Here are some options for your culminating work in English 209.  Of course, if you have other suggestions, please feel free to propose them.  Ultimately, the work should show that you have thought carefully about the texts in the course and appreciate their place in particular times, places, and cultures (a course goal).  We may need to negotiate the amount of work the papers/projects involve, but in general, the written text should be about 5 pages unless otherwise specified.  My rationale is that if you can write a 15-page paper for a 15-week course, you should be able to write a 5-page paper for a 5-week course.

Feel free to adapt these suggestions as necessary.  We will be negotiating their progress and final form, and you will be turning in drafts for feedback before the final is due.

1.  Narrate a scene from a graphic novel and write a commentary that discusses how you “translated” the picture into narration.  The readings we did with Poe in comparing the text and graphic forms are the inspiration for this option.

2.  Illustrate a passage from one of Poe stories/poems NOT already in graphic form.  Or you may choose another story, perhaps by your favorite author,  for that matter.  Write a commentary in which you discuss how you composed your illustrations with great specificity.

3.  Watch a movie based on a graphic novel (American Splendor, Persepolis, or you might be already familiar with Sin City, 300, Road to Perdition), and write a review that addresses the art direction/direction of the movie, character development, faithfulness to the original story.  You may look at and cite other reviews.

4.  Read a sequel to a graphic novel (Persepolis II, more of The Sandman series,  My Cancer Year (American Splendor sequel) to discuss how the themes/characters are continued through the next book(s).

5.  Read a pair of novels, one graphic, one original (like Beowulf), to compare.  There are many versions of Beowulf, a recent good one by Seamus Heaney, to look at.

6.  Make up your own paper/project that also relates to your chosen or potential major.  For example, history majors might do something with the historical period of Persepolis.  Music majors might want to create a soundtrack for a graphic novel.  Adolescence or Elementary Education majors might devise a teaching unit or investigate graphic novels' use in the classroom.  Think of something that interests YOU about these works and propose it.