New Publication by Prof. Blair Davis

MCS Professor Blair Davis has recently published a book chapter in the new anthology The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art, edited by Frances Gateward and John Jennings from Rutgers University Press:
http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/product/Blacker-the-Ink,5473.aspx

                                    

Davis's essay, entitled "Bare Chests, Silver Tiaras and Removable Afros: The Visual Design of Black Comic Book Superheroes," examines the ways in which several Marvel and DC African America superheroes were constructed in terms of their costumes in the 1970s, how these visual designs evolved over the decades that followed, and how they reveal hidden cultural meanings upon closer inspection. He analyzes the visual qualities of such black superheroes as Luke Cage, Black Lightning, Storm, Vixen and Cyborg, investigating "their seeming naturalness within comic book culture, and the resultant ideological implications that often go unstated." Unlike the iconic costumes of Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, "the costumes of many black superheroes tell us little about the characters – perhaps explaining why such costumes seem to get redesigned every decade or so," says Davis. "Given that white writers and artists created the majority of black superheroes, these characters, and their reception among audiences, can therefore be seen as touchstones for how white American society regards black identity (including such concerns as ethnicity, gender and sexuality, among others) in any given period. Since cultural beliefs typically change over time, so too does the visual design of these characters often evolve, with specific costumes, hairstyles, etc. becoming closely connected to specific eras in American history, along with their respective dominant discourses surrounding race and culture. As we move into the future, how then will both current and future characters reflect the cultural changes that are to come?" he asks.

Dr. Kelli Marshall's Seinfeld Course Featured in BBC Article

Dr. Kelli Marshall teaches a course on Seinfeld for the Media and Cinema Studies program, which was recently profiled in an article for the BBC:

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150624-seinfeld-really-about-nothing


                      

From the article:

"Kelli Marshall... teaches an entire class on Seinfeld at DePaul University in Chicago, where she also teaches Intro to Film and classes on Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. Her Seinfeld class tends to fill up to its 30-student maximum very quickly and has an almost unheard-of retention rate.

Students leave the class with a clearer vision of ‘90s history – Marshall provides mini-lessons to help them understand the show’s references to, say, OJ Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran or the lawsuit against McDonald’s for serving too-hot coffee. And, of course, they gain a greater appreciation for Seinfeld and its enduring influence throughout American culture. “We read this article that was just a list of all these terms,” says Erin Uttich, a media and cinema studies major who took the class in 2015. “Like yada yada, or double dip, or re-gift. I was like, ‘Weren’t those just things?’ [Marshall] was like, ‘No, those were things because Seinfeld made them things.’”

And that’s exactly why professors like Marshall and Tobia keep teaching Seinfeld – and, for that matter, other major works of pop culture. These works, if they’re as influential and pervasive as Seinfeld, show us why we say the things we do, do the things we do, think the things we think, like the things we like."