"Lothlorien" (detail) by Karen Livingstone, submitted as part of an ENGL 4401 creative project / critical analysis
Courses at the 3000 or 4000 level require successful completion of at least one unit of literature at the 1000 level. At least one unit at the 2000 level is recommended.
ENGL/WRIT courses may have particular pre-requisites. Please check the course description.
ENGL 3307: Romanticism and the Gothic
Fall term; half unit
Monday and Wednesday 11:05-12:20
Instructor: TBA
A study of the major authors of Romanticism’s “first generation,” including Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge, and their definitions of such concepts as “nature,” “imagination,” and “revolution.” We will look as well at feminist and Gothic challenges to these concepts.
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Fall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 9:05-10:20
Instructor: Graham Fraser
In this course we will examine a range of poems and poetics from the Modernist period (1900-1945). We will examine the innovations of Modernist literature against the background of 19th century poetry, and we will look into connections between Modernist poetry and other Modernist movements in art (especially visual art) and the larger cultural, scientific, philosophical, and political shifts and crises which informed the Modernist period.
Modernist poetry is often intentionally difficult in terms of both its poetic form and the complexity of its ideas. It expects much of its audience and demands that its readers rise to its level and meet it on its own terms. This course is designed to confront, understand, and hopefully to enjoy these difficulties (and perhaps even to reveal them to be not so difficult after all).
Some of the poets and poetic movements addressed will include: Imagism, Vorticism, Surrealism, Loy, Williams, Yeats, Pound, Eliot, H.D., Stevens, Stein, Moore, Riding, and Bishop.
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ENGL 3327: Studies in Victorian Literature
Fall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:45
Instructor: Susan Drain
This year’s course represents the enthusiasm, range and richness of Victorian literary endeavour. At the beginning of the term we will focus on some particular themes (such as, what is poetry? why is art?) as explored in different genres. Later in the term we will concentrate more on some individual writers. The class will have an on-line component (using Moodle); you will find yourself writing frequently but not always in formal academic genres.
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ENGL/ WRIT 3330: Myths and Theories about Writing
Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:45
Instructor: Susan Drain
Pre-requisite: (ENGL 1170/1171 or ENGL 1155) or (WRIT 1120 and one of ENGL/WRIT 2220, ENGL/WRIT 2221 or WRIT 2222)
This course addresses some fundamental questions about writing: where do ideas come from? How is writing accomplished? Can writing be taught? What makes "good writing"? In exploring these questions, we will examine our own practice and assumptions, and look back at some traditional and historical answers. Our main focus will be on the ideas explored in readings from recent theorists and researchers in the field of rhetoric and composition. Of interest to anyone who writes or struggles with writing (in other words, everyone), this course provides a framework particularly important for potential teachers, editors, and critics.
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ENGL 3346: Contemporary Literature
Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 9:05-10:20
Instructor: Graham Fraser
The purpose of this course is to examine some of the concerns of contemporary postmodern fiction. We will pay particular attention to postmodern conceptions of authorship, history, memory, autobiography, and the role of material objects in culture and fiction. We will also examine the ways in which these texts challenge the traditional boundaries between fiction and other textual forms (poetry, the image, non-fiction genres) and their efforts to bend or re-create language and fictional form into new shapes. Some of these works are popular in orientation and others are more obscure – all, however, are important and compelling works of literature which offer a great deal to think about and enjoy.
Tentative Text List:
Baker, The Mezzanine
Beckett, Nohow On
Carey, Alva and Irva
Carson, The Autobiography of Red
Carter, The Bloody Chamber
Hoban, Riddley Walker
Marcus, The Age of Wire and String
Phillips, Cambridge
Sebald, Rings of Saturn
Shapton, Important Artifacts…
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ENGL 3352: Nineteenth-Century American Literature
Fall and Winter terms; full unit
Monday and Wednesday 12:30-1:45
Instructor: Chris Ferns
This course studies the emergence of a national literature in the United States, from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 up to 1900. Issues to be examined will include the role of both religion and myth in the construction of a national identity, the extent to which the literature of the period seeks to invent a national history, and the ways in which it represents relations between the New World and the Old. Special attention will be given to issues of race and gender.
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ENGL 3355: Sixteenth-Century Literature
Fall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 10:30 - 11:45
Instructor: John Morgenstern
A study of the literature of sixteenth-century England.
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ENGL 3356: Seventeenth-Century Literature
Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:45
Instructor: Reina Green
This class examines English poetry and prose written from the end of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1603 through the English civil wars and interregnum to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. This period includes some of England’s most turbulent political history and there were equally seismic shifts in the literature of the time.
