and a portion for active and helpful participation. Grading for the participation portion will be done considering the following:
|
90- 100 |
Excellent: With few, if any, exceptions, the student is making frequent, substantive, useful and original contributions to class discussions; the student consistently engaged and participating, and attends all peer review sessions and classes | |
|
80-89 |
Good: the student is a regular contributor to discussions; the student is consistently engaged, and attends all peer review sessions | |
|
70-79 |
Satisfactory: The student demonstrates occasional contributions and inconsistent engagement | |
|
60-69 |
Marginal: Minimal contributions and/or significant lack of engagement | |
|
< 60 |
Failure: repeated disruptive, inappropriate or unethical behaviour; behaviour disrespectful to others; consistent lack of commitment and/or effort | |
Midterm Essay. This essay will ask students to expand on how some major theme of regarding superhero works; students will be allowed to draw on works not yet discussed in class, but for the midterm essay, the focus will be limited to works on the course syllabus. I will provide a more detailed description later in the term.
Response Papers. Three times throughout the term, students must turn in a brief response paper. There are three types of response papers; students may submit them in any order, but they must submit one of all three types, and at the due dates designated. The first type is their response to a superhero text not on the course syllabus, of any media form. The second type is their response to playing a superhero-based game, digital or analog, with a list of suggestions posted to LEARN, in terms of how the experience of playing the game relates to what we’ve discussed about superheroes. The third will be a response to an academic article concerning superheroes, chosen again from a list posted to LEARN, and how it relates to what we’ve discussed in the course. (For the second and third students will be allowed to choose works not on the list, if approved by me.) The papers will be marked in terms of how well the students display knowledge of the text, apply what’s been discussed in class, demonstrate original thinking, present a coherent argument, and adhere to conventions in terms of punctuation and mechanics. *due dates*
Responses will be electronically placed into the appropriate dropbox on the course's LEARN site; please provide your last name and the type of response in your submission’s file name.
Final Essay/Project. This assignment is the student’s chance to demonstrate what has been learned over the course of the class. A list of possible essay topics will be distributed beforehand, though students will be permitted to pursue other topics if the instructor approves. Students also have the option of instead creating a superhero-related project, which then be presented on the last day of classes (or week, depending on the number of projects). Those who choose the project option will write a four page essay regarding their project and how it critically addresses some aspect of superheroes (eg. an infomercial for super battle-related insurance as a commentary on superhero story’s reliance on violence); projects may be done in groups of two or three (I strongly encourage this!), but students will still have to write the accompanying paper individually. Students will receive a detailed description of this assignment along with possible essay topics well in advance of the due date. I will expect some level of engagement with superhero-related scholarship for this essay.
Final Exam. Questions will be designed to test your knowledge of the readings, and concepts discussed in class. The test will consist of three parts: explaining key concepts, contextualizing quotations, and writing an essay-length response to one of a set of questions.
