Mentor Text Analysis – Diana .N.

My Mentor Text Analysis is: “building models of the brain to take them apart”by Rajan Labs & Jorge Cham https://www.rajanlab.com/comics

Dr. Kanaka Rajan joined the Kemper institute as a founding faculty member. The lab brings together the fields of brain research and Al/ machine learning to Figure out how the brain works. The team (Including Rajan) is made up of several Postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and associate researchers. The Rajan lab moved to the Harvard medical schools department of Neurobiology in September 2023. Rajan lab uses comic strips and graphic novels as communication tools because they can tell stories in an entertaining and engaging way. Since the scientific topics they talk about could be considered complex, they collaborate with artists finding ways to simplify difficult and abstract concepts allowing a wider engagement between the public and what they do. Their comic strips are the simplified and visually appealing versions of their peer-reviewed papers, helping people understand what they are discussing without having to read the entre piece.

The specific comic strip I am using as a guide was illustrated by jorge cham. He is the best selling and emmy nominated creator of PhD Comics and has a PhD In Robotics. This strip has 8 panels explaining why Dr. Kanaka Rajan Studies the brain, how the experiments she conducts works, and what she specifically does to during these studies. What I plan for my comic strip is two 8 panel pages. The first one explaining what the Amygdala is and the second one being the part fear plays when it comes to the Amygdala.

1 thought on “Mentor Text Analysis – Diana .N.”

  1. This analysis should focus on this part that and expand: This strip has 8 panels explaining why Dr. Kanaka Rajan Studies the brain, how the experiments she conducts works, and what she specifically does to during these studies. 

    The rest of what you wrote is superfluous.

    You should have 10 to 12 panels.

    Your mentor text analysis should be of one of the comic strips (the one you chose to be your mentor text) and should answer the Qs (from the instructions for this HW on Announcements page):

    My Mentor Text is: ____________ (give link)

    • How does the text HOOK the audience? INTRO. Explain how the comic you chose engages the audience from the first panel!
    • Where does the text incorporate research? How does it use research? Does it quote outside sources, use statistics, use experts, refer to history? SHOW exactly where the comic strip uses research.
    • How does the text incorporate storytelling (or narrative)?
    • What do you notice about how the text incorporates visuals (imagery, color, layout, subheads, or signs)?
    • If the text has audio, what do you notice about the text auditorily (music, background sounds, voice-over)?
    • How is this text structured? Describe the organization or structure or parts? THINK OUTLINE.
    • Length: How long is the text – words, pages, minutes?
    • Who is the primary audience? What makes you think this? (Consider language, music, visuals, content.)
    • How does the text come to an end? CLOSURE.
    • What do you think the creator’s message is?
    • What aspects will you emulate (look up the word) in your project? How will you do this?
    • What aspects will you avoid in your project? How will you do this?

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