English Courses

Assessment Testing

Assessment Testing may be required before a student is eligible to register in her/his first English course. See the Language Proficiency and Assessment Information in the Language, Literature and Performing Arts section of this calendar.

Writing Skills and Writing Competency

Students enrolling in college literature or composition classes at any level are expected to demonstrate mastery of basic writing skills: paragraph construction, sentence construction, grammar, punctuation and spelling. While instruction in advanced writing skills is provided, the student is responsible for correcting deficiencies in basic skills.

All English courses are writing intensive.  A minimum of 80% of students’ course grades will be based on written assignments (such as paragraphs, essays, journals, essay-based exams), and at least 15% of course grades will be based on in-class writing (essays or exams).

Course Offerings

General calendar descriptions follow. For detailed reading lists and information about specific sections of any course, see the English Course Guide for the current term.

Writing Courses

ENGL 1099 Writing Skills Review (3 credits)

This course will refresh the student's ability to write paragraphs and short explanatory essays in preparation for more advanced English courses. It will include exercises on structure and mechanics and instruction in the principles of composition. This course does not offer instruction at the level of Developmental Skills (DVST) or English as a Second Language (EASL).

Note: Communications 1105 is an equivalent course to English 1099, offering similar learning outcomes but in the context of workplace writing.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 2; Tutorial/Workshop: 2

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

Academic Writing

ENGL 1130 Academic Writing (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the process of writing academic argument essays and includes writing strategies, assignments and exercises which develop their abilities as writers. Students receive instruction in the general principles of composition and the specific development, organization, style and mechanics of the academic argument essay. The course also includes instruction in reading and using source material.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

ENGL 1200 Advanced Composition and Style (3 credits)

This course provides instruction and practice in expository and argumentative writing to further develop non-fiction prose-writing ability. Through reading selected essays and studying their own writing, students examine stylistic and rhetorical techniques and develop their own prose styles. This course may be run in workshop format.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: "B-" standing in one college-level English literature or writing course

Lecture: 4

Offered: Winter 2010

First-Year Literature

ENGL 1101 Studies in Canadian Literature (3 credits)

This course introduces students to works by Canadian authors, primarily contemporary, within the contexts of Canadian culture and identity. Students will read works from at least two major literary genres.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

Note: Designated sections of this course deal with intercultural and international themes and can be used to fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts Degree in Intercultural and International Studies. These sections are not restricted to AA students.

ENGL 1102 Major Themes in Literature (3 credits)

This course examines at least one central theme in literature, such as crime and punishment, gender roles in contemporary society, immigrant experiences or paradise lost.  Students will read works from at least one of the major genres (fiction, poetry or drama), and study works of at least one other type, drawn from another of the major genres or from less traditional sources, such as creative non-fiction, life-writing, graphic novels, film or literary work in other media.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter, Summer

Note: Designated sections of this course deal with either gender relations or intercultural and international themes and can be used to fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts Degree in either Women’s Studies and Gender Relations or Intercultural and International Studies. These sections are not restricted to AA students.

ENGL 1106 Studies in Fiction (3 credits)

This course emphasizes the close reading of novels and short stories. Students will read at least three different kinds of fiction, such as realism, fantasy, mystery and romance.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

Note: Designated sections of this course deal with gender relations themes and can be used to fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations. These sections are not restricted to AA students.

ENGL 1107 Classical and Biblical Backgrounds to Modern Literature (3 credits)

This course introduces students to selected classical and biblical literary texts, examining them in their own right and as sources for subsequent works of literature in the English and/or European tradition.  Students will also examine some modern literature reflecting these classical and biblical sources. This course does not view the Bible from a theological perspective.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall 2010 and Winter 2011

ENGL 1109 Studies in Fiction, Poetry and Drama (3 credits)

This course emphasizes the close reading of three genres-–fiction, poetry, and drama-–and examines their defining features.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

ENGL 1112 Studies in Children's Literature
(3 credits)

This course introduces students to significant works of literature specifically intended for children. In addition, it examines some traditional influences on children's literature, such as folk and fairy tales.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

ENGL 1114 Studies in Poetry (3 credits)

This course emphasizes the close reading of poetry. Students will study a variety of poets, as well as multiple works of selected poets.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer

ENGL 1115 Studies in Drama (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the close reading of plays as literature, including discussion of elements of stagecraft and performance.  Plays assigned may emphasize a variety of genres (such as tragedy, comedy, the one-act play and dramatic monologue) and/or reflect significant developments in the history of theatre, from its beginnings to the present. 

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Summer 2010; Fall 2010—partially on-line/hybrid format; and Winter 2011

Note: Designated sections of this course deal with gender relations themes and can be used to fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations. These sections are not restricted to AA students.

ENGL 1118 Studies in the Literature of Life Writing (3 credits)

In this course, students will explore life writing, reading works such as biography, memoir, travel literature, diaries and letters. Students may read some fictional works as well, for comparison purposes.

Prerequisites:

See Writing Assessment Information

Lecture: 4

Offered: Summer and Fall 2010, and Winter 2011

Second-Year Literature

Prerequisite Note

For admission to second-year courses, students must have a Grade Point Average of 1.67 in the following courses:

• any TWO university-transfer first-year English literature courses;
• or ONE university-transfer first-year English literature course and ONE university-transfer first-year Creative Writing* or academic writing course**.

