More on ACTA Jackassery

You know I couldn't just take Dr. Fish's word for it. I had to find the reference to graphic novels in the the ACTA report. It comes in the Appendix:

Below we explain, as applicable, why we did not count as core subjects certain courses that might appear, at first glance, to meet core requirements. Where possible, we also take note of institutions that set a high standard or off er am noteworthy curricular model. The colleges are listed in alphabetical order

[several colleges are mentioned, then...]


Dartmouth College: No credit given for Literature as the Literature requirement
may be fulfilled with niche courses such as “Bob Dylan” or “The Graphic
Novel”—a course about comic books. No credit given for Mathematics because
courses in linguistics may satisfy the Quantitative and Deductive Sciences
requirement.

Davidson College: No credit given for Composition because required writing
seminars are topic courses in a range of disciplines. No credit given for Literature
because students may use such courses as “Young Adult Literature” to fulfill the
Literature distribution requirement. No credit given for U.S. Government or
History because the History requirement may be satisfied by courses narrow in
scope.

[then several other schools are mentioned]

As someone who teaches courses on graphic novels and courses in young adult literature -- and who has actually taught a course on the graphic novel as young adult literature -- I can't help but remember a line from my father: "there's no kind of idiot like an educated idiot." Get a large enough group of them together, and well, I guess you have a Washington, D.C. special interest group like the ACTA.

Stanley Fish on Graphic Novels and the College Curriculum

On his NY Times blog, Stanley Fish has recently written about his frustration with college composition classes that do not focus on grammar and rhetoric, the field's negative reaction to his critique, and the subsequent indirect support for some of his ideas from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a political group that appears to want to influence the college curriculum because college professors can't be trusted to safeguard it. In a recent report, “What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities,” ACTA made some suggestions on what should and shouldn't be taught.

While finding some of ACTA's ideas to his liking, Fish is worried about some of this organization's ideas. For example, when considering literature requirements, he writes:

"Things are not so clear when it comes to literature and history. Why should the literature requirement be fulfilled only by “a comprehensive literary survey” and not by single-author courses (aren’t Shakespeare and Milton “comprehensive” enough), or by a course in the theater or the graphic novel or the lyrics of Bob Dylan (all rejected in the report)? "

So a "yay!" to Stanley Fish, and a big ol' "bite it!" to ACTA.

(thanks to C for sharing this info!)