Introduction: Jeffrey Cragin

1. My equally preferred names are Jeffrey and Jeff.
2. I am a chemistry major.
3. I like almost all monsters in medieval fantasy and science fiction, but my favorite monster is the zombie and I really enjoy movies such as Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, I Am Legend, Zombieland, and Shaun of the Dead.
4. If humans can count as monsters, the lamest monster I can think of is the villain of I Know What You Did Last Summer. An hour of suspenseful buildup leads up to one of the most boring fight scenes I’ve ever seen when the villain is finally revealed. If a movie is going to have a human play the role of the monstrous villain, then the human needs to be especially scary and seem more than human, like the Jigsaw Killer. The Jigsaw Killer is an example of a well-done human monster who makes your skin crawl and hairs stand up on end both when you see him and his actions.
5. My goal is to become a faster and more eloquent writer while having fun writing about monsters.

Introduction: Emma Mills

1) My preferred name is Emma.

2) As of now I am an undeclared major because I have interests all over the place. I’m considering everything from English to Math Education. I’m thinking about double majoring to help me pursue my many interests but I have yet to narrow that down.

3) I honestly don’t have a favorite monster because I’m a massive baby when it comes to scary movies. However, if I had to choose one monster I think I would go with a werewolf because it’s pretty cool that they can shape shift.

4) Ever since failing to watch Dracula at a sleepover, and by failing I mean running out of the room with my eyes covered, vampires have been my least favorite monsters. They freak me out more than anything else, plus drinking blood is plain disgusting, and the whole holy objects weakness just seems unrealistic.

5) Throughout the semester I hope to overcome some of my fears about monsters and become a better analytical reader and writer.

Introduction: Paul Ernst

1: My name is Paul Ernst.

 

2: I am a Marine Science major, looking at a possible double major or minor in Cybersecurity or Environmental Advocacy. I worked at the New England Aquarium for the past two summers and I was on our high school’s National Ocean Sciences Bowl team (think quiz show, but with only oceanic topics) that made nationals consistently. If you have any ocean-related questions, I may be able to answer them.

 

3:  My favorite monster is, by leaps and bounds, the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. The Angels are unique among monsters- there is no way to kill or destroy them, they can close vast distances within a blink (and only a blink), and one touch makes you suffer a fate worse than death.

 

4: The only monsters that I really dislike nowadays are the really badly rendered ones, such as the birds in Birdemic.

They’re just ugly.

 

5: My goals are to elevate every aspect of my writing to an academic level, and to gain a better appreciation and deeper understanding of the cultures that we live in and the monsters we create.

Introduction: Alicia Thompson

1. My preferred name is Alicia (pronounced uh-lish-uh).
2. I’m undeclared, and I honestly I have no idea what major I want to go into. I’m considering a lot of different majors including business, education, and many more majors all over the spectrum.
3. I don’t read a lot of monster books or watch a lot of monster movies because I find that they scare me too much; however, I love monster TV shows because they seem to scare me less. For example, I’ve seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf, The Vampire Diaries, Charmed, and many more supernatural TV shows. I would have to say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably my favorite, especially Willow. Though not the typical monster, she does have a time period where she turns into the villain of the show as “Dark Willow.”
4. Any monster like a ghost or spirit really terrifies me. I can be pretty superstitious with certain things, and ghosts are one of them. My friends and I once had a séance in my basement, and every time we asked a question, the candle would significantly flicker.
5. My goal for this class is to not only become a better analytical writer, but to learn more about monsters and their place in society.

Introduction – Brett Yurkovich

1. Hello! My name is Brett Yurkovich and I usually go by just “Brett”. However, I have been called “Yurk” by teammates and friends before!
2. Currently, my major is Business Undeclared but that will be changing after October 24th when I am able to declare. I hope to major in MIS (Management Information Systems) or possibly double major with MIS and Accounting. I could also add a minor instead of a second major but I am still figuring things out!
3. My favorite type of monsters are zombies due to my love of the TV show “The Walking Dead”. I’ve watched every season of the show and am anxiously awaiting new episodes. Let me know if you’re interested in the show and want to watch it sometime!
4. I don’t think any monster are my least favorite, but I think monsters like “Bigfoot” and the “Loch Ness Monster” are over hyped.
5. My goals for this class involve becoming better at analyzing texts, writing descriptively and accurately, and hopefully learning/reading about some cool monster-related texts!

Intro- Mullennix

Meghan is my preferred name. I’m undeclared right now but a few that I am considering/am torn between are Public Policy, International relations, Wildlife Ecology, Energy Policy, Natural Resource Economics, and/or Natural Resource Management (You can probably see why I am most definitely Undecided). My favorite famous monster of lore is Bigfoot but my favorite monster related cultural products were the Goosebump books when I was a kid. My least favorite monster type is zombies, especially after seeing some recent depictions in The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. My goal for this class is to become a better writer and build good analysis skills for academic reading.

1. I am known as Mason  but do have the nickname of Mase. Call me either, whatever slices your mango is fine by me.
2. Currently I am an Undecided Business major but am leaning towards finance or economics. I might pursue a dual major in Education as well.
3. My favorite monsters come from a variety of different areas. First, I am a firm believer in Bigfoot… He’s out there. Secondly, I am a big fan of Godzilla. He’s the king of all monsters, don’t pick a fight with him. And lastly one of the more pleasant monsters is Krumm from Nickelodeon’s show “Real Monsters”. I mean just look at him.
4. My least favorite monster is the Aliens in the movie “Signs” due to the fact that the movie was filmed very close to where I live in Bucks County Pennsylvania. The aliens hide out in cornfields and make creepy noises and when the nearest cornfield  is just down the street from you, it can be a little nerve racking driving by at night.
5. I hope to achieve a better understanding on why monsters are created. I want to learn how society uses monsters to help with social reform or even point out flaws in the way we live.

Introduction: Petra Clark

1.) My preferred names are Petra (pronounced Pay-tra), Ms. Clark, or Professor Clark (Please not Mrs. Clark (literally my grandma) or Miss Petra (I am not a pre-school teacher)).

2.) I’m a forever-English-major, working on degree #3. My dissertation is on late-nineteenth century magazines, illustrators, and women writers.

3.) I consume A LOT of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, so it’s hard for me to pick favorites. Here is a brief attempt: I like vampires (when done right)—Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, Spike and Drusilla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the charming mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows are some of my favorites. I’m also a big fan of J. R. R. Tolkien and his creatures—orcs, cave trolls, wargs, Nazgul, and giant spiders, oh my! Other favorite monster-media include: The Mummy (1999 film), Young Frankenstein, Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (graphic novels, NOT the movie), Twin Peaks, Stranger Things, and anything involving Guillermo del Toro or Neil Gaiman. I also love creepy podcasts: Lore, The Black Tapes, and Alice Isn’t Dead are all excellent and deal with monsters of various sorts.

The Pale Man from Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film Pan’s Labyrinth.

4.) I like Stephen King’s work in general, but IT is literally the stuff of my nightmares.

5.) I’m hoping this class will be as fun and interesting for you to take, as it was for me to plan and teach!

Thursday, 8/31

Agenda

1. Course announcements
2. Syllabus Review
3. Posting to WordPress
4. Cohen’s “Seven Theses”
5. Testing Cohen

Course announcements

• Happy belated birthday to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (author of Frankenstein), who was born on August 30, 1797! Regarding Frankenstein I have posted a link to a good plot summary of the novel under the Unit II module in Canvas, so please make sure you have read it before you read the specific passages assigned for September 14 and 21. In the same module, I have also posted a link to a selection of Frankenstein cover images you should have a look at before September 14.
• Regarding the proposed field trip to the Rosenbach Museum & Library to see Frankenstein & Dracula: Gothic Monsters/Modern Science exhibition: I am in the process of getting funding from Honors and the English department so that the trip and admission can be free for you.

Syllabus review

Working with the person sitting next to you, use the course syllabus to answer the following questions.

1. When and where are my office hours?
2. How many un-excused absences in this class are you allowed before your grade is affected?
3. What happens if you are caught being off-task on your phone or laptop during class?
4. How should you submit an assignment if Canvas is not working?
5. Which assignment is worth the most points in this class?

