Word & Image

ENGL 1183.103
Spring 2018

Austin C. Lillywhite Cornell University

acl238@cornell.edu Department of English
Office Hours: TBA MWF 12:20-1:10
Office: Goldwin Smith 364C Balch Hall - Tatkon Ctr 3343

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Writers and artists from Homer to Raymond Pettibon have been fascinated by the relationship
between words and images, a relationship that is sometimes imagined as a competition,
sometimes as a collaboration. What are the differences between literary and visual media? What
can the juxtaposition of word and image teach us about the nature of representation? What other
kinds of ends (satiric, esoteric, etc.) do artists and writers hope to achieve by coupling words
with images? To explore these questions, we will consult works drawn from a range of periods
and genres (for example, graphic novels, medieval manuscripts, contemporary art and new
media, emblem books, film, literary gaming, fiction and poetry). The course is structured around
a progressive set of writing assignments and will include both informal exercises as well as
formal essays.

LEARNING GOALS

By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate skills in:
● How to close-read a primary text, and use it as a source of evidence for constructing an
argument.
● How to formulate strong thesis statements that enter into a critical conversation.
● How to connect texts across different periods, genres and media.
● How to work through multiple drafts of a paper, including brainstorms, outlines, peer
review and proofreads.
● How to analyze the nature of representation across a variety of media and extrapolate
nuanced and significant ideas about its political, social and ethical ramifications.

REQUIRED TEXTS
All books will be available for free online or on Blackboard. Hard copies are available for
purchase on Amazon or at the Cornell Bookstore.

John Trimble, ​Writing with Style

James Joyce, ​Dubliners
Alison Bechdel, ​Fun Home
Claudia Rankine, ​Citizen
Chinua Achebe, ​Things Fall Apart
Joseph Conrad, ​Heart of Darkness
 COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Grading
Essays (5 total) 65%
Participation and Reading Quizzes 20%
Presentations and Blackboard Posts 15%

Essays
In this course, you will write 5 essays analyzing the primary texts we will discuss in class. These
essays will build progressively from short exercises in close reading to more complex essays
involving arguments supported by comparative and theoretical frameworks and secondary
sources. The following breakdown adds up to 65%, the essay portion of your grade:

1. Essay 1 (2 pp.) 5%
2. Essay 2 (3 pp.) 10%
3. Essay 3 (5 pp.) 13%
4. Essay 4 (7 pp.) 17%
5. Final Paper (9 pp.) 20%

Conferences & Office Hours

Come to my office hours to discuss any concern about any aspect of this class. I want to help
you; I want you to do well. You will be required come to my office hours twice during the course
of the semester to discuss something class-related. Lest we be strangers, I encourage you to come
more often than that.

Participation
As a seminar course, participation in class discussion is a key element. It’s up to you and your
peers to shape our discussions and choose what you want to talk about with each text. I and your
classmates really care about what you have to say; there are no right or wrong answers and no
need to raise hands. As a result, I expect to hear from you at least twice during every discussion.
Not only is this the key aspect of your participation grade, but it is also an opportunity for you to
practice brainstorming and to test out on your peers the types of claims, theses, questions and
arguments that you will use in your essays. If I notice that you are having a difficult time
engaging in discussion, I may ask you to share the passage you have marked and what your
observations and questions were about it.

Blackboard Posts
To help you get into the habit of coming to class having prepared some thoughts about a
particular aspect of the text, you will occasionally be assigned a brief, informal response to a text
(about 1-3 paragraphs) to be posted on the “Discussion Board” on Blackboard ​before ​discussion
for that text.

These are designed to familiarize us with the themes and styles of new texts and authors, as well
as to enable me to make sure I am orienting discussion around the topics that interest you. They
will be due by no later than 10AM the day of discussion so that your peers and I have a chance to
read and respond to them before class. I will print these out to bring to class and use them to help
shape our discussion.

Each time you post, you must also comment on at least two of your peers’ posts.

Reading Quizzes
I will randomly give reading quizzes at the start of certain classes. As long as you’ve done each
reading well, you should have no problem with these.

Presentations
Each student will present once during the semester. Presentations will be about 10 minutes in
length. The presentation should consist of about 3 pages (typed, double-spaced) of notes to help
guide you, plus about 3-5 discussion questions you want to ask the class afterwards. Sign-up
sheets will be passed around in the first few days of class.

Attendance
As a discussion-based course, attendance is essential. You may miss four classes without
penalty. This means that you may make use of your absences to deal with travel, illness,
sleepiness, etc. However, if you miss more than four classes you will automatically lose 10% of
your grade. After six absences you will automatically fail the course. I recognize that there are
extenuating circumstances, but those will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Because
tardiness is extremely distracting in a seminar, if you are late for more than three classes, that
will count as an absence. Excessive lateness (being more than fifteen minutes late) will count as
an absence.

