Instructor: Dr. Conall Cash 

Office: Nicholson Tower 521

Email: ccash@stfx.ca

Class time/location: 

Mondays 1:00-2:15, Wednesdays 11:30-12:45

Coady 265

Office Hours: Monday 2:30-3:30, Wednesday 2:00-3:00, and by appointment

Course Description:

English 111 is an introductory course in which you will learn to do two things: 1) to engage with literary texts and ideas at a university level, by following a set of readings assigned by a professor specializing in a certain area of literary studies, in order to explore a set of themes and questions relevant to the field as a whole; and 2) to write essays at a university level. The aim of the course is to provide opportunities for you to develop your skills in academic writing through the exploration of a particular topic in English literary studies. 

This particular section of English 111 is devoted to the theme of “Literature and Perception.” We see the things that are in front of us – but do we really see them as they are? What if our particular ‘ways of seeing’ are limited by the norms we have been habituated to, which provide us with limiting categories for interpreting the things we see? What if the positionality we have as individuals in a given society – in terms of gender, class, race, and sexuality – impacts the way that things show up to us as visible or invisible, useful or useless, desirable or undesirable? In this class, we will consider the power of art and literature to do two things: first, to show how our conventional ways of seeing are far from natural, but coded by social and historical realities that we have inherited; and second, to interrupt this habitual perception by allowing us to see the world more truly. We will consider these questions by studying texts which thematise the question of vision (by Berger, Fitzgerald, Hitchcock, Morrison, Petzold, and Thompson), using them to explore the ethical and political possibilities of seeing beyond the confines of what social normativity allows.

Required texts (available at the campus store):

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

Jim Thompson, A Swell-Looking Babe

Other required readings (including chapters from They Say, I Say) will be made available by Moodle or in-class handouts.

The film Rear Window is available through the Audio Cine Films database available through the StFX library. Just type “Rear Window” into the library website catalogue, and you should see the link to watch it online.

The first episode of Ways of Seeing is available on YouTube – see the link below. The other films we will watch in class – the “Pilot” episode of Breaking Bad, and the film Afire – will made be available to you to watch closer to the time.

Class Schedule:

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Introduction to the course

Watch Alix’s Pictures (Jean Eustache, 1980) [20 mins] in class

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

Watch before class: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) [112 minutes]

Watch before class: Ways of Seeing, Episode 1 (John Berger and Mike Dibb, 1972) [30 minutes] – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk 

Read before class: Georg Simmel, “The Metropolis and Mental Life” (excerpt)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Read before class: Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (excerpt)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

Read before class: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

ESSAY 1 DUE (BEFORE CLASS)

Read before class: Gatsby, Chapters 2-3

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

Read before class: Gatsby, Chapter 4

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

QUIZ #1 IN CLASS

Read before class: Gatsby, Chapters 5-6

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Read before class: Gatsby, Chapter 7 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2

SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE (BEFORE CLASS)

Read before class: Gatsby, Chapters 8-9

Read before class: Secondary reading on Gatsby, TBD

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7

Read before class: They Say / I Say, Introduction and Chapter 1

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER  9

SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE (BEFORE CLASS)

Read before class: They Say / I Say, Chapters 4 & 7

[FALL BREAK]

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

Read before class: Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, “Autumn” (pp. 1-58)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

ESSAY 2 DUE (BEFORE CLASS)

Further discussion of “Autumn” section

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28

Read before class: Bluest Eye, pp. 59-131

Read before class: Debra T. Werrlein, “Not So Fast, Dick and Jane: Reimagining Childhood and Nation in The Bluest Eye” (excerpt)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30

QUIZ #2 IN CLASS

Further discussion on Bluest Eye

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Read before class: Bluest Eye, pp. 132-206

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6

Read before class: Jane Kuenz, “The Bluest Eye: Notes on History, Community and Black Female Subjectivity” (excerpt)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Read before class: Jim Thompson, A Swell-Looking Babe, Chapters 1-5

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13

ESSAY #3 FIRST DRAFT DUE

Read before class: A Swell-Looking Babe, Chapters 6-10

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18

Read before class: A Swell-Looking Babe, Chapters 11-16

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20

QUIZ #3 IN CLASS

Read before class: A Swell-Looking Babe, Chapters 17-22

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25

ESSAY #3 SECOND DRAFT DUE

Watch before class: Breaking Bad, “Pilot” (Vince Gilligan, 2008, 50 minutes)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27

