English Literature, Media, and Writing
Read widely. Think critically. Write creatively.
We provide a unique environment for English studies in Canada.
In 2021-22, the English Department will begin offering a new suite of programs in English Literature, Media, and Writing (ELMW), including a specialization, major, minor, and 3-year concentration. These new programs foreground the integral relationship between compositional and critical-reading practices and will replace the programs in English Literature (ELIT) and English Rhetoric and Media Studies (ERMS).
Current students may choose to continue in their current ELIT and ERMS programs or they may choose to switch to the new program. The Department of English has created a transition plan to ensure that current ELIT and ERMS students can continue in and graduate from the ELIT and ERMS programs.
For further information, please visit the Department of English page or contact the advisor listed below.
Conseiller aux études
Ernst Gerhardt
Téléphone : 705.675.1151 x 3220
Courriel : egerhardt@laurentian.ca
Bureau : Secretary: Emy-Anne Adam, 705.675.1151 x 4340, eadam@laurentian.ca

Please visit the English Department's webpage for up to date information on events and courses. Our program equips graduates with the kind of skills and practices that employers always need: people who can solve complex problems, communicate clearly with a wide range of people and create stylish texts and films that both inspire and inform.
Relevant graduate study opportunities at Laurentian:
Ontario High School Applicants
1 grade 12 English U/M course
5 other grade 12 U/M courses
A minimum overall average of 70% in the 6 best grade 12 U/M courses
Additional information for applicants who have completed Advanced Placement courses.
Additional information for applicants who have completed the International Baccalaureate.
Applicants from outside an Ontario High School
Canadian High School Applicants from outside Ontario
Note pour les étudiants actuels
Les options de grade ci-dessous seront offertes lors de la prochaine année universitaire et ne le sont pas cette année. Si vous cherchez les cours à suivre afin de compléter les options d'un programme d'une année universitaire antérieure, svp consultez avec un conseiller académique.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Programs
Total 120 credits
Students must follow these regulations in order to meet graduation requirements for the BA or B.Sc.
All students entering a BA program as of September 2017 are required to take 6 credits each of linguistic awareness, scientific literacy and indigenous content as per the regulations.
Eligible courses are available at the 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 levels and students should take them at the appropriate time in their studies.
Courses fulfilling these requirements may be taken as electives or as part of a minor, concentration, major or specialization.
Specialization in English Literature, Media, and Writing
First year:
6 credits from :
ENGL 1705E Introduction to Writing and English Studies
ENGL 1706E Introduction to Writing and English Studies I
ENGL 1707E Introduction to Writing and English Studies II
ENGL 1717E Introduction to Creative Writing
24 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits of linguistic awareness
6 elective credits of scientific literacy
12 elective credits
Second year:
ENGL 2056E Texts in Historical Context
ENGL 2057E Critical Reading and Textual Analysis
12 credits ENGL courses (6cr from Case-based courses and 6cr from Practice-based courses)
12 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits in Indigenous content (starting 2017)
6 elective credits
Third year:
ENGL 3056E Texts in Modern and Contemporary Contexts
ENGL 3057E Introduction to Critical Theories
12 credits ENGL courses (6cr from Case-based courses and 6cr from Practice-based courses)
12 credits other courses
Fourth Year:
9 credits of 4000-level ENGL seminars
9 credits ENGL courses (Case-based courses and/or Practice-based courses)
12 credits other courses
Note: Students may not exceed 42 credits at the 1000 or 9100 level in their degree program.
