Discover The English Department
The Bishop’s experience in English is about studying all kinds of cultural texts, from Old English epics to contemporary films and television. It’s about both critical insight and creative production. And most importantly, it’s about developing a genuine community through an intimate environment. Small classes enable students and professors to get to know and learn from one another. Visiting speakers, suppers at a prof's house, poetry nights at local cafés and pubs, movie nights, creative writing contests, and a party every term extend learning well beyond the classroom.
Why study English at Bishop’s?
We like to think of our Program as an offer you can't refuse: the chance to develop the most sought after skills in today's society. By studying English you’ll develop a rich and sophisticated understanding of your culture and yourself. You’ll hone your analytical skills and learn to use language in a way that will empower you in the job market and, indeed, in life.
Program strengths
- option to concentrate on literature, cultural and media studies, film studies, or popular narrative.
- wide range of degree options at the Honours, Major, and Minor level.
- dynamic courses taught by passionate professors, in both traditional and innovative subjects.
- a variety of smaller, seminar-based courses.
Popular courses
- The Gothic Tradition
- Science Fiction
- Screenwriting
- Early Twentieth-Century American Novel
- The Arthurian Tradition
- Children's Literature
- The Graphic Novel
Did you know ?
- English organizes many extra-curricular events, including an undergraduate student conference (QUEUC), film screenings, theatre trips, author readings (Morris House Reading Series), and department parties.
- English students have their own society, Englit, and publish Canada's oldest literary journal, THE MITRE.
- The department awards more than $2000 in prizes each year.
- The award for the "greatest contribution to university life" went to an English student in 2007.
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Allison GoffAfter graduating with a BA in Honours English Literature, Allison headed to Queen's University to pursue a Master's in English. Allison was awarded the Shauna Murray Memorial Prize in English from Bishop's University and a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship for a Master's Program. "Everyone says that your undergrad is the best four years of your life. It wasn't until I graduated that I realized how true that saying really is! I feel lucky to have gone to Bishop's. The school is small enough that you get to know your professors. It's nice to be a name or face they recognize, and not just a number: your professors show a genuine interest in your education and your future. The friends you meet in frosh week will become your closest confidants, seeing you through a year of Dewies, sleepless nights of cramming, finals, and in my case, a grueling 8-month honours thesis. Looking back at my four years, I smile and remember a purple haze of poutine, paper-writing, and people I consider my family. The community Bishop's offers can't be found anywhere else!"
