Gender Through Comic Books: My First MOOC

When I was scheduling my classes for my second term at college, I signed up for Football Coaching. I had never understood football, but wanted to and I thought the class would get me there.

That kind of worked out. I did end up understanding football. We were graded on understanding coaching though, so I worked really hard, and my grade was not great. I was overly ambitious for that term in general, but there were some good experiences, and I learned a lot.

I had never heard of a Massive Online Open Course before Gender Through Comic Books. It’s the sort of idea that appeals to me anyway – I like learning stuff – and with my growing interest in comic books and gender issues, it was sort of a perfect storm of things I would be interested in. I also really overextended myself.

The MOOC was through Canvas Networks. It was taught by Christina Blanch of Ball State. Here are some things I learned.

One is that this is really work. There isn’t a charge, or college credit, but with the amount of reading and lectures, it is taking a college class, but without the reminders that you have when you are a full-time student, or the availability. I don’t regret taking the class, but I should have thought it out better, and maybe started doing some pre-reading early. As it was, I have hardly been in the forums at all, so I still have not had the full experience, and I have been running behind the entire time.

Two, I am still such a novice; it is Football Coaching all over again. There have been real artists and writers in this course, as well as dedicated readers with a lot of background knowledge. I do know more than I did before, as intended. Also, that background knowledge and passion on the part of everyone else made for some interesting times.

I will especially remember Kelly Sue DeConnick responding to questions about the Ms. Marvel and Marcus storyline and was it going to be addressed? It was addressed! Chris Claremont addressed it! Which is as good an illustration as any of why sometimes it is just better to have Bobby step out of the shower and have it all have been a dream. I think the real question was how it got approved in the first place, and they’re asking the wrong people.

Seriously, I was not familiar with that particular storyline, but looking it up, it is offensive, but it’s also really messed up, where I am almost too weirded out to be angry. I do think Chris Claremont did a great job of addressing it, but the stink is still there. Bad previous writers. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it happened to Ms. Marvel either. Still, there’s no point in bugging the current writers about it thirty years later.

(I looked at a few different sites researching it, but this one is probably the best: http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/03/meta-messages-chris-claremont-sticks-up-for-ms-marvel/ )

Getting back on track, three is that gender is not just about women being objectified. Part of the reason the class appealed to me was because I have been seeing so many issues with misogyny, and objectification, and the price that young girls pay for the societal norms, and I was getting some tunnel vision from that. This has broadened my mind a bit, which is important for restoring balance.

Four, and this goes along a lot with yesterday’s post, I really love comics. I always felt like I was kind of past superhero comics, and especially reboots, but Superman: Birthright was really good. I’m not really into anti-heroes, but Secret Six was pretty gripping. I seem to be much easier for comic books than I ever realized.

I don’t know that I want to call this something I learned, but there were things I felt good about in terms of the writing that I do. For example, talking about Daredevil, and the buddy relationship he has with Foggy, someone asked why we don’t see male/female friendships, and the answer was that people don’t know how to write them. I have some in my writing, and I guess I am more proud of them now. As things were discussed, I do see things I am doing right, and that’s nice. I’ve gotten some good boosts lately.

There was one assignment, though, that just became its own thing for what it taught me, and so that gets its own post tomorrow.