Major in English Literature, Media, and Writing
First year:
6 credits from :
ENGL 1705E Introduction to Writing and English Studies
ENGL 1706E Introduction to Writing and English Studies I
ENGL 1707E Introduction to Writing and English Studies II
ENGL 1717E Introduction to Creative Writing
24 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits of linguistic awareness
6 elective credits of scientific literacy
12 elective credits
Second year:
ENGL 2056E Texts in Historical Context
ENGL 2057E Critical Reading and Textual Analysis
6 credits ENGL courses (3cr from Case-based courses and 3cr from Practice-based courses)
18 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits in Indigenous content (starting 2017)
12 elective credits
Third year:
ENGL 3056E Texts in Modern and Contemporary Contexts
ENGL 3057E Introduction to Critical Theories
6 credits ENGL courses (3cr from Case-based courses and 3cr from Practice-based courses)
18 credits other courses
Fourth Year:
6 credits of 4000-level ENGL seminars
6 credits ENGL courses (Case-based courses and/or Practice-based courses)
18 credits other courses
Note: Students may not exceed 42 credits at the 1000 or 9100 level in their degree program.
Bachelor of Arts (General) in English
Total 90 credits
Students must follow these regulations in order to meet graduation requirements for the BA or B.Sc.
All students entering a BA program as of September 2017 are required to take 6 credits each of linguistic awareness, scientific literacy and indigenous content as per the regulations.
Eligible courses are available at the 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 levels and students should take them at the appropriate time in their studies.
Courses fulfilling these requirements may be taken as electives or as part of a minor, concentration, major or specialization.
Concentration in English Literature, Media, and Writing
First year:
6 credits from :
ENGL 1705E Introduction to Writing and English Studies
ENGL 1706E Introduction to Writing and English Studies I
ENGL 1707E Introduction to Writing and English Studies II
ENGL 1717E Introduction to Creative Writing
24 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits of linguistic awareness
6 elective credits of scientific literacy
12 elective credits
Second year:
ENGL 2056E Texts in Historical Context
ENGL 2057E Critical Reading and Textual Analysis
9 credits ENGL courses
15 credits other courses, including:
6 elective credits in Indigenous content (starting 2017)
9 elective credits
Third year:
ENGL 3056E Texts in Modern and Contemporary Contexts
ENGL 3057E Introduction to Critical Theories
9 credits ENGL courses
15 credits other courses
Note: Students may not exceed 42 credits at the 1000 or 9100 level in their degree program.
Minor in English Literature, Media, and Writing
6 credits from :
ENGL 1705E Introduction to Writing and English Studies
ENGL 1706E Introduction to Writing and English Studies I
ENGL 1707E Introduction to Writing and English Studies II
ENGL 1717E Introduction to Creative Writing
18 credits ENGL courses (minimum 6 credits at the 3000 level)
PRACTICE-BASED COURSES
ENGL 2016E Science Writing in the Public Sphere
ENGL 2546E Rhetorical Principles
ENGL 2626E Critical Approaches
ENGL 2827E Documentary Film Making
ENGL 3126E Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 3175E Medieval & Early Modern Drama
ENGL 3196E Core Seminar – Group 1
ENGL 3296E Core Seminar Group 2
ENGL 3396E Core Seminar Group 3
ENGL 3411E Canadian Indigenous Poetics
ENGL 3496E Core Seminar Group 4
ENGL 3516E Creative Writing
ENGL 3517E Studies in Creative Writing
ENGL 3536E Environmental Communication
ENGL 3566E Indigenous Oral Storytelling
ENGL 3556E Principles and Practices of Professional Writing
ENGL 3576E The Craft of Life Writing
ENGL 3577E The Craft of Writing Poetry
ENGL 3596E Core Seminar (ERMS - English Rhetoric and Media Studies)
ENGL 3846E Applied Media Aesthetics
CASE-BASED COURSES
ENGL 2626E Critical Approaches
ENGL 2636E Detective Fiction
ENGL 2637E Children' Literature
ENGL 2646E The Study and Evolution of the English Language
ENGL 2656E Northern Ontario Literature
ENGL 2666E Literature and the Environment
ENGL 2676E Popular Literature & Culture I
ENGL 2677E Popular Literature & Culture II
ENGL 2815E World Cinema
ENGL 2826E Rhetoric of Documentary Films
ENGL 2846E Rhetoric of Film and Image
ENGL 3106E Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose
ENGL 3107E Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose
ENGL 3126E Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 3157E 16th & 17th Century Women’s Writing
ENGL 3175E Medieval & Early Modern Drama
ENGL 3195E Special Topics in Medieval & Renaissance Literature
ENGL 3196E Core Seminar – Group 1
ENGL 3206E The 18th Century English Novel
ENGL 3215E English Literature of the Romantic Period
ENGL 3235E Victorian Literature
ENGL 3246E Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
ENGL 3247E Literature of Sensibility and Revolution
ENGL 3256E Women of Letters of the 18th Century
ENGL 3296E Core Seminar Group 2
ENGL 3305E Postcolonial Literary Studies
ENGL 3326E Modern Novel
ENGL 3327E Contemporary Novel
ENGL 3346E Modern Women’s Writing
ENGL 3347E Contemporary Women’s Writing
ENGL 3396E Core Seminar Group 3
ENGL 3411E Canadian Indigenous Poetics
ENGL 3416E American Thought and Culture
ENGL 3445E A Survey of Canadian Literature
ENGL 3456E Indigenous Literatures in Canada I
ENGL 3486E American Modernism
ENGL 3487E Contemporary American Literature
ENGL 3496E Core Seminar Group 4
ENGL 3507E Writer’s Voice
ENGL 3527E Rhetorical Criticism
ENGL 3536E Environmental Communication
ENGL 3546E Media Representations of Indigenous Peoples in North America
ENGL 3596E Core Seminar (ERMS - English Rhetoric and Media Studies)
ENGL 3826E Indigenous Film in Canada
ENGL 3846E Applied Media Aesthetics
Minor in Canadian Studies
Students must complete 24 credits from at least three subject areas from among the following courses:
ENGL 3405E Canadian Thought and Culture
ENGL 3445E A Survey of Canadian Literature
FREN 2717F Thèmes de la littérature canadienne-française
FREN 2786F Littérature et culture au Canada français
GEOG 2246E Political Geography: Canadian Issues
GEOG 2247E Economic Geography: Canadian Issues
GEOG 3497E Geography of Northern Canada: Developmental Issues
HIST 1406E Canadian History: Pre-Confederation
HIST 1407E Canadian History: Post-Confederation
HIST 2136E History of French Canada
HIST 3066E Cities in Canada: an Historical Perspective
HIST 3106E History of the Canadian Family
HIST 3156E History of Education in Canada
HIST 3166E History of Women in Canada
HIST 3176E Canada in World Affairs
HIST 3196E Canada in the 20th Century: Selected Problems
HIST 3216E The First Nations in Canada in Historical Perspective
HIST 3286E Canadian Military History
INDG 2616E Canadian Indigenous Literature: Exploring Genre
INDG 2617E Canadian Indigenous Literature: Novels and Plays
INDG 3105E Canadian Law, Politics and Indigeous People
THEA 3357E Canadian Theatre
Note: Students should verify the prerequisites for any of the above courses in planning their course selection
Minor in Early Modern Studies
Students must complete 6 credits from each of Groups A (English), B (History), and C (Classics, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy), and an additional 6 credits from the group of their choice. A minimum of 6 credits must be at the 3000 or 4000 level.
Group A (English)
ENGL 3105E 16th and 17th Century Poetry and Prose
ENGL 3125E Shakespeare
ENGL 3145E Medieval Poetry and Prose
ENGL 3157E Women’s Writing in the 16th and 17th Century
ENGL 3175E Medieval and Early Modern Drama
ENGL 3195E Selected Topics in Medieval and Renaissance literature
ENGL 3196E Core Seminar Group I
Group B (History)
HIST 2406E Early Modern British History
HIST 2547E Later Medieval Europe
HIST 3606E The Reformation and Counter-Reformation
HIST 3616E History of Women and the Family in the Pre-Industrial Era
HIST 4466E Tudor Britain
HIST 4467E Stuart Britain
HIST 4517E Later Medieval Chronicles
HIST 4526E The Pre-Industrial Life-Cycle
HIST 4536E Gender in Early Modern Europe
Group C (Classics, Modern languages, Music, Philosophy)
ANCS 2005E Greek Mythology
ANCS 2016E Classical Mythology
ANCS 2136E Greek and Latin Roots of English
ANCS 3226E Greek and Roman Tragedy
ESPA 4116N Love and Death in Medieval Spain
ESPA 4156N Cervantes’ Don Quijote: From the Renaissance to a Modern Vision
GREC 2115E Introductory Greek
ITAL 4116N Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Medieval Tradition
ITAL 4216N Petrarch, Boccaccio and the Invention of Humanism
ITAL 4226N Italian Literary Culture in the Age of Baroque and of the Enlightenment
ITAL 4247N The Idea of the Italian Renaissance
LATN 2115E Introductory Latin
MUSC 2006E Music of the Baroque Period
MUSC 4016E Music of the Middle Ages
MUSC 4017E Music of the Renaissance
PHIL 2326E The Empiricist, From Locke to Hume
PHIL 2327E The Rationalists, From Descartes to Leibniz
Note: Students should verify the prerequisites for any of the above courses in planning their course selection
Academic Reading and Writing for Aboriginal Students I
Academic Reading and Writing for Aboriginal Students II
Academic Reading and Writing for Native English Speakers
Academic Reading and Writing For Non-Native English Speakers
Introduction to Writing and English Studies
Introduction to Writing and English Studies I
Introduction to Writing and English Stud
Literatures in English
Science Writing in the Public Sphere
Rhetorical Principles
Critical Approaches
Detective Fiction
Children' Literature
The Study and Evolution of the English Language
Northern Ontario Literature
Literature and the Environment
Popular Literature and Culture I
Popular Literature and Culture II
World Cinema
Rhetoric of Documentary Films
Documentary Film Making
Rhetoric of Film and Image
Documentary Film Making
Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose
Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose
Introduction to Shakespeare
Shakespeare in Context
Women's Writing in the 16th and 17th Century
Medieval and Early Modern Drama
Selected Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Core Seminar Group 1
The 18th Century English Novel
English Literature of the Romantic Period
Victorian Literature
Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
Literature of Sensibility and Revolution
Women of Letters in the 18th Century
Core Seminar Group 2
Postcolonial Literary Studies
The Modern Novel
The Contemporary Novel
Modern Women's Writing
Contemporary Women's Writing
Core Seminar Group 3
Canadian Indigenous Poetics
A Survey of Canadian Literature
Indigenous Literatures in Canada I
American Literature to 1865
American Modernism
Contemporary American Literature
Core Seminar Group 4
Writer's Voice
Creative Writing
Studies in Creative Writing
Environmental Communication
Media Representations of Indigenous Peoples in North America
Indigenous Oral Storytelling
The Craft of Life Writing
The Craft of Writing Poetry
Core Seminar (ERMS - English Rhetoric and Media Studies)
Applied Media Aesthetics
Applied Media Aesthetics
Theory and Criticism
Directed Readings
Honours Seminar I
Honours Seminar II
Honours Thesis
Honours Seminar III
Honours Seminar IV
Liste des membres du corps professoral
Sessional Faculty
Anne Boulton
Leda Culliford
Amanda Darling
Nadine Fladd
Sara Frampton
Mandy Koolen
Lisa LaFramboise
Renee Gauvreau
Matthew Heiti
Elizabeth McDougall
Natalie Morrill
Quinn Powell
Mark Sundaram

Patricia Brace
Department of English
Hoi Cheu
Department of English
Ernst Gerhardt
Department of English
Susan Glover
Department of English
Mrinalini Greedharry
Department of EnglishSylvia Hunt
Department of English