Dr. Durahn Taylor Launches New Superhero Class
Superheroes, such as Spiderman, will be covered and discussed in a historical context in Dr. Durahn Taylor’s Spring 2019 course.
December 2, 2018
Superhero fans in the Pace community are in luck for the spring semester when Dr. Durahn Taylor officially begins his new history course, Supermen and Superwomen: U.S. History Through Popular Fantasy (HIS 224).
Taylor is passionate about understanding how comic books and pop culture reflects the anxieties and aspirations of the American people throughout history.
Taylor initially came up with this idea because in 1995 at Concordia College, he taught a course called “U.S History Through the Comics.” Taylor also states that this is a golden opportunity for him because he is currently in the process of writing a book manuscript about how comics and the cartoon industry have worked with government figures to promote public health to American Youth.
He also published a scholarly article about comics and American politics during the 1930’s.
Taylor says that he hopes that this course will help students develop their abilities to analyze history using different senses. These senses include reading through newspaper comics, and comic book stories, listening through radio dramas, and visually watching through motion pictures, and animation. They will learn how to understand history in different ways besides a textbook or documentary. Students will look at pop culture from a different perspective.
“Students have superpowers too,” Taylor said, “you might say they will develop the power of Context Ray Vision.”
Along with the superheroes, students will also discuss villains. Dr. Taylor says that you can tell a lot about what writers, publishers, and artist believe when they are writing about an enemy.
“For instance, Lex Luther has been depicted in different ways depending on the time era. He is a war profiteer, a generic mad scientist, and even President of the United States,” Taylor explained. “In these post 9/11 days, the Joker is seen as a potential mad terrorist. And you can’t understand Captain America’s enemy, Red Skull, without understanding how Marvel was actively opposed to the Nazi party even before the United States entered World War II.”
Although superhero movies have been highly successful in recent years, this class will not talk about the films most are familiar with. In fact, Taylor’s class will discuss more about superheroes that were popular before Marvel, and DC. For example, Taylor said that the class will look into heroes like The Shadow, the Green Hornet, Zorro, and Dick Tracy, all of whom were introduced in pulp novels. The history professor will also talk about radio shows and newspaper comic strips, which were way before DC and Marvel popularized the comic book medium.
The class will also look at animated features from Disney and Warner Bros. Taylor will explore how their features reflected trends in American society during the times in which they were made.
“So if you are not into comics yet, but you like the characters of Disney, and other animated studios, then this course is for you as well,” he said.
Once the class opens in January, Taylor will play his usual role as an educator. But what is sure to make the class entertaining is the fact he is also a major superhero fan.
He grew up on DC comics, and said they will always have a special place in his heart. However, he admits the recent Marvel movies have been better because he thinks they are more uplifting on an emotional scale.
“The recent solo Captain America, and Spiderman movies are particularly good” Durahn says, “those two are my favorite Marvel superheros.”
There are still open spots to register for the course on the Pace Portal.
Doug Lester • Sep 4, 2019 at 11:31 am
I watched Professor Taylor’s C-Span lecture on “American Cartoons in World War II.” Fascinating lecture! This is, without a doubt, the most interesting period for comics. I was born in 1948 and I began buying comics during the tail end of the Golden Age and continuing through the Silver Age. I taught English in Japan for 30 years, recently returning to the U.S. I began to search for examples of WWII propaganda(both Japanese and American) and ran into a wall with regard to Japanese propaganda. So much had been destroyed (ordered by the American occupying authorities?).
As for the American side, a lot of cartoon and comic propaganda has been preserved. One of the truly marvelous DVD sets was the Walt Disney Treasures’ “On the Front Lines” which contains the animated classic “Der Fuehrer’s Face.” Of course, this set doesn’t fall under the category of superheroes but as WWII propaganda it fits perfectly.
Thinking of how life has changed when I was a kid you could buy a comic for a dime! I knew kids who had stacks of them. I read and reread my own collection until they were falling apart and/or my mom tossed them out. That was how I became literate! (Yes, I did read regular books as well but not with the same enthusiasm and joy.) Of course the days of the dime comic are long gone. I don’t think modern day comics are as accessible to kids-especially if you have a very limited allowance as I did. Price?