Hidden Cost of Security: Comics and Academic Forums
Figuring out how to share and disseminate research findings and conclusions in new and engaging ways is always a lingering challenge for those of us engaged in rigorous scholarship. We are trained in our respective research methods and traditional modes of offering that research to the world, or, let’s be honest, mainly other academics through some traditional form of academic writing (i.e., a journal article, a report, a book chapter, or a book) or a conference presentation. But, more and more, researchers are trying to figure out new and creative ways to present their work to audiences beyond fellow academics.
At SP Comics we offer the creative outlet of the sequential art, or comics medium to researchers as a new way to present their work. But where and how our comics are used is different with each new project.
Most recently we collaborated with a research group from American University to create a 4-page comic zine for their work on secondary trauma among counterterrorism professionals. Now, while their team has plans to host the comic online for general audiences, their initial use for the comic was very specific: they wanted to use it as a handout at their capstone research forum for their project.
So, in addition to creating a 4-page comic narrative for their research findings, we also printed and shipped 500 copies of the comic to their team ahead of their forum. In the past, our comics have been used as pieces of conference presentation, but only appearing in the powerpoint or on screen. The team from American University went a step further, providing a tangible piece of entertainment to each forum attendee, that they could have in their hands and consume on their own, as a narrative introduction to the research and conclusions that the forum would then fill in with their presentation.
In the end we got to collaborate with this team to provide an additional element to elevate the experience of the attendees and the presentation of new knowledge. And we got to help put a new comic book in people’s hands. That’s pretty neat, creative, and different.
