M A I N * L I N K S


SUNY Fredonia
College of Arts and Humanities
ENGL 208/AMST 210: American Popular and Mass Cultures
Fall 2009
Section 1: M 8-8:50, Fenton 176
Office: Fenton 265; M 11-12, TTh 9-12, 3-5, F 11-12, 3-5, and by appointment; 673-3856
E-mail: simon@fredonia.edu, brucesimon18@yahoo.com
Web Page: www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/
ANGEL Space: https://fredonia.sln.suny.edu/default.asp


About the Course Web Site

This web site is designed to help you get as much out of this course as possible--you can use it to find out what assignments are due and when, how your work will be assessed, how to use the course ANGEL space, and how to use the world-wide web for research, among other things. Please get in the habit of checking back to these pages to keep track of changes to the syllabus and advice on assignments, as well as to surf the ever-expanding list of links to interesting web pages related to the course. And please contact me anytime (see above for my coordinates) if you have ideas about how to improve these pages or the course as a whole.

I. Course Description

An introduction to the methodologies of studying American cultures, with a special focus on popular and mass cultures. Particular course emphasis will be determined by the individual instructor, but topics will stress the multiplicity of American cultures. While literary works will make up the majority of class texts, the course will utilize an interdisciplinary approach integrating materials from fields such as history, anthropology, women's studies, ethnic studies, geography, sociology, music, art, among others.

This section focuses on the ways in which contemporary American film borrows from science fiction and fantasy fiction, comic books and graphic novels, video games, and television, often from transnational subcultures, along with the stakes and significance of such cross-media and cross-cultural exchanges, interdependencies, and migrations.

ENGL 208/AMST 210 counts toward the major and minor in American Studies and fulfills the Part 8B requirement of the College Core Curriculum.

II. Rationale

In ENGL 208/AMST 210, as in most courses offered by the English Department, the goals of the professional programs are integrated with specific course goals. Achieving these goals (described in Section IV below) will require us to foster academic skills and intellectual habits of reading closely and carefully, thinking critically and creatively, listening actively and attentively, speaking thoughtfully and concisely, and writing clearly and analytically--skills and habits useful to everyone, but of particular importance to future teachers.

III. Textbooks. The textbooks adopted for this course are:

IV. Course Objectives and Outcomes

Courses in Part 8B of the CCC are designed to provide insight into particular histories and cultures of American experience; awareness of multiple American cultures, subcultures, and values; recognition of the existence of multiple world-views and how they influence the recording of American history and interpretations of Americanness; and discussion of the concept of American identity and analysis of its repercussions on other cultures. To achieve these goals, students will

V. Instructional Methods and Activities

The methods used in the classroom will include lecture, in-class writing, guided discovery, open discussion, various kinds of cooperative group work, and other critical thinking- and active learning-oriented activities.

VI. Evaluation and Grade Assignment

A. Methods

Attendance/Preparation/Participation/Teamwork (15%). Regular attendance and thoughtful participation are crucial to your enjoyment of and success in this course. If there is absolutely no way for you to avoid missing a class, please contact me ahead of time or soon after your absence, preferably by email. More important than showing up on time, of course, is coming to class prepared and focused. I expect you to read what has been assigned for a given date at least once (and preferably more than that!) by the time we begin to discuss it in class, and to familiarize yourself with and think about the postings on the course ANGEL site's discussion board and on sf@sf, the course blog (described below and in Section VIIIB). This is a discussion rather than a lecture course, after all; although I will provide some context for and interpretations of our reading, the bulk of class time will be spent in small- or large-group discussions and activities. Since it's difficult to make good contributions to discussions about a literary work, critical text, cultural object, or new medium if you haven't read it carefully or thought about it extensively, how well you budget your time outside of class will to a large degree determine how well you do in this class in general and how well you do on this portion of your course grade in particular. Your grade for this segment of the course will be based on a combination of your attendance and your preparation/participation/teamwork in class and on the course ANGEL site. As there are no exams in this course, think of my evaluation of your preparation/participation/teamwork as a different but equally important method of assessing your overall performance and improvement in the course. The quality of your online participation and preparation for your written and oral assignments will be factored into this grade. Due to the reliance on attendance of many aspects of preparation, participation and teamwork, more than three unexcused absences will hurt your preparation/participation grade and each non-emergency absence after the fourth will lower your final course grade by one grade (e.g., with five such absences, a B+ will become a C+; with six, it will become a D+).

