All of our 1000-level courses combine lectures with small seminars. In these courses you will engage with a wide range of literary texts and improve your analytical writing skills (which you will need no matter what discipline you enter!). You will learn to develop your ideas in a clear orderly way, marshal evidence and construct persuasive arguments. You will also, of course, acquire a basis for the further study of English literature: an understanding of the complexities of literary texts, an awareness of the importance of contexts (historical, political, cultural etc.), a working knowledge of the procedures and disciplines associated with literary study, and a preliminary understanding of the relevance, range and nature of literary and critical theory. Most important, you will get to talk about (disagree about! argue about!) a variety of interesting novels, plays, poems and songs.
Peterborough & Durham Campus 1000-level offerings may change from year to year; in 2016-17 they are as follows:
ENGL 1001H: Truth, Lies, and Storytelling
When we tell stories, whether in song, poetry, drama, film, or prose, are we telling lies? How do literary fictions in any genre engage, reflect, distort, or heighten the truth? Can words get in the way of the truth? These questions will provide entrances into the texts in this course. Excludes ENGL 1000Y.
ENGL 1003H: Revolution!
Revolution is variously defined as a) a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving, b) the overthrow of a government by those who are governed, and c) rotation: a single complete turn. This course looks at how authors create and respond to the revolutions that turn our world upside down and then, sometimes, back around again. Excludes ENGL 1000Y.
ENGL 1005H: Love and Hate
The subject of a million popular songs and poems, all great films, and all of Shakespeare’s tragedies, love and hate still defeat us. This course looks at how love and hate are represented in poetry, popular song, drama, and fiction and asks, if “love alters not,” why is it that “love will tear us apart”? Excludes ENGL 1000Y.
ENGL 1851H: The Writing Life: An Introduction to Creative Writing
An overview of writerly inspiration, perspiration, and contemplation, this course considers the creative process that leads to literary texts within and across a variety of genres, periods, and personalities. Readings and assignments include not only literary texts, but also essays on writing and the writing life.
Students in their first year may also enroll in ENGL 2001H Critical Practice:
ENGL 2001H: Critical Practice
An introduction to critical practice and to the assumptions underlying a wide range of approaches to literature. Explores British, American, Canadian, and postcolonial works, and draws on parallels between literary and non-literary language and between literature and other forms of expression. Emphasis is placed on learning through writing. Excludes ENGL 2000Y.