Overview

Within the liberal arts environment of Bishop’s University, the Department of English offers a diverse range of courses and programs to help students develop their critical appreciation of texts of all kinds (literature, film, television, popular culture, etc.), and broaden their understanding of culture and its relationship to the individual, from historical and theoretical perspectives. Students of English develop analytical, research, and communication skills that are well-suited to many careers in today’s information economy. Recent graduates have pursued graduate studies and careers in fields as diverse as teaching English, advertising and marketing, film-making, law, politics, publishing, television, education, journalism, and business communications.

The Literature Concentration offers a well-rounded education that challenges the student to read a diversity of British, Canadian, American, Irish, and Postcolonial literatures. Presentation of the literature of early and more recent periods enables students to read texts in context and to understand more fully the ways in which people in different circumstances have organized their thoughts and their lives. In consultation with their English faculty advisor, students in the Literature Concentration may elect to enter the English Honours Literature program.

In the Film and Media Studies Concentration, students develop a rich awareness of the historical development of film and related moving-image media and apply a range of interdisciplinary theoretical models and critical approaches to understand these media as both individual forms of expression and industrial products promoting social cohesion. They consider how, through the interplay of their representations, these media affect us, build our ideas of the world, and shape our social interactions. Courses are offered primarily through the English Department, but additional courses offered in many different disciplines at Bishop’s (Classics, Drama, Music, religion, Modern Languages, Sociology, Philosophy, History) enrich the program with their different approaches and emphases. Students in the program have the opportunity to write and create their own films in screenwriting and filmmaking courses. They graduate with a rich understanding of the pervasive media landscape in which we all now live, ready to participate in it critically and creatively, as global citizens and active producers. In consultation with their English Faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the Honours program in Film and Media Studies.

Foundation Year

The four Foundation Year courses taken by ALL English Majors and Honours students are:

  • ENG 100, Introduction to English Studies;
  • ENG 102 Approaches to Media Studies;
  • ENG 112, English Literary Tradition: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance; and
  • ENG 113, English Literary Tradition: The Eighteenth Century to the Present.

For students in the Literature Concentration, the fourth Foundation Year course is ENG 101, Responding to Literature.

For students in the Film and Media Studies Concentration, the fourth Foundation Year course is ENG 102, Approaches to Media Studies.

Cognate Courses

Students in the Honours Literature program and the Major Concentration in Literature and Education may count Drama courses in English Literature, CLA 202 “The Classical Influence on Shakespeare” and Education 211 “Introduction to Young Adult Literature” as satisfying English requirements, subject to the approval of the Department. Courses in Classical, French, German, and Spanish literatures, as well as mythology and the Biblical Literature may also be considered as cognates. No more than two cognate courses (6 credits) may be counted as part of these programs.

English Programs

Honours:
Honours in Literature (60 credits)
Honours in Film and Media Studies (60 credits)
Majors:
English Major, Literature Concentration (48 credits)
English Major, Film and Media Studies Concentration (48 credits)
Minors:
The Literature Minor (24 credits)
The Film and Media Studies Minor (24 credits)
The Communications and Digital Culture Minor (24 credits)
Indigenous Studies Minor (24 credits)

Honours in Literature (HONENL) 60 credits

The Honours in English Literature is designed for students who wish to specialize in the study of English Literature, especially with the goal of continuing to study the subject at the graduate level.

Students in this program take at least 60 credits in English, including:

  • The Foundation Year courses (12 credits);
  • The Core course requirement, ENG 215, “Introduction to North American Literatures” (3 credits);
  • At least 30 credits (10 courses) from the Areas of Specialization. Of these 30 credits, twelve credits (4 courses) must be selected from Group A, twelve credits (4 courses) from Group B, and six credits (2 courses) from Group C. At least four of the courses in the Areas of Specialization must be 300- or 400-level seminars. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses from all ten areas, and are required to take at least three of the areas in both Group A and Group B.

Group A:

  • Old English and Middle English: 216, 221, 222, 310, 315
  • Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century: 223, 224, 225, 320, 321, 325, DRA 222
  • Eighteenth Century: 332, 390
  • Romantic: 249, 295, 342, 348

Group B:

  • Victorian: 254, 255, 350
  • Twentieth-Century British: 250, 251, 360
  • Canadian: 252, 253, 275, 352, 358, 359
  • American: 256, 257, 260, 261, 353

Group C:

  • Postcolonial: 123, 228, 358, 375
  • Critical Theory: 202, 232, 234, 236, 239

And five elective English courses (15 credits), at least two of which must be at the 200 or 300 level or ENG 471 and ENG 472 in their stead.

As per Humanities Division guidelines, students must attain an average of 70%, calculated on the best 60 credits in the program (including cognates) in order to graduate with an Honours degree.

