A Matter of Course

Category: Noteworthy

CMAT 333/ENGL 333: Media Genres: Media Marvels

WHO: Arnold T. Blumberg, M.A. ’96, D.C.D. ’04, adjunct faculty, a comic book historian and former curator of Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore

WHEN: Thursdays, 5:30-8 p.m., spring 2015

WHAT: Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, the Avengers, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy and more are the biographical subjects of this conversation-based, undergraduate-level course that orbits around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the shared setting for Marvel’s cast of superheroes.

Think superheroes are child’s play? Not so, says the syllabus: “Why are all these colorful, crusading heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe more popular than ever? What do they tell us about ourselves as individuals and as a nation, from their comic book arrival in the late 1930s to their present-day incarnations on the big and small screens? … We’ll explore how and why the Marvel superheroes are some of the most powerful symbols in our world today and a modern chronicle of our high-flying aspirations and darkest fears.”

While an individual class might focus on Thor, the course explores how popular culture reflects and influences people’s everyday lives.

REQUIRED READING: Marvel: The Untold Story (Howe)

REQUIRED WATCHING (A SELECTION):