Superhero Dossier

Name:

edX ID:

Important! Before You Begin

You should name your dossier. We recommend the following format:

Lastname_Firstname_SuperheroDossier

If you havent done so already, go back to Page 1, and enter your name and edX Username in the spaces provided.

A few notes before you get started

BE CREATIVE! Smithsonian wants to see your original ideas as well as a high quality of research. Include interesting and perhaps little known facts about the subject Think outside the box about the social issues and historical events that youre writing about Challenge yourself to research lesser known or more unusual people or events

You are encouraged to include images in your dossier that you find on the Internet. However, make sure to list all your sources in the References spaces at the end of each section of the dossier. If you want to create an original image of your subject, youre welcome to! Just make a note that the image is your creation.

Throughout the Dossier, youll be asked to write reports and biographies. These should be between 500 and 800 words. No need to write a novel about the topic! Just make sure you touch on the important information requested in each section of the Dossier.

Thats it! Turn the page now to begin creating your own original Superhero Dossier!

Now Its Your Turn!

We know that the comic book world has many more creators, superheroes, and supervillains than we could possibly fit in a six-week course. We also know that comic books have had a cultural impact that is ever changing and unique to each comic lover. Thats why we want to give you a chance to add to the course by teaching us about the creators, characters, and history that are important to you.

In this companion to The Rise of Superheroes & Their Impact on Pop Culture, we will lead you through the process of compiling an original dossier of major creators, characters, and influences throughout the history of comics. Well start with an analysis of how existing culture has impacted comic books. Then, well move into researching specific creators and characters. Finally, well circle back and look at how comic books have impacted modern culture.

Its up to you to select what you want to write about for each section of this Dossier. As we move through the weeks of the course, you are welcome to choose people and characters from the time period currently being covered in the course that week. Alternatively, you may choose from any comic genre and any time period or location that interests you. Its entirely up to you.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to play professor and will share your work with your fellow students. You may share your work on the discussion forum in edX, in any of the courses companion Facebook groups, and on our web forum where you can post the project and get constant and updated feedback from your fellow superhero students.

We would also love to hear from you! If you have ideas you think will make this activity better, let us via email at smithsonianxcourses@gmail.com. Dossier Contents

Important! Before You Begin2

Now Its Your Turn!3

Dossier Contents4

Mythological Influence5

Creator Biography??

Superhero Biography??

Supervillain Biography??

Cultural Impact??

Mythological Influence

Instructions

Throughout the history of comic books, creators have looked to mythology for inspiration. This week, Prof. Uslan gave a few examples of characters who clearly had their origins in Greek and Roman mythology (The Flash, Aquaman). Now wed like to hear from you.

Pick one of your favorite superheroes or villains. Look at the ancient myths and see if you canfigure out which god or goddess the character is based on. We encourage you to look for influences both within traditional Western mythology as well as in mythology from other non-Western cultures.

Here are some sites to help you get started on your research. Once youve decided upon your superhero or villain and that characters mythological inspiration, turn to the next page to start filling out the key information about that relationship. Godchecker Wikipedia's List of World Mythologies

Vital Statistics

Name of God or Goddess

Country of Origin

Gender

Description of Appearance

Strengths

Weaknesses

Origin Story

Pictures

What does the god or goddess look like? Find 1-2 images and add them to the spaces provided below. Remember to include your sources on the References page!

Images

To add your own image, select Insert > Photo > Picture from File and select the image you downloaded from the Internet onto your local drive. You may delete the placeholder image when youve added at least one of your own.

Teachings

Traditionally, gods and goddesses have been used to explain certain global phenomena or human behaviors the creation of the universe, the existence of the seasons, the power of wisdom, or the danger of vanity. What purpose does the god or goddess youve selected serve in his or her mythological tradition? What lessons can we learn from this god or goddess about the world or ourselves?:

Teaching 1 Teaching 2 Teaching 3

Do any images exist that are visual representations of these teachings? Use this space to include images (paintings, drawings, etc.) of your god or goddess at work.

Images

To add your own image, select Insert > Photo > Picture from File and select the image you downloaded from the Internet onto your local drive. You may delete the placeholder image when youve added at least one of your own.

Influences

Now its time to dig deeper into exactly how your chosen god or goddess has influenced your selected superhero or villain. What similarities exist between the characters? What do we learn from each that makes him or her so important?

CharacteristicGod/GoddessSuperhero/Villain

Appearance

Strengths

Weaknesses

Origin Story

Teachings

Required Sections

Its time to put everything youve gathered so far together and write your report on your findings. While you may add any new content you feel is necessary to fully explain your ideas, your report should include, at minimum, the following four elements:

1. IntroductionUse what you identified in the Vital Statistics section to draft a brief introduction to your god or goddess. It should include a summary of their country of origin, physical appearance, powers, and creation story.

2. TeachingsWhat lessons do we learn from the god or goddess that youve chosen? In this section, write 1-2 paragraphs that explain more in depth why this god or goddess is so important and exactly what element of the world or of mankind her or she explains.

3. InfluencesHow did the god or goddess directly influence the superhero or villain that you selected? Here, write 1-2 paragraphs giving more detail about the similarities between the characters including their appearance, strengths, weaknesses, origin stories, and teachings. You may add on a brief conclusion to the end of this paragraph or write a separate paragraph if youd like.

4. ImagesAs you write each of the three sections above, wed like you to incorporate at least 2 images to visually support your explanation. You should include the sources from where you found your images a simple URL from the website will suffice.

Template

The template below is the simplest one we expect you to create. However, you may feel free to add additional sections if you wish.

Introduction(Add text here)

Teachings(Add text here)

Influence(Add text here)

Write your Report!

Okay you should now have all the tools you need to write your report. You may use the table template from the previous page, your own custom template, or simply write it as you would a traditional essay.

Good luck! We cant wait to see what you come up with!

My Mythological Influence Report

References

Use this space to list the references where you found the information in your report. You can just copy and paste the URLs where you found the information like you see in the example below.

Reference 1: www.google.com Reference 2: www.yahoo.com Reference 3: www.si.edu

Please list as many references as you used youre not limited to only 3 like in the example!

My References Reference 1: Reference 2: Reference 3:

Scratch Paper

Any notes or other things youd like to capture about the god, goddess, superhero, or villain? Interesting thoughts or ideas about topics to cover in your report? Something particular about the character you want to make sure you remember? The Scratch Paper section is yours to do whatever you want, and is not required for you to complete.