Discussion Forum (15%). Detailed instructions for using the course ANGEL site (https://fredonia.sln.suny.edu/default.asp) are given below (see Section VIIIB) and will be discussed in class. We will be using the site to distribute announcements, provide research and other resources, and collect certain assignments, so be in the habit of checking it regularly. To supplement and prepare for our class discussions and activities, as well as continue them after the end of class, I have created a discussion forum on our course ANGEL space. You should use it to develop your writing and critical thinking skills, demonstrate your engagement with the course material, and consider and respond to others' ideas and interpretations. For instance, you can, among other things,


Over the course of the semester, I will keep track of the timing, amount, and quality of your posts to the discussion board, including the quality of the ensuing online discussions initiated by them; 0-4 posts will earn you a zero, 5-9 posts an F, 10-14 a D, 15-19 a C, 20-24 a B, and 25+ an A on this segment of your final grade. For further information on the course ANGEL space's discussion forum, including more specific requirements and extensive advice, go to http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/apmc/df.htm.

Course Blog (20%). I will provide detailed information on the minimum of 5 posts (one on each new medium we'll be engaging) you will contribute to the course blog, sf@sf, on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/apmc/cb.htm.

Book Review (20%). I will provide detailed information on the 4-to-6-page book review on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/apmc/gdlp.htm.

Final Research Project (30%). I will provide detailed information on the 9-to-12-page final project on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/apmc/frp.htm. We will arrange for a mandatory individual conference on your topic before Thanksgiving break.

B. Grading. All work during the semester will be graded on a letter basis (A=outstanding, B=good, C=average, D=bad, F=awful) and converted into a number for purposes of calculating final grades. I use the following conversion system (the number in parentheses is the "typical" or "normal" conversion, but any number in the range may be assigned to a given letter grade):

A+=97-100 (98); A=93-96.99 (95); A-=90-92.99 (91); B+=87-89.99 (88); B=83-86.99 (85); B-=80-82.99 (81); C+=77-79.99 (78); C=73-76.99 (75); C-=70-72.99 (71); D+=67-69.99 (68); D=63-66.99 (65); D-=60-62.99 (61); F=0-59.99 (55)

Your final grade is determined by converting the weighted numerical average of the above assignments into a letter grade, according to the above scale.

C. Portfolio. All students should be aware of the English department's guidelines for ongoing portfolio submissions in their graduate program.

VII. Bibliography.

A. Contemporary References

B. Classic References

C. Key Journals



VIII. Course Schedule and Policies

A. Tentative Course Schedule. The following course schedule is subject to revision--please refer here regularly for updates to this schedule, notes on the texts, and suggestions for further reading.

M 8/24 introductions; course goals; in-class writing: brainstorm lists of American movies adapted from other fantasy fiction, science fiction, comic books, video games, and television; teamwork: choose one medium and compile team; homework: do online research to expand your team's list and post your findings on the discussion forum on the course ANGEL space
W 8/26 readings/assignments; teamwork: finalize your team's list and identify patterns in it; present and discuss; homework: consider how we should analyze and what we should make of these lists, patterns in them, and individual works on them; find online journals, blogs, and other web sites that could help us do this analysis and post your findings on the discussion forum on the course ANGEL space
F 8/28 syllabus; in-class writing: on you and the course; discussion: analyzing popular and mass cultures, assessing informal authority

M 8/31 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Foreword-Book I, Ch. V (vii-122)
W 9/2 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Ch. VI-XII (123-242)
F 9/4 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Ch. 1-V (243-372)

M 9/7 NO CLASS: Labor Day
W 9/9 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Ch. VI-X (373-458)
F 9/11 Armitt, Ch. 1-3 (1-44)

M 9/14 Armitt, Ch. 4 (45-112)
W 9/16 Armitt, Ch. 5 (113-172); GUEST APPEARANCE: Rachel Hoff, Master's Candidate, English Department, SUNY Fredonia
F 9/18 Armitt, Ch. 6-7 (173-211)

M 9/21 Gunn, et al., "Introduction" and Part I: "Mapping Science Fiction" (1-7, 11-51)
W 9/23 Gunn, et al., Part III: "Theoretical Approaches to Science Fiction" and Part IV: "Reading Science Fiction in the Classroom" (109-154, 157-191)
F 9/25 Gunn, et al., Part V: "Science Fiction and Diverse Disciplines" (195-252)

M 9/28 NO CLASS: Fall Break
W 9/30 Gunn, et al., Part II: "Science Fiction and Popular Culture," (55-105)
F 10/2 GUEST APPEARANCE: Tulin Tosun, Master's Candidate, English Department, SUNY Fredonia; Susan Spangler, Assistant Professor, English Department, SUNY Fredonia

M 10/5 Heer and Worcester, "Introduction," "Historical Considerations," "Craft, Art, Form," "Culture, Narrative, Identity," "Scrutiny and Evaluation" (xi-xv, 13-16, 101-103, 173-175, 253-255), David Kunzle, "Rodolphe Topffer's Aesthetic Revolution," Robert Harvey, "How Comics Came to Be," M. Thomas Inge, "Two Boys from the Twin Cities" (Heer and Worcester 17-45, 94-100)
W 10/7 Robert Petersen, "The Acoustics of Manga," Adam Kern, "Manga versus Kibyoshi," Fusami Ogi, "Beyond Shoujo, Blending Gender" (Heer and Worcester 163-171, 236-251)
Th 10/8 PUBLIC LECTURE: Jeffrey Tucker, Associate Professor, English Department, University of Rochester, "The Necessity of Models, of Alternatives" (4:30 pm, S-121 Williams Center)
F 10/9 Samuel Delany, "The Politics of Paraliterary Criticism" (in "Lessons" area on course ANGEL space), Peter Coogan, "The Definition of the Superhero" (Heer and Worcester 77-93)

M 10/12 Thierry Groensteen, "Why Are Comics Still in Search of Cultural Legitimization?" and "The Impossible Definition," W.J.T. Mitchell, "Beyond Comparison," Charles Hatfield, "An Art of Tensions," Joseph Witek, "The Arrow and the Grid," Pascal LeFevre, "The Construction of Space in Comics" (Heer and Worcester 3-11, 124-162)
W 10/14 Ariel Dorfman, "The Innocents March into History," Thomas Andrae, "The Garden in the Machine," John Benson, et al., "An Examination of 'Master Race,'" Hillary Chute, "History and Graphic Representation in Maus" (Heer and Worcester 257-305, 340-362)
F 10/16 Gene Kannenberg, Jr., "The Comics of Chris Ware," Annalisa Di Liddo, "Transcending Comics" (Heer and Worcester 306-339)

M 10/19 Egenfeldt-Neilsen, et al., Introduction-Ch. 3 (1-44)
W 10/21 Egenfeldt-Neilsen, et al., Ch. 4 (45-96)
F 10/23 SCREENING: Second Skin; GUEST APPEARANCE: Doug Johnston, Lecturer, English Department, SUNY Fredonia

M 10/26 SCREENING: Second Skin, cont.; Egenfeldt-Neilsen, et al., Ch. 5-6 (97-147)
W 10/28 Egenfeldt-Neilsen, et al., Ch. 7-8 (148-204)
F 10/30 Egenfeldt-Neilsen, et al., Ch. 9-10 (205-243)

M 11/2 Lotz, Introduction-Ch.1 (1-48)
W 11/4 Lotz, Ch. 2-3 (49-118)
F 11/6 Lotz, Ch. 4-5 (119-192)

M 11/9 Lotz, Ch. 6-Conclusion (193-256)
W 11/11 Villarejo, Ch. 1 (1-23)
F 11/13 Villarejo, Ch. 2 (24-53)

M 11/16 Villarejo, Ch. 3-4 (54-108)
W 11/18 Villarejo, Ch. 5-6 (109-150)
F 11/20 NO CLASS: Reading Day

M 11/23 - F 11/27 NO CLASSES: Thanksgiving Break

M 11/30 presentations
W 12/2 presentations
F 12/4 presentations

M 12/7 presentations
W 12/9 presentations
F 12/11 presentations; wrapping up; course evaluations

F 12/18 FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT due by 11:30 pm in the drop box in the "Lessons" area of the course ANGEL space

B. Class Policies

1. Attendance. As stated in Section VI above, barring emergencies any absence after the first will lower your final course grade by a full grade. Be aware that absences due to emergencies are the only absences that will not be counted toward your total for the semester. Emergencies include but are not limited to death in the family, hospitalization or serious illness, and natural disasters; scheduled and unavoidable school-sponsored events (games, meets, performances, etc.) are also counted as emergencies for the purpose of this attendance policy. Besides emergencies, the only other absences that won't affect your participation/preparation grade are excused absences. Please notify the instructor over email, in advance if possible and, if not, as soon after the absence as possible, if you wish an absence to be considered as an emergency or excused absence; the decision will be made at the instructor's discretion.

2. Online Participation. Please familiarize yourself with the college's Computer and Network Usage Policy in the University Catalog 2009-2010 and check with your instructor first before posting something to the course ANGEL space that is not directly related to the course.

3. Late Assignments. Online posts that are not well-timed with the course material and fail to spark other students' interest and responses will not count the same as well-timed posts or posts that do inspire further discussion. Late critical essays will not be accepted or graded. Only students who ask for an extension at least two days before the due date of any project will be granted an extension.

4. Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. To plagiarize is "to steal and pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). SUNY Fredonia strongly condemns plagiarism and takes severe action against those who plagiarize. Disciplinary action may extend to suspension from privileges or expulsion from college. Please familiarize yourself with the college's Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog 2009-2010 and check with your instructor if you have any questions about it.

5. Students with Disabilities. If you have a documented disability, please contact our Office of Disability Support Services in the Learning Center at Reed Library.

6. Cell Phones. Please turn them off before you enter the class. If you forget and yours rings, I'll be holding it the rest of the class.


M A I N * L I N K S



ENGL 208/AMST 210: American Popular and Mass Cultures, Fall 2009
Created: 8/28/09 7:58 am
Last modified: 10/6/09 4:49 pm
Webmaster: Bruce Simon, Associate Professor of English, SUNY Fredonia