Introduction

Literature in English has a long and rich history and is now written around the world. From the Anglo-Saxon bards of over a thousand years ago up to contemporary writers, literature presents us with the verbal artistry and the imaginative creations of people responding to, and shaping, many cultures: British, Canadian, American, African, West Indian, Aboriginal, to name a few. Works of literature are the verbal embodiment of the imaginative play of gifted writers as they explore the philosophical, historical, psychological, scientific, religious, and political realities of their times.

The Department of English offers a wide range of courses that engage many aspects of this vast subject: courses in theory, language, and critical methods, in Canadian and indigenous North American literature, in American and transnational literatures, in British literature from its beginnings to the 19th century, and in literature from the 18th century to the present. As well as enlarging their cultural horizons, students of English gain a rigorous training in the skills of critical thinking: reading and interpreting texts, analyzing complex data, making judgments, marshalling evidence and presenting arguments of their own. Students who undertake the study of English are simultaneously learning to think clearly and critically and to write with grace, precision, and force. International organizations, governments of all kinds, professionals, large and small businesses all depend on these skills. Besides many professors and authors of English literature, we count among our alumni publishers and editors, radio and television producers, journalists, business executives, filmmakers, lawyers, judges, and many other professions.

English courses are arranged in four series, each of which indicates the nature and level of work expected. The courses in OUR 100 series introduce students to the study of English literature at the university level through broad courses that introduce the major literary forms via examples drawn from different times and places. These courses aim to develop writing, reading, and critical skills: essays at the 100 level typically do not require research or secondary sources. Courses in the 200 series introduce specific aspects of the discipline: literature in a specific genre, or literature from a specific place or people. Coursework at the 200 level may require some research and the beginnings of familiarity with scholarship on the subject. At the 300 level, courses advance into a particular period or subject within a literature or literary genre: contemporary American fiction, for instance, or a particular topic in Shakespeare studies. Courses at this level introduce students to research skills and typically require essays that incorporate some secondary sources. Courses in the 400 series are both advanced and focused, unique courses created by Department faculty that often relate to their own research. Courses at the 400 level require a substantial research essay for which the student has significant input into framing the research question.

The Department of English offers several Programs of Study. The Specialist is the most intensive and comprehensive program, requiring a minimum of ten full-course equivalents (FCE) in a 20-FCE degree. The Major is the Department’s most popular program, combined with Majors or Minors in a wide variety of other fields. The program provides both depth and breadth to students who wish to focus in English studies but also wish to leave room in their degrees for other programs and interests. The Minor is the Department’s second most popular program, combined with Majors and Specialists in a wide variety of other fields. On the principle that the Minor is a curiosity-driven program, Minors are exempt from the distribution requirements of the Specialist and Major Programs. Students should note that neither the Specialist nor the Major Program are designed to meet the requirements for admission to any particular graduate program: students interested in graduate school should seek advice on course selection from their professors and academic counsellors. Similarly, students considering a teaching career in Ontario should consult the admission counsellors at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/UT. Students with questions about English Programs should consult the Office of the Associate Chair or the Undergraduate Counsellor.

The Department of English publishes our course descriptions online, usually by mid-April. Online descriptions include detailed course descriptions and reading lists for the particular courses being taught the following year. The general policy of the Department is to regulate class size in order to achieve the best conditions possible for teaching and learning. Enrolment in many sections is therefore limited. Students are urged to consult these course descriptions at www.english.utoronto.ca before enrolment begins.

Associate Chair: Professor N. Mount, room 608, 170 St. George Street
Undergraduate Counsellor: Ms V. Holmes, room 609, 170 St. George Street (416-978-5026)

General Enquiries: room 610, 170 St. George Street (416-978-3190)

English Programs

English (Arts program)

Enrolment in the English Specialist program requires a final grade of at least 73% in ENG110Y1, ENG140Y1, or ENG150Y1. Students applying to enrol in the Specialist after second year require a final grade of 77% in 2.0 ENG 200-series FCE. Students are responsible for completing all the requirements of an English program from the Calendar of the year in which they enrolled in the program.

Specialist program:

Ten FCE (including at least 7.0 ENG FCE) from the courses listed below, including 3.0 300+series FCE and 1.0 400-series FCE.

Only 1.0 100-series ENG FCE may be counted. ENG100H1 and ENG185Y1 may not be counted.

Courses must fulfill the following requirements:

1. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 1 (Theory, Language, Methods)
2. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 2 (Canadian and Indigenous North American Literatures)
3. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 3 (American and Transnational Literatures)
4. At least 3.0 FCE from Group 4 (British Literature to the 19th Century)
5. At least 1.5 FCE from Group 5 (Literature since the 18th Century)

In addition, the Faculty of Arts & Science requires English Specialists to complete at least 0.5 FCE in Arts & Science courses in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes.

Major program:

Seven FCE (including at least 5.0 ENG FCE) from the courses listed below, including 1.5 300+series FCE and 0.5 400-level FCE.

Only 1.0 100-series ENG FCE may be counted. ENG100H1 and ENG185Y1 may not be counted.

Courses must fulfill the following requirements:

1. At least 0.5 FCE from Group 1 (Theory, Language, Methods)
2. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 2 (Canadian and Indigenous North American Literatures)
3. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 3 (American and Transnational Literatures)
4. At least 2.0 FCE from Group 4 (British Literature to the 19th Century)
5. At least 1.0 FCE from Group 5 (Literature since the 18th Century)

In addition, the Faculty of Arts & Science requires English Majors to complete at least 0.5 FCE in Arts & Science courses in Breadth Requirement Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes.

Minor program:

Four FCE (including at least 3.0 ENG FCE) from the courses listed below, including 1.0 300+series FCE.

Only 1.0 100-series ENG FCE may be counted. ENG100H1 and ENG185Y1 may not be counted.

Courses that may be counted toward English programs:
ENG110Y1 OR ENG140Y1 OR ENG150Y1; ENG299Y1, ENG389Y1, ENG390Y1, ENG391Y1, ENG392H1, ENG393H1, ENG394Y1, ENG398H0, ENG399Y0

Group 1: Theory, Language, Methods
ENG201Y1, ENG205H1, ENG280H1, ENG285H1, ENG380H1, ENG382Y1, ENG383H1, ENG384Y1 (OR 290Y1), ENG385H1, ENG414H1, ENG415H1, ENG416Y1, ENG417Y1, ENG418H1, ENG419Y1; JEI206H1, JFV323H1, PHL285H1, PHL388H1, SMC229H1, VIC311H1

Group 2: Canadian and Indigenous North American Literatures
ENG215H1, ENG252Y1, ENG254Y1, ENG277Y1, ENG350H1, ENG352H1, ENG353Y1, ENG354Y1, ENG355H1, ENG357H1, ENG424H1, ENG425H1, ENG426Y1, ENG427Y1, ENG428H1, ENG429Y1; ABS341H1, DRM268H1, UNI218H1, UNI325H1

Group 3: American and Transnational Literatures
ENG250Y1, ENG264H1, ENG268H1, ENG269H1, ENG270Y1, ENG273Y1, ENG275Y1, ENG278Y1, ENG360H1, ENG363Y1, ENG364Y1, ENG365H1, ENG368H1, ENG370H1, ENG375H1, ENG434H1, ENG435H1, ENG436Y1, ENG437Y1, ENG438H1, ENG439Y1; DRM310H1, NEW322H1

Group 4: British Literature to the 19th Century
ENG202Y1, ENG220Y1, ENG240Y1, ENG300Y1, ENG301H1, ENG302Y1, ENG303H1 OR ENG304Y1, ENG305H1 OR ENG306Y1, ENG307H1, ENG308Y1, ENG311H1, ENG322Y1, ENG323H1, ENG330H1, ENG331H1, ENG335H1, ENG336H1, ENG337H1, ENG444H1, ENG445H1, ENG446Y1, ENG447Y1, ENG448H1, ENG449Y1; SMC360H1, VIC201Y1, VIC342H1, VIC344H1

Group 5: Literature since the 18th Century
ENG210Y1, ENG213H1, ENG214H1, ENG232H1, ENG234H1, ENG235H1, ENG237H1, ENG239H1, ENG324Y1 OR ENG325H1, ENG328Y1, ENG329H1, ENG340H1, ENG341H1, ENG347Y1, ENG348Y1, ENG349H1, ENG454H1, ENG455H1, ENG456Y1, ENG457Y1, ENG458H1, ENG459Y1; SMC336H1, SMC349H1, SMC353Y1, VIC210Y1, VIC309H1, VIC310H1

Asian Literatures and Cultures (Arts program)

Consult the Undergraduate Counsellor, Department of English

This humanities-based Type 3 Minor program represents a unique opportunity to study Asian Literatures and Cultures within a Southasian location. Students take core subjects at the first-year or second-year level in Toronto and then spend the fall semester of their second, third or fourth year at the National University of Singapore where they are enrolled in lecture courses. For more information, contact the Undergraduate Office and the International Student Exchange Office (ISXO, www.utoronto.ca/student.exchange).

Minor Program:

Four FCE, including ENG270Y1 (or ENG370H1 and NUS339H0) and one other ENG FCE from the list above and two NUS FCE from the list below, including at least one 300-series NUS FCE.