Cruise the halls of a typical grouping of faculty offices in any law school, and several cartoons are sure to adorn the walls and doors. Some are funny in a mild-mannered way, while others can be quite political. Are cartoon postings yet another perk of being tenured, or do untenured faculty and staff feel just as comfortable displaying these images? Do they make us more “human” to students, or does their presence provide a small sense of comfort that academic seriousness has not made us lose our youthful edge? Personally, I do not have any funnies or political commentary taped on my door, but I do have a book of museum cartoons from The New Yorker in my office. Some of my colleagues occasionally use a cartoon in their classes. If you have cartoons nearby, what are they depicting and how are they used? Does anyone mention them?
I open nearly every one of my classes with a cartoon that pertains to the topic we will discuss that day. I do it to help the visual learners. In addition, for several years, I included as a component of the final exam a cartoon that students had to caption with a caption that reflected the subjects dicussed in the course. I submitted the better captions for possible publication in the ABA's Dispute Resolution Magazine. I gave the students about four weeks to practice creating captions during the first ten minutes or so of class. It was one more way to emphasize the need for right-brained, creative thinking in the Dispute Resolution context.
Posted by: Paula M. Young, Associate Professor of Law | September 14, 2009 at 05:39 PM
One of my favorite cartoons (and I don't believe I have a copy any more) is from "Close to Home." The instructor is wearing a shirt that says: "Don't like my teaching? Call 1-800-YOU-FAIL." I'm reminded of that cartoon every semester when I distribute evaluation forms to my students.
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | September 15, 2009 at 09:21 AM
My favorite cartoon, from many years ago, is captioned "Philosophical Differences" and depicts a group of people (presumably faculty members), one of who is saying "Your arguments lack analytical rigor, and so does your mother," to which another responds (while raising his middle finger) "Oh yeah, well deconstruct this!"
Needless to say, I don't have that on the door to my office, but I do have it on a bulletin board above my desk.
Posted by: Eric Fink | September 15, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Amazing post
the wonderful way of learning ............through
cartoons
it makes learning more simpler
Posted by: Investment in Europe | August 22, 2010 at 09:50 PM
Can any one give me some funny Japanese animation cartoons?
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Hi
I gave the students about four weeks to practice creating captions during the first ten minutes or so of class. It was one more way to emphasize the need for right-brained, creative thinking in the Dispute Resolution context............
Thanks for Sharing...........
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