Syllabus

You can download the syllabus as a PDF as it was on the first day of class. But it’s worth noting that the authoritative version of the schedule and syllabus is this website.

Texts

The required texts for this course are the following:

• Charles Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1950-1952 (ISBN: 978-1606997635)
• Charles Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1971-1972 (ISBN: 978-1683962007)
• Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (ISBN: 978-0060976255)

You are welcome to purchase these books from the BYU Store; I’ve also provided links if you prefer to buy them on Amazon. You’re welcome to read these texts as ebooks, on whatever device you’d like. Whatever you do, be sure that you have your copy of the text by the assigned dates.

There are a number of texts that are only available from Course Reserves or online. You must have a copy of these texts on the day we discuss them, whether a hard copy or a copy on a portable device.

Grades

Assignments will be worth the following points:

Participation: 125
DH Project Report: 100
Daily Comics Discussion: 50 70
Annotated Bibliography: 150
TEI Mark-Up: 150
Peanuts Across Time: 150
Topic Modeling: 50 75
Stylometry: 50
Network Analysis: 50 75
Final Project: 125 75

Grades will be calculated with this range:
899-875 B+      874-825 B        824-800 B-       etc.

My Course Policies

Communication

The best time to get in touch with me is during my office hours. I consider this your time, and I encourage you to make use of it. During the Winter 2020 semester, my office hours will be from 1:00-2:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m happy to make appointments at other times—just ask.

After office hours, the next best way to get in touch with me is by sending me an email. I will do my best to respond to any email within 24 hours, although I try to take an email hiatus on the weekend. I will often respond more quickly, but it’s not something you should count on.

Participation

I won’t mince words: this is a small class and it relies on your active, collaborative, and engaged participation. You should come to every class having carefully read, annotated, and considered any reading and be ready to discuss it with your colleagues. Your thoughts and questions will provide the starting point for many of our discussions. Your active participation will be factored into your final grade for the course. If you’re reluctant to speak up in a group setting, please talk to me in office hours, and we’ll figure out a way for you to participate.

Participating in class, of course, requires that you be present. You may miss three class sessions without penalty. Each additional absence beyond these three will lower your final grade in the course. “Attendance” of course means more than your body being in a seat. You must also be mentally present: attentive and ready to actively discuss the reading. Please note that I make no distinction between “excused” from “unexcused” absences, so use your absences wisely (or not at all!).

Assignments

Unless otherwise specified, assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you will miss class the day an assignment is due it is still your responsibility to it in before class. Late work will not be accepted, except at my discretion and with a significant penalty.

Late Instructor

In the unlikely event that I am late to class, you should feel free to leave 10 minutes after its scheduled start. Don’t count on this happening…it only has once before.

Final Exam

Our final is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 from 2:30-5:30 pm. BYU policy forbids me from changing the final’s time. Please add this date to your calendar now, so you don’t miss the exam.

Some Words about Technology

Phones

This should go without saying, but let’s say it anyway: please put your phone and other devices on silent before class.

Laptops

It will often be useful for you to bring a laptop to class. Just don’t get distracted.

Technical Snafus

This course relies heavily on access to computers, specific software, and the Internet. At some point during the semester, you WILL have a problem with technology. To succeed in college and in your career, you should develop work habits that take such snafus into account. Start assignments early and save often. Always keep a backup copy of your work saved somewhere secure. It is entirely your responsibility to take the proper steps to ensure your work will not be lost irretrievably; if one device or service isn’t working, find another that does. 

This said, I’ll be asking you to do a number of new, exciting, and complicated things. If things don’t work and I can’t make them work, I will not hold that against you. (It has definitely happened before.) What’s more, I’m more than happy to answer questions about during class or in my office hours. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign that you, like me, are learning.

Acknowledgments

Despite what you might think, professors don’t know everything. This course is the product of my talking to and reading the work of colleagues. This year owes a particular debt to Amy Schulz Johnson, who first approached BYU’s Office of Digital Humanities about doing linguistic analysis of her father’s work. Similarly, we would have much less to work with without the efforts of my ODH colleagues, Jeremy Browne and Jesse Vincent. The former did the work to create the corpus of Schulz’s work and the latter loaded the corpus into WordCruncher. As I was starting to plan the course, I also spoke with Kerry Soper who gave me some valuable insights into teaching comics.

The structure of this course riffs on those that I taught in Winter 2018 and 2019. When designing that first course, I specifically consulted syllabi from Ted Underwood and Natalie Houston. I first brainstormed the TEI assignment with my very good friend Elli Mylonas, and she has continued to be a critical ally in the years since. I talked broadly about the overall structure of the course with Mark Sample and Kathleen Fitzpatrick. Lisa Rhody has the best thoughts about topic modeling and suggested that I remember that GitHub exists. Maciej Eder and Christof Schöch kindly provided advice about stylometry. And special thanks to the students in the previous iterations of this course, who have proven that small, weird classes can have amazing outcomes. Thanks, y’all!

BYU Policies

Honor Code

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university’s expectation, and every instructor’s expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

Preventing Sexual Misconduct

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Brigham Young University prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The university also prohibits sexual harassment-including sexual violence-committed by or against students, university employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in university policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of “Sexual Misconduct” prohibited by the university.

University policy requires all university employees in a teaching, managerial, or supervisory role to report all incidents of Sexual Misconduct that come to their attention in any way, including but not limited to face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Incidents of Sexual Misconduct should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at t9coordinator [at] byu [dot] edu or 422-8692. Reports may also be submitted through EthicsPoint at titleix.byu.edu/report or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours a day).

BYU offers confidential resources for those affected by Sexual Misconduct, including the university’s Victim Advocate, as well as a number of non-confidential resources and services that may be helpful. Additional information about Title IX, the university’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, reporting requirements, and resources can be found at titleix.byu.edu or by contacting the university’s Title IX Coordinator.

Student Disability

Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.

Mental Health

Mental health concerns and stressful life events can affect students’ academic performance and quality of life. BYU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, 1500 WSC, 422-3035) provides individual, couples, and group counseling, as well as stress management services. These services are confidential and are provided by the university at no cost for full-time students. For general information please visit caps.byu.edu; for more immediate concerns please visit help.byu.edu.