Honours in Film and Media Studies (HONENF) 60 credits

The Honours in Film and Media Studies is designed for students who wish to specialize in these areas, especially with the goal of continuing to graduate studies.

Students in this program take at least 60 credits in Film and Media, including:

  • The Foundation Year courses (12 credits); ENG 100, ENG102, ENG 112, ENG 113;
  • Three Core Requirements (9 credits): ENG/DRA 170, ENG 279 (formerly ENG 289), ENG 280;
  • One of:  ENG 287 or ENG 291 (3 credits);
  • Seven Core Electives (21 credits): CDC 100, CLA 150, ENG 124 (formerly ENG 219), ENG 217, ENG 218, ENG 236, ENG 278, ENG 281, ENG 282, ENG 283, ENG 284, ENG 287, ENG 288, ENG 291, ENG 293, ENG 294, ENG 295, ENG 297, ENG 298, ENG 350, ENG 381, ENG 382, ENG 383, ENG 384, ENG 463, FRA 250, FRA 259, GER 250, GER 270, MUS 115 (formerly MUS 102), MUS 116, PHI 345, REL 237, SOC 105, SOC 241, SPA 318, SPA 333;
  • Five English Electives (15 credits): At least two elective courses must be at the 200 or 300 level, or ENG 471 and ENG 472 in their stead.

As per Humanities Division guidelines, students must attain an average of 70%, calculated on the best 60 credits in the program (including cognates) in order to graduate with an Honours degree.

English Major: Literature Concentration (MAJENL) 48 credits

Students in the English Major, Literature Concentration, take at least 48 credits in English, including:

  • The Foundation Year courses ENG 100, ENG 101, ENG 112, ENG 113 (12 credits);
  • The Core Required course, ENG 215, “North American Literatures” (3 credits);
  • At least three courses (9 credits) in English Literature before 1900 (including CLA 202, DRA 222, ENG 115, 216, 217, 221, 222, 223, 224  225, 254, 255, 260, 261, 295, 310, 315, 320, 321, 332, 342, 347, 348, 350, 356 and 390);
  • Eight English electives (24 credits).

English Major: Film and Media Studies Concentration (MAJENF) 48 credits

Students in the English Major, Film and Media Studies Concentration, take at least 48 credits in English, including:

  • The Foundation year courses: ENG 100, ENG 102, ENG 112, ENG 113 (12 credits);
  • ENG/DRA 170 “Intro to Film” (3 credits);
  • At least two Core Courses (6 credits) from ENG 279, ENG 280, ENG 287, ENG 291;
  • Five Core Electives (15 credits) chosen from CDC 100, CDC 200, CLA 150, ENG 124 (formerly ENG 219), ENG 217, ENG 218, ENG 236, ENG 278, ENG 279 (formerly ENG 289), ENG 280, ENG 281, ENG 282, ENG 283, ENG 284, ENG 287, ENG 288, ENG 291, ENG 293, ENG 294, ENG 295, ENG 297, ENG 298, ENG 350, ENG 381, ENG 382, ENG 383, ENG 384, ENG 463, FRA 250, FRA 259, GER 250, GER 270, MUS 115 (formerly MUS 102), MUS 116, PHI 345, REL 237, SOC 105, SOC 241, SPA 318, SPA 333;
  • And four English Electives (12 credits).

English Minors

For students in any discipline at Bishop’s who, in addition to their major concentration, wish to develop a secondary area of expertise in one of the fields offered through the English Department, we offer four different minors:

The Literature Minor (MINENL) 24 credits

This minor allows students to sample from the many different aspects and areas of English literatures offered through the English department. The Literature Minor requires any 8 courses (24 credits) from the department’s List of Courses.

The Film and Media Studies Minor (MINFMS) 24 credits

The Film and Media Studies Minor provides an introduction to the study of film through the increasingly rich, interdisciplinary approach that now defines this field. Film courses are typically taught in the cinema class room (Nicolls 4), which is equipped with excellent projection and sound equipment, as well as cinema seating. The Film and Media Studies Minor requires the completion of 24 credits in the following manner:

Four Core Requirements (12 credits) composed of ENG/DRA 170 and at least three courses from ENG 102, ENG 279, ENG 280, ENG 287, ENG 291.

