MDIA 1016 - Superheroes: Cinema and Comics

One of the of the most popular forms of media of the early 21st century is inter-connected superhero films inspired by comic books. In this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of these films and comics, their historical influences, and the roles they have played in wider cultural debates about identity, power, ethics and society. We will use cutting edge digital tools to research these films and build important skills in data collection and analysis. During classes, we will use digital humanities methodologies to conduct critical and participatory viewings of the films. You will approach each film with a research question and work with other students to generate data. Over the course of the semester, we will collaboratively build a database that charts a variety of factors across the series of films, including characters, emotions, themes, and influences. Using this crowd-sourced data, theoretical readings, and the comics that inspired the films, you will dive deep into the patterns, meanings and cultural codes that lie beneath the surface of these massively influential movies. You will be able to demonstrate your understanding of these movies by producing data visualizations, critical responses and creative reflections. In this way you will gain critical thinking skills, expand your digital capabilities, and develop a deeper understanding of the roles popular media play in society.