Frames of ethics: a systematic scoping review of graphic novels in ethics education

Purpose of the Study. Our paper answers the call for business schools to alter ethics education in the classroom. Using graphic novels to teach ethical skills improves the students’ ability to assess an ethical situation through empathy (EM) and interpersonal-mentalizing skills (IM) (i.e. reading the minds of their customers). Graphic novels are reemerging as a training tool that has the potential to reach a vast population. Corporations have begun to apply graphic-style training methods to gain the attention of their employees. Method/Design and Sample. Using a repeated measure MANOVA, we collected data across universities and borders to assess the effectiveness of graphic novels in the classroom as a tool for training ethical effectiveness; some students received a traditional case study and others received the graphic novel case study. Results. Results indicate that students increase their ability to empathize and build interpersonal mentalizing when applying graphic novel case studies in the classroom. Past research with sales professionals demonstrates that individuals early in their sales career are able to build ethical understanding (ethical efficacy) through graphic novel case studies. Students report that the graphic-novel method increases their ability to make an ethical decision while improving their ethics-education satisfaction. Value to Marketing Educators. Three written case studies and graphic novels are provided for easy application in the classroom. They can be obtained through the New Mexico State University and Daniels Fund Resource Page: http://business.nmsu.edu/research/programs/daniels-ethics/teaching/marketing-ethics/ (http://business.nmsu.edu/research/programs/daniels-ethics/teaching/marketing-ethics/); you may also contact the authors to have a PDF file sent. The course material could be incorporated at all levels of marketing instruction. Description of a classroom exercise is provided. In addition, we provide a unique contribution to marketing education by assessing the use of graphic novels through empathy and interpersonal-mentalizing effectiveness measures.

As politics and regulation play increasingly central roles in high school curricula, the English teacher faces more time constraints in the teaching of literacy. ELA teachers are consistently encouraged by the state and school administration to encourage creative learning of literacy even with regulation. In Teaching Graphic Novels: Practical Strategies for the Secondary ELA Classroom, Katie Monnin proposes the use and implementation of graphic novels to bolster all aspects of literacy in the English Language Arts classroom. Monnin explores the current ELA curriculum and the advice needed to include visual print storytelling to increase students’ awareness and understanding of many types of literacy. As an experienced professor of literacy at the University of South Florida, Monnin approaches this book with the attempt to increase the awareness of several new teaching styles facilitated by the visual arts. Her strengths come from her ability to increase student literacy while simultaneously training the teacher to understand how graphic novels can be utilized in ELA classrooms. This book incorporates previously published material on graphic novels and media literacy while organizing the information in a coherent, well laid-out textbook. Monnin organizes the book into two major sections; chapter one ambitiously covers an introduction to graphic novels including historical information as well as terminology. Chapters two through six address different types of graphic novel literacy and advance through several different genres. In the introductory chapter, the book introduces to teachers unfamiliar with graphic novels a platform in which to proceed through the book. The appendices included in the text are pre-made handouts that make up half the book. At times, chapter one seems to be a companion to Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. A teacher unfamiliar with McCloud’s work will find the references necessary, as the McCloud book was not written for pedagogical interpretation. Throughout chapter one, Monnin adapts McCloud’s glossary of terms into an organized and well-charted breakdown and turns the novel reader into a graphic novel reader. She uses excerpts and examples from existing graphic novels such as Nick Abadzis’ Laika and Hope Larson’s Chiggers to teach the reader how to comprehend the graphic novel. Written in an approachable format with stylized fonts and cartoon shapes, Monnin strives to encourage ELA teachers new to the graphic novel medium to become comfortable with the content format. After getting acclimated to the graphic novel vocabulary, she takes the reader into an in depth pedagogical understanding of the different modes of using graphic novels to teach. Monnin starts with reading comprehension, an important first step, and breaks comprehension into “three windows” which “allow readers to enter, inhale and comprehend the reading experience” (p. 15). In chapters two through six, the book is divided into Middle School ELA and High School ELA sections. As she progresses, she continually refers to Appendix handouts and guides the ELA teacher in the process of the assignments. Monnin stays consistent with NCTE Standards (ncte.org/standards), having the students “apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts” including the use of context and graphics. ELA teachers have two major concerns in the definition of literacy: what literature is defined as valuable and whose literature is valuable (p. xix).

