NYC in the Comics   Tags: comics, dny, dny 1000c, graphic novels, nyc history  

Remember -- all students must have at least two appointments this semester with our Writing Consultant.

Please make an appointment before your visit.

Jonaki Singh, Writing Fellow

Writing Center (St. Augustine Hall)

jonaki.singh09@stjohns.edu

Our DNY Peer Mentor is Facia Class

Her email address is facia.class10@stjohns.edu

Participation (includes attendance) – 10%

Consultations with Jonaki Singh/Writing Fellow – 5%

Quizzes/Exams – 10%

Academic Service Learning – 5%

Writing Assignments: – 25%

Academic Service Learning Reflection (Comic Strip) – 3%

New York Superhero Fact Sheet – 2%

1930s “Newspaper Articles”(1-2 pages) – 5%

Comic Book Store Exploration Observation (1-2 pages) – 2%

MoCCA Assignment (1-2 pages) – 2%

Personal Essay (“Loss and Renewal”) – in class writing assignment – 3%

Neighborhood Profiles OR Graphic Narrative about your own neighborhood (1-2 pages) – 4%

Ellis Island reflection (1-2 pages) – 2%

In-class writing assignments (length varies by assignment) – 2%

Research Assignment: – 30%

Working bibliography* (2 books, 3 articles, 1 website) and brief abstract with title (75-100 words) – 5%

First draft – 10%

Final draft (5-7 pages) – 15%

*NOTE: Use MLA Citation Style for Bibliography/Works Cited (see Purdue Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/)

Presentations: 5%

Field Trips: 5%

DNY Labs: 5%

Academic Service-Learning is a requirement of this course.

A minimum of six hours of required Academic-Service Learning (ASL) is required of all students in this class.

You may choose to do your service at either The Jamaica Neighborhood Center (JNC) or at PS 51Q. See attached for more information about the service options available at these locations.

Reflection is an important component of AS-L since it provides the opportunity to link what you have experienced and learned in your service project to what we are doing in class. Reflection of the AS-L experience will be in the form of a comic strip.

Students are permitted to bring laptops to class for the purpose of taking notes. Please do NOT surf the web, read your email, or send/read text messages.

All cell phone ringers should be turned off. Please do not use your cell phones during class.

I reserve the right to ban all electronic devices from use in the classroom at any time during the semester.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to the St. John’s University Academic Honor Pledge.

Students are expected to submit work they have created. All written/presented work must be properly cited. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For more information see http://stjohns.campusguides.com/citing

Decorum
Students are expected to treat the instructor, fellow students and any guests with the appropriate amount of respect and courtesy. This means in the classroom as well as in an online setting or when working collaboratively on an assignment.

Attendance
Participation is an important part of this class, and counts for a significant portion of your grade. Your attendance is necessary during each class. Unless prior arrangements have been made and agreed upon by both the student and professor, an absence of three or more classes will result in a “zero” for participation.

Wednesdays 7:30 AM to 9:20 AM

D'Angelo 209

DNY Labs: 10:00-11:00 AM 

• January 25, 2012 -- Academic Service Learning (Marillilac Auditoriium)
• February 1, 2012 -- History of New York presented by Ken Jackson
• March 7, 2012 -- Art in New York pressented by Lauto & Adolphe
• March 28, 2012 -- Social Justice

Download a printable version of the syllabus for DNY 1000C -- Graphic Narratives: Exploring NYC through Comics

Course Description

In this course we will explore graphic narratives (“comics”) in the context of New York City. From Stan Lee’s Spider Man to Will Eisner’s Contract with God, New York City is an ever-present character in the landscape of the comic arts. In addition to learning how to read “comics” critically, we will examine their historical and cultural development, with a particular emphasis on the presence of the New York landscape. We will explore the ways in which New York City is portrayed in this visual/textual medium, and the vital role that NYC played in the development of the comics industry. Finally, we will see how at least two authors/artists have used the graphic narrative to recapture their experiences growing up in New York City. (Field trips required).

The core New York themes we will explore in this course are: immigration; race & ethnicity; the environment/physical New York.

Three Required Texts (all are available at the STJ bookstore):

Eisner, Will. The Contract with God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue (A Contract with God, A Life Force, Dropsie Avenue). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. NOTE: THIS IS ONE BOOK!

