Dragon*Con Academic Mini-Conference Programme

[firmament.livejournal.com]

Dragon*Con Academic Mini-Conference

2008 Program


Presenting Scholarly Studies of Comics and the Popular Arts

Dragon*Con's first academic conference!


in collaboration with the Institute for Comics Studies

Panel Descriptions

Friday, August 29th, 5:30pm
On the program as "Comics and Philosophy"

D*C Academic Mini-Conference Session 1: Philosophical and Religious Themes in Comics. At this panel, scholars from philosophy and religious studies discuss themes in comics. Damien Williams (Georgia State University) discusses the nature of title character's ethical egoism in Mike Carey's Lucifer. J. J. Sylvia (University of Southern Mississippi) argues that, although their are limitations, one can successfully teach classes in philosophy using comics about philosophy, such as Van Lente and Dunlavey's Action Philosophers! Hannah Dame (University of Alabama) analyzes Grant Morrison's use of Buddhist teachings in his works, especially The Invisibles.

Sunday, August 31st, 10:00am
On the program as "Comics Across Cultures"

D*C Academic Mini-Conference Session 2: Comics, Culture, and Criticism. In this session, three scholars provide critical discussions of comics and the comics medium. Sabrina Starnaman (University of California-San Diego) uses the theories of Althusser to examine how truth is constructed and power reified in Jonathan Hickman's The Nightly News. Brian Curtis (Nashville State Community College) argues that superheroes present a new, post-modern, cyborg identity. Stuart Lenig (Columbia State) discusses how the boom of films based on comic book heroes may reflect millennial ennui in the face of overwhelming socio-political problems.

Sunday, August 31st, 5:30pm
On the program as "A Study of 'Watchmen'"

D*C Academic Mini-Conference Session 3: New Scholarship on Watchmen. Three scholars present recent research based on the landmark graphic novel Watchmen. Matthew J. Brown (University of California, San Diego) explores the problem of vigilante justice in Watchmen in the context of the relationship between state authority, legitimacy, and personal morality. Jessica Lauren Keys (Georgia State University) traces the changes through time of the American heroic ideal and its reflection in the different eras portrayed in Watchmen. Nicole Wyatt (University of Calgary) discusses desire and objectification in Watchmen and argues that it presents not only an anti-porn view but also a sex-positive position.


Paper Titles

Session 1: Philosophical and Religious Themes in Comics
Friday, August 29th, 5:30pm

Damien Williams (Georgia State University)
Egoism in Carey's Lucifer

J. J. Sylvia (University of Southern Mississippi)
Meta Much? The Philosophy of Teaching Philosophy Through Comics about Philosophy

Hannah Dame (University of Alabama)
Seeing the Buddha, Killing the Buddha: Grant Morrison and Buddhism

Session 2: Comics, Culture, and Criticism
Sunday, August 31st, 10:00am

Sabrina Starnaman (University of California, San Diego)
The Brotherhood of the VOICE: Constructing Truth and Reifying Power in Jonathan Hickman’s The Nightly News [A Lie Told in Six Parts]

Brian Curtis (Nashville State Community College)
Superheroes: the New Cyborg Post Modern Identity

Stuart Lenig (Columbia State)
Comics and Film: Facing the Apocalypse with Superheroes?

Session 3: New Scholarship on Watchmen
Sunday, August 31st, 5:30pm

Matthew J. Brown (University of California, San Diego)
Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? The Problem of Vigilante Justice in Watchmen

Jessica Lauren Keys (Georgia State University)
Watchmen and the American Heroic Ideal

Nicole Wyatt (University of Calgary)
Hustler and Tijuana bibles: Desire and Objectification in the Watchmen




Next year we’re trying to get Dragon*Con to expand Academic Programming to rival presentations at conventions across the country, such as the ones at San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon, Wizard Worlds, and others. If you like what you see this year, please contact Dragon*Con and encourage them to adopt our proposal to expand academic to a full-fledged conference, so that we can have a larger number of panels on a wider range of topics of interest to attendees at Dragon*Con. You can contact Dragon*Con by calling or writing to:


http://www.dragoncon.org/dc_contact.php
dragoncon@dragoncon.org

770-909-0115

Dragon*Con
PO Box 16459
Atlanta, GA 30321-0459





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Comments

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

What room will these be held in?

[firmament.livejournal.com]

I don't know yet! But they'll be in the Comics & Pop Art track, and I've been told that all of those will be in the same room.

[book-geek-girl.livejournal.com]

this makes me happy. perhaps if dragon*con starts hosting enough academic programming i can write the days i take off to attend as "professional" rather than "personal."