Posting to WordPress

1. Review Introduction assignment on Canvas
2. Look out for an invite that looks like the one below, and follow the directions given after you click the “Accept Invitation” button
3. Write your Introduction (you can use mine as a model if you wish) and post it before next class

Defining Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Project as a Writer

A writer’s project is what that writer is trying to accomplish, their aim, the reason why they are writing. This is not just the main idea, but the set of ideas that they are working with/through. When assessing a writer’s aims, you should also consider their methods (the style of writing chosen, how examples are connected to ideas, etc.) and materials (what those examples are and where they come from).

Fastwrite: Look at the five terms you highlighted from Cohen’s text in SW 1. See if you can use at least three or four of these keywords to define, in your own words, his project in writing his “Seven Theses”. Try to make Cohen the subject or actor of your sentences. For instance, “In this essay, Cohen wants to . . . “; or, “In this essay, Cohen tries to . . .”

Cohen’s Keywords

What keywords did you come up with? How can we begin to connect them into a larger picture? What exactly IS Cohen’s argument in his “Seven Theses”?

Update: here’s our class-generated list of key words from Cohen, for your reference (unfortunately, you will have to download the image to see it larger)

Testing Cohen

Think back to the Thriller video that we watched in Tuesday’s class. Which of Cohen’s theses can be applied to it?

To do

1. By Tuesday, 9/5, 9:30am: Read Fox, “Self-Portrait as a Werewolf” (C) and
   G&B “They Say,” p. 19-28. Make sure you have also posted your Introduction Blog Post Due on WordPress before class time.

Tuesday, 8/29

About this course

• Intro to Critical Reading and Writing
• Review Canvas and the syllabus

 Some expectations for every class period

• Come on time and ready to work.
• Bring a pen/pencil, a notebook, the texts we are scheduled to talk about, and any other materials indicated on the syllabus. Any day that a reading from Canvas or an assignment on Canvas or WordPress is due, please also bring your laptop so you will have the text and/or your work in front of you.
• Silence and put away your phone at the start of class.

Intro to Monster Studies

In his “Introduction: The Impact of Monsters and Monster Studies” in the Research Companion to Monsters and the Monstrous (2012), Professor Asa Simon Mittman writes:

“Monsters do a great deal of cultural work, but they do not do it nicely. They not only challenge and question; they trouble, they worry, they haunt. They break and tear and rend cultures, all the while constructing them and propping them up. They swallow up our cultural mores and expectations, and then, becoming what they eat, they reflect back to us our own faces, made disgusting or, perhaps, revealed to always have been so. It is not only the Doppelgänger of Shelley or Poe that is our evil twin. All monsters—from headless (but human?) blemmyes to bestial dragons to the amorphous, disembodied forces of the virus—all ‘monsters’ are our constructions, even those that can clearly be traced to ‘real,’ scientifically known beings (conjoined twins and hermaphrodites, for example, as seen through pre-modern lenses); through the processes by which we construct or reconstruct them, we categorize, name, and define them, and thereby grant them anthropocentric meaning that makes them ‘ours'” (1).

So what does that mean?

And how (and why) do monsters appear so frequently in our popular media?

Some examples:

1.) Michael Jackson, “Thriller” (1982)

“Thriller” Lyrics

Vincent Price, esteemed voice actor and star of many horror films in the 1950s, performed the spooky spoken word part of “Thriller,” but he appears elsewhere in the video too. When Jackson and his girlfriend leave the theater, we see that the marquee displays the title of the fictional film “Vincent Price THRILLER,” and on the wall outside the theater, a poster for Price’s real film, House of Wax (1952) is displayed. The image above is of Price in his role for that film.

2.) Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017)

 

To do

1. By Thursday, 8/31, 8am: Besides the homework assigned on the syllabus, please review our course Canvas site, especially the materials in the Day 1 Module, where you will find the syllabus, as well as the reading and assignment due by next class. Make sure you go through each tab to familiarize yourself with both the organization and the content. Please bring any questions about the syllabus or Canvas to Thursday’s class and I will address them then. We will also talk more about how you will be using WordPress in this class, so please bring your laptop.