Sequential SmArt

A Conference on Teaching with Comics

May 18th and 19th, 2012 at Juniata College

Sequential SmArt is a conference that will bring together creators of comics and graphic books, scholars, librarians and teachers from a range of disciplines who teach using comics, and an audience of educators who work with students from early childhood to the college level.

Keynote addresses will be given by Matt Madden (co-author of Drawing Words and Writing Pictures and author of 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style) and by Eric Shanower (author of Age of Bronze, two-time winner of the Eisner Award as Best Writer-Artist).

Quick Links

Registration

Sequential SmArt will be held on the campus of Juniata College in lovely central Pennsylvania.

Act 48 Credit is available for PA for Teachers. All Act 48 credits are on Saturday May 19th, so PA teachers don’t need to take a Friday off from work.

Friday May 18 is an optional pre-conference workshop. This workshop is an evening with Matt Madden. Matt is a cartoonist and author who teaches comics at the School for Visual Arts and Yale University. Matt will work with participants to discover how making comics can enhance your teaching. This event takes place Friday evening at Juniata’s Raystown Field Station. Space is limited for this interactive session and registration is first-come first-served.

Saturday May 19 is the main conference, featuring an exciting line-up of speakers and workshops.

Registration for the conference is open and you can register online on the Registration page.

For directions to campus, visit the Directions page.

Accommodations

Special Rates Available for Conference Attendees at the following locations:

Fairfield Inn and Suites Huntingdon (814-643-3672), 9970 Shaner Boulevard, Huntingdon, PA 16652

  • $69 for King Room
  • $79 for Two Double Beds
  • $89 for King Suite

(please reference Juniata College; rates per Dustin)

Comfort Inn Huntingdon (814-643-1600), 100 South 4th Street, Huntingdon, PA):

  • $78 per room

(please reference Sequential SmArt)

*Dorm Rooms at Juniata College are available for accommodations. Please contact 814-641-3604 for rates/information.*

Additional accomodation possibilities can be found on the Accomodations page.

Schedule

For a complete list of presentation title, see the Presentation Topics section below.

Friday, May 18th
3:30- Registration Von Liebig Lobby

4:30 -5:00 vans depart for Raystown Field Station from in front of Ellis Hall

5:00 Pre-conference Dinner and Creative Session with Madden (Space limited to 30 participants)

Saturday, May 19th
8:00-8:30 Registration

8:30-8:45 Welcome

8:45-9:30 Plenary Talk: Matt Madden, Mastering Comics as a Tool for Deeper Learning

9:45-11:00 Concurrent Session 1
Susan Prill, Belle Tuten, Brock Eastman, Kevin Kinney, Julian Chambliss

11:10-12:25 Concurrent Session 2
Jarod Roselló, Stergios Botzakis, Dwain Pruit, Elizabeth “Scout” Blum, Shannan Stewart, Karen Gavigan

12:30-1:45 Lunch and Plenary with Eric Shanower

2:00-2:15 Exhibit Rachel Simmons and Julian Chamblis

2:15- 3:30 Concurrent Session 3
Catharina Evans, Nick Sousanis, Tom McClain, Nathaniel Lauster, Kelley J. Hall, Craig Fisher, Jay Hosler

3:45-4:30 Closing

4:45 -5:30 Act 48 Meeting

Contact Us

Questions, comments or concerns? Visit our Facebook page and send us a message. Be sure to like us on Facebook to stay on top of the latest conference details.

Presentation Topics

Learning about comics

  • The Comic Book Syllabus, Jay Hosler, Juniata College
  • Comics in Classrooms and Libraries: Using Graphic Novels across the Secondary Curriculum, Karen Gavigan, University of South Carolina
  • Comics as a tool for inquiry, Nick Sousanis, Columbia University, Teachers College
  • Sketch Noting, Tom McClain, Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11

The Fine Arts

  • Exhibit: Future Bear, Rachel Simmons and Julian Chambliss, Rollins College
  • Plenary talk by Eric Shanower creator of Age of Bronze.

English and literature

  • Cartooning and Confianza: Using Comics to Build a Classroom of Trust, Jarod Roselló, Pennsylvania State University
  • Students Views on Using Graphic Novels in High School ELA Classes, Stergios Botzakis, University of Tennessee
  • Cartooning the Essay Planning Process, Catharina Evans, Saints Peter and Paul School
  • Diving Deeper: Arguments for Teaching Fewer Graphic Novels, Craig Fisher, Appalachian State University

Social Studies

  • Teaching Muslim Women’s Lives through Persepolis, Susan Prill & Belle Tuten, Juniata College
  • Teaching Gender and Sexuality with Graphic Novels, Kelley J. Hall, DePauw University
  • Our Private Wakandas: The Lives and Deaths of the Black Panther, Dwain Pruitt, Morgan State University
  • Superhero Comics: Artifacts of the U.S. Experience, Julian Chambliss, Rollins College
  • Illustrating the Journey: Immigrant Youth Learning to Tell their Stories through Comics, Nathaniel Lauster, University of British Columbia
  • Teaching Bronze Age Archaeology, from Schliemann to Shanower, Shannan Stewart, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Natural Sciences

  • The Spectacular Teacher-Man: Comics as Primary Text in a Science Classroom, Brock Eastman, Takoma Park and Rosa M. Parks Middle School
  • Using The X-Men to Teach Mutation, Kevin Kinney, DePauw University
  • Man Thing vs. The Industrialists: Messages About Nature and the Environment in Comics, Elizabeth “Scout” Blum, Troy University
  • Teaching, Testing and Creating Science Comics, Jay Hosler, Juniata College