Four Core Electives (12 credits) chosen from the following list:

CDC 100 – Introduction to Communications: Theory and Practice
CDC 200 – Communication and Media Studies: Theory and Practice
CLA 150 – The Ancient World in Film and Television
ENG 102 – Approaches to Media Studies
ENG 124 – Introduction to the Graphic Novel (formerly ENG 219)
ENG 217 – The Arthurian Tradition
ENG 218 – The Gothic Tradition
ENG 236 – Popular Culture
ENG 278 – Science Fiction in Literature and Film
ENG 279 – Film History to 1939 (formerly ENG 289)
ENG 280 – Film History after 1939
ENG 281 – Canadian Cinema
ENG 282 – Film Adaptation
ENG 283 – The Documentary Film
ENG 284 – Film Noir
ENG 287 – Image and Communication
ENG 288 – Crime Pays: The Gangster Film Genre
ENG 291 – Film Theory
ENG 293 – Four Filmmakers
ENG 294 – Film Comedy
ENG 295 – Jane Austen and Film
ENG 297 – From Aliens to Zombies
ENG 298 – Studies in Directors/Actors: Alfred Hitchcock
ENG 350 – Technology, Media and Literature in Victorian England
ENG 381 – The Evolution of the Fairy Tale in Literature and Film
ENG 382 – Screenwriting
ENG 383 – Digital Filmmaking
ENG 384 – Documentary Filmmaking
ENG 463 – Senior Seminar: Screenwriting
FRA 250 – French Cinema
FRA 259 – Québec Cinema
GER 250 – German History in Recent Films
GER 270 – Introduction to German Film
MUS 115 – Film Music I (formerly MUS 102)
MUS 116 – Film Music II
PHI 345 – Topics in Philosophy of Film
REL 237 – Film and Religion
SOC 105 – Media and Society I
SOC 241 – Cinema
SPA 318 – Spanish Cinema
SPA 333 – Hispanic Literature and Film

The courses listed above are rotated and may not be offered every year. Students seeking further information may contact the Director of the Film and Media Studies Program, Dr. Steven Woodward (English), in Morris House.

The Communications and Digital Culture Minor (MINCDC) 24 credits

The Communications and Digital Culture minor offers practical and theoretical instruction in writing and speaking in a variety of academic, creative, and professional contexts, including communication, journalism, copywriting, and various modes of digital production. Housed within an English department that prepares students as critical readers and effective writers, the Minor works to “broadcast” these strengths by networking with the rich spectrum of cultural production and critique underway at Bishop’s. Drawing on multiple disciplines, this program develops technical expertise in various modes and media, providing training in the skills of communication, critique and collaboration that will help students to develop confident and compelling voices in their chosen fields.

The Communications and Digital Culture minor requires the completion of 24 credits in the following manner:

Two Core Requirements (6 Credits):

CDC 100 – Introduction to Communications: Theory and Practice
ENG 116 – Effective Writing;

Four ‘Category A’ Electives (Theory and Practice), chosen from the following list (12 credits):

AAD 252 – Arts Administration: Communications and Marketing
BMK 323 – Marketing Communications
CDC 200 – Communication and Media Studies: Theory and Practice
CDC 400 – Senior Professionalization Seminar: Portfolio
CS 203 – Interactive Web Page Design
ENG 102 – Approaches to Media Studies
ENG 202 – History of English
ENG 205 – Art of Persuasion: Rhetoric from Classical to Contemporary
ENG 236 – Popular Culture
ENG 285 – Journalism
ENG 286 – Online Journalism
ENG 287 – Image and Communication: Visual Culture and Critique
ENG 382 – Screenwriting
ENG 383 – Digital Filmmaking
ENG 384 – Documentary Filmmaking
ENG 385 – News Editing and Ethics
FIN 218 – Digital Imaging for the Artist I
FIS 182 – Photography
HIS 275 – Digital History

(Students may count ONE Experiential Learning ENG course – including ENG 450, ENG 454, ENG 456, ENG 457, ENG 458, and ENG 459 as a ‘Category A’ Elective.)

Two ‘Category B’ Electives, chosen from the following list (6 credits):

AAD 150 – Arts Administration: Internal Operations
BMG 345 – International Marketing and Export Management
BMK 211 – Marketing Management
BMK 214 – Consumer Behaviour
CS 301 – Computer Ethics
CS 330 – Developing Mobile Apps
DRA 131 – Acting I
ENG 200 – Creative Writing: Poetry
ENG 201 – Creative Writing: Prose
ENG 203 – Creative Writing: Experiments in Prose
ENG 204 – Creative Writing: Experiments in Poetry
ENG 206 – Creative Writing: The Graphic Novel
ENG 290 – New Journalism
ENG 296 – Sports Writing
FIN 348 – Digital Imaging for the Artist II
FIS 385 – Printmaking: Contemporary Practice
HIS 297 – A History of Communications
SOC 280 – Interpersonal Communication
(Students may count additional courses from the Category A Electives towards this category.)

Indigenous Studies Minor (MININD) 24 credits

A number of English courses contribute to the Indigenous Studies Minor (ISM), an interdisciplinary program designed to introduce students to the global processes of cultural encounters and the resultant responses of resistance, accommodation, and adaption. Students will be exposed to theories and world-wide applications of, and responses to, imperialism and colonialism, as well as decolonization and post-colonialism. For more information on the Indigenous Studies Minor, please consult the program description in the Academic Calendar.

For the complete list of applicable courses, consult the academic calendar.

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Questions?

Contact the Chair of the English department.