The English Department will be posting a series of course highlights over the next several weeks. This week, we shine a spotlight on our first-year English courses.
English is one of the most interdisciplinary subjects. We investigate a range of current, complex, and often contentious topics, but always through the unique lens of analysing how language and literature are used to convey meanings, emotions, and values. The literary expressions we study include poetry and prose from the ancient world to the twenty-first century, as well as the interplay between language, sound, and image in sources such as illuminated manuscripts and books, oral narratives, dramatic productions, popular songs, graphic novels, television shows and movies, video games, and a range of digital media.
Our 1000-level ENGL courses provide a great introduction into literary studies and can count toward your electives and Core C group requirements.
ENGL 1155, a 1.0-unit course, is designed for those who think they want to major in English and/or who want the benefit of a yearlong course to build and improve their skills.
ENGL 1170 and ENGL 1171, 0.5-unit courses, also provide majors with a good foundation but with a bit more flexibility. You can sign up for one and then take the other in another timeslot and/or try a new professor the following term, in the summer session, or another year. You can take either course first, as they both introduce students to university-level essay writing, different literary forms, and various literary-historical eras.
ENGL 1155: Introduction to Literature: Gender and Form (1.0 unit)
An introduction to the study of the major forms of fiction, poetry, and drama, using examples from the medieval to the present. Readings will include texts by authors with a range of intersectional identities, with an emphasis on gender. Representations of gender will also be a special focus for discussion. Note: Students who have received credit for ENGL 1170 and 1171 may not take this course for credit. (Also listed under Women’s Studies)
> Fall-Winter: 1 in-person section M/W 12:00-1:15pm (G. Fraser) with very limited availability
[Fig 1]
ENGL 1170: Introduction to Literature – Literary Genres (0.5 unit)
An introduction to the terms and methods of literary analysis. Through critical study of a range of literary works, including short fiction, poetry, drama, and a novel, students will acquire the skills needed to write about them effectively. Note: Students who have received credit for ENGL 1155 may not take this course for credit.
> Fall: 5 in-person sections and 1 online section with varying levels of availability
- for example, see 1170-05 T/Th 3:00-4:15pm
> Winter: 2 in-person sections with varying levels of availability
- for example, see 1170-06 M/W 10:30-11:45am (B. Russo)
[Fig 2]
ENGL 1171: Introduction to Literature – Literary Transformations (0.5 unit)
An introduction to the critical study of literature from different historical periods. By following a particular theme or genre from the Middle Ages to the present day, students assess how writers are influenced by, respond to, and transform previous texts. Note: Students who have received credit for ENGL 1155 may not take this course for credit.
> Fall: 1 in-person section with availability: M/W 1:30-2:45pm (K. Collier-Jarvis)
> Winter: 4 in-person sections and 1 online section with varying levels of availability
- for example, see 1171-05 T/Th 3:00-4:15pm (L. Templin – new full-time faculty member soon to be announced on our blog)
[Fig 3]
For more information about any of the courses above or the English program more generally, contact Dr. Diane Piccitto, Chair of English: diane.piccitto@msvu.ca
[Image credits: Fig 1: https://literacle.com/literary-gender/; Fig 2: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/types-of-genres; Fig 3: https://english.vcu.edu/]
MSVU English Department Blog 