There’s an intriguing story about cell phones and how they are influencing humans in today’s NYT. A few paragraphs from a story in the Times: “The smartphone brought about a planetary rewiring of human interaction. As smartphones became common, they transformed peer relationships, family relationships and the texture of daily life for everyone — even those…
Coming in the fall: My new PIO 101 course at Marietta College But what is a superhero and why do folks go full gaga over caped crusaders today in the age of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? This course traces the origin of the superhero in the cheap comics designed for pre-pubescent boys, wrestles with why…
From the AAUP; here’s a description of the larger issues facing education in this country: “Daniel Greenstein writes in the fall 2019 issue of Daedalus that we may be on a track toward a dramatic bifurcation in the US higher education system, with students at wealthy, selective institutions enjoying personal, face-to-face learning experiences and the rest of…
Greetings! For an animated introduction to our spring 2020 course offerings, please click here (go head, click it!): Email Todd (tcomer@defiance.edu) or Steve (sengel@defiance.edu) for more information. ENGL 123 Media Writing MWF, 11:00 am An introduction to the process of writing for the media. Students will learn to report, write, and edit stories for print and…
This one credit course will include Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and A Wizard of Earthsea. Topics covered will include: good and evil, magic, power, pride, sin, and the nature of fantasy and science fiction literature. Meets on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm beginning on October 21.
In an attempt to have my students learn about the rhetorical triangle (audience, writer, issue), I have them create memes (which are attuned, hopefully, to their audience). Here are a few from class today.
“I wanted to be loved because I was great; A big man. I’m nothing. Look at the glory around us; trees, birds. I lived in shame. I dishonored it all, and didn’t notice the glory. I’m a foolish man.”
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[What follows is a guest column I wrote for The Crescent News (Defiance, OH). It was published on Jan. 18, 2016.] While many celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., his complexity has been largely erased from our memories. He has been sentimentalized to such an extent that the radical nature of his message has been lost. Even…
JSTOR Daily is featuring my 2005 essay on The Big Lebowski. You can grab a free pdf of the essay at this link. Enjoy.
“Certainly, the longevity of our union also owes a great debt to honest communication and creative problem solving. The wedding photo is a good example. We put it up only after we grew tired of deliverymen and repairmen and housecleaners asking if she was my sister, or my nurse. Some have even called her a…
What follows is an article focused on the nature of the liberal arts as it relates to the creation of knowledge. It will be published in the DC Magazine in the next few months. *** Meet Knuckles Muldoon. Knuckles has, yes, knuckles, but he is less a fighter than a lover at first glance. He is…
For my students in EN 290, who appeared to love FUN HOME: Alison Bechdel Draws a Fun Home Coda — Vulture.
Robert Johnson revelation tells us to put the brakes on the blues | Music | The Guardian.
ENGL 295, an online summer course perfect for non English majors, will be devoted to The Hunger Games and various other novels/films/comics of that genre, including V for Vendetta, 1984, and Watchmen. Please email me if you need more information; please contact your adviser if you want to sign up for the course. The course…
Dr. Todd A. Comer 