Lynn University

Elaine Deering, an English instructor in Lynn University’s College of Liberal Education, is a self-proclaimed comic book enthusiast. From a young age, Deering was drawn toward the super human powers of the Superman family.

“Lois Lane was my role model years before the second wave of feminism encouraged women to seek careers,” said Deering.

At Lynn, Deering takes her passion for comic books to the classroom. For the second consecutive year, she taught a two-and-a-half week January Term course entitled, “Comic Book Superheroes,” where students explored the comic book hero as a literary genre analyzing the hero’s origins, powers, vulnerabilities and exploits, as well as themes such as secret identities and romantic unattainability.

In December 2010, Deering’s article, “Using Comic Book Superheroes to Develop Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Speaking, and Writing Skills,” was published as the lead article in the inaugural issue of Scribe: A Journal of Writing Perspectives and Pedagogy in Two-Year Colleges. Her essay discusses how comic book superheroes provide entertaining and informative material for students of all ages.

“The superheroes can be used as a tool to help struggling readers learn to read and expand their vocabulary, as an aid to promote advanced literacy and critical thinking skills, and as a medium to inspire future artists, writers and law enforcement personnel,” said Deering. “Beyond these functions, comic book superheroes can inspire us to use our gifts for the betterment of all humanity.”

More on Deering:

Prior to her role as an English instructor at Lynn University, Elaine Deering was a paralegal and attorney. She has written two articles about the teaching of comic book superheroes at the college level including: “Developing a Syllabus for a Course on Comic Book Superheroes” and “Using Comic Book Superheroes to Develop Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Speaking, and Writing Skills.”

Deering is available to speak to the media regarding comic book superheroes and using the superheroes as a tool for developing literacy skills in the classroom.