Superman has been a cultural figure in America for 85 years- blasting out from the comic book page and into our collective consciousness. Yet, does the character still hold relevancy? Do people care about Superman, and know why he is important to our country? To understand where he stands now…
Superman has been a cultural figure in America for 85 years- blasting out from the comic book page and into our collective consciousness. Yet, does the character still hold relevancy? Do people care about Superman, and know why he is important to our country? To understand where he stands now as a cultural figure, Superman's reciprocal history with America is defined, and with that definition comes highs and lows for the character that ultimately solidify his place as an aspirational figure of hope today.
Over the last twenty years, comic books and graphic novels have slowly found their way into the field of education. Scholars have used this time to study the opportunities afforded by these “Graphic Novel Classrooms” and have found a plethora of strategies and theories to support students and teachers alike.…
Over the last twenty years, comic books and graphic novels have slowly found their way into the field of education. Scholars have used this time to study the opportunities afforded by these “Graphic Novel Classrooms” and have found a plethora of strategies and theories to support students and teachers alike. However, history and social studies classrooms are largely left out of this discourse. This absence is perplexing, as these classrooms spend an enormous amount of time analyzing texts and images while building essential literacy skills. Through primary and secondary sources, these history classrooms discuss author intent and ruminate on imagery and themes in much the same way as classrooms that assign graphic novels. Despite this, few scholars advocate for the use of graphic novels in the history classroom. By combining modern theories of literacy education, historical education, and developmental psychology, this thesis concludes that the use of graphic novels in secondary history classrooms creates unique and powerful opportunities in education that have gone largely ignored. This relationship is inherently benefitted by theories of historical thinking and historical empathy, both of which work together to teach history as a process of humanistic understanding and discovery rather than a memorization of names and dates. This thesis accomplishes this by analyzing multiple historically-based graphic novels, deconstructing their contents alongside Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. This comparison is used to explore what makes the graphic novel inherently beneficial to the history classroom. Many supposed challenges of the graphic novel in the history classroom, such as inherently subjective representations of history, actually add to the process of historical discovery. Through subjective imagery, students are allowed to think critically and compare accounts to determine the “how” and “why” of these representations. This thesis concludes with a classroom guide, taking the graphic novels discussed throughout and designing lesson outlines to be used in any history classroom. Additionally, this thesis highlights the need for change within historical education. Many historical educators find themselves lacking in time to take on assigned readings, resisting the need for exploration and discovery, or failing to recognize the accessibility of the graphic novel in their classroom.
"The Silver Age of American Comics, Then and Now" is an exploration of a certain period in the history of American comics. It began with the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, which censored comics to stamp out any content that might incite children to delinquency. Even today,…
"The Silver Age of American Comics, Then and Now" is an exploration of a certain period in the history of American comics. It began with the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, which censored comics to stamp out any content that might incite children to delinquency. Even today, though the era has passed and the Code is defunct, its effects continue to influence how the general public understands comics. Why was censorship deemed necessary? What stories were created in response to the new paradigm? Why did it go away? What does it even matter now? All these questions and more are explored herein.