As politics and regulation play increasingly central roles in high school curricula, the English teacher faces more time constraints in the teaching of literacy. ELA teachers are consistently encouraged by the state and school administration to encourage creative learning of literacy even with regulation. In Teaching Graphic Novels: Practical Strategies for the Secondary ELA Classroom, Katie Monnin proposes the use and implementation of graphic novels to bolster all aspects of literacy in the English Language Arts classroom. Monnin explores the current ELA curriculum and the advice needed to include visual print storytelling to increase students’ awareness and understanding of many types of literacy. As an experienced professor of literacy at the University of South Florida, Monnin approaches this book with the attempt to increase the awareness of several new teaching styles facilitated by the visual arts. Her strengths come from her ability to increase student literacy while simultaneously training the teacher to understand how graphic novels can be utilized in ELA classrooms. This book incorporates previously published material on graphic novels and media literacy while organizing the information in a coherent, well laid-out textbook. Monnin organizes the book into two major sections; chapter one ambitiously covers an introduction to graphic novels including historical information as well as terminology. Chapters two through six address different types of graphic novel literacy and advance through several different genres. In the introductory chapter, the book introduces to teachers unfamiliar with graphic novels a platform in which to proceed through the book. The appendices included in the text are pre-made handouts that make up half the book. At times, chapter one seems to be a companion to Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. A teacher unfamiliar with McCloud’s work will find the references necessary, as the McCloud book was not written for pedagogical interpretation. Throughout chapter one, Monnin adapts McCloud’s glossary of terms into an organized and well-charted breakdown and turns the novel reader into a graphic novel reader. She uses excerpts and examples from existing graphic novels such as Nick Abadzis’ Laika and Hope Larson’s Chiggers to teach the reader how to comprehend the graphic novel. Written in an approachable format with stylized fonts and cartoon shapes, Monnin strives to encourage ELA teachers new to the graphic novel medium to become comfortable with the content format. After getting acclimated to the graphic novel vocabulary, she takes the reader into an in depth pedagogical understanding of the different modes of using graphic novels to teach. Monnin starts with reading comprehension, an important first step, and breaks comprehension into “three windows” which “allow readers to enter, inhale and comprehend the reading experience” (p. 15). In chapters two through six, the book is divided into Middle School ELA and High School ELA sections. As she progresses, she continually refers to Appendix handouts and guides the ELA teacher in the process of the assignments. Monnin stays consistent with NCTE Standards (ncte.org/standards), having the students “apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts” including the use of context and graphics. ELA teachers have two major concerns in the definition of literacy: what literature is defined as valuable and whose literature is valuable (p. xix).

This article examines the role of graphic novels in school libraries as an effective tool to engage reluctant readers and foster a love for literature. Reluctant readers, who often struggle with or avoid traditional texts, are drawn to the combination of visual and textual elements that graphic novels offer. These accessible narratives appeal to their interests, making graphic novels a valuable resource in promoting literacy and developing reading habits, particularly in middle and high school students. The study underscores the significance of graphic novels in enhancing reading motivation, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. By bridging the gap between visual storytelling and traditional literature, graphic novels serve as a gateway to more complex works, encouraging readers to explore a wider range of texts. School librarians play a crucial role in curating and promoting these resources, ensuring that graphic novels are effectively integrated into reading programs. Recommendations include incorporating graphic novels into school library collections and reading curricula, addressing any biases against their use, and advocating for the inclusion of diverse titles to support a broad spectrum of reader interests. This approach can create a more dynamic and inclusive reading culture, empowering reluctant readers to engage more confidently with literature.

Nursing students' reactions to a graphic novel: A multi-national descriptive qualitative study

In this chapter, the authors demonstrate how teachers can use graphic novels in classroom spaces to support student learning and literacy outcomes while simultaneously valuing unique meaning making potential of graphic novels. Specifically, the authors address ways in which graphic novels can be used to promote history and social studies learning while capitalizing on graphic novels' complex, sophisticated, and multimodal nature. They suggest that rather than using graphic novels to trick kids into liking reading and learning content, graphic novels can be leveraged to promote deep, critical thinking about history and social studies. To accomplish this, the authors propose combining the opportunities for practice framework with a social semiotic view of multimodality as a means of supporting students' reading of historical fiction and non-fiction graphic novels.