We will examine the poetry of such well-known authors as Ben Jonson, John Donne, George Herbert, and John Milton, along with the prose of Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and Robert Burton. We will also explore the work of several women writers, including Lady Mary Wroth, Margaret Cavendish, and Katherine Philips. Works will be considered for the way they engage with major issues of the period, including the relationship between individual, family and society; religion and politics; nature and art.
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ENGL 3361: Old English Literature
Fall and Winter terms; full unit
Monday and Wednesday 3:05-4:20
Instructor: Anna Smol
This course is a study of the literature of the Anglo-Saxon period (c. 500 – 1100) both in Old English and in modern English translations. You will learn to read selections of prose and poetry in Old English, including elegies, riddles, and heroic narratives, the best known of which is Beowulf. To provide a broader context for seminar discussions, we will also read some texts in modern English.
Translation theory will be one focus of discussion, as you will be learning to translate while at the same time studying the works of Anglo-Saxon writers who were prolific translators themselves. Our reading list will also provide an opportunity to speculate on the interplay between orality and literacy, on problems of historical understanding, on the role of Old English in the formation of an English literary canon, and on the ways in which medievalism plays a vital role in contemporary culture.
In addition to engaging in the literary discussion and analysis typical of an upper-level English course, you will also be working closely with language in the process of learning to read Old English. No previous knowledge of the language – or even of grammar -- is expected; we will start with the basics. Learning to translate Old English will improve your understanding of grammar and your appreciation of the history of the language, which should be essential goals particularly for anyone interested in editing, writing, teaching, or languages.
You can expect a variety of assignments over the year, ranging from short language quizzes to longer research papers, including opportunities to do creative work in translation and adaptation. This course requires the occasional use of Moodle to supplement the work done in class. Further details about the course can be found on the ENGL 3361 webpage.
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ENGL 3365: Eighteenth-Century British Novel
Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 12:05-1:20
Instructor: Rhoda Zuk
A study of the early development of the British novel.
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ENGL 3380: Literature and Film
Winter term; half unit
Contact Distance Education
Instructor: TBA
A study of a particular theme or topic that arises from an examination of the complex relationship that exists between literature and film.
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ENGL 4405: Special Topic -- Contemporary Canadian Drama and the Theatre of War
Fall term; half unit
Monday 4:30 - 7:00
Instructor: Reina Green
In this class we will explore war as a recurring theme in the Canadian drama of the late twentieth- and early twenty-first centuries, moving from plays about World War I and II to those about more recent conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iraq. We will consider how the current socio-political environment both affects and is reflected in the dramatic depiction of these armed conflicts. The plays will be read alongside historic accounts of the various wars, and concepts such as heroism, patriotism, sacrifice, peace-keeping, and terrorism will be critically examined. We will also investigate how involvement in armed conflict and political alliances affects ideas about national and individual identity.
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Winter term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 3:05-4:20
Instructor: Karen Macfarlane
Queer Theory examines the concepts, terms and texts that underpin the construction and representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and other identities that stand in a “sideways” relation to heteronormative cultural codes, discourses and practices. Queer Theory is primarily an analysis of desire, but desire as it is framed within social definitions and limitations of “normal”. It raises questions about epistemology (how we “know”) and ontology (how we live/embody) in discourses of, around and about sexuality.
This course will focus on the discursive production of queer sexualities and then analyze its relation to claims of identity and to practices such as cross-dressing, writing and politics and performance. The focus in this course will be on active discussion of the texts at hand. As such, the focus is theoretical, critical and philosophical rather than sociological. Students are strongly encouraged to take ENGL 4408 (Critical Theory) before they take this course.
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ENGL 4408: Critical Theory
Fall term; half unit
Tuesday and Thursday 3:05-4:20
Instructor: Karen Macfarlane
This course is an overview of literary critical theory in which students will be introduced to the major figures, issues and debates in the field of literary critical theory. Some attention will be paid to the historical underpinnings of contemporary theoretical debates, but our focus will be on the movements of the latter part of the twentieth century. This course is recommended for Honours students.
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ENGL/WRIT 4410: Directed Study
Prerequisite: written permission
This is an open course, permitting upper-level students to pursue study in a specific area not accommodated in the regular course program. The student designs the syllabus in consultation with the supervising professor. Students intending to take this course must obtain departmental approval before registration. Depending on the topic, this course may be offered only as ENGL or only as WRIT.
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ENGL 4499: Honours Thesis
Prerequisite: written permission
This course is intended to give practice in independent research, requiring an extended piece of writing. The student designs a syllabus through prior consultation with the supervising professor.
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