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Kuskin, William

Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Dr. Kuskin’s research area is the history of the book, from the beginning of printing to comic books. He has written and edited books and articles on William Caxton, the emergence of printing in the fifteenth century, the transition from the Middle Ages to Modernity, comic books, and online pedagogy. Dr. Kuskin has over two decades experience in digital education. He has taught in all digital formats from distance education, through online courses, to massive open online courses. In 2013 he launched the MOOC, “Comic Books and Graphic Novels,” which ultimately served over seventy-thousand students and which received special mention by Coursera for its innovative delivery of humanities material. In 2016 he created a MOOC on Public Speaking, and in 2019 oversaw the launch of the University of Colorado Boulder’s revolutionary MS in Electrical Engineering on the Coursera platform.

keywords

  • Online education, digital education, at-scale learning, history of the book, history of printing, William Caxton, comic books, graphic novels

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • AHUM 2000 - Topics in Arts and Humanities
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2021
    Explores a topic in the arts and humanities that exceeds the boundaries of a single department or program. This introductory course encourages experimentation and introduces students to interdisciplinary approaches that characterize innovative research.
  • AHUM 2006 - American Comics and Graphic Novels: An Ambivalent Art
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2022
    Immerse yourself in comics. Spanning all media platforms, comics are a global force in the twenty-first century culture. This course is an introduction to comics history and a headlong dive into comics today. It covers superheroes, movies, novels, as well as making comics. It proposes that comics help us understand ourselves in the world today. Formerly offered as a special topics course. Same as ENGL 2006.
  • DTSA 5842 - Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
    This course teaches students how to present themselves effectively through writing, design, and presentation. Students will focus on how to write well-organized, clear business documents; to design elegant presentation slides, reports, and posters; and to present and speak with confidence and power. More broadly, the course charts a journey toward each student�s best professional self. This course is a prerequisite for the Effective Communication Capstone.
  • DTSA 5843 - Effective Communication Capstone Project
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
    In this course students will create a portfolio of work that demonstrates their mastery of writing, design, and presentation skills. The portfolio includes three elements�a memo, a slide deck, and deliver presentation�integrated around a single topic. The capstone allows learners to engage meaningfully in their world by choosing a project relevant to their job. Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation is a prerequisite for this course.
  • ENES 3843 - Special Topics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
    Explores different important themes in the humanities, check with department for specific semester topics. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Formerly HUEN 3843.
  • ENGL 1290 - Crime, Policing, Detection
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2024
    Explores stories about crime and policing, deviance and detection, law and order. Students will learn how genres such as detective or crime fiction or police procedurals narrate anxieties about race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality. Analyzes how categories of innocence and guilt, justice and punishment, are imagined and portrayed in short stories, films, novels, and TV shows.
  • ENGL 2006 - American Comics and Graphic Novels: An Ambivalent Art
    Primary Instructor - Summer 2021 / Fall 2021 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023
    Immerse yourself in comics. Spanning all media platforms, comics are a global force in the twenty-first century culture. This course is an introduction to comics history and a headlong dive into comics today. It covers superheroes, movies, novels, as well as making comics. It proposes that comics help us understand ourselves in the world today.
  • ENGL 3856 - Topics in Genre Studies
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Fall 2020
    Studies special topics in genre studies; specially designed for English majors. Topics vary each semester. May be repeated for a total of 6 credit hours for different topics.
  • ENGL 4830 - Honors Thesis
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021
    Students accepted to English Departmental Honors are enrolled in this course.
  • ENGL 5109 - Literature and Culture of the United States
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021
    Introduces graduate level study of writing of the United States from its inception to the present. Emphasizes a wide range of genres, forms, historical background, and secondary criticism. Topics will vary. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
  • HUEN 3843 - Special Topics
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020

Background

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