Courses

For a general description of courses offered in English, see the Academic Calendar. Please note: not all courses are offered every year.

Fall 2023

•    ENGL 1201 A - Introduction to Principles of Literary Analysis - Dr. Julianna Will
•    ENGL 1201 B - Introduction to Principles of Literary Analysis - Dr. Julianna Will
•    ENGL 1201 D - Introduction to Principles of Literary Analysis - Instructor Sharon Vogel
•    ENGL 1701 A - Introduction to Drama Studies - Instructor Valmai Goggin
•    ENGL 1801 A - Introduction to Prose Fiction - Dr. Peter Brown
•    ENGL 1851 A - Introduction to Creative Writing - Dr. Geordie Miller
•    ENGL 2201 A - Literary Periods to 1800 - Dr. Tara Chambers
•    ENGL 2211 A - Introduction to Shakespeare - Dr. Karen Bamford
•    ENGL 2801 A - Introduction to Canadian Literature - Dr. James Hahn
•    ENGL 3731 A - African American Literature - Dr. Peter Brown
•    ENGL 3831 A - Queer Literature in Canada - Dr. Thom Vernon
•    ENGL 3871 A - Contemporary Literary Theory and Critical Theory - Dr. Geordie Miller
•    ENGL 4921 A - Graphic Women - Dr. Karen Bamford

 

Winter 2024

 

•    ARTS 1001 A - Thinking Through the Arts – Dr. Geordie Miller
•    ENGL 1201 C - Introduction to Principles of Literary Analysis - Instructor Jessica Hawkes
•    ENGL 1501 A - Introduction to Poetry - Dr. Amatoritsero Ede
•    ENGL 1701 B - Introduction to Drama - Instructor Valmai Goggin
•    ENGL 2001 A - Adaptation: Page to Screen - Dr. Sarah Fanning
•    ENGL 2301 A - Literary Periods, 1800-Present -Dr. Julianna Will
•    ENGL 2701 A - Introduction to American Literature - Dr. Peter Brown
•    ENGL 2991 A - Screen Writing - Dr. Sarah Fanning
•    ENGL 2991 C - Playwriting and Dramaturgy - Instructor Valmai Goggin
•    ENGL 3351 A - Literature of the Early 17th Century - Dr. Karen Bamford
•    ENGL 3621 A - Reading Films - Dr. Peter Brown
•    ENGL 3651 A - Literature by Women Before 1900 - Dr. Karen Bamford
•    ENGL 3751 A - Post-Colonial African Literature - Dr. Amatoritsero Ede
•    ENGL 3851 A - Advanced Workshop in Creative Writing - Dr. Geordie Miller
•    ENGL 3991 A - Intro to E-Publishing - Dr. Amatoritsero Ede
 

 


Programs

The Department of English offers major, minor and honours programs, as well as a selection of courses that contribute to programs in Drama Studies.

For a general description of course levels in English, see the Academic Calendar.

English

English is offered as a:

  • Major (60 credits)
  • Minor (24 credits)
  • Honours — Course option (66 credits)
  • Honours — Thesis option (66 credits)

Complete details of required credits for each option are available in the Academic Calendar.

Students are encouraged to consult members of the Department in the selection of English courses. Those considering a major or a minor should consult the department head or the program advisor.

Students are encouraged to take more than the minimal number of English courses required; this will give them a wider coverage of the subject.

Honours

Students wishing to complete an honours must apply to the honours co-ordinator by Feb. 1 of their third year.

A grade of at least B must be achieved in the honours thesis to earn the Honours in English (thesis option).

Those intending to take honours should shape their course choices in that direction as soon as they have made a firm decision. This decision should not, preferably, be delayed beyond the end of the sophomore year. Honours students must consult with the honours co-ordinator each year at registration.

Honours thesis instructions

NOTE: For specific annual deadline dates, see the thesis guidelines page.

September: By the end of the first week of classes, the student, in consultation with the supervisor, should produce a persuasive proposal, which s/he should submit to each member of the department; these proposals will be reviewed by the Department for approval. Second readers will be assigned for each thesis.

December: By the last day of classes in the first term, the student should complete the first chapter of the thesis, and submit a copy to both the supervisor and the second reader. Both the supervisor and second reader should offer feedback to the student as quickly as possible after receiving the chapter. If, on the basis of that chapter, the two readers think there will be difficulty in the student adequately completing the thesis within the time allotted, the Department will recommend that the student withdraw from the Honours Program in December; the student’s first semester work would then be graded as an independent study course. The student would then typically choose another 3-credit course for the Winter Term.

February: By Reading Week the student should have completed a first draft of the entire thesis. It is important for the writing to stay on track during the second term because the schedule of writing is more intense in the second term than in the first; pacing the work in the second term is therefore critical. Please note that each chapter of the thesis should be given to the second reader as well as to the supervisor as it is produced.

April: The student must submit the unbound thesis to the English department for grading no later than the first day of the Winter Term examination period. Once the thesis has been graded, the bound copies (2) must be delivered to the Deans’ Office no later than the last day of exams.

Submitting the thesis

Before bringing the two unbound copies to the Department, thesis candidates are advised to do the following checks:

  • Make sure pages are numbered sequentially and continuously from first to last.
  • Do a final proofread.
  • Double-check the Works Cited for format, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.
  • Do a search to identify any page numbers not yet filled in, or facts that need double-checking.
  • Do a comprehensive, uninterrupted read-through.

Two copies of the thesis shall be submitted for grading: one to the supervisor and one to the second reader. The supervisor and the second reader will assess the grade. In case of a dispute, the honours co-ordinator will mediate an agreement with the two readers.

The final grade will be on the quality of the submitted thesis itself, rather than on the process of research and writing. Thesis grades must be released to students only through the Registrar’s Office, not through the supervisor or honours co-ordinator.

The two faculty readers will keep track of suggestions (such as typos to be corrected) on a separate page or in pencil on the submitted copies; so that the copies, once corrected, can be used for binding (individual corrected pages may be replaced singly before binding).

Candidates should not get the thesis bound until after they receive the two unbound copies back from the supervisor and second reader, since corrections may be needed.

Binding the thesis

After making the requisite number of bound copies, any additional bound copies for the student can be produced at the student’s own cost. The Library will be charged directly by the copy centre at the Bookstore for both copies for the Deans’ Office: this is why you must bring the form, signed by your faculty supervisor authorizing copying costs.

The English department will pay for the departmental copy (1), and with prior departmental approval, they will also pay for the student’s copy (1) of their thesis.

A library release form must be submitted with the thesis. This form must be signed by the author in the appropriate place and must not be bound into the thesis.

Examples of Honours in English proposals

Example One

Honours Thesis Proposal
Sarah Thrasher  September 18, 1998 

Composed with a remarkable lucidity and grace, the works of Barbara Gowdy consistently foreground the marginalized in an attempt to give voice to the traditionally silenced "other." The idea of the "grotesque," while fundamentally rooted in the perverse, is embraced by Gowdy as a vehicle through which to explore the emancipatory potential of "otherness." Seizing the liminal space of the carnivalized body, she interrogates the boundaries between the freakish and ordinary, the bizarre and the banal, in so doing, exposing hitherto concealed doctrines of normalcy within our culture.

In particular, it is within the institution of the family that the "grotesque" sensibility comes to fruition in many of Gowdy's works. Penetrating the veneer of the nuclear family paradigm, from her pseudo-romantic vision of the Malone clan in Through the Green Valley, to her fantastical portrait of the Canarys in Mister Sandman, she investigates the secrets harbored behind closed doors. By presenting the home as a locus of eccentric activity, her domestic Gothic creations systematically deconstruct those standards of normative behaviour by underscoring that "even in so-called perfect families there are webbed feet and kleptomaniacs, perverted gerbils, some loony genius ancestor" (Gowdy, Sandman 246). 

The theoretical approach espoused by Mikhail Bakhtin lends itself remarkably well to Gowdy's work given its affirmation of the "dialogic," that is, theembracing of simultaneous differences over a single, monolithic discourse. Her stories, by exposing the hegemonic workings of culture to often hilarious, but ultimately serious effect, subsequently allow for a much more fluid, polyvocal understanding of the "grotesque" consciousness, the ulterior, alternative self that vigorously, systematically, yet playfully oppresses itself to the world of the "normal." 

Bibliography

Primary Sources:

Gowdy, Barbara. Falling Angels. Toronto: Somerville House, 1996.
---. Mister Sandman. Toronto: Somerville House, 1996.
---. Through the Green Valley. London: Piatkus, 1988.
---. We so Seldom Look on Love. Toronto: Somerville House, 1996.
---. The White Bone. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1998. 

Secondary Sources: 

Bakhtin, Mikhail. The Dialogic Imagination. Ed. Michael Holquist. Austin: U of Texas P, 1981.
Beddoes, Julie. "From Post Age to New Age: Mister Sandman." Canadian Literature 154, Autumn (1997): 132-134. 
Benson, Eugene and William Toyle, eds. The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1997. 
Danow, David K. The Spirit of Carnival: Magic Realism and the Grotesque. Lexinton: U of Kentucky P, 1995.
Degan, John. "All in the Family: Mister Sandman." Books in Canada 24:6. Sept. (1995): 26-27.
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory. 2nd Ed. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1996.
Garvie, Maureen. "Mister Sandman." Quill and Quire 61:8. Aug. (1995): 24.
Heighton, Stephen. "Hybrid Vigor: A Survey of Six First Collections of Stories." Quarry 42:3 (1993): 85-96.
Hutcheon, Linda. The Canadian Postmodern. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1988.
Kelman, Susanne. "CanLit's Bad Girls." Chatelaine. Oct. 1994: 107-111.
Kleanthous, Loucas. "My Lunch with Barbara Gowdy." Flare. July 1997: 100.
Lockhead, Gordon. "Looking on Love." Books in Canada 22:1. Feb. (1993): 14-16.
Makaryk, Irena, ed. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory. Toronto: U of Toronto P, 1993.
Martens, Debra. "The Flesh Made Word: Body and Soul in the Works of Barbara Gowdy." Paragraph 15:1. Summer (1993): 15-19.
Nickson, Elizabeth. "In the Skin of an Elephant." Saturday Night. Sept. 1998: 56-63.
Russo, Mary. The Female Grotesque: Risk, Excess and Modernity. New York: Routledge, 1995.
Smith, Stephen. "Secret Services: Barbara Gowdy." Quill and Quire 61:8. Aug. (1995): 1, 23.
Thomson, Philip. The Grotesque. London: Methuen, 1972.
***Video: Interview with Barbara Gowdy on Ziggy (Bravo).

Example Two

Prospectus for Honours Thesis 1998-99 
Christi E. Davis

During the school year of 1998/99, I wish to throw a new light on the role of women in Shakespeare, by looking at the heroines in the plays Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear, with the aid of some recent feminist theory. It is my belief that the characters of Lady Macbeth, Juliet, and Cordelia are women who, for all their strength and passion, have not been given their full credit. For centuries their male counterparts -- Macbeth, Romeo, and King Lear -- have won the spotlight, and little concern has been bestowed upon the tragic heroines. I want to open up the possibility that Shakespeare was more aware of the significance of women to society than he has been credited. This would explain why he creates such creatures of monumental capacity as Lady Macbeth, Juliet, and Cordelia -- women noted for their mental and sexual strength. None of these women were so weak as to succumb to the narrow confinements which their gender dictated, and they displayed great ability to carry their full weight within their respective plots.

The voices of these women, as powerful as they might have been, were not always able to be heard over the roar of their leading men, and this is the cause which I would endeavor to aid through my research on this topic. I want to show that the women of Shakespearean tragedies were not always the victim, but instead were underrated and overlooked in their potential. 

A rationale for such a project is provided by the changed position of women in our society today. Women are realizing the full breadth of their untapped mental abilities and sensual capabilities, and are reaching out to embrace it. Thus, society would find great interest in a project dealing with feminism and women's equality with men, as it involves an issue highly relevant to our times. It seems only fitting to research the possibility that Shakespeare, a great writer of the past, was himself aware of the emotional and intellectual capacity of the "meeker" sex, four hundred years prior to twentieth-century feminism.  

Literature benefits all humanity when it is shown as a reflection of human truths and historical events. Feminism has a long tradition and heritage, and women must be allowed the right to know of these -- to know how they became the equal and respected beings they are today. If literature is not relevant to human issues, it becomes insignificant and outdated. By partaking in a project of this nature, then readers will be able to see that even literature that was written
centuries ago can still have a bearing upon, and pertain to modern audiences and readers.

During the summer of 1998, I completed research for my first chapter in my thesis, dealing with the character of Lady Macbeth. I intend to use this material in the final draft of the completed thesis.

Bibliography

Abrams, Richard, "The double casting of Cordelia and Lear's Fool: a theatrical review," Texas Studies in Literature and Language, 27 (February '92), pp. 354-68.
Bamber, Linda, Comic Women, Tragic Men: A Study of Gender and Genre in Shakespeare. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1982.
Brown, Carolyn E., "Juliet's Taming of Romeo," Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, 36 (Spring '96), pp. 337-55.
Butler, F.G., "Erasmus and the deaths of Cordelia and Lear," English Studies, 73 (February '92), pp. 10-21.
Callaghan, Dympna, Women and Gender in Renaissance Tragedy. Humanities Press International, Inc.: United States of America, 1989.
Carlisle, Carole J., "Helen Faucit's Lady Macbeth," Shakespeare Studies, 16 (1983), pp. 205-33.
Cowden, Clarke, Mary, The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1873.
Curren, Deborah T., "Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare Quarterly, 48 (Spring '97), pp. 98-102.
Davis, Lloyd, "'Death-marred Love': Desire and Presence in Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare Survey, 49 (1996), pp. 57-67.
Davis, Phillip, "Nineteenth Century Juliet," Shakespeare Survey, 49 (1996), pp. 131-140.
Faucit, Helena; Martin, Lady, Some of Shakespeare's Female Characters. London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1885.
Garber, Marjorie, Coming of Age in Shakespeare. Methuen: London, 1981. 
Gay, Penny, As She Likes It: Shakespeare's Unruly Women. Routledge: London, 1994.
Kirsch, Arthur, The Passions of Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes. University Press of Virginia: Charlottesville, 1990.
Loftus, Margaret, Shakespeare and His Social Context. AMA Press, Inc.: New York, 1987.
Garner, Shirley Nelson, and Madelon Sprengnether, MaShakespearean Tragedy and Gender. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, 1996.
Stone, James W., "Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet," Renaissance Quarterly, 50 (Autumn '97), pp. 882-3.
Williams, Edith W., "In Defense of Lady Macbeth," Shakespeare Quarterly, 24, pp. 221-23.

Drama

Drama is offered as a:

  • Major (60 credits)
  • Minor (24 credits)

Complete details of required credits for each option are available in the Academic Calendar.

Courses taken in English dramatic literature (English 2211, 3211, 3311, 3431, 3551, 3561, 3611, and the 4000 series when appropriate), and English/Drama 1701 (Introduction to Drama) and English 3621 (Reading Films), may be used as partial qualification for an interdisciplinary major or an interdisciplinary minor area of study in drama, or for the double major in English and drama, consistent with limitations on "credits in common" as outlined in the Academic Calendar. Interested persons should consult the Calendar entry for Drama, and the Drama program advisor.