Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Levi

Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship examines comics as a rigorous and engaging medium for citizenship education in secondary social studies. The paper argues that traditional essay tasks demand defensible historical claims, evidence, and scholarly dialogue, but that online misinformation and emotionally driven discourse can disrupt meaning-making and trust in truth. It proposes an alternative assignment in which students draw comic essays instead of writing conventional essays, using comic-format ideas to support evidence-based reasoning, critical inquiry, and democratic participation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Context

Essay-based historical thinking and evidence

Citizenship education in a volatile information environment

Evolving pedagogy through comic essay assignments

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education | Volume 2 Issue 6 | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | August 2021
Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship
Angelo Letizia
Notre Dame of Maryland University, [aletizia@ndm.edu](aletizia@ndm.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane](https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane)
Part of the American Literature Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Art Education Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Creative Writing Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Higher Education Commons, Illustration Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons, and the Visual Studies Commons | | Recommended Citation Letizia, Angelo (2021) "Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship," SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education: Vol. 2 : Iss. 6 , Article 2. Available at: [https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane/vol2/iss6/2](https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane/vol2/iss6/2) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship Cover Page Footnote I would like to acknowledge my students who allowed me to use their comics: Katie Tennant, Christina Schell, Zachary Williams, and Collen Gill. I obtained permission from these students and they are all acknowledged in the paper. This article is available in SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education: [https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane/](https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane/)[ ](https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sane/)vol2/iss6/2 Empirical Drawings: Utilizing Comic Essays in the Social Studies Classroom to Teach Citizenship The purpose of this paper is to show how the comic’s medium may be a powerful tool for secondary social studies teachers, as well as those who prepare social studies teachers, to utilize in their classrooms with regard to citizenship education. Specifically, this paper presents an assignment which has students draw a comic essay instead of writing a traditional essay paper. This article also presents some ideas in comic format. I have written this article mainly for secondary K-12 social studies educators and college educators. I am a college professor and I assign a number of comic’s assignments in my classes and I have included some of those examples in this paper to guide practitioners. Context It goes without saying that essay assignments are important aspects for instruction in social studies education. While all essay assignments vary, students generally must create a defendable historical claim, back this claim up with evidence and cite other thinkers in this process. The essay allows students a voice, puts them in conversation with those that came before, it allows them to weigh and analyze evidence and ultimately create an original thought. In the widest sense, I believe this process to be the bedrock of good thinking and the type of thinking required of citizens living in a republic. Of course, the republic that American students inhabit, students who are “citizens-in-themaking”(Leahy, 2014, 52) is a volatile one, rife with 24/7 internet connectivity, social media, sound bite news and propaganda to name a few things which can hinder or complicate meaning making, understanding and common discourse (Kincheloe, 2001; Drew, Lyons & Svehla, 2010, Runciman, 2018) . So, does the essay model described in the pre

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To show how the comic medium can be used as a powerful tool for teaching citizenship in secondary social studies and teacher preparation contexts.

How does the proposed assignment differ from a traditional essay?

Students draw a comic essay instead of writing a traditional essay paper, creating ideas in comic format to guide classroom practice.

Why does the paper question whether the traditional essay model still works?

It argues that students face a volatile environment shaped by constant internet connectivity, social media, and fake news, which can make truth-finding harder and discourage the process of meaning-making.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Levi