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Joint Honours Program

Students who wish to study at the Honours level in two Arts disciplines may apply to combine Joint Honours program components from two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs." Applications to do a Joint Honours program in English and another subject in the Faculty of Arts should be submitted once a minimum of 9 credits, and no more than 18 credits, have been completed in English. There are normally two possible application dates for Joint Honours in English: either by the end of January (by which time first-term courses are completed and the grades are available), or by the Honours application deadline, which is usually May 15. (Only students who will have completed more than 18 credits in English by the end of January may apply in the Fall.) The minimum CGPA for application to the Joint Honours program is 3.30. Students with a CGPA lower than 3.3 and at or above 3.0 (but with the requisite 3.5 program GPA) may consult the Director of the Honours program for special permission to apply. Students with a program GPA lower than 3.5 and at or above 3.3 (but with the requisite CGPA of 3.3) may also consult the Director of the Honours program for special permission to apply. The application form is available in the Department's General Office (Arts 155), and the specific submission requirements are described by that form. (The application form may also be downloaded from the “Application” section below.)

The maintenance of a 3.50 program GPA is required for continuation in Joint Honours. Graduation with Joint Honours requires a minimum CGPA of 3.00, a minimum program GPA of 3.50, and a minimum mark of B+ on the Honours Essay. Graduation with First Class Joint Honours in English requires a minimum CGPA of 3.50, a minimum program GPA of 3.70, and a minimum mark of A on the Honours Essay.

Each academic year, there is a special adviser for Joint Honours students, and the receptionist in the General Office can provide their name and contact information. The Department's website provides additional information on the Joint Honours program and applications, and this website should also be consulted prior to contacting the Adviser.


Application

Admission to Joint Honours is by application. You can download a copy of the form here: PDF icon joint_honours_application.pdf, or pick up a hard copy in the Department's General Office Office (Arts 155). The specific submission requirements are described by that form, as well as below. The application will take some time to prepare, and allowance for such preparation (at least several weeks) must be made in order to meet the application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The application form requires these submissions:

  1. A one-page statement providing the rationale for combining English and the other discipline in terms of a specific interest to be pursued through the combined program. If you intend to include the Honours Essay (ENGL 491) in your English program, as the Department of English strongly prefers that you do, state your current idea for the topic and explain how the other discipline will complement it.
  2. A sample of your academic writing (6-8 pages).
  3. A completed Program Course Proposal/Graduation Audit Sheet for your intended English option (Literature, Cultural Studies, or Drama and Theatre). Courses should be selected to complement your one-page statement of rationale.
  4. An outline of the program of study in the other discipline to be combined with your intended English option.

Acceptance into Joint Honours English may be conditional on particular revisions to the Program Course Proposal to be submitted with the application form. This proposal will be kept on file for each applicant in the departmental records for Joint Honours. Only course choices that are appropriate, given the nature of the Joint Honours program proposed, including the Honours Essay if applicable, will be approved. In order to graduate with Joint Honours, all subsequent course substitutions in your initially approved Joint Honours English program must be endorsed by the Joint Honours advisor when they are made (i.e., at the start of each term) and entered on your Program Course Proposal/Graduation Audit Sheet with the advisor's initialled approval. Students who neglect to obtain such approvals jeopardize their graduation.

Program Descriptions

Complementary Courses: (24 credits)

To identify courses that fulfill specific requirements, see the lists of complementary courses on the Department’s website. Joint Honours students are encouraged to take courses at the 300 level and above. A maximum of 9 credits may be taken at the 200 level, and none in the final year of the program. All Joint Honours programs of study must also include 6 credits of study at the 400 level or above. Finally, all Joint Honours programs must include at least 3 credits of Complementary Courses taken at the 500 level. 500-level courses should be selected to have the greatest possible relevance to the student’s Honour’s Essay topic.

Note on Topics Courses: The Department of English offers courses which change topic from academic year to academic year. Depending on the topic in a specific year, these courses may count toward different program requirements for Complementary Courses. At the time they register for a topics course, students should confirm with their program adviser the program requirement it fulfils for that academic year.

Advanced Study: (9 credits--Honours Essays and 500-level courses)

Joint Honours students have three options for combining requirements for the Honours Essay and for 500-level courses.

Option 1) Honours Essay (6 credits) and 1 500-level course (3 credits);

Option 2) No Honours Essay and 3 500-level courses (9 credits);

Option 3) A “joint” Honours Essay (3 credits in English, and 3 in another department’s program) and 2 500-level courses (6 credits).

