English Literature, Media, and Writing
Read widely. Think critically. Write creatively.
We provide a unique environment for English studies in Canada.
Programs in English Literature, Media, and Writing (ELMW) include a specialization, major, minor, and 3-year concentration. These programs foreground the integral relationship between compositional and critical-reading practices and 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 ELMW 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.
Academic Advisor
Philippa Spoel
Telephone: (705) 675-1151 ext. 4345
Email: pspoel@laurentian.ca
Office: Administrative Assistant:
Emy-Anne Adam
(705) 675-1151 ext. 4340
sla@laurentian.ca
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
Program Prerequisites:
- 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
Canadian Applicants
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you must complete your application through the Ontario Universities Application Center (OUAC).
For detailed instructions on the application process, see the How to Apply: Canadian Undergraduate Applicants page.
Apply Now as a Domestic Applicant
International Applicants
If you’re an international applicant, you must fill out the International Application Form.
For detailed instructions on the application process, see the How to Apply: International Students page.
Apply Now as an International Applicant
The degree options listed below are for the upcoming academic year, not the current academic year. If you are a current student looking for which courses to take in order to complete your degree options from a previous academic year's curriculum, please consult with an academic advisor.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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 Classical Rhetoric for Contemporary Citizens
ENGL 2626E Critical Approaches
ENGL 2827E Documentary Film Making
ENGL 3126E Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 3175E Medieval & Early Modern Drama
ENGL 3192E Topics in Medieval & Renaissance Lit II
ENGL 3196E Core Seminar – Group 1
ENGL 3292E Topics in 18th & 19th Century Lit II
ENGL 3296E Core Seminar Group 2
ENGL 3392E Topics in 20th & 21st Century Lit II
ENGL 3396E Core Seminar Group 3
ENGL 3411E Canadian Indigenous Poetics
ENGL 3492E Topics in North American Lit II
ENGL 3496E Core Seminar Group 4
ENGL 3516E Creative Writing
ENGL 3517E Studies in Creative Writing
ENGL 3536E Environmental Communication
ENGL 3556E Principles and Practices of Professional Writing
ENGL 3566E Indigenous Oral Storytelling
ENGL 3576E The Craft of Life Writing
ENGL 3577E The Craft of Writing Poetry
ENGL 3592E Topics in Media and Rhetoric II
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 3127E Shakespeare in Context
ENGL 3157E 16th & 17th Century Women’s Writing
ENGL 3175E Medieval & Early Modern Drama
ENGL 3191E Topics in Medieval & Renaissance Lit I
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 3291E Topics in 18th and 19th Century Lit I
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 3391E Topics in 20th and 21st Century Lit I
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 3491E Topics in North American Lit I
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 3591E Topics in Media & Rhetoric I
ENGL 3596E Core Seminar (ERMS - English Rhetoric and Media Studies)
ENGL 3826E Indigenous Film in Canada
ENGL 3846E Applied Media Aesthetics
Academic Reading and Writing English Speakers
English Language Learning: Academic Reading and Writing
Business Communication
Introduction to Writing and English Studies
Poetry, Plays & Prose - an Introduction To Writing and English Studies
Fiction and Film - an Introduction to Writing and English Studies
Introduction to Creative Writing
Classical Rhetoric for Contemporary Citizens
Critical Approaches
Northern Ontario Literature
Popular Literature and Culture I
Popular Literature and Culture II
Rhetoric of Documentary Films
Children's Literature
Detective Fiction
Science Writing in the Public Sphere
The Study and Evolution of the English Language
Literature and the Environment
World Cinema
Texts in Historical Context
Critical Reading and Textual Analysis
Rhetoric of Film and Image
Documentary Film Making
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
Women of Letters in the 18th Century
Core Seminar Group 2
Postcolonial Literary Studies
The Modern Novel
The Contemporary Novel
Modern and Contemporary Poetry
Modern Women's Writing
Contemporary Women's Writing
Core Seminar Group 3
American Thought and Culture
A Survey of Canadian Literature
Core Seminar Group 4
Writer's Voice
Creative Writing
Rhetorical Criticism
Environmental Communication
Core Seminar (ERMS - English Rhetoric and Media Studies)
Women and Film
16th and 17th Century Poetry and Prose
Victorian Literature
Indigenous Literatures in Canada I
Studies in Creative Writing
Media Representations of Indigenous Peoples in North America
Indigenous Oral Storytelling
The Craft of Life Writing
The Craft of Writing Poetry
Sixteenth-Century Poetry and Prose
Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose
Introduction to Shakespeare
Shakespeare in Context
Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
Literature of Sensibility and Revolution
Canadian Indigenous Poetics
American Modernism
Contemporary American Literature
Indigenous Film in Canada
Applied Media Aesthetics
Texts in Modