The English Department’s role is shaped by the requirements of the various degree programs offered at this University. These have developed as St. F.X. University has worked out its own role as a liberal arts university, with a calculated balance between specialization and diversity.

Students in various degree programs may choose to take a single “elective” English course. They may choose two English courses (a “Pair”) or they may choose three English electives. If English is a “minor” in a Major or an Advanced Major program, or the “subsidiary subject” in an Honours program, students choose either four courses (minor), or six courses (subsidiary) in English. The link to Elective Course Patterns and Course Levels (see above left) applies to all students taking English as a minor or subsidiary subject; minor students do not have to meet requirements regarding course subject, but students taking English as a subsidiary subject should consult the Degree Patterns (link above left).

All course patterns normally begin with English 100 or 110. English 100 is an introduction to English, Canadian, and American literature, beginning with Old English literature in translation and ending in the twentieth century. The Department has agreed on a period guidelines which all teachers follow, with some individual variations of emphasis. Our objective is to teach undergraduates to read critically and write clear and effective analytical essays. This course develops students’ historical awareness and their comprehension of the evolution of language and literary form. They do not read only “canonised” writers but are introduced to new approaches, ideologies, and texts. Besides agreeing on a syllabus, the Department has agreed on a number of topics, literary terms, definitions, and classifications which the student will be introduced to in English 100. English 110 will introduce students to an analysis of cultural and literary texts through the examination of a variety of genres (e.g. the novel, short story, epic) and forms (e.g. the gothic novel, confessional poetry). The course may also include the study of media, such as the graphic novel, film, and television. In other words, English 100 is the introduction to the historical periods of literatures in English. English 110 is the introduction to the various conventions that shape our reading experiences. Students who receive credit for English 110 cannot receive credit for English 100 and vice versa. Both English 100 and English 110 count as prerequisites for all subsequent English courses.

(Revised April 2009)