Comments(8) [No blog this week. I am presenting a paper in Louisville, Kentucky at the biennial Thomas R. Watson conference. BK]
category: Gaming, Life, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology
Comments(8) [As a second-year PhD student in the Rhetoric and Writing Program at BGSU, my cohort is currently selecting committee chairs for our Prelim exams, which means we are beginning to develop potential dissertation topics. For many years, I imagined pursuing a dissertation arguing that modern comic book crossovers are remediated Greek myths reproduced in a multimodal format and understanding how that changes our literacy practices, but after six years and much deliberation with professors and soul-searching…I am leaving comics behind.
During my coursework as a first-year PhD student, I felt if I wanted to write a dissertation using comics, then I should distance myself from that subject as evidence that I am about more than Rhetoric, Composition, and Comics. Professors confirmed my feeling and I began pursuing papers addressing possibilities using video games and I received a much more positive response, but other signs also contributed to my decision:
Another major reason I am happy and comfortable with leaving comics behind is my composition students. I always love teaching students about writing well and I constantly try incorporating their literacies into my pedagogy. As a younger self, I struggled with writing well, but I loved doing it and that love predates other interests I hold. Now I am pursuing arguments showing how students improve writing through gaming and reading comics becomes a favorite hobby again. BK]
category: Comics, Gaming, Life, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology
Comments(2) [Discourse Chronicle is moving off Movable Type to WordPress! I regret not being able to take full advantage of Movable Type’s customization features with Dreamweaver, but time simply does not let me explore as much as I would like. Please change bookmarks appropriately and I look forward to hearing from my regulars at my new blog location. BK]
category: Life
Comments(0) October 24, 2008 – ARTalks: Comics: A Medium in Transition by Scott McCloud, cartoonist and theorist. 6:30pm, Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater.
[Sweet! I always wanted to listen to Scott McCloud speak about comics (regardless of his sometimes questionable worth in academia), but I never imagined he would come to BGSU. Maybe I could get him to sign my copies of his books (Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics).
On October 25, a gallery exhibit titled Graphic Language: The Art of the “Comic” Book opens at the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery through October 5, which I plan on seeing for some ideas toward my dissertation idea. From Elizabeth. BK]
category: Comics, Life, Literacy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics
Comments(1) I am pleased to inform you that your proposal is accepted for presentation at the Comic Book in Popular Culture Conference to be held on the Bowling Green State University Main Campus in Bowling Green, Ohio, October 24-25, 2008. NOTE: The list of papers above is a tentative composition of your panel. The finalized panels with dates and times will be sent later.
[I submitted a paper about analyzing serial longevity as a rhetorical formula involving establishing conventions, innovating them, and returning to conventions. The example used is a story from Superman comics when Superman became Superman Blue. BK]
category: Acceptances, Comics, Life, Literacy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics
Comments(3) With pleasure, we invite you to participate in the 60th annual Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, which will be held in San Francisco, March 11-14, 2009. We are following the CCCC policy of allowing only one speaking role in the peer-reviewed concurrent sessions in order to maximize the participation of the CCCC membership.
[I submitted a proposal about how playing video games such as Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin on the Nintendo DS will result in better composition students if we incorporate game elements into our lessons about writing. BK]
category: Gaming, Life, Pedagogy, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology
Comments(0) [During this summer, I worked as a Doctoral Graduate Assistant to BGSU’s Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which started this year. McNair Scholars are first-generation, low-income students OR from underrepresented minorities planning on pursuing PhDs. McNair works with its students and gives them advanced scholarly opportunities as an undergraduate to better train them for graduate education, including grants, conferences, and publication experience.
Today McNair hosted its closing luncheon for its Summer Research Institute (SRI), which consists of three short non-credit courses on library research, research methods, and scholarly and technical writing (which I taught). I also helped develop promotional materials for them including a brochure, newsletter, and upcoming website.
Our first SRI featured six talented scholars and all of them surprised the Assistant Director and I with an official Bowling Green Falcons jar filled with Starburst. I thanked all of them and said that jar will follow me back to the English department when I begin teaching again in the fall. I rarely receive expressions of appreciation in exchange for teaching and mentorship, so I treasure things like the gift our scholars gave me. BK]
category: Life
Comments(8) [Nick Stepaniak (my best friend of 15 years) married his long-time girlfriend and fiancee Susan MacLaughlin last weekend in Dallas, TX. Elizabeth and I attended their wedding with close friends Ted and Trina Weiland. I believe it was the best weekend of my life (so far). Here is a recap:
Day 1
I developed an appreciation for airport park and ride services.
We rented a Chevrolet HHR with Hertz for the first time.
I met a fellow Aggie (Texas A&M University student or graduate) for the first time.
All of us caught up with Nick and Susan at their infamous house located at the intersection of Bond St. and Lois Lane.
Day 2
We took full advantage of La Quinta Inn‘s complete complimentary breakfast
All of us spent the morning at the Dallas Museum of Art
All of us witnessed a small yet intimate Christian ceremony at the Dallas Arboretum
We reminisced with Nick’s parents about how I contributed to his conversion from the sciences to the humanities in college.
Despite many memorable moments being shared above, what made last weekend the best was all of our conversations happening throughout, especially while “geeking out”. Choice moments allowed for a seemingly endless supply of movie references and lines to enhance whatever situation all of us found ourselves in, whether stuck in traffic (“Use bumper! That’s what it’s for!”) or looking at a priceless gold chalice (“Choose wisely”). BK]
category: Life
Comments(0) [Theme: Princes of the Universe (Queen). As I write my ritual semester review blog entry, I realized that I am now officially a second-year PhD student, which I could not be happier about looking forward to another year of teaching and coursework. I know humanities PhD students anticipate being free from coursework once ABD status is awarded, but I find coursework helpful as a safe testing ground for new ideas, such as my current explorations with composition and video games. I also find working as a teaching assistant helpful for experimenting with teaching styles, lessons, and materials. I know I adopted a completely new teaching style this year and stopped relying on detailed lesson plans. I believe my students respond better when we talk about seemingly random writing topics on any given day.
I am currently working on a number of research-related projects, including abstracts for upcoming conferences in the next year, but also book reviews for academic journals. However, I still take time out for myself, playing video games and catching up on my comic book reading. I still believe the best part about having research interests in popular culture is knowing that my hobbies become my career. I am most thankful about being in an encouraging environment at BGSU with more professors and colleagues who want to help me improve and realize my potential. BK]
category: Life
Comments(16) We are very pleased to accept your proposal for the 2008 Thomas R. Watson Conference. We were overwhelmed with the responses to this year’s topic–both in terms of the quantity of submissions and the quality of the work proposed. Clearly the topic resonates with the work we are now doing as composition teachers.
category: Acceptances, Life, Popular Culture, Rhetoric and Poetics, Technology