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PAUL db WATKINS

PAUL db WATKINS

  • TEACHING
    • Courses
      • Fall 2025
        • ENGL 115 (F25N13): Navigating a Storied World
        • FILM 101: Introduction to Film Studies (Fall 25)
      • Fall 2024
        • FILM 101: Introduction to Film Studies
        • ENGL 390: GRAPHIC MEMOIR
      • Spring 2024
        • FILM 201: Film Studies
        • ENGL 392: Sound & Remix
      • Fall 2023
        • Film 101: Introduction to Film Studies
      • Spring 2023
        • FILM 220 (S23N01): “Pure Cinema,” Voyeurism, and Cinematic Influence
        • ENGL 330: Possible futures: Resistance & Reimagining in Speculative Fiction
      • 2018-2022
        • Spring 2022
          • ENGL 125 (S22W03) AT THE CROSSROADS: MUSIC, LITERATURE, & POPULAR CULTURE
          • ENGL 125 (S22N05) AT THE CROSSROADS: MUSIC, LITERATURE, & POPULAR CULTURE
          • ENGL 398 (S22N01): “Pure Cinema,” Voyeurism, and Cinematic Influence
          • ENGL 332: Topics in Indigenous Literatures (S22N01)
        • Fall 2021
          • ENGL 115 (F21N06): THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AND STORIES IN OUR LIVES
          • ENGL 115 (F21N17): THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AND STORIES IN OUR LIVES
        • Spring 2021
          • FILM 220 (S21N01): “Pure Cinema,” Voyeurism, and Cinematic Influence
          • ENGL 332: Topics in Indigenous Literatures (S21N01)
        • Fall 2020
          • ENGL 115 (F20D02): THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AND STORIES IN OUR LIVES
          • ENGL 115 (F20N29): THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE AND STORIES IN OUR LIVES
          • ENGL 125 AT THE CROSSROADS: MUSIC, LITERATURE, & POPULAR CULTURE
        • Spring 2020
          • ENGL 115 (S20D01): The Importance of Language and Stories in Our Lives
          • ENGL 280 (S20N01): Literature on Trial: Banned or Challenged Books
        • Fall 2019
          • Film 101: Introduction to Film Studies
          • ENGL 394 (F19N01): Twin Peaks: Its Influence & Quality TV
        • Spring 2019
          • ENGL 115 (S19D01): The Importance of Language and Stories in Our Lives
          • ENGL 220 (S19N01): CanLit Now!
          • ENGL 398 (S19N01): Film Studies: Voyeurism, Representation, and Cinematic Influence
        • Fall 2018
          • Film 101: Introduction to Film Studies
          • ENGL 231: Possible futures: Resistance & Reimagining in Speculative Fiction
        • Spring 2018
          • ENGL 115 (S18D01): Language and Stories
          • ENGL 135 (S18N02): Literature and Criticism: Graphic Novels
          • ENGL 396: Literature and Film
      • 2013-2017
        • Spring 2017
          • ENGL 332: Topics in Indigenous Literatures
          • ENGL 115 (S17D50): After Eden
        • Fall 2017
          • ENGL 115 (F17N13): Language and Stories
          • ENGL 125 (F17N05): (Un)Settling BC: Robinson, Compton, and Kogawa
          • ENGL 390 (TOPICS IN WORD & IMAGE): GRAPHIC MEMOIR
        • Fall 2016
          • ENGL 115 (F16N02): AFTER EDEN
          • ENGL 125 (F16N04): Other Canadas / Canada’s Others: King, Edugyan, and Kogawa
          • ENGL 125 (F16N08): Other Canadas / Canada’s Others: King, Edugyan, and Kogawa
        • Summer 2016
          • ENGL 125 (F16N04): Other Canadas / Canada’s Others: King, Edugyan, and Kogawa
        • Spring 2016
          • ENGL 115 (S16D50): After Eden
          • ENGL 390 (Topics in Word & Image): Transformations
        • Fall 2015
          • ENGL 115 (F15N17/ N20): THE MYTH OF PROGRESS
          • ENGL 115 (F15N31): THE MYTH OF PROGRESS
          • ENGL 135 (F15N01): Jazz and Social Change
        • Summer 2015
          • ENGL 115 (M15N73): THE MYTH OF PROGRESS
          • ENGL 125 (J15N70): Voice in Text: “Interfusional” Writing, Myth, and Culture
          • ENGL 125 (J15N71): Voice in Text: “Interfusional” Writing, Myth, and Culture
        • Spring 2015
          • ENGL 115 (S15D50): STORIES, IDENTITY, AND PROGRESS
          • ENGL 115 (S15D01): STORIES, IDENTITY, AND PROGRESS
          • ENGL 125 (S15D02): Voice in Text: “Interfusional” Writing, Myth, and Culture
        • Fall 2014
          • ENGL 115 (F14N08): WRITING AND REMIXING A LIFE
          • ENGL 115 (F14N09): THE MIX: HIP-HOP PEDAGOGY, TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS, AND UNIVERSITY WRITING
          • ENGL 135 (F14N02): SONIC AFRO-MODERNITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE
        • ENGL 2130: Literature and Social Change
    • Pedagogy
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Spring 2020

