Prospective Students Information
English at Guelph is one of the most dynamic programs in the College of Arts...
Our courses in English literature will enhance your thinking, communication skills, and expose you to literature from various eras and locations from around the world. In addition to our full range of courses that cover new and emerging fields within literary studies, we provide courses that are centered around a particular genre, movement, or time period within the expansive literary tradition. We also offer courses and a minor in Creative Writing.
Students who plan to major or minor in English are required to take ENGL*1080 ("Reading the Past") in their first semester and ENGL*2080 ("Critical Approaches to Literature") in their second semester.
ENGL*1080 Literatures in English I: Reading the Past introduces students to a diverse range of prose, poetry, and drama throughout the English literary tradition while providing them with the opportunity to discuss lecture material in a small, breakaway seminar group. By combining a lecture with a focused seminar, students will have the chance to better explore the ideas, issues, and topics covered in lecture by discussing them alongside a qualified Masters or Doctoral student. Lectures and seminars will also introduce students to close-reading by asking them to analyze and write about an assigned novel, poem, or play.
ENGL*2080 Literatures in English II: Finding a Critical Voice contextualizes varying literary genres or traditions within a critical and historical period. In lectures and breakaway seminars, students will be asked to study varying works alongside their corresponding criticism in order to develop a distinctive critical lens when thinking, reading, and writing about literature.
You can get information on other English courses either from the (LINK) Undergraduate Calendar or from each semester’s preliminary (LINK) course outlines.
If you have any questions or require assistance with registration, course selection, or any other issue, please feel free to contact us or come for a visit.
Our faculty advisors will be happy to work with you to make sure that you figure out what courses to take and when to take them. You will also be able to get help from the LINK BA Counselling Office.
Prospective students are encouraged to visit the School at any time of the year. If you are planning to visit the campus, you might want to consider participating in the range of programs for prospective students offered by the Admissions Office. If you would like to meet with a member of the faculty, it is best to call or email in advance to set up an appointment. Email englthea@uoguelph.ca.
Writer-In-Residence
Our writer-in-residence program, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, supports Canadian writers and provides students with direct access to a professional writer. The writer-in-residence holds regular office hours for one-on-one consultations with students, visits classes, and gives public readings. Past writers-in residence include Jane Urquhart, Guillermo Verdecchia, Wayson Choy, Shani Mootoo, Larissa Lai, Bill Bissett, and Chris Dewdney.
TESS
The English Students’ Society (TESS) is an elected undergraduate organization that represents every student registered in the English program. TESS organizes social events and literary activities, and aims to enhance the academic and social experience of undergraduate English students at the University of Guelph.