Further details on each of the above options:

Option 1) The Department of English strongly encourages all Joint Honours students to include the Honours Essay as part of their program, and the great majority of Joint Honours students do indeed choose this option—considering the opportunity to complete an Honours Essay among the prime benefits offered by the Joint Honours program.

Option 2) A few students each year opt not to include an Honours Essay in their program of study. This is primarily the case for a student who finds that the department of their other discipline requires that they complete the Honours Essay in that other department.

In these cases the student replaces the Honours Essay in English with 2 500-level courses, and then is also required to take another 500-level course to fulfill the Advanced Study requirement. While the Department strongly encourages students choosing this option to take 3 500-level courses, in certain special cases the Joint Honours advisor, after consulting with the student, may give permission to designate an advanced 400-level course as the equivalent of the 3rd required 500-level course. The Joint Honours advisor will then confirm that special permission by signing the student’s Audit Sheet to that effect.

Option 3) In extremely rare cases, this third alternative may be approved at the discretion of the Joint Honours advisor: a single “joint” thesis done in two disciplines with two supervisors, with only half of the 6 credits counting towards the English Joint Honours program. Option 3 students would then need to take 2 500-level courses.


Stream I: Joint Honours in English (Literature) (36 credits)

Required Courses (12 credits)

  • ENGL 202 Departmental Survey of English Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 203 Departmental Survey of English Literature 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 311 Poetics (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 360 Literary Criticism (3 credits) 

Complementary Courses (24 credits)

24 credits selected as described below.

In addition to the 6-credit requirement for Advanced Study described below, all Joint Honours students' programs of study shall include 6 credits of study at the 400 level or above. Students are encouraged to take courses at the 300 level and above. At least 3 of the 24 credits must be devoted to a course on a Major Author as indicated under the rubrics dedicated to these offerings in each year’s list of Complementary Courses on the Department of English website. In addition to the Advanced Study requirement, 3 of the remaining 18 Complementary Courses credits must be completed at the 500 level. A maximum of 9 of the 24 credits are allowed at the 200 level, none in the final year of the program.

Note on Topics Courses: The Department of English offers courses which change topic from academic year to academic year. Depending on the topic in a specific year, these courses may count toward different program requirements. At the time they register for a topics course, students should confirm with their program adviser the program requirement it fulfils for that academic year.

Advanced Study

6 credits of advanced study, in one of the following two forms A or B, in order of preference:

A) 6-credits of honours essay:

  • ENGL 491D1 Honours Essay (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 491D2 Honours Essay (3 credits) 


B) Two 3-credit 500-level courses selected in consultation with the student's adviser(s).

(In very rare cases, a third alternative may be approved at the discretion of the Joint Honours Adviser, but only when it is formally recommended for the joint subject according to the description of that Joint Honours program found in the Arts section of the eCalendar. For example, Joint Honours with Anthropology allows the option of combining 3 credits of essay work with 3 credits in the joint subject to create a joint essay.)

Areas of English Literature

3 credits from one of the following areas: Backgrounds of English Literature, Old English, Medieval, Renaissance.

Backgrounds of English Literature

  • ENGL 347 Great Writings of Europe 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 348 Great Writings of Europe 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 349 English Literature and Folklore 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 447 Crosscurrents/English Literature and European Literature 1 (3 credits) 

Old English

  • ENGL 342 Introduction to Old English (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 452 Studies in Old English (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 553 Old English Literature (3 credits) 

Medieval

  • ENGL 337 Theme or Genre in Medieval Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 349 English Literature and Folklore 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 356 Middle English (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 357 Chaucer - Canterbury Tales (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 358 Chaucer - Troilus and Criseyde (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 456 Middle English (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 500 Middle English (3 credits) 

Renaissance

  • ENGL 300 The Seventeenth Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 305 Renaissance English Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 307 Renaissance English Literature 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 308 English Renaissance Drama 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 309 English Renaissance Drama 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 315 Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 316 Milton (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 349 English Literature and Folklore 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 400 Earlier English Renaissance (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 401 Studies in the 17th Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 416 Studies in Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 501 16th Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 516 Shakespeare (3 credits) 

Areas of English Literature

3 credits from one of the following areas: Restoration, 18th Century, Romantic, Victorian, 19th Century American.

