Highlighting for Students the Process of Writing Comics

Category: Pedagogy

Speaking about writing Black Panther for Marvel back in 2016, Ta-Nehisi Coates, when asked about the challenges of writing comics, responded by saying, “It’s a very backwards — in my mind — process of writing. I mean, it’s the process of writing screenplays, of writing comic books, but it’s nmot the process of writing journalism.” Writing comics requires one to think about multiple aspects … Read More Highlighting for Students the Process of Writing Comics

February 19, 2026 + Alexandre Tefenkgi, comics, ernest j gaines, n.k. jemisin, Pedagogy, pornsak pichetshote, R.F. Kuang, s.a. cosby, unessay project

The Joys Of Assigning Unessay Projects in Class

by Matthew Teutsch

At least once a year, I assign an unessay project and essay in my classes. I’ve written about this numerous times, and while I am always nervous about what the students will produce, because fear and apprehension keep them from really leaning into the project, I end up standing in awe at what the students end up producing for their unessay project. Last semester, I … Read More The Joys Of Assigning Unessay Projects in Class

February 17, 2026 + america, american dream, american history, american literature, frederick douglass, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Pedagogy, syllabus

“What is an American?”: Early American Literature Course Syllabus

by Matthew Teutsch

It has been a few years since I have taught an American literature course from colonialism to 1865. This semester, I am doing just that, and I am again thinking about the ways that I structure this course. I have always organized this course, and others, around conversations, taking Kenneth Burke’s “parlor metaphor” to heart that conversations continue onwards, ceaselessly, even when participants leave. … Read More “What is an American?”: Early American Literature Course Syllabus

November 13, 2025 + cakewalk, comics, EC Comics, nate powell, Pedagogy, racism, the guilty!, writing

“Is it a racist story?”: Nate Powell’s “Cakewalk”

by Matthew Teutsch

When I teach first year composition, I usually frame the course around personal narratives, allowing students to write about themselves. I find that this helps them get comfortable with writing and allows them to express themselves through their essays. As such, I try to choose at least one text that contains personal stories. This semester, I decided to add Nate Powell’s You Don’t Say, a collection … Read More “Is it a racist story?”: Nate Powell’s “Cakewalk”

August 28, 2025 + comics, composition, EC Comics, Erased: An Actor of Color’s Journey Through the Heyday of Hollywood, Hughes Micol, Loo Hui Phang, nate powell, Pedagogy, rhetoric, syllabus

Comics in the Rhetoric and Composition Classroom

by Matthew Teutsch

Every time I teach an introductory rhetoric and composition course, I struggle with what texts and assignments to do in the class. Last semester, I focused on personal memoirs, having students read Kathleen Hanna, Carrie Brownstein, Salman Rushdie, and oral interviews with individuals in Appalachia. I’ve also do Civil Rights memoirs. This semester, I’m doing comics, specifically having students look at some EC comics from the … Read More Comics in the Rhetoric and Composition Classroom

Interminable Rambling

Highlighting for Students the Process of Writing Comics

Category: Pedagogy