ENGL 115: The Importance of Language and Stories in Our Lives

ENGL 280: Literature on Trial: Banned or Challenged Books

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Portishead’s third album, aptly titled 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕕 (2008), moves in new directions from the trip-hop sound of their first two genre-defining albums. It incorporates elements of electronica, experimental and psychedelic rock, and has a sonic propulsion that recalls classic sci-fi soundtracks like Blade Runner. It’s certainly darker in tone than their first two albums, but no less rewarding. There are a number of highlights, but “The Rip” is a song I never tire of hearing. Brilliant stuff. Do you know this one? The new Rosalía album (𝕃𝕌𝕏) is something special: innovative and daring in its mix of contemporary classical and orchestral pop, featuring four movements and 13 languages. Definitely one of the best albums of the year. It’s a 33rpm birthday (even though I’m a decade older than that many spins). In that spirit, here are 33 to celebrate 43. One year ago, the world lost a real one, a true poet and trailblazer of the human spirit: Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024). While critic Harold Bloom often lamented the rise of multiculturalism in contemporary literature and disparaged slam poetry, by contrast Giovanni embraced cultural change as part of a continuum, even getting a “Thug Life” tattoo on her arm. Earlier this year, while in Japan at a fantastic record shop called Record Jungle, I picked up two of her early albums: 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 𝕀𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕀𝕥𝕤 𝕎𝕒𝕪 (1971) and 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕒 ℝ𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕒 ℙ𝕠𝕟𝕕 (1973). Both meld poetry with blues, gospel, and the power of the collective. May we all harness even a fraction of her indomitable spirit—to speak truth to power, to resist, and to find joy in our shared humanity. ℝ𝕦𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝—the sixth studio album by a little-known band called the Beatles—turns 60 today. It’s a top-three Beatles album for me (along with Revolver and The White Album). ℝ𝕦𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕠𝕦𝕝 is full of folksy artistry and classic songs, but “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” is especially nostalgic. A very young me first heard it when my dad played it on his guitar. It’s one of the few songs I can (poorly) play myself. Happy 60 to an album that marked a major artistic leap in popular music and is still a joy to listen to. Did you know that August 11 is Hip Hop day to celebrate the birth of hip hop culture and that the month of November is Hip Hop month? I think this is cool, although I’d rather see material conditions changed for aggrieved and Black communities, but, I also think it’s important to acknowledge the architects and people of a culture that forever changed the landscape of popular music and contemporary culture, especially around creativity and social change. In that spirit, I give you 10 albums that I think belong in every hip hop fans vinyl collection. This is hardly a complete list and I’m not going to rank them because value judgements aren’t always useful but these are just some, and in chronological order, that come to mind and that offer a good starting place. There are so many missing here (no De La or OutKast feels downright sinful) and it leans ‘90s bombap, but this is hardly definitive. It’s just 10 hip hop albums I think everyone should own. That said, what are some of your favourites—either included here or not? Today’s spin is from the legendary Buck 65. The King of Drums. Stinkin’ Rich. Uncle Buck. CBC Radio host. Baseball player and aficionado. Richard Terfry. When I started collecting vinyl in the early 2000s, I was also getting into producing and sampling, and one band I saw being sampled a lot in hip-hop was the Scottish group Average White Band (AWB). I could find their records for quite cheap, and while some of their tracks are a little cheesy, others are undeniably funky. They’ve been sampled by Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Eric B. & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, and many others. Happy #WuWednesday. From Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (1993) to Wu-Tang Forever (1997), the Clan were an unstoppable force, dropping five mind-blowing solo releases along the way: Tical, Return to the 36 Chambers, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Liquid Swords (which just turned 30!), and Ironman. I had to include RZA’s Bobby Digital in Stereo(1998) in the mix too—it’s every bit as enthralling.

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