Asking for Help

If you are having difficulty with anything in this class, I encourage you to email me or find me
during office hours. However, I suggest that you consult this syllabus and your classmates before
you come to me about assignment requirements, due dates, or other ordinary matters.

Here is a chance to get to know who two of your classmates are:

Classmate #1
Name:_______________________________________________________________
Email/phone number: ______________________________________________

Classmate #2
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Email/phone number: ______________________________________________

COURSE POLICIES

Technology
Unless otherwise specified, please do not have your cell phone, tablet or laptop out or showing
during class. This is a discussion-based course, and screens create a physical barrier between you
and the rest of the class, which hinders the flow of discussion. If caught using technology
inappropriately, your participation points for the day will be removed.

Late Work
Late documents will have a letter grade deducted for every day they are late (e.g., if the essay is
due Tuesday by 11:59 PM, and you turn it in at any time on Wednesday, an original grade of A
will become a B). An essay received two days after the due date will receive no higher than a C.
Electronic snafus may very well happen, so anticipate them. “The internet/electricity/my laptop
broke” are not sufficient excuses for failing to turn in work, nor is “not feeling well,” nor is
having several midterms in a given week. Olin and Uris libraries have plenty of computers for
your use. Save multiple drafts of your work in multiple places as your write.

Additionally, we will often be doing in-class peer revisions of rough drafts of each other’s
essays. This a key component of the writing process, and since this is a writing-intensive course,
failure to bring in a hard copy of a rough draft of your essay to class on the day indicated on the
essay prompt (I will also remind you beforehand in-class and/or by e-mail) will result in the loss
of participation points for the day.

Plagiarism/Academic Integrity
If you rely upon the words, works, or ideas of someone else to help you make a point or develop
an argument, you must give them credit in a citation. If you present the words or ideas of
somebody else as your own in any assignment (even if it was not fully intentional or conscious
on your part), you will receive an F in the course. If you are ever unsure about when or how to
cite a source, please make yourself familiar with Cornell’s Academic Integrity Code (available
online at ​http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/aic.cfm​)

Because Cornell has tasked me with ensuring your work meets the standards of academic
integrity, you will be required to turn in all essay assignments via the Turnitin software on
Blackboard. Turnitin will highlight areas of your essay in red that share any similarities with
other sources. You will be able to view this “originality report” after turning it in.

Paper Formatting and Citation

All essays, unless otherwise specified, should adhere to the following specifications. Failure to
meet these requirements will result in deductions from the final paper grade.
● All text uniformly double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
● Name, instructor, course name, and date should appear on the upper left corner of the first
page on successive lines; double-spacing applies.
● Last name and page number should appear in the upper right corner of the “Header”
section of each page.
● Title: clear, compelling, and creative. Make your audience want to read on!
● Bibliography and citations should follow the MLA-style guidelines (Visit the MLA
Guide online at the Purdue Online Writing Lab:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/​). In-line parenthetical citations at the
end of sentences (and not footnotes) should be used, unless otherwise specified.
 ● Electronic submissions: All papers must be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard. Any
other form of submission will receive a zero. Essays are always due at 11:59 PM. Please
note that 12:00 AM (midnight) or after is considered late.
● In-class submissions for peer revision: Hard copies of rough drafts for peer-revision must
be brought in at the start of class, following all of the above guidelines. Papers should be
printed (double-sided or single-sided) and neatly stapled in the upper left corner (no
paper clips, tape, or loose pages).

Writing Centers
The Cornell Writing Centers (WC) provide support for individuals at any stage of the writing
process. It is a free resource available to everyone on campus—faculty, staff, graduate and
undergraduate students—for nearly any kind of writing project: applications, presentations, lab
reports, essays, papers, and more. Tutors (trained undergraduate and graduate students) serve as
responsive listeners and readers who can address questions about the writing process or about
particular pieces of writing. They can also consider questions of confidence, critical reading,
analytic thought, and imagination. Writing tutors also have experience working with non-native
English speakers. During the academic year, the WC are open Mondays-Thursdays, 3:30 –
5:30pm (Mann Library & Rockefeller Hall 178) and Sundays-Thursdays, 7:00 – 10:00pm (Olin
library 403; Uris Library 108; Tatkon Center 3343). Writers can schedule appointments or
drop-in at a convenient time. For more information or to schedule an appointment, go to:
http://knight.as.cornell.edu/wc

Public Domain
To avoid privacy conflicts and concerns, the University asks that all students be notified that any
writing for the course may be read by and shared with all members of the class.

University Policy
As a Cornell instructor, I respect and uphold University policies and regulations pertaining to:
the observation of religious holidays; assistance available to physically handicapped, and
visually and/or hearing impaired students; plagiarism; sexual harassment; and racial or ethnic
discrimination. All students are advised to become familiar with the respective University
regulations and are encouraged to bring any questions or concerns to the attention of the
instructor.