Restoration

  • ENGL 302 Restoration and 18th C. English Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 303 Restoration and 18th C. English Literature 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 310 Restoration and 18th Century Drama (3 credits) 

18th Century

  • ENGL 301 Earlier 18th Century Novel (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 302 Restoration and 18th C. English Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 303 Restoration and 18th C. English Literature 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 304 Later Eighteenth Century Novel (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 310 Restoration and 18th Century Drama (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 403 Studies in the 18th Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 503 18th Century (3 credits) 

Romantic

  • ENGL 331 Literature Romantic Period 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 332 Literature Romantic Period 2 (3 credits) 

Victorian

  • ENGL 329 English Novel: 19th Century 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 330 English Novel: 19th Century 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 334 Victorian Poetry (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 404 Studies in 19th Century Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 405 Studies in 19th Century Literature 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 423 Studies in 19th Century Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 504 19th Century (3 credits) 

19th Century American

  • ENGL 326 19th Century American Prose (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 422 Studies in 19th Century American Literature (3 credits) 

Areas of English Literature

3 credits from one of the following areas: Early 20th Century, Modernist, Post-modernist, Contemporary.

Early 20th Century

  • ENGL 327 Canadian Prose Fiction 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 328 Development of Canadian Poetry 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 361 Poetry of the 20th Century 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 414 Studies in 20th Century Literature 1 (3 credits) 

Modernist

  • ENGL 327 Canadian Prose Fiction 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 328 Development of Canadian Poetry 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 335 The 20th Century Novel 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 361 Poetry of the 20th Century 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 414 Studies in 20th Century Literature 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 418 A Major Modernist Writer (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 505 20th Century (3 credits) 

Post-modernist

  • ENGL 320 Postcolonial Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 333 Development of Canadian Poetry 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 339 Canadian Prose Fiction 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 443 Contemporary Women's Fiction (3 credits) 

Contemporary

  • ENGL 320 Postcolonial Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 323 20th Century American Poetry (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 333 Development of Canadian Poetry 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 336 The 20th Century Novel 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 339 Canadian Prose Fiction 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 362 Poetry of the 20th Century 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 407 The 20th Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 408 The 20th Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 419 Studies in 20th Century Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 421 African Literature (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 443 Contemporary Women's Fiction (3 credits) 

Theory

3 credits from a list of courses on Theory:

  • ENGL 317 Theory of English Studies 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 318 Theory of English Studies 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 319 Theory of English Studies 3 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 322 Theories of the Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 346 Materiality and Sociology of Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 352 Theories of Difference (3 credits) 

Department Offerings

6 additional credits of English (ENGL) courses, preferably courses at the 300 level or above.


Stream II: Joint Honours in English (Drama and Theatre) (36 Credits)

Required Courses (6 credits)

  • ENGL 230 Introduction to Theatre Studies (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 355 The Poetics of Performance (3 credits) 

Complementary Courses (30 credits)

30 credits selected as described below. In addition to the 6-credit requirement for Advanced Study described below, all Joint Honours students' programs of study shall include 6 credits of study at the 400 level or above. In addition to the Advanced Study requirement, 3 of the remaining 24 Complementary Course credits must be completed at the 500 level. A maximum of 9 of the 30 credits are allowed at the 200 level, none in the final year of the program.

Advanced Study

6 credits of advanced study, in one of the following two forms A or B, in order of preference:

A) 6 credits of honours essay:

  • ENGL 491D1 Honours Essay (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 491D2 Honours Essay (3 credits) 

OR

B) Two 3-credit 500-level courses selected in consultation with the student's adviser(s).

(In very rare cases, a third alternative may be approved at the discretion of the Joint Honours Adviser, but only when it is formally recommended for the joint subject according to the description of that Joint Honours program found in the Arts section of the eCalendar. For example, Joint Honours with Anthropology allows the option of combining 3 credits of essay work with 3 credits in the joint subject to create a joint essay.) 

3 credits from the following practice-based courses:

  • ENGL 269 Introduction to Performance (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 365 Costuming for the Theatre 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 368 Stage Scenery and Lighting 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 372 Stage Scenery and Lighting 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 377 Costuming for the Theatre 2 (3 credits) 

Theory Courses

3 credits from a list of theory courses:

  • ENGL 317 Theory of English Studies 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 318 Theory of English Studies 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 319 Theory of English Studies 3 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 322 Theories of the Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 346 Materiality and Sociology of Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 352 Theories of Difference (3 credits) 

Dramatic Literature 

3 credits in Dramatic Literature:

For a list of courses for the current academic year, please consult the Department of English web page.