Lemelman, Martin. Two Cents Plain: My Brooklyn Boyhood. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010.

O’Connor, George. Journey into Mohawk Country. New York:  First Second, 2006.

Other required reading:

Articles/Chapters (on e-reserve and also available at third floor service desk, library):

Bainbridge, Jason. “I am New York – Spider-Man, New York City and the Marvel Universe.” Ed. Jorn Ahrens and Arno Meteling. Comics and the City. New York: Continuum, 2010.

Hajdu, David. “Youth in Crisis.” The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America. New York: Picador, 2008.

Smith, Greg M. “Will Eisner, Vaudevillian of the Cityscape.” Ed. Jorn Ahrens and Arno Meteling. Comics and the City. New York: Continuum, 2010.

Books: (on reserve, available at third floor service desk, library):

Spiegelman, Art. In the Shadow of No Towers. New York: Pantheon, 2004.

Additional Course Requirements

Participation (includes attendance)
This class will rely heavily on class discussion. Your participation grade will reflect your contributions to class discussions, group assignments, and general conduct in class. Attendance will be included in your grade for participation.

Consultations with Jonaki Singh/Writing Fellow
Please bring a printed copy of your writing assignment when meeting with Ms. Singh.

Quizzes/Exams
There will be a short quiz at the beginning of each class, based on the readings for that week. The quiz will be given during the first 15 minutes of class. If you arrive late, you will not be given any additional time. There are no make-ups for quizzes.

There will be a midterm exam on March 7, 2012 during the first hour of class. Please be on time. If you arrive late, you will not be given any additional time.

There will be no formal final exam in this course. Your final research project will count as your final exam.

Writing Assignments
There will be a variety of writing assignments during this course.  Two printed versions of all at-home written assignments should be brought to class on the assigned due date. (If you are absent that day, please submit an electronic copy as a Word attachment to Prof. Fuchs (fuchsc@stjohns.edu) and to Jonaki Singh (jonaki.singh09@stjohns.edu).

Students will be responsible for posting all of their written assignments to the class wiki (http://dnycomicssp12.pbworks.com .

Students will receive details about the writing assignments in class, and all information/instructions will be found on the class webpage: http://stjohns.campusguides.com/DNYComics

All effort will be made to return students’ written work one week after submission.

NOTE: Students may revise any/all of their written work. All revisions are due NO LATER THAN a week after the assignment has been returned. When submitting revisions, please include the revised version as well as the original.

Scheduled Writing Assignments
Academic Service Learning Reflection (Comic Strip)
New York Superhero Fact Sheet
1930s “Newspaper Articles”(1-2 pages)
Comic Book Store Exploration Observation (1-2 pages)
MoCCA Assignment (1-2 pages)
Personal Essay (“Loss and Renewal”) – in class writing assignment
Neighborhood Profiles OR  create a Graphic Narrative about your own neighborhood (1-2 pages)
Ellis Island reflection (1-2 pages)
In-class writing assignments (length varies by assignment)

Research Assignment (details to follow)
Working bibliography* (2 books, 3 articles, 1 website) and Brief abstract (75-100 words)
First draft (3-5 pages)
Final draft (5-7 pages) )

Presentations: (more information to follow)

DNY Labs:
The DNY Labs for this class will be 2:00 PM (dates to follow). Students are required to attend

Trips we will take together:

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Arts, Saturday March 24, 2012, 12:00 PM
594 Broadway, Suite 401 (between Houston & Prince
New York, NY 10012
(Take “F” train to Manhattan, get off at Broadway-Lafayette St. We will meet outside at noon)

Ellis Island Saturday, April 21, 2012 (more information to follow) http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island.asp

Trips students will make independently:

Comic Book Store Exploration (must visit Forbidden Planet AND any one of the three locations of Midtown Comics)

Forbidden Planet (http://www.fpnyc.com/)
840 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
(4 5 6 L N R Q to 14th St. Union Square)

Midtown Comics (http://www.midtowncomics.com/)

Midtown Comics Times Square
200 W. 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Midtown Comics Grand Central
459 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Midtown Comics Downtown
64 Fulton St.
New York, NY 10038