Consider how you interpret or understand these images somewhat differently after our work together this term.

Summer 2019

Words and Images: Terror and the Witch What’s this course about? General Course Description:

Words and Images is a writing-intensive course that examines how narratives are created, enhanced, and transformed by the collaboration between images and words. While a story can be communicated without words, and a picture can be created in your mind without the use of illustrations, a special magic is performeed when words and images combine powers. Understanding how words and images function to create rhetorical and narrative effects is a skillset with ramifications for effective writing, media literacy, and cultural awareness.

This Section of the Course

This section of Words and Images is fully online and will take place entirely on Blackboard. We will examine recent and historical portrayals of one of the most controversial and provocative characters in Western history: the witch. We will consider how images of the witch have evolved and changed, beginning in the present with portrayals in modern comic books and graphic novels, where witches are reinvented as flawed, misunderstood, or sinister (yet always powerful) modern women. Then we’ll travel back in time to examine the early modern moment in which some women were accused and executed as witches, for crimes that today are seen as entirely mythical. An early analogue of the modern comic was actually the chief vehicle for popular understanding of these historical events —the cheaply printed, salacious pamphlet accounts of accusations and trials for witchcraft.

By interpreting how writing and visual portraits have both reflected and contributed to very different views of the witch over time, we will gain a more precise understanding of some of the significant rhetorical and persuasive work that words and images do.

What will you accomplish? Students will: • Recognize and understand

elements of visual rhetoric as these appear in texts featuring pictorial components

• Evaluate the relationship between words and images in different storytelling traditions

• Discern how words support visual story-telling, and images, in turn, support narrative effects

• Analyze distinct cultural and historical contexts in which texts are produced, disseminated, and read

• Write effectively about literary texts and historical contexts specific to course materials

This course satisfies the following University requirements: Ø Writing Requirement Ø Literature General Education

Requirement

ENGLIT 0354: Words and Images

2

Words and Images

Required Course Materials

Texts:

Ø Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (William Morrow, 1994, orig.). ISBN: 978-0060976255

Ø Rucka and Scott, Black Magick Vol. I: The Awakening (Image Comics, 2016) ISBN:978-1632156754

Ø Scott and Matthews, Toil & Trouble (Archaia, 2016) ISBN: 978- 1608868780

Ebooks on Pittcat:

Ø James Sharpe, Witchcraft in Early Modern England (Routledge, 2018) ISBN: 978-1138467057

Ø Marion Gibson, Early Modern Witches: Witchcraft Cases in Contemporary Writing (Routledge, 2001) ISBN: 978-0415215800

Single Issue Comics:

I usually discourage students from reading comics online, because some of the visual effects crafted by comics artists can be lost in the digital format. However, the online comics store comixology is best for single issue purchases, since specific back issues aren’t guaranteed to be available in comics stores. Another option is to consider checking out the relevant anthology volume containing the issue you need from your local library. Ø Scarlet Witch, issue #2 (also found in

Robinson and Del Rey, Scarlet Witch, Vol. I: Witches’ Road)

Ø Harrow County, issues #1-2 (also found in Bunn and Crook, Harrow County, Vol. 1)

Additional Materials A number of additional readings, videos, and activities will be made available as pdfs or links through our course Blackboard site. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you are having difficulty locating or accessing these online resources.

Submitting Assignments Each week, following your engagement with assigned course materials, you will be asked to complete a few short assignments and interact with your peers, usually in writing. Course assignments are due each week on Friday and Sunday, by 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless otherwise specified. If you live in another time zone, it is your responsibility to account for the time difference and make sure that you submit your work by the deadlines indicated in our syllabus.