Schedule
|
Date |
Reading |
Topic |
Assignment | |
|
Sept 10th |
None |
Introduction | ||
|
Sept 12th |
Age of Bronze vol 1 |
Heroes throughout History | ||
|
Sept 17th |
Age of Bronze vol 1 |
Heroes throughout History | ||
|
Sept 19th |
Age of Bronze vol 1 |
Heroes throughout History | ||
|
Sept 24th |
Hercules |
Old heroes, new adaptations | ||
|
Sept 26th |
Hercules |
Old heroes, new adaptations | ||
|
Oct 1st |
Superman Batman vol 1 |
Heroes in opposition | ||
|
Oct 3rd |
Superman Batman vol 1 |
Heroes in opposition |
First response | |
|
Oct 8th |
Lone Wolf and Cub vol 1 |
Heroes and manga | ||
|
Oct 12th |
Lone Wolf and Cub vol 1 |
Heroes and manga | ||
|
Oct 15th |
Superhero cartoons (in-class) |
Animation and the superhero | ||
|
Oct 17th |
Superhero cartoons (in-class) |
Animation and the superhero |
Second response | |
|
Oct 22nd |
Strong Female Protagonist vol 1 |
Superhero webcomics | ||
|
Oct 24th |
Nimona |
Superhero webcomics | ||
|
Oct 29th |
Superhero games |
Superhero and games | ||
|
Oct 31st |
Superhero games |
Superhero and games |
Midterm essay | |
|
Nov 5th |
X-Men: OGN |
Superhero as metaphor | ||
|
Nov 7th |
X-Men: OGN |
Team superheroes | ||
|
Nov 12th |
Ms Marvel No Normal |
Superhero and race | ||
|
Nov 14th |
Ms Marvel No Normal |
Superhero and race |
Third response | |
|
Nov 19th |
Superhero movie (in class) |
Superhero and film | ||
|
Nov 21st |
Superhero movie (in class) |
Story archetypes | ||
|
Nov 26th |
superhero fandom/culture & final exam prep | |||
|
Nov 28th |
project presentations | Project presentations | ||
|
Dec 3rd |
Wrap up | Final Essay/ Project papers due | ||
Course Policies
Course policies are essentially based on respectful communication and setting clear expectations. If something about the course, be it an assignment or policy, is not clear to you please write me and we will sort the issue. Please take the time to read the syllabus and the assignments carefully and ask me questions if you’re not sure about something. A syllabus functions as a kind of contract between instructor and student, but more importantly it is a resource and connects you to resources both in the classroom and around campus. I want to make this course as useful to you as possible, and that means—as is always the case in technical communication—clearly communicating our expectations of each other and making sure everyone is on the same page.
Accessibility Statement
The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (NH 1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.
Mental Health Support
All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health supports if they are needed.
On Campus
- Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext 32655
- MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students (FEDS) and Counselling Services
- Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life Centre
Off campus, 24/7
- Good2Talk: Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
- Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-433 ext. 6880
- Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
- OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213
Full details can be found online at the Faculty of ARTS website
Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)
Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF).
Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo
Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6.
Emergencies and Absences
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances beyond the instructor’s control. Relevant changes to this course will be posted onto the course website or can be obtained by contacting the instructor via email. You are expected to read your @uwaterloo.ca email on a frequent basis. Personal emergencies should be communicated to me as soon as possible, but attend first to you and your family’s well-being. Whatever happens to be your particular situation is not my business and all I need to know is there was a medical emergency. You do not need to provide any details. For extended absences I would like a note from a doctor, but again no details about why you were away ever need to be provided in these notes and you do not need to disclose the reason to me.
Grade Concerns and Incompletes
Should your grades concern you then you must speak with me within the first 3/4 of the term; the last quarter of the term will not provide sufficient time to markedly improve your final grade. Finally, I will not grant an incomplete in the course; if you have concerns about completing your term please write to me as soon as possible.
Absence and Late Policy
Attendance is vital to your success in this course. If you choose not to attend, you will be missing in-‐class exercises upon which some of your grades will depend. There are no ‘makeups’ for this work.
Assignments are due as noted on the assignment sheets and on the LEARN calendar; unless prior arrangements are made late assignments will lose 5% per day late, for every school day. Assignments more than three days late will not be accepted without documentation or explanation.
If you know you will need an extension, speak with me at least 48 hours prior to the due date. (I know complications come up, so I’m generally pretty generous when it comes to extensions.)
Academic Honesty
All work in this course should be original. Any material that you paraphrase or quote must be cited according to an accepted style format (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA). Over citing will not be penalized and, in fact, I’m always happy to see you’re doing research. If you’re not sure if you should cite something, go ahead and cite it. We can chat about it later, but when in doubt give credit. Remember you want to give credit for words and ideas.
Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the Office of Academic Integrity webpage for more information.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
Grievances and Appeals
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.
The Writing and Communication Centre
The Writing and Communication Centre works with students as they develop their ideas, draft, and revise. Writing and Communication Specialists offer one-on-one support in planning assignments, synthesizing and citing research, organizing papers and reports, designing presentations and e-portfolios, and revising for clarity and coherence.
You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.
Please note that communication specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not change or correct your work for you. Please bring hard copies of your assignment instructions and any notes or drafts to your appointment.