Media Literacy, Graphic Novels and Social Issues

Abstract

Media literacy education, social issues, and graphic novels all have a role to play in educating students for civic education. The graphic novel is especially useful for secondary students because many titles touch on important social-political issues. Moreover, this medium offers excellent opportunities for media literacy education, students learning to ask questions and evaluate information that is communicated through print, image, and technology. A rhetorical analysis, engaging media literacy skills, is offered along with other lesson ideas and suggested graphic novels titles.

Middle-school students reading and creating multimodal texts: a case study

“…Seyfried (2008, 47), who also worked with middle grades students, noted how the students participating in a 'Graphic Novel Book Group' learned that 'rereading and slow reading support close observation, a necessary skill of visual literacy'. According to some researchers and practitioners, graphic novels develop critical thinking and comprehension skills (Carter 2007;Edwards 2009;Jacobs 2007;Lyga 2006;Schwarz 2006); teach readers about literary techniques, terms and elements (Baird and Jackson 2007;Bucher and Manning 2004;Carter 2007;Esquivel 2006;Foster 2004;Schwarz 2002); foster the development of multiple literacy skills (Bucher and Manning 2004;Crawford 2004;Hassett and Schieble 2007;Jacobs 2007;Lyga 2006;Schwarz 2002Schwarz , 2006Schwartz and Rubinstein-Avila Education 3-13 297 2006); and provide opportunities for media literacy education (Carter 2007;Schwarz 2007). Further, the diverse range of topics and issues explored in graphic novels make them appropriate for teaching topics in various curricular areas (Christensen 2006;Schwarz 2002) and for interdisciplinary use across the curriculum (Esquivel 2006).…”

The Case for Graphic Novels

“…"Multimodal" is a term that Cope and Kalantzis (2000) use to describe media, "in which written-linguistic modes of meaning are part and parcel of visual, audio, and spatial patterns of meaning" (p. 5). The literacies outlined by Schwarz (2005Schwarz ( , 2006Schwarz ( , & 2007 and Jacobs (2007) and the outcomes listed in Tables 2 and 3 address only the skills and knowledge that apply directly to decoding, but decoding is just the …”

“…The terms used by K-12 authors to categorize decoding are different than those likely to be employed in higher education to describe similar processes (i.e., critical thinking, visual literacy, and information literacy), but the underlying concepts and competencies are closely aligned. As Harris (2006) Schwarz (2006Schwarz ( & 2007 considers the act of decoding to fall under the heading of "media literacy". Aufderheide's (1993) report on the 1992 National Leadership Conference on Media Literacy describes media literacy as, "the ability of a citizen to access, analyze, and produce information for specific outcomes" (p. 6) The report also notes that the basic definition was open to some interpretation, and later refers to a "media literate person" as one who, "can decode, evaluate, analyze and produce both print and electronic media" (p. 9).…”

“…Schwarz (2005) notes that the 1992 definition is widely accepted and employed, but also that there is debate over the term in the literature and variation in how the term and concept are put into practice by educators and institutions. Schwarz (2007) later states, "the graphic novel invites media literacy education which includes information and visual literacy. The unique combination of print and pictures opens up possibilities for looking at new content and for examining how diverse kinds of texts make meaning to readers" (p. 2).…”

Exploring the intertextualities in a grade 7 student’s graphic narrative

“…As well as containing more pages, Thompson (2008) notes that graphic novels, unlike comic books, have "full-length story lines … and are bound like a book" (p. 9). Some people have noted the problematic nature of the term graphic novel due to the meanings of and the connotations associated with both words (Schwarz, 2007;Wolk, 2007). Chute (2008), for example, expressed concerns with the word "novel" because many graphic novels are works of nonfiction.…”