For a few years now I've been pondering starting up a SANE SIG with NCTE. That would be a "Sequential Art Narratives in Education" Special Interest Group associated with the National Council of Teachers of English. I chose the "SANE" acronym, which I also use on my blog, to be intentionally subversive. "Some people might think it's crazy to use comics in the classroom, but it's actually quite SANE" (yes, I am a corn dog).
I've gotten some info from NCTE about how to start one up. Basically, they need a certain number of folks (NCTE members or potential members) who would be interested. Then some official documents are drawn up about the mission of the SIG (to examine issues associated with literacy and sequential art narratives; to propagate and inform others about scholarship on the subject; to offer support to existing and potential literacy/comics scholars and educators, etc), officers are named, etc. Dues are collected and the amount is based on membership numbers. Members of the SIG meet at the national conference and host SANE-related sessions.
There are currently other SIG's in NCTE that could make a claim to include SANE work, but I feel strongly that it can support its own group.
So, my question to you is, would you have interest in this? If so, maybe leave a comment saying so with your name and institution or a way to get in touch with you, and/or drop me an e-mail at jbcarter2 [at] utep.edu.
If there's sincere interest, maybe I'll start organizing something for us!
5 comments:
I'd be interested in a SANE SIG! I'm an NCTE member and I teach a comics elective for high school seniors.
Michael W. Hancock, Ph.D.
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
mhanc@imsa.edu
I would also be interested in this. I teach an online course on comic books and graphic novels for school and public libraries at the University of Alberta (Canada). Many of my students are in classroom situations and would benefit from a SIG such as you suggest.
Gail de Vos
SLIS
University of Alberta
gail.devos@gmail.com
Great! And pass the word to others who might be interested as well. It's a slow process, but if we know there's real interest, that can help things along.
I'm interested. I teach a comics as literature class at a community college.
Carl Gerriets
Century College
White Bear Lake, MN
carl.gerriets@century.edu
I am a first-year middle school teacher and a long time comic and graphic novel dork. I would love to use them in my classroom and would be very interested in a SANE-SIG at NCTE.
Zachary Schneider
CY Junior High
Casper, WY
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