I probably should have started this back in January, but oh well, I don't think it's too late. This blog here is for a class I'm taking right now, ENG-336: Theories and Approach. That's its technical name by the way, the name in the course catalog and scheduling system. The real name of the course, as per the title page of the syllabus, is Graphics and Gaming: The Language, Literacy, and Learning of Art and Play.
It is a course about comic books and video games. I am getting college credit for reading/playing/discussing/analyzing comic books and video games. Based on concept alone, this is probably one of the most awesome courses I've taken thus far (I had a course on video game programming/design last semester, along with a course on world religions, so it's really hard for me to pick a favorite).
One of the quests offered in the course is to create a blog and discuss my progress through the course, what's going on in the class, etc. And yes, I said "quest." There are no tests or quizzes, final grades are based on total experience points accumulated, and experience points are acquired via class participation, playing assigned video games/reading assigned comic books, progressing through class paths ("Guru", "Scholar", and "Sage") and by performing "side quests." I am being completely serious, by the way.
Aside from the grading system, the course is no different from any other really. There are lectures, there is required reading (some graphic novels, some actual books), and the various "quests" are just your average projects (give presentation, write paper, watch/discuss a film, etc.), with the exception that you get to choose what quests to do and when. Not so crazy when you lay it all out.
Now that this little intro is out of the way, from here on out, posts will be summaries of material covered in class, along with the occasional commentary about the class or some game I happen to be playing at the time. Depending on how well this goes, and how much free time I have afterward, I may keep updating this once the semester is over. I normally don't play enough games or read enough comics to maintain something like this, but we'll see how this pans out.
I'm interested in your elaboration on the required reading("there is required reading [some graphic novels, some actual books]"); do you not consider graphic novels on the same level as classical novels and such? If so, why not? :)
ReplyDeleteI guess I probably should have clarified that or something. Personally, I don't see a huge difference in complexity, quality, social relevance, etc. Both graphic novels and classic novels are valuable literary artifacts, and should be respected and, more importantly, read. I will, however, acknowledge the fact that they are different media, and should be viewed as such, just like how a movie or video game is also not a book. While they are all capable of telling a story, they do so in different ways; lumping them all together is nothing short of disrespectful.
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