Within the liberal arts environment of Bishop’s University, the Department of English offers a diverse range of courses and programs that help students to develop their critical appreciation of texts of all kinds (literature, film, television, etc.) and to 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 crucial in today's information economy and that make them well-prepared for a wide variety of careers and for graduate study. Recent graduates work in fields as diverse as marketing, film-making, law, politics, television, publishing, education, journalism, and business communications.
Programs of study in English have a three-tier structure. Entering 
students complete a foundation year, which consists of four core courses designed to develop critical approaches to texts, an historical understanding of the evolution of English literature and culture, and research and writing skills. 200-level courses give students the chance to delve more deeply into a particular historical period, genre, author, or director, as well as to develop their understanding of critical theory and their abilities as creative writers. 300-level courses are seminar-based, with an emphasis on even greater student participation.
English students can choose from FIVE major concentrations, TWO honours options, and THREE minors:
The Literature Concentration challenges students to read a diversity of British, Canadian, American, Irish, and Postcolonial literatures. By reading both older and contemporary texts, students develop a rich understanding of the importance of cultural and social context and of the ways in which people in different circumstances have organized their thoughts and their lives. In consultation with their English faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the English Literature Honours program.
The Cultural and Media Studies Concentration is built on the idea that the full range of cultural products and practices in any particular historical period – whether they be contemporary science-fiction films, the rock ‘n’ roll music of the 1950s, or bear-baiting in the Elizabethan period – are worthy of the same kind of careful study that has traditionally been reserved for literature. Students taking this option use interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how our ideas of both the world and ourselves are built from a rich interplay of representations in a wide variety of media. In consultation with their English faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the Honours program in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies.
The Film Studies Concentration is designed for those students who want to understand film as the storytelling and artistic medium that has arguably had the greatest impact on popular culture in the last one hundred years. Film students develop a rich awareness of the historical development of the medium and the theoretical frameworks that critics have used to try to understand how film represents the world and affects audiences. They have the opportunity to study Hollwood, independent, foreign, and avant-garde films from a wide variety of perspectives, since film courses are offered by many different disciplines at Bishop’s (Drama, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Modern Languages, Sociology, etc.), and even to develop their own skills as screenwriters. In consultation with their English faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the Honours program in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies.
The story of Nicolls 4 (N4).
The Popular Narrative Concentration gives students the opportunity to think about the centrality of storytelling to human culture. By studying narrative in a variety of popular forms and media, from oral folk stories, through novels, plays, and short stories, to contemporary film, television, graphic novels, and video games, students develop a rich understanding of narrative form, of the limitations and possibilities of different media, and of the social functions and effects of storytelling. In consultation with their English faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the Honours program in Literature or in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies.
The Education Concentration meets the needs of students who wish to have English as their first "teachable" subject in Secondary Education.
For those students who want to develop a higher level of expertise, whether for personal development or specific career goals, we offer two Honours programs:
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. It provides students with a thorough understanding of English literary history, of the diversity of English literary cultures, and of the range of theoretical frameworks from which literature can be studied. Honours students have the option of writing a 6-credit thesis to complete the program requirements.
The Honours in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies is designed for students who wish to develop a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between media, especially film and derivative media, and culture. It is an ideal program for students wanting to pursue graduate study in any one of these three areas or to work in the media and culture industries. Honours students have the option of writing a 6-credit thesis to complete the program requirements.
For students in any discipline at Bishop’s who, in addition to their major concentration, want to develop a secondary area of expertise in one of the fields offered through the English department, we offer three different minors:
The Literature Minor allows students to sample from the many different subject areas offered through the English department. Students must complete any 24 credits of their choice, none of which may be cognate courses.
The Film Studies Minor allows students to study film from a variety of different perspectives. Students complete 24 credits in film studies, choosing from courses offered by English and by a wide range of other departments at Bishop’s. For the complete list of applicable courses, consult the academic calendar.
The Creative Writing and Journalism Minor gives students the opportunity to develop their strengths as writers in either journalism or creative forms (poetry, prose fiction, screenwriting). Students complete 24 credits in writing courses and experiential learning (for example, an internship at a newspaper), including a capstone seminar course with a professional writer. For the list of applicable courses, consult the academic calendar.
The English department is also one of three key contributors to the Indigenous Studies Minor, a program managed by the History department. The minor focuses on cultural encounters as a global phenomenon that began with colonialism and imperialism and that continues today. The program gives students historical and theoretical perspectives on this and the resultant responses of resistance, accommodation, and adaptation. Indigenous Studies programs are growing across the country and are pivotal to understanding some of the most important issues we currently face, such as religious or cultural terrorism, global development or underdevelopment paradigms, and Aboriginal desires for self- determination. For the complete list of applicable courses, consult the academic calendar.
For complete details, view the English section of the academic calendar.