Further discussion of Breaking Bad

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2

Watch before class: Afire (Christian Petzold, 2023, 102 minutes)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4

Further discussion of Afire

FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE MONDAY DECEMBER 9

Evaluation:

Class participation: 15%

In-class quizzes: 15%

Essay #1: 5%

Short writing assignments in preparation for essays: 10%

Essay #2: 15%

Essay #3 first draft: 10%

Essay #3 second draft: 15%

Final assignment: 15%

Essays and assignments 

• In all written work submitted for this course it is necessary to quote from the literary text(s) in question (or, in the case of a film, to quote from the film’s dialogue). Written work without quotations from the relevant text(s), with parenthetic page numbers after quotations (in the case of the literary texts), will receive a grade of zero. 

• All citations of assigned texts (such as quotations or other references) in your written work must be from the assigned edition of the text in question. So, for example, if you quote from Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye, this should be from the assigned edition of this novel available at the campus store. Any citations from other editions of the texts in question will result in a grade of zero on the assignment in question unless the professor has agreed to make an exception to this policy. 

• There will be three quizzes on assigned literary texts over the course of the term (see the schedule for the relevant dates). To receive a passing grade on a given quiz, it is necessary to quote from the assigned text in question. To receive a grade on a quiz it is necessary to attend the full class on the day of the quiz (quizzes will not be accepted if a student leaves class after the quiz, unless for an exceptional reason discussed with me in advance). 

• Topics for the essays will be made available by in-class handout and/or on the course Moodle/Kwe’ page. Students are also encouraged to develop their own essay topics but if you do so it is necessary to discuss this with me in advance. I will not accept essays that do not respond to an assigned topic, unless the student has discussed the topic with me in advance. 

• Secondary (critical) research is required for the essays. In some cases these may be drawn from the course’s assigned secondary readings; I will also make additional secondary readings available through Moodle/Kwe’, and I am also available to advise you on research materials. Be aware that not all research sources are likely to impress your professors. Wikipedia, SparkNotes, CliffsNotes, undergraduate essays posted online, or other similar materials, are not acceptable research sources for written work submitted in this course. 

• You should observe MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines in the documentation of the sources you use for written assignments. On MLA format, consult The MLA Handbook (9th ed.) available at the campus store and the library. Marks will be deducted from assignments that do not adhere to MLA format. The following web site has a good online explication of MLA documentation format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ 

• One of the key aims of this course is to help you improve your writing. Your writing will benefit greatly if you re-read and edit it several times (preferably over a period of several days) before submitting. 

• Using artificial intelligence (AI) aids (such as ChatGPT) for the writing of any written work in this course is not permitted. Any such use will result in a grade of zero for the assignment involved. 

• Late essays and assignments are subject to a 2% per day penalty (weekends included). No essays or other course work will be accepted after the deadline for the final assignment. 

• Always keep a copy of your essays and assignments. 

Communication 

Announcements 

You should check your StFX email account regularly when classes are in session, as I will distribute important information via email. Announcements will be made by email and/or on the announcements forum at the top of the course Moodle/Kwe’ page. 

Email 

University policy requires that all email communication between students and faculty or staff take place using StFX email addresses. Only use your StFX account when sending an email to your instructor. 

On Academic Integrity 

Plagiarism or cheating can have disastrous consequences for your academic career. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism and cheating. As a general rule, any use of print or online sources must be documented (if you use an online source and do not document it, this likely constitutes plagiarism). Please ask for help if you are ever uncertain about your use of sources. The university’s Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures may be consulted at: https://www.mystfx.ca/registrars-office/academic-integrity 

On Copyright and Intellectual Property of the Course Materials 

These course materials are designed for use in the course ENGL249:10 at StFX University and are the property of the instructor, unless otherwise stated by the instructor. Copying this material for distribution, online posting, or selling of this material to third parties without permission is subject to Canadian Copyright Law and is strictly prohibited. 

Where to Go for Help 

Technical Help 

If you need help with Moodle or Collaborate, please contact IT Services (itservices@stfx.ca). 

Accessibility 

If you require accommodations but have not yet registered with the Tramble Centre for Accessible Learning (tramble@stfx.ca), please contact them right away. 

Skills Improvement 

The Student Success Centre provides advice, tutorials, and resources that can improve your academic writing, time management, and other skills.