Application Project
In early 2015, Ms. Marvel was utilized to combat anti-Islam advertisements on buses in San Francisco. Moreover, in 2017, she was the subject of many protest signs at sites like the Women’s March or rallies against the Muslim ban. Your assignment is to think about how additional Muslim superheroes could be used in the public space for some manner of campaign. For what causes should they be employed? What methods could be used? Conversely, what blowback or negative response might such an application elicit? You will be challenged not only to develop a novel use for superheroic Muslim character but also to consider the most effective social venue and deployment plan.
STEP ONE: Pick a cause.
There is a universe of causes and social issues out there: literacy, equality, nuclear disarmament, refugee aid, and so many more. Do you already have a cause that is dear to you? If so, might it be applicable to the missions of Muslim superheroes? Alternatively, this may be your opportunity to devote time to examining our cultural moment and what, going in to the future, might matter to you, even outside the workplace. Consider not only how you’ve come to focud on your Cause but also its history to date and its public expression today. Who is at the forefront of this cause? How large is their ally base? Who/what is in opposition to his view? What level of knowledge do relevant audiences have? What would interest them about Muslim superheroes, and how would your proposed plan tie to what has been done previously?
STEP TWO: Select a character.
Easily, Ms. Marvel has become the most visible Muslim character to be deployed socially and politically. Therefore, part of your challenge will be to find a Muslim superhero that has not already been extensively employed but still has great potential. While you may choose from our class readings, you are advised to do so wisely; please explain what makes your particular character relevant and useful. Moreover, if you search out a Muslim superhero from beyond our reading list, detail how you located this content, what a brief summary of it might be, and what readership/audience it has had to date. Even content from our class (e.g. Kismet, Buraaq, The 99, etc.) should be accompanied by your detailed evaluation of their reception to date. In short, you’ll have to do research on the character you select!
STEP THREE: Clear your choices with the instructor.
Once the cause and character have been selected and researched, e-mail the instructor with your choices. They will need to be approved by the instructor in advance of your final submission, so be certain to do this well in advance of your final submission. While the e-mail need only include naming the two selections (e.g. “I would like to use Faiza Hussein to do television PSAs for depression screening in Britain”), you may be asked by the instructor to explain your choices further in a follow-up e-mail. Note: The instructor does not need to agree with your cause in order for it to be approved.
STEP FOUR: Develop your strategy.
With the character and the cause both researched and approved, craft a plan for what would be required to implement your campaign. Though this should be relatively formal, this portion need not be scholarly: pay attention to financial cost, legal restrictions, and affiliated organizations that could be involved. If possible, provide a working model or “proof of concept” for your campaign: a short scripted video if it’s meant to be a commercial, a poster sketch if it’s meant to be signage, a small model if it’s meant to be a parade float, etc. How/where/when is it to be accessed? How might you determinethe impact or efficacy of your campaign? Would it need to be dismantled or deconstructed once complete?
STEP FIVE: Compile and/or demonstrate your process.
For grading, you need to submit via e-mail[i] to the instructor a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file by the deadline with the following components:
A title page with your student information, the submission date, and a descriptive (yet pithy) title.
Cause section: 750-1000 words on your process and findings in choosing the approved issue to be engaged. Some sense of its history as well as its current status should be given and supported. Utilize MLA formatted parenthetical citation for all relevant information.
Character section: 300-1000 words on your choice of Muslim superhero. Not only should your process in selecting the character be explained (i.e. “How did you find it? Why this one?”) but also a brief summary of its background, its (lack of?) familiarity, and its relevance to your chosen Cause. Again, MLA citation practices should be observed.
Strategy section: 750-1200 words detailing the proposed “launch” of your campaign. While this need not be in MLA format, consider submitting visual or physical models/prototypes along with your plan.
Next Actions section: 250-500 words projecting whether this plan could be implemented. That is, what obstacles or opposition would your Strategy meet? What would the blowback likely be, and what organizations might oppose this plan? What would have to happen next in order to make your plan a reality? If you as an MCPHS student could not organize this, who could, potentially? Besides simply getting a grade, what, if anything, might you want to do next?
[i] Physical models or prototypes can either be submitted by hand to the instructor or have images/videos of the work recorded and delivered digitally.
Review the file “Application Project” and follow the instructions. pay attention to word counts
in each section of the essay Y come up with your own tittle for this essay. Below are some
sources for writing this essay.
MLA style.
Here are the texts: (Rise of The Third Army). (Wrath of the First Lantern). (Ms. Marvel – No
Normal)
Here are the articles: (Lund and Lewis, ‘Whence the Muslim Superhero?”), (Pruitt, “The Comics
that Hate Produced“). (Yanora, “Marked by Foreign Policy” (Supplemental). (Mizan Pop: Martin
Lund, “On the M5. Marvel Moment”), (Reyns-Chikuma and Lorenz, “Kamala Khan’s Superhero
Burkini”). (Pumphrey, “Niqab not Burqa” (Supplemental). (Wanner. “‘And, erm, religious stuff”
(Supplemental), (Stromberg, “Superhero Comics from the Middle East: Tyranny of Genre?”),
(Chitwood, “Hero and/or Villain? The 99 and the Hybrid Nature of Popular Culture’s
Production of Islam” (Supplemental). (THE 99 – Character Guide (optional). (THE 99 – Complete
Series)