Late Work & Grace Periods: Students who are new to online coursework may sometimes think that an online course will be easier than a face-to-face class, but this is not the case. In fact, some students find online courses more challenging, particularly when it comes to pacing their work and completing all of the course requirements on a weekly basis. It is vital that you keep up and complete all requirements for this class. Students who fall behind may find it difficult to catch up again, and will create significant obstacles for themselves in finishing the course. However, I do recognize that real life can create challenges for us despite our best intentions. This is why each student will receive five 24-hour grace periods at the beginning of the semester. • When you submit assignments

late, grace periods will automatically be applied until

you run out of them. After your last grace period is gone, assignments will receive a 3 point per calendar day deduction for each day late after the due date.

• Grace periods can’t be used for quizzes, collaborative assignments, or the final project. You can’t use grace periods after the last day of class.

If you experience technology difficulties, you are responsible for contacting the University Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) to resolve problems. Neither technology difficulties nor illness without an official medical excuse can excuse late work. “Attendance” Logging into the Blackboard course shell and completing learning activities and assignments each week is essential for your success in the course. I recommend logging in on Monday of each week in order to note assignment due dates. Students should closely monitor the course syllabus, schedule, and Weekly Activities and Assignments folders in Blackboard to track what is due when. I will regularly access reports detailing student activity in the course shell.

Course Policies

3

Academic Integrity Policy Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, noted below, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper will be imposed. For the full Academic Integrity policy, go to www.provost.pitt.edu/info/ai1.html You are also advised to look at the guidelines for avoiding plagiarism on the Literature Program’s website at http://www.english.pitt.edu/underg raduate/understand-and-avoid- plagiarism. Turnitin Policy Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of Turnitin.com page service is subject to the Usage Policy and Privacy Pledge posted on the Turnitin.com site. Disability Resource Services If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union, 412-648- 7890, as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

Additional Assistance Pitt offers a number of services to help students who are struggling either academically or personally. In addition to Disability Resources, Pitt also offers free counseling for students who are experiencing personal or emotional difficulties. The Counseling Center, located in 334 William Pitt Union, offers Psychological Services (412-648- 7930) and Sexual Assault Services (412-648-7856). Email Communication Policy Each student is issued a University e-mail address ([email protected]) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an e-mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address. To forward e-mail sent to your University account, go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, log into your account, click on Edit Forwarding Addresses, and follow the instructions on the page. Be sure to log out of your account when you have finished. (For the full E-mail Communication Policy, go to www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/ 09-10-01.html.)

Classroom Environment We should aspire to treat one another with dignity and respect at all times, and our language should reflect this, perhaps especially in an online class, where our words do so much to represent us to others. Certainly we should also remember that occasionally people (including your instructor) offend without intending to do so, and we should recognize that each of us is doing the best we can every day. This is a course in which issues of gender are central, and recalling the suggested guidelines of Pitt’s Gender Studies program can be instructive for our practices as a class: “Language is gender-inclusive and non-sexist when we use words that affirm and respect how people describe, express, and experience their gender. Just as sexist language excludes women’s experiences, non-gender-inclusive language excludes the experiences of individuals whose identities may not fit the gender binary, and/or who may not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Identities including trans, intersex, and genderqueer reflect personal descriptions, expressions, and experiences. Gender-inclusive/ non-sexist language acknowledges people of any gender (for example, first year student versus freshman, chair versus chairman, humankind versus mankind, etc.). It also affirms non-binary gender identifications, and recognizes the difference between biological sex and gender expression. Students, faculty, and staff may share their preferred pronouns and names, and these gender identities and gender expressions should be honored.”

Words and Images

Breakdown of Assignments: Total Points:

Week 1 Quiz, Self-Introduction, and Response Writing 15

Quizzes (Weeks 2, 6, 7, 9; 5 points each) 20

Blackboard Posts and Responses (Weeks 2, 8, 10) During selected weeks, you will post to an online discussion forum in response to a specific topic related to that week’s activities. Evaluation is based on both your individual postings and your responses to peers. (15 points each)

45

Working Group Discussions (Weeks 3, 4, 5, 7, 9) You will be assigned to a small Working Group early on in the term. At periodic intervals, you will discuss key course questions and exchange ideas and feedback with your Working Group, and respond with a summary of your conversation to your instructor. You may choose your medium of communication, whether by chat, text, imessenger, or another format. (5 points each)

25

Individual Reflections (Weeks 3, 4, 11, 12) You will craft short reflection papers (ranging from 2-3 pp.) at key intervals, in which you will address questions specific to the course and develop your analytical skills. (15 points each)

60

Peer Feedback (Weeks 6, 12) Responding to peers’ work is an important way to hone your analytical and rhetorical skills, and you will offer feedback to your peers at key intervals. (10 points each)

20

Individual Comic Creation Assignment (20 points) and Comics Analysis Essay (40 points) As part of your work for the course, you will create your own short comic, either drawing by hand or using an online comics creation program. You will post your work to our course blog on Blackboard, and offer feedback to a few of your classmates. Afterward, you will discuss your work in relation to major course terms and techniques in a short essay (5-6 pp.).

60

Pamphlet Creation Group Assignment (35 points) and Individual Peer Critique Essay (45 points) Together with your Working Group, you will craft a pamphlet account of a witchcraft case, using words and images, appropriate to the early modern historical context we will study as a class. Individually, you will write a peer critique evaluating the work of another group in dialogue with historical and artistic materials we have studied together.

80

Course Points Total: 325

The grade scale for this course is as follows: A = 93-100%, A- = 90-92%, B+ = 87-89%, B = 83-86%, B- = 80-82%, C+ = 77-79%,

C = 73-76%, C- = 70-72%, D+ = 67- 69%, D = 63-66%, D- = 60-62%, F < 60%

5

Week Class Activities Assignments Due

1: Introduction to the Course

Introduction to the Course • Watch the video introduction to the

course, and take a few minutes to

familiarize yourself with the major

features of our course shell.

• Read and review the syllabus carefully. Be sure you're aware of major deadlines and policies about

late work, appropriate classroom

behavior, and other topics that may

affect you.

By Friday, 11:30 p.m.:

• Complete the syllabus quiz • Introduce yourself to your

discussion group online

• Response writing due

By Sunday, 11:30 p.m.

• Respond to two of your peers' self-introductions on our

Discussion Board

2: Reading Comics and Graphic Novels

Readings

• McCloud, Chapter 3, “Blood in the Gutter,” in Understanding Comics

• Harrow County, issues #1-2

Individual Tasks:

• Quiz • Blackboard post due Friday, by

11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignments:

• Blackboard response due Sunday, by 11:30 p.m.

3: Time and Motion in Comics

Readings

• McCloud, Chapter 4, “Time Frames,” in Understanding Comics

• Scarlet Witch, issue #2 • Review instructions for upcoming

comics construction assignment

Individual Tasks:

• Reflection Writing due Friday

Interactive Assignments:

• Working Group Discussion summary due Sunday

(Working Group assignments

will be posted on Blackboard in

the Week 3 Module)

4: Black Magick Readings • Watch the course lecture, “Visual

Elements of the Witch Stereotype.”

• Read Act I, scene i of Macbeth, available as a pdf below. (This excerpt also doubles as a visual

script for the Polanski film clip, which

adheres closely to the words of the

original text.)

• Watch the opening scene of Polanski’s film adaptation of

Shakespeare’s Macbeth. • Rucka and Scott, Black Magick, Vol. 1

Individual Tasks:

• Quiz • Reflection Writing due Friday: a

story board (in narrative or

graphic form) for your

individual comic should be

submitted via Blackboard by

Friday, 11:30 p.m., and shared

with your Working Group

Interactive Assignments:

• Working Group Discussion summary due Sunday

6

5: Toil and Trouble I Readings • Read Acts I-IV, Toil and Trouble • Watch 0:00-2:40 and 8:00-12:55 of

“Literature Crash Course #409: Free

Will, Witches, Murder, and

Macbeth.” (I'll give you one extra

credit point if you can identify the

mistake made in this speaker's plot

summary of the play!)

• Read Act I, scene 3 of Macbeth (online) • Read the article "Comic Book Grammar

& Tradition" (online)

• Review the instructions for the Artist’s Statement essay, so you'll have an idea

what kind of follow-up writing to

prepare for after your comic has been

submitted.

Individual Tasks:

• Continue work on your individual comic

Interactive Assignments:

• Working Group Discussion summary due by Sunday, 11:30

p.m.

6: Toil and Trouble II Readings

• Acts V-VI, Toil and Trouble • Review the instructions for the Artist’s

Statement essay, due in Week 7

Individual Tasks:

• Quiz due by Friday, 11:30 p.m. • Individual comic assignment

must be posted to our class

blog on Blackboard by Friday,

11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignments:

• Peer feedback on two comics due by Sunday, 11:30 p.m.

7: Ways of Seeing: Women and Witches

Readings:

• Introduction from James Sharpe, Witchcraft in Early Modern England (pp. 3-13)

• Read excerpts from contemporary writers on women and witchcraft

(available on Courseweb as a pdf) • Watch Course Lecture

Individual Tasks:

• Quiz • Comics Analysis Essay due by

Thursday, 11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignments:

• Working Group Discussion summary due Sunday

7

8: Contexts of Witch- hunting

Readings

• “Apprehension and Confession of Three Notorious Witches,” in Gibson,

Early Modern Witches, pp. 129-137 • “The Unique Concept of the Witch and

Witch Trials in Early Modern England”

(online) • Review assignment instructions for

final group pamphlet project

Individual Tasks

• Complete simulation, “A Witch Hunt: Germany 1628.” Be sure

to run through this several

times so that you can how

many different results you can

get. You will discuss your

results in your written

assignments this week!

• Blackboard post due Friday, by 11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignments:

• Blackboard response due Sunday, by 11:30 p.m.

9: Reading Early Modern Pamphlets

Readings

• Excerpt from Pamphlets and Pamphleteering (available as pdf online)

• Download and review the “early modern folding sheet” available

through the Folger Shakespeare

Library

• Watch “How to Identify Format” (up to 5:57)

• Watch Episode 3 of Comics Crash Course, “Print Culture Gets Going” (up

to 4:37)

Assignments

• Quiz, due Friday, by 11:30 p.m. • Complete activity in the Folger

Library’s virtual printing house

Interactive Assignment:

• Working Group Discussion summary due Sunday, by 11:30

p.m. (Groups will propose a

working plan for completion of

Pamphlet Project.)

10: Cursing and the Power of Speech

Readings

• Chapter 3 from James Sharpe, Witchcraft in Early Modern England, pp. 32-51

• Excerpt from the play, The Witch of Edmonton, posted on Blackboard

• Henry Goodcole, “The wonderfull discoverie of Elizabeth Sawyer, a

Witch,” in Gibson, Early Modern Witches, pp. 299-315

• Watch “Speech Acts: Constative and Performative”

Individual Tasks:

• Complete the Period Dictionaries Exercise, post your

results and analysis to our

Discussion Board by Friday,

11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignment:

• Blackboard response due Sunday, by 11:30 p.m.

8

11: Dynamics of Confession

Readings

• Louise Jackson, “Witches, Wives and Mothers,” from The Witchcraft Reader, posted on Blackboard.

• Read “The Definitive Guide to Guilt,” from Psychology Today, at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201208/the-

definitive-guide-guilt

Individual Tasks:

• Reflection Writing due Friday, by 11:30 p.m.

Interactive Assignments:

• Working Groups must post their pamphlet projects to our

course blog by 11:30 p.m. on

Sunday

12: Course Reflections/Final Projects • Reading and review of peers’

pamphlet projects

• Watch videos and study images posted in our Blackboard shell this week for

Module 12

Interactive Assignments:

• Peer feedback on pamphlet projects due Friday, by 11:30

p.m.

Individual Tasks:

• Final Course Reflection due Friday, by 11:30 p.m.

• Peer Critique Essay and Final Reflection due Sunday, by

11:30 p.m.