The comics artist and illustrator Michael DeForge published his first graphic novel, Ant Colony, in 2014. The sophisticated combination of verbal and visual storytelling in his work has earned him the admiration of readers and critics alike, and makes him one of the most compelling practitioners of the “literary comic.” This article applies surface reading theory to reading contemporary comics, also referred to as graphic narratives or novels, taking the work of DeForge as its case study. It analyzes Ant Colony as a work of narrative art, and also as a theory of narrative art that draws our attention to the process of surface reading: whether to the surfaces of bodies, the surfaces of language, or the surface of the comic book page. Running counter to a close reading practice that assumes that a deeper meaning is hidden in the text, DeForge’s work redirects the reader’s eye to the form of the text itself. This redirection posits an open acceptance, and scrutiny, of the surface: close reading through attention to form.

Between the late 1980s and the present day, the graphic novel has become an accepted medium for literary and visual creativity and storytelling. This successful development cannot be attributed to a single cause or effect, and to attempt to locate such a thing would be reductive. When in 1986–1987, Moore and Gibbons’s Watchmen, Spiegelman’s Maus, and Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns were picked up in the media and soon described as the “big three” graphic novels, it was after years of development of adult comics. This chapter (1) makes a series of arguments to try to unpick further some of the hidden wiring behind the breakthrough of the graphic novel in 1986–1987, and (2) discusses some of the dominant strands in more recent production: history and reportage, autobiography, women creators, and revival of genre-driven works. The chapter ends with some more general suggestions as to the lessons provided by history.

The principal aim of the paper was to examine what kind of experience international exchange students, as future professionals in tourism industry, gained during their study at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism in Phuket, Thailand. Thus, the paper deals with how often they encountered the unethical issues in the tourism industry, and how these issues affect their perception of the image of Thailand as a tourist destination. The paper also explores how formal education in Tourism ethics affects the perception of Thailand tourism unethical practices, and as such, it is one of the first studies in this field. In addition, the paper intends to show if there is a relationship between formal education in Ethics in tourism and the respondents’ experience and perception of unethical issues. The results show that these unethical issues have the significant and very strong influence on tourism perception of Thailand with a special emphasis on exploitation of women and children in sex tourism. Also, the study indicates that respondents who have a formal education in Ethics were more aware and had a clearer picture of the negative effect of these unethical issues on the image of Thailand as a destination.

The study intends to uncover the significant commentary these works offer on current themes like gender dynamics, caste discrimination, governmental corruption, religious tensions, and the challenges of modernity, by analyzing a varied spectrum of graphic novels coming out of the subcontinent. We shed light on how these graphic novels not only represent the socio-political environment of India but also question and modify narratives by combining qualitative content analysis and in-depth case studies. Our research highlights the importance of graphic novels as effective social critique mediums in India, echoing wider global trends where visual storytelling goes beyond just amusement to provide insightful social commentary

The article explores the genre nature of the graphic novel as a unique narrative form that emerged at the intersection of literary and comic traditions, occupying a special place in the contemporary literary process. The object of study is the graphic novel as a graphic-literary genre, combining the structural complexity and thematic depth of the novel with the grammatical tools of comics. The subject of the article is the genre specificity of the graphic novel in terms of its compliance with the criteria of the novel genre accepted in modern literary studies (primarily in the works of M.M. Bakhtin and N.D. Tamarchenko). The aim of the work is to identify and systematize the genre characteristics of the graphic novel, as well as to critically reassess its initial genre labeling based on the materials of the graphic novels "A Contract with God" by W. Eisner, "Maus" by A. Spiegelman, "Watchmen" by A. Moore and D. Gibbons, and "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" by F. Miller. The methodological foundation includes the works of M.M. Bakhtin and N.D. Tamarchenko dedicated to the genre characteristics of the novel, as well as the works of V.I. Tyupa on genre categories and narrative strategy. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the poetological analysis of the genre nature of graphic novels, which not only established this genre definition for a broad audience but also took on the role of a standard for the further development of genre identity in the field of visual narratives. The results of the study show that the graphic novel is formed at the intersection of a wordless novel and comics: from the former, it borrows the depth of thematic issues, focus on historical experience, and individual fate; from the latter, the grammar of visual storytelling, compositional techniques, and the dialogue between word and image. The poetics of the novel manifest in the verbal-visual synthesis through motif organization, graphical transformation, and the counterpoint of inserted texts. The chronotope of the unfinished present is expressed through the comparison of graphic styles, the dialogicity of spatial-temporal plans, and the openness of the ending, while the zone of contact is conveyed through the artistic organization of autobiographical material and the limitations of superhero discourse. The genre synthetic nature of the graphic novels discussed demonstrates the realization of novelistic nature in a hybrid sign system.

