This Week's Assignments

Today we have a snow day (Monday, February 8), and as previously announced, our class will not meet on Wednesday, February 10 and Friday, February 12 because I will be out of town.  Please read the following carefully for this week's instructions.

I'd like you to complete two assignments:

1. You may choose from one of two assignments related to Julia Wertz, a graphic novelist who is visiting JMU this week in association with the class Writing and Illustrating Literature.  We're lucky to have access to an emerging writer working in what might arguably called a "popular writing" field, so let's take advantage of her presence here.

a) Attend either the exhibit of Wertz's work on Wednesday at 11 a.m. or the colloquium on Thursday at noon, in which she will discuss her creative and production processes. Both events will take place at the Institute for Visual Studies on the second floor of Roop. (You may of course attend both, but only one is required.) Then write a two-page paper (double-spaced) responding to the event you attended. Do you think graphic literature is “popular writing”? Is it aimed at a “general audience”? If you attended the exhibit, how do you think Wertz’s visual images interact with her text to create meaning? If you attended the colloquium, what did you learn about Wertz’s process, and how does it compare to the process of traditional forms of writing? You may respond in any way you’d like beyond these questions, as long as you attempt to answer them in some way. It would be a good idea to bring a notebook to take notes.

b) If you have class during both of these events and cannot attend, research Julia Wertz’s work on her website.  Browse through the links to Archives, Reviews, Bio, etc. Then write a three-page paper (double-spaced) attempting to answer the same questions above and comparing Wertz’s work to the work of one or more of the artists/writers listed under Links on the lower right side of Wertz’s website. What is a “web comic,” and how does this genre seem to differ from a traditional comic? Again, you may respond in any way you’d like beyond these questions, as long as you attempt to answer them in some way. You must use MLA format to cite any text or ideas you borrow from your web research.

This assignment is due in class on Monday, February 15. Please staple your pages!

If Wertz’s visit is canceled or rescheduled due to weather, I will let you know and assign an alternative.

2. Read the following articles in Popular Writing in America:

• "Obscenity/The Case of 2 Live Crew" (short introduction to section), 201
• "A First: Album Ruled Obscene," 202
• "National Association of Independent...Stickering," 204
• "Much More Nasty Than They Should Be," 207
• "2 Live Crew, Decoded," 211
• "How Things Got Nasty in Broward County," 219
  

All of these articles pertain to the pop culture controversy of 2 Live Crew's 1990 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. While this is now a twenty-year-old issue, the range of articles presented here still offers insight into the various ways newspapers and magazines shape a national conversation. What genres would you say these articles represent? How do their rhetorical situations differ? As always, make notes and be prepared to discuss these readings in class on Wednesday, February 17.

At the same time, keep working on your reviews and your second magazine/press piece.  If you would like to attempt a comic of your own (for a magazine or newspaper), go for it. 

If I need to reschedule my trip due to weather, these assignments will still be required, but our class may meet. I will let you know if this is the case as soon as possible.

For now, to accommodate the missing days in the calendar, let's adjust our schedule as follows:

•  Mon., Feb. 15: Workshop 1 (reviews).
• Wed., Feb. 17: Discussion of readings (features and 2 Live Crew); Students scheduled for Workshop 2 must post second magazine/press piece by today.
• Fri., Feb. 19: Workshop 2 (second magazine/press piece).
• Mon., Feb. 22: More discussion of magazines/press.
• Wed., Feb. 24: Portfolio 1 due.

Please check back with this blog regularly for updates, and if you have any questions, e-mail me at henderea@jmu.edu or call me at 434-409-9837.

Hope you have some fun with this week's assignments, and I’ll see you next week.