History of the Theatre

3 credits in History of the Theatre:

  • ENGL 306 Theatre History: Medieval and Early Modern (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 308 English Renaissance Drama 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 309 English Renaissance Drama 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 310 Restoration and 18th Century Drama (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 312 Victorian and Edwardian Drama 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 314 20th Century Drama (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 315 Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 370 Theatre History: The Long Eighteenth Century (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 371 Theatre History: 19th to 21st Centuries (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 416 Studies in Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 467 Advanced Studies in Theatre History (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 485 Special Topics in Theatre History 1700-1900 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 486 Special Topics in Theatre History After 1900 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 516 Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 566 Special Studies in Drama 1 (3 credits) 

Performance-Oriented Courses

3 credits from the list of Performance-Oriented courses:

  • ENGL 365 Costuming for the Theatre 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 367 Acting 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 368 Stage Scenery and Lighting 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 372 Stage Scenery and Lighting 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 373 Voice and Speech 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 376 Scene Study (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 377 Costuming for the Theatre 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 465D1 Theatre Laboratory (4.5 credits) * 
  • ENGL 465D2 Theatre Laboratory (4.5 credits) * 
  • ENGL 466D1 Directing for the Theatre (3 credits) ** 
  • ENGL 466D2 Directing for the Theatre (3 credits) ** 
  • ENGL 469 Acting 3 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 565 Drama Workshop (3 credits) 

*, ** Note: Spanned credits. The amount over 3 credits can be attributed to Departmental Offerings credits.

Departmental Offerings

9 additional credits of English (ENGL) courses, preferably courses at the 300 level or above.


Stream III: Joint Honours in English (Cultural Studies) (36 Credits)

Required Courses (9 credits)

  • ENGL 275 Introduction to Cultural Studies (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 277 Introduction to Film Studies (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 359 The Poetics of the Image (3 credits) 

Complementary Courses (27 credits)

27 credits selected as described below.

In addition to the 6-credit requirement for Advanced Study described below, all Joint Honours students' programs of study shall include 6 credits of study at the 400 level or above. Students are encouraged to take courses at the 300 level and above. In addition to the Advanced Study requirement, 3 of the remaining 21 Complementary Course credits must be completed at the 500 level. A maximum of 9 of the 27 credits are allowed at the 200 level, none in the final year of the program.

Note on Topics Courses: The Department of English offers courses which change topic from academic year to academic year. Depending on the topic in a specific year, these courses may count toward different program requirements. At the time they register for a topics course, students should confirm with their program adviser the program requirement it fulfils for that academic year.

Advanced Study

6 credits of advanced study, in one of the following two forms A or B, in order of preference:

A) 6 credits of honours essay:

  • ENGL 491D1 Honours Essay (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 491D2 Honours Essay (3 credits) 


B) Two 3-credit 500-level courses selected in consultation with the student's adviser(s).

(In very rare cases, a third alternative may be approved at the discretion of the Joint Honours Adviser, but only when it is formally recommended for the joint subject according to the description of that Joint Honours program found in the Arts section of the eCalendar. For example, Joint Honours with Anthropology allows the option of combining 3 credits of essay work with 3 credits in the joint subject to create a joint essay.)

Major Figures

3 credits from a list of courses on Major Figures in Cultural Studies:

  • ENGL 315 Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 381 A Film-Maker 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 409 Studies in a Canadian Author (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 416 Studies in Shakespeare (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 417 A Major English Poet (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 418 A Major Modernist Writer (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 481 A Film-Maker 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 516 Shakespeare (3 credits) 

Theory

3 credits from a list of courses on Theory:

  • ENGL 317 Theory of English Studies 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 318 Theory of English Studies 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 319 Theory of English Studies 3 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 322 Theories of the Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 346 Materiality and Sociology of Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 352 Theories of Difference (3 credits) 

Historical Dimension

3 credits from a list of courses in Cultural Studies with an historical dimension:

  • ENGL 350 Studies in the History of Film 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 351 Studies in the History of Film 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 363 Studies in the History of Film 3 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 374 Film Movement or Period (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 451 A Period in Cinema (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 480 Studies in History of Film 1 (3 credits) 

400-Level Theory

3 credits from a list of 400-level courses in Cultural Studies with a theoretical component:

  • ENGL 454 Topics in Cultural Studies and Gender (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 479 Philosophy of Film (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 483 Seminar in the Film (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 484 Seminar in the Film (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 488 Special Topics / Communications and Mass Media 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 489 Culture and Critical Theory 1 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 490 Culture and Critical Theory 2 (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 492 Image and Text (3 credits) 
  • ENGL 497 Seminar in Cultural Studies (3 credits) 

Departmental Offerings

9 additional credits of English (ENGL) courses, preferably courses at the 300 level or above.

 

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