Educating through Popular Culture

Edward Janak is associate professor and chair of the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership at the University of Toledo.Ludovic A. Sourdot is associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Department of Teacher Education at Texas Woman’s University.

• Introduction - Educating through Popular Culture: “You’re Not Cool Just Because You Teach with Comics” Ludovic A. Sourdot and Edward JanakPart I - Looking Behind: Teaching in the K-12 Schools With Popular CultureChapter 1 - Reclaimed Identity in Tak Toyoshima’s Secret Asian Man and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born ChineseTammy L. Mielke and Emily BrandonChapter 2 - History, Literacy, and Popular Culture: Using Graphic Novels to Teach the Struggle for Racial JusticeRichard Hughes, Meghan Hawkins, and Katie Lopez Chapter 3 - Karma in Comics: Discovering Hidden Superpowers through CreatingTonia A. Dousay Part II - Looking Around: Teaching in Postsecondary Schools with Popular CulturePart II - Looking Around: Teaching in Postsecondary Schools with Popular CultureChapter 4 - Making Academia Cool: Serious Study of Sequential Art at the UniversityPearl Chaozon Bauer and Marc WolterbeekChapter 5 - Meditation: Mediating the Writing ProcessJillian L. WenburgChapter 6 - Exploring Migrat

Each of the articles in this thought-provoking volume provides information and insights about using popular culture in the classroom. The many topics covered, from philosophy of education to immigration and racism to autism, not only cite useful examples but stimulate further thinking on the part of the reader. The chapter on teaching science fiction and fantasy film in a Saudi classroom challenges many preconceptions and offers fresh perspectives. The various authors recognize that there is a range of literacies. Teachers at every level of education and in each discipline need to move beyond the areas in which they were academically successful to see how students construct knowledge from all of the different media currently available. Integrating visual literacy into the more traditional, text-based literacy is one of the challenges examined. The sophistication of the discourse is evidenced by the awareness of what can and cannot be achieved by using the various media. The notes and the extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter will lead to further exploration on the part of the reader.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals.