BA Honours
Considering the Honours Program in English
The Honours program is offered for students who especially enjoy the serious study of literature and culture and who wish to develop both breadth and depth in their English degrees. Honours courses are designed to allow for more intensive student participation in the study of a wide range of subjects, including critical theory, women's writing, cultural studies, national literatures, historical periods, and individual authors and topics. While students have some flexibility in choosing their paths through the Honours program, the requirements ensure that all students graduate with an overall sense of the field of literary and textual studies.
The Honours program is delivered mainly through small seminars and provides solid advantages to students planning to pursue a graduate degree in English or a related discipline, such as Cultural Studies, Journalism, Communications and Media Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and Library and Information Management. We regularly support Honours students through the application process for MA degrees, professional programs, and external scholarships. We have had many successful placements in graduate programs nationally and internationally. Honours courses are also open to any qualified students who want a more personal and interactive education, or who wish to pursue a topic of particular interest.
Honours students must submit a Declaration of Honours form every year when they register with an English Department faculty advisor or the Honours Chair.
Honour Requirements:
Students must take ENGL-2142(6) Field of Texts and Cultures as a co-requisite for 4000-level courses. Students also must complete either ENGL-3151(6) Critical Theory: An Introduction OR ENGL-4110(6) Critical Theory in addition to a minimum of 3 credit hours in each of the five areas of study listed below. Please note that not all of these courses will be offered every year, but at least 3 credits in each area will be offered to ensure timely completion of the degree:
1. English Literature to 1789
ENGL-4823(3) Old English Language
ENGL-4841(3) Old English Literature
ENGL-4242 (3/6) Medieval Literature and Culture
ENGL-4251(3/6) Early Modern Literature and Culture
ENGL-4270(3/6) Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture
2. English Literature 1789-1945
ENGL-4211(3/6) Romanticism
ENGL-4281(3/6) Victorian Literature and Culture|
ENGL-4285(3/6) Modernist Literature and Culture
3. Global Literatures
ENGL-4720(3/6) American Literature and Culture
ENGL-4710(3/6) Canadian Literature and Culture
ENGL-4717(3/6) Indigenous Literatures and Cultures
ENGL-4730(3/6) Postcolonial Literatures and Cultures
4. Culture and Identity
ENGL-4160(3/6) Young People’s Texts and Cultures
ENGL-4901(3/6) Gender, Literature, and Culture
ENGL-4903(3/6) Critical Race Studies
5. Texts, Forms, and Practices
ENGL-4294(3/6) Contemporary Literature and Culture
ENGL-4403(3/6) Author, Genre, or Form
ENGL-4741(3/6) Screen Studies
ENGL-4742(3/6) Cultural Studies
Most of these courses are “topics” courses and can be repeated once for credit if the topic varies.
Students must still complete the general degree requirements: 12 credit hours of Humanities courses; 6 credit hours of Sciences; 3 credit hours of academic writing; 3 credit hours to fulfill the Indigenous course requirement (see Undergraduate Calendar for details).