Sarnath Banerjee is a prominent Indian graphic novelist whose work has been gaining increasing attention due to its unique storytelling style and representation of contemporary India in the graphics. A comprehensive analysis of Banerjee's works “Corridor”, "The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers", "The Harappa Files", and "All Quiet in Vikaspuri", demonstrates how Banerjee's ability to capture the complexities and nuances of modern Indian society is captured precisely through his writing. Banerjee's critique of Indian culture and society is reflected in several aspects, including his critique of urban life and modernization, his critique of historical legacies and myth, and his socio-political commentary. There is also a special emphasis placed on Banerjee's interesting stylistic choices, particularly his use of non-linear narratives, intertextuality, and visual storytelling, which produce a rich presentation of contemporary India that reveals many different aspects of it. As Banerjee's graphic novels are characterized by humour, satire, and poignant social observations, the stories provide a critical perspective on the evolving landscape of modern Indian society and contribute to both the genre of graphic novels and the broader discourse on popular culture.

To fulfill the need for in-depth exploration of human experiences, arts-based qualitative research has emerged, continuously uncovering possibilities through various artistic genres. This study aims to present the potential of graphic novels, a genre of comics that values accessibility, as a tool for arts-based qualitative research to meet the demand for alternative forms of writing. Thus, the focus of this research is to analyze how graphic novels convey authenticity and overcome the limitations of representation as an alternative writing method. The research methodology involves analyzing existing literature and case studies while examining the narrative and visual techniques employed in graphic novels. The findings reveal that graphic novels serve as a medium for sharing personal experiences with the public and effectively convey complex emotions through the interaction of images and text. Furthermore, the expressive strategies utilized in comics demonstrate the potential to foster critical thinking and contribute to the formation of social discourse. Through this, the study seeks to establish that graphic novels can serve as a novel approach within arts-based qualitative research.

This article discusses teachers’ experience of reading a graphic novel for adults. Graphic novels have been increasingly integrated in education systems recently, hence the importance of analyzing the experience of the teachers responsible for mediating those texts for their students. The participants were 48 teachers, most of them for language arts, studying for a graduate degree in Israeli colleges. The research question was: What characterizes the teachers’ acquaintance with graphic novels and their response to the genre? The data were collected from a questionnaire completed after reading opening pages of a graphic novel, which included both closed and open-ended questions. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data using thematic analysis. The participants attested to shallow familiarity with the genre. While enjoying the encounter with it, many confessed to a difficulty reading due to cognitive overload caused by an excess of verbal, visual, graphic and spatial elements and the difficulty integrating them. The findings thus suggest a need for teachers to study the language of graphic novels and gain experience reading them before they feel comfortable teaching them in class.

The past decade has seen the Indian graphic novel undergo a transformation, turning from a niche market into a vibrant and diverse form of storytelling. The study aims to analyze LGBTQ+ representation in Kari and place it in the overall phenomenon of Indian graphic novels. The methodology included the major theoretical concepts used to analyze the graphic novel and a blend of them: queer theory – “which involves views on this construction by examining the normalization of sexuality”; thematic analysis – a “means of conceptually organizing and structuring the narrative data obtained through interviews. It involves stripping away the details and unique aspects of the text of its read-down meaning”; and analysis of author’s interviews and reviews. The study attempts to summarize findings into gender, sexuality, and sexuality in the Indian context. The paper is an understanding of Indian culture and the changing discourse around LGBTQ+ rights and representation. The novel gives a voice to a narrative that has long been silent – the life of a lesbian woman in a conservative society – by ending the invisibility that surrounds their lives through in a traditional poetic narrative.