*To use CRWR as one of the prerequisites, see Department for a pre-requisite waiver.

**ENGL 1130 or 1200 (English 1099, which has no university transfer, is not a pre-requisite for any other course).

Recommended Course Sequence

Many of the subject areas introduced in first-year literature courses are examined at a more in-depth level in second year.   While no specific first-year course serves as a specific pre-requisite for any second-year course, students are advised that they may benefit from the following sequencing: ENGL 1106 or 1109 will prepare students for the fiction component in ENGL 2319; ENGL 1109 or 1114 will prepare students for the poetry component in ENGL 2314, 2316 or 2317; ENGL 1115 will prepare students for the drama component in ENGL 2316; ENGL 1118 will prepare students for the life writing component in ENGL 2328.

ENGL 2310 World Literature: Great Works in Translation
(3 credits)

This course is a study of major works of world literature grouped in a significant thematic, historic or literary way.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Not offered: 2010

ENGL 2313 Studies in Major Writers (3 credits)

This course is a study of a significant body of literature by two major writers whose works are related in significant ways, i.e. stylistically, historically or thematically.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Not offered: Winter or Summer 2010

ENGL 2314 Major Poets (3 credits)

This course is a study of representative works of poetry by two or three major poets writing in English, from at least two different periods.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Not offered: Winter or Summer 2010

ENGL 2315 The Comic Vision (3 credits)

This course is a study of representative literary works in the comic tradition. It will include works of drama and at least one other major genre.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Not offered: 2010

ENGL 2316 Studies in British Literature: Middle Ages Through the Renaissance (3 credits)

This course offers an historical survey of representative texts from the beginnings of the English language through to the late seventeenth century. Students will read a variety of works, such as Anglo-Saxon verse, Arthurian romance, medieval comic literature, early religious drama, Shakespearean drama, and both secular and sacred lyric poetry, including sonnets from poets such as Shakespeare, Donne and Milton.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Summer and Fall 2010

ENGL 2317 Studies in British Literature: Enlightenment through World War I (3 credits)

This course is a survey of major representative works of the late 17th through the early 20th centuries, studied in the context of the dramatic shifts in British culture following the Renaissance.  A significant portion of the readings will be poetry, from the Restoration, Neo-Classical, Romantic and Victorian Periods, and from the beginnings of the 20th Century Modernist era.       

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall 2010

ENGL 2319 Studies in British Literature: History of the British Novel (3 credits)

This course traces the history of the British novel, emphasizing the 18th and the 19th centuries.

To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide.

Prerequisite: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Fall 2010

ENGL 2328 Special Topics in the Literature of Life Writing (3 credits)

This course offers an in-depth study of literature in a specific area of life writing, emphasizing several works by one author, OR works by several authors writing in the same form (such as the diary or memoir), OR works by several authors exploring the same theme (such as spirituality, the environment or enslavement/liberation). Works may be drawn from any historical periods or cultural contexts, and may be read in translation. Students will also read and bring into their study some relevant theoretical and critical texts.

Prerequisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Winter 2010

Third-Year Literature

Prerequisite Note

• For admission to third-year courses, students must meet the pre-requisites for second-year courses AND have successfully completed a minimum of 45 credit hours.

ENGL 3112 The Plays of Shakespeare (4 credits)

In this course, students will read six to seven of Shakespeare's plays, drawn from at least three subgenres (comedy, tragedy, history, romance, or “problem” play).  Close textual analysis will be complemented by study of relevant features of the Elizabethan context for Shakespeare’s work.  Students may be required to attend and critique a performance of a play.

Prerequisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Winter 2010

ENGL 3149 American Literature of World War II and Later (4 credits)

This course is a survey of key authors and trends in modern and contemporary American writing since World War II.

Prerequisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Summer 2010

ENGL 3160 Special Topics in World Literature (4 credits)

This course provides an in-depth study of literature from one or more world regions other than the British Isles and Anglo-North America.  This literature may be written originally in English or be studied in translation, and will be selected to highlight an organizing cultural, linguistic, national or thematic focus: for example, works about home and migration; works from Latin America; representations of gender in Indian literature.  

Prerequisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered:  Fall 2010

ENGL 3170  Special Topics in Women's Writing  (4 credits)

This course examines a selection of women's writing in any genre(s), chosen to highlight an organizing theoretical, historical, national or thematic focus. Readings will include theory/criticism, and will introduce students to a range of feminist perspectives on literature.

Pre-requisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered:  Fall 2010

ENGL 3180 Representations of Health Issues in Literature (4 credits)

This course is for students from any discipline who wish to explore through literature a variety of personal, social, cultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives on health-related experiences.  The literary readings may include a variety of forms such as fiction, poetry, or life writing, and the health issues considered may include diverse topics related to mental and/or physical health.  The course will cover a broad range of topics and readings, for example through different time periods or cultural contexts.  The literary representations of health will be discussed in the light of related readings from a range of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, criminology, nursing, or medicine.

Prerequisites: see note above

Lecture: 4

Offered: Winter 2010

Courses under Development: 

The English department is currently developing more third-year literature courses for the 2010-11 academic year, in subject areas such as Women’s Literature, Modernism, and the novels of Jane Austen. 
Please check the department homepage for the latest information on new offerings.