Digital and Empirical Methods for Studying Readership and Fandom.
View the Project on GitHub jawalsh/z604-z672-comic-books-and-their-readers-SP24
Digital and Empirical Methods for Studying Readership and Fandom
Spring 2024
12:40 - 15:15 Wednesday, Sycamore Hall (SY) 103
Instructor: Associate Professor John A. Walsh, jawalsh@indiana.edu.
Office Hours: Schedule at https://fantastical.app/jawalsh-r1Wz/office-hours.
Associate Instructor: Alex Wingate, alewinga@iu.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:30pm-2:45pm, and by appointment (click Zoom link in Alex’s profile)
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The final project is a hybrid research paper/data paper and a short video presentation.
You will write a research paper, with a data paper component, that explores some aspect or manifestation of comic book fandom or readership.
Your exploration should include an analysis of relevant data that you generate or that you acquire from existing sources, and those data should be well documented and made available (for instance on GitHub or OneDrive).
Your audience consists of academics and library professionals, but they likely do not have expertise in comic books or participatory comic book culture and you should provide necessary context for readers who are not comics experts.
Please reach out to us if you are interested in presenting your work in some alternative format or media other than the traditional research paper.
Submit your assignment materials as a PDF or Word document in Canvas.
| Element | Score |
|---|---|
| Data Set (45 pts) A complete, accurate, and coherent data set chosen to address a specific research question with an identifiable context (e.g., a specific period, community, creator, work). Data set and data collection methods are clearly described in paper. If applicable: The data files are clearly named and organized and include a README file that explains the contents of the data set; links to data files and README are included in the final paper. |
4 3 2 1 |
| Context (45 pts) The context of the content being studied is clearly articulated and explained. For instance, you may be looking at comics and reader activities related to a specific title (e.g., The New Teen Titans), creator (e.g., Jack Kirby or Alison Bechdel), genre (e.g., war comics), time period (e.g., the “golden age” or the 1980s). The paper/presentation provides introductory information about the context suitable appropriate for the audience. |
4 3 2 1 |
| Terminology (45 pts) Proper terminology from relevant domains (e.g., comics studies, fan studies) are used throughout the paper. Specialized terminology that may not be clear to your audience is explained and/or illustrated |
4 3 2 1 |
| Analysis (45 pts) Analysis applies one more appropriate methods (e.g., content analysis, close reading, text analysis) to the data set to answer a research question about comics, comics readers, or comics culture. Methods used are clearly articulated in paper. The analysis references specific examples from data set (e.g., quotes from specific pieces of fan mail; discusses specific costume or character design). |
4 3 2 1 |
| Visualizations (45 pts) Documents include two or more visualizations that clearly illustrate your analysis. Visualizations are referenced in the text (e.g., “See Figure 3.”), appropriately sized, legible, clearly labeled, and include informative captions. |
4 3 2 1 |
| Professionalism (25 pts) Documents (paper and slides) are formatted properly, with a clean, coherent design and organization; clear headings; meaningful use of typography; bibliography, citations, and notes that conform to an accepted style such as MLA or APA; and free from distracting grammar, typographical, mechanical, word choice, punctuation, and spelling errors. |
4 3 2 1 |