Student Disability Services

Note to students with disabilities: If you have a disability-related need for reasonable academic
adjustments in this course, provide me with an accommodation notification letter from Student
Disability Services. Students are expected to give two weeks’ notice of the need for
accommodations. If you need immediate accommodations or physical access, please arrange to
meet with me within the first two class meetings.
 COURSE CALENDAR

UNIT ONE: THE LITERARY

Week 1
Wed 1/24 Introductions

Fri 1/26 Introductions

Week 2
Mon 1/29 Joyce, ​Dubliners​, “The Sisters,” “An Encounter,” “Araby,” “Eveline”

Wed 1/31 Joyce, ​Dubliners​, “The Dead”

Fri 2/2 Trimble, Ch. 1 “Thinking Well” and Ch. 13 “Quoting”

Week 3
Mon 2/5 Bechdel, ​Fun Home​, Chs. 1-2

*Essay 1 due on Turnitin Tues 2/13 by 11:59 PM

Wed 2/7 Bechdel, ​Fun Home​, Chs. 3-4

Fri 2/9 Trimble, Ch. 2 “Getting Launched”

Week 4
Mon 2/12 Bechdel, ​Fun Home​, Chs. 5-6

Wed 2/14 Bechdel, ​Fun Home​, Ch. 7

Fri 2/16 Peer Workshop (Complete rough draft required in class)

Week 5
Mon 2/19 No Class (February Break)

*Essay 2 due on Turnitin Tues 2/20 by 11:59 PM

Wed 2/21 Rankine, ​Citizen​,​ ​Pt. I​ ​(pp.3-19)

Fri 2/23 Trimble, Ch. 3​ ​“Openers”

Week 6
Mon 2/26 Rankine, ​Citizen​, Pts. II-III (pp.21-55)
 Wed 2/28 Rankine, ​Citizen​, Pts. IV-V (pp.57-79)

Fri 3/2 Trimble, Ch. 4 “Middles”

Week 7
Mon 3/5 Rankine, ​Citizen​, Pt. VI (pp.81-135)

Wed 3/7 Rankine, ​Citizen​, Pt. VII​ ​(pp.137-61)

Fri 3/9 Peer Workshop (Complete rough draft required in class)

UNIT TWO: PHOTOGRAPHY

Week 8
Mon 3/12 Sontag, ​On Photography​, Ch. 1 “In Plato’s Cave”

*Essay 3 due on Turnitin Tues 3/15 by 11:59 PM

Wed 3/14 Sontag, ​Regarding the Pain of Others​, Selections TBA

Fri 3/16 Ch. 5-6 “Closers” and “Diction”

Week 9
Mon 3/19 Cole, ​Known Strange Things​, Selections TBA

Wed 3/21 Cole, ​Blind Spot​, Selections TBA

Fri 3/23 Trimble, Ch. 7 “Readability”

UNIT THREE: CINEMA (films choices may change)

Week 10
Mon 3/26 Film: Hitchcock, ​Vertigo ​(Film Screening TBA)

Wed 3/28 Reading: Freud, “The Uncanny”

Fri 3/30 Trimble, Ch. 8 “Superstitions”

Week 11
Mon 4/2 No Class (Spring Break)

Wed 4/4 No Class (Spring Break)

 Fri 4/6 No Class (Spring Break)

Week 12
Mon 4/9 Film: Bergson, ​Persona ​(Film Screening TBA)

*Essay 4 due on Turnitin Tues 4/10 by 11:59 PM

Wed 4/11 Reading: from Tarkovsky, ​Sculpting in Time

Fri 4/13 No Class (I’m out of town at a conference)

Week 13
Mon 4/16 Film: Tarkovsky, ​The Mirror ​(Film Screening TBA)

Wed 4/18 Reading: from Tarkovsky, ​Sculpting in Time

Fri 4/20 Trimble, Chs. 9-11 “Critical Analysis,” “Proofreading” and “Revising”

Week 14
Mon 4/23 Film: ​Apocalypse Now ​(Film Screening TBA)

Wed 4/25 Reading: from Conrad, ​Heart of Darkness

Fri 4/27 Achebe, “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ​Heart of Darkness​”

Week 15
Mon 4/30 Achebe, ​Things Fall Apart

Wed 5/2 Achebe, ​Things Fall Apart

Fri 5/4 Peer Workshop (Complete rough draft required in class)

Week 16
Mon 5/7 Achebe, ​Things Fall Apart

Wed 5/9 Concluding thoughts & Course Evals

*Final Paper due on Turnitin, 5/14 by 11:59 PM ​(You may email me for an extension to 5/17)