Course Syllabus

Course: English 306

About Your Professor

Dr. Matt Barton is an English professor at Saint Cloud State University, where he has served on the faculty since 2005 after receiving his PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of South Florida. Matt teaches courses in rhetoric, composition, social media, popular culture, and advanced writing. His published work includes six books, several articles and reviews in top academic journals, and a feature film documentary, Gameplay: The Story of the Videogame Revolution. He also hosts a YouTube program called Matt Chat, which features in-depth retrospectives and interviews with stars of the videogame industry. 

How to Contact Me

My office is located in Building 51, Room 158. 

Office Hours:

Monday	12-3 p.m.
Tuesday	1-3 p.m.
Wednesday	12-3 p.m.
Thursday	1-3 p.m.

Please note that sometimes I'll be away at departmental or committee meetings (usually at noon). To be safe, email me in advance to book an appointment. 

Email: mdbarton@stcloudstate.edu

Phone: (320) 308-5472 (please use email instead)

Course Description

The main goal of English 306 is to help you see how rhetoric works in popular culture. As opposed to “high culture,” or “fine arts”—think Shakespeare, Homer, or Mozart--popular culture (often abbreviated as “pop culture”) is concerned with comics, movies, advertisements, video games, popular music, and best-selling novels like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. If you’ve ever wanted to write an essay on The Matrix instead of “A Rose for Emily,” you'll love this class.

We’ll talk more about “rhetoric” as the class progresses, but understand now that it means more than fast-talk or fancy language. Rhetoric is concerned with understanding the social and cultural effects of any kind of discourse, whether we’re talking about movies or political speeches. Rhetoric is never a one-way street—no matter how persuasive I might try to be in a letter, I never know for certain how the person reading it will respond. What I can understand, though, is how that person’s response is influenced by his or her social standing, education, cultural background, association with various groups and communities, and so on. Two people watching the same film can and often do have very different reactions. Consider the furor over the video “Innocence of Muslims,” a shoddy film all but ignored by American audiences, but which led to over 75 deaths after it was dubbed for Arabic speakers.

Many producers of pop culture claim and honestly believe that their work is pure entertainment and has no other effect on their audiences. Nevertheless, groups of concerned citizens, including prominent politicians, have frequently contested this, arguing that comic books, heavy metal albums, and video games cause criminal behavior. Which side, if either, is correct?

Since the world of pop culture is so immense, I’ve decided to focus on a theme: zombies. Even more specifically, we will focus on The Walking Dead franchise. I chose this theme mainly because it's fantastic, and secondly because it is a great example of “transmedia,” or a story whose parts are unfolding in several different media—in this case, a popular television show, comic books, traditional novels, and video games. This is a much newer phenomenon than simply turning a novel into a movie or vice versa—now we’re getting stories so large that fans (or at least the producers) feel that they simply must be spread across a variety of formats, each with its own special advantages and disadvantages for storytelling and persuasion.

Needless to say, if you despise The Walking Dead or zombies in general, you should not take this class. This class is taught every other semester by Communication Studies, and, as far as I know, zombies have nothing to do with it.

Over the course of the semester, we will try to understand how these different media forms work rhetorically—all the while contemplating why the ideas of a zombie and a “zombie apocalypse” have such appeal in contemporary Western society. During the course, you will experience The Walking Dead franchise from each of these media. We will watch parts of the show in class, play the games, and read the comics. Then we will discuss the rhetorical strategies and delivery method of each of these forms. We will also read academic essays on the subject of zombies in modern culture and see how the concept is being used to illustrate and critique immigration, race, religion, and capitalism, and more.

Texts and Required Software

1. AMC. The Walking Dead (the show). Available in various formats, including Netflix, DVD, and Amazon Instant Video. Choose whatever is convenient for you.
2. Kirkman. Walking Dead Vol. 1 Compendium. ISBN: 1607060760
3. McCloud. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. ISBN: 0613027825
4. Sellnow. Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture. 2nd edition.
5. Telltale Games. The Walking Dead. (any format). ASIN: B007WQOIGW
6. American Zombie Gothic. 
   

There will also be readings on Canvas from various academic journals and books. These will be available at no extra charge.

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze the rhetorical elements of texts (such as websites, commercials, essays, songs, movies, television shows, blogs) to recognize the socio-historical value assumptions communicated through them
2. articulate how the value assumptions that underlie texts affect decisions and evaluations of contemporary socio-political issues made by ourselves and others
3. articulate how texts operate rhetorically to construct identities and communities
4. analyze the logical connections among the facts, goals, and implicit assumptions relevant to the claims made by texts and evaluate implications that follow from these logical connections
5. formulate interpretations of texts that yield both dominant and alternative meanings or reactions to them
6. evaluate how texts function to negotiate power, particularly in relation to establishing, maintaining, and/or resisting ideologies

Projects and Grade Breakdown

Written Projects

• 2 Proposals (10%)
• 2 Rhetorical Analysis Essays (35%)
• Nuggets from Readings (15%)

Other Assignments

• 5% rough drafts (2)
• 10% peer reviews (8)
• 10% Pop Quizzes (?)
  
• 5% Final Exam
• 10% In-Class Activities

 

Bonus Assignments

There will be opportunities for bonus points and other rewards during the semester. These will be earned on a competitive basis as part of Hell’s Kitchen-inspired workshops and challenges. Losing these challenges will not harm your grade, but only the winning group will receive bonus points.

Punitive Assignments

As noted below, using social media or texting during class is prohibited. If someone is distracting the class by loudly typing away in social media during discussion, reviews, or presentations, ask them to stop and rejoin the class. Otherwise, the "punitive" assignment mentioned above is activated: a 5-6 page research paper (with min. 3 peer reviewed sources) on digital distraction in class. This essay will not affect your GPA except to lower it by up to 10% if you score C or lower on it. 

On a positive note, if this assignment is not activated during the semester, the entire class will get up to 5 bonus points for helping me maintain a positive, distraction-free learning environment.

Policies

I allow students to miss up to three classes without penalty. Most of our assignments will be submitted online, so you seldom need to be present to turn in work on time. That said, it's vitally important to be present at each class so you can participate in class activities and have the opportunity to ask questions.

• If you earn perfect attendance (no absences, excused or otherwise), you will receive 10 points to your final grade (an 80 becomes a 90). 
• According to SCSU's student handbook, missing more than 20% of classes means you failed the course. My policy is to deduct 10 points from your final grade for every absence after three. Thus, if you miss 4 classes, your 90 will become an 80. Excused absences count towards your three freebies. Thus, if you have three excused absences and one unexcused one, you will still lose 10 points.
• Arriving late (after roll call) or leaving early (before class dismissed) will count as absences after three occasions of either. Thus, if you're late twice and leave early once, it'll count as an absence. 
• Late work will be penalized 10% for each day it is late. Thus, a 90 paper turned in one day late becomes an 80.
• Do not copy and paste material from web sites or other documents into your own without offering proper attribution. If you intentionally misrepresent another person's writing as your own, you will receive an F on that assignment. 
• Social Websites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and texting are forbidden during class. If you must check these sites for emergency reasons, excuse yourself and do it outside the classroom.