General Studies (GNST) 201 S01
Inquiry Seminar in Communication and Culture
Winter 2008
Monday 14:00 - 16:50

Instructor:	Bart Beaty
Office Location:	SS 330
Office Phone:	220-7246
E-Mail:	beaty@ucalgary. ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	M 13:00 - 13:50

Course Description

This is an inquiry based seminar class focusing on recent trends in the production of European comic books.

Objectives of the Course

- To provide students with an understanding of university-level research

- To offer students an opportunity to discuss and critique contemporary university-level research

Textbooks and Readings:

Please note, all listed texts are required reading.

Bart Beaty. Unpopular Culture: Transforming the European Comic Book in the 1990s. U of Toronto Press 2007 0802094120

 Hergé. Adventures of Tintin: Volume 4. Egmont. Isbn: 1405228970

 Killoffer. Six Hundred and Seventy-Six Apparations. PGW 0954930819

 Max. Bardin the Superrealist. Fantagraphics. 1560977590

 Roanne Bell and Mark Sinclair. Pictures and Words  Yale UP 0300111460

 David B. Epileptic. Pantheon. 0375714685

 Dupuy/Berberian. Get a Life   D&Q 1896597793

 Dupuy/Berberian. Maybe Later (D&Q) 1896597211

 Sfar and Guibert: Professor's Daughter  First Second 159643130X

 Joann Sfar. The Rabbi's Cat   Pantheon 0375714642

 Christophe Blain The Speed Abater  NBM 1561633496

 Trondheim and Sfar. Dungeon v. 1  NBM 1561634018

 Trondheim and Sfar Dungeon Early Years: Night Shirt  NBM 1561634395

 Trondheim and Sfar Dungeon Twilight: The Dragon Cemetery  NBM 1561634603

 Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis 1  Pantheon 037571457X

 Marjane Satrapi Persepolis 2   Pantheon 0375714669

 Assignments and Evaluation

Beginning with the fourth class (February 4th), students will be required to write a short (three to five pages) response to the readings for that week. These assignments must be emailed to the professor no later than the 17:00 on the Friday before the seminar in which they are to be discussed. Students will be asked to make short presentations based on their written responses during the seminar, therefore late assignments cannot be accepted. The student's mark on each assignment will take into account the quality of the written work, the oral presentation of that work, and participation during class discussion of the work of other students. Each of these assignments will be count for 10% of the student's final grade in the class.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline will not be accepted and will result in a grade of 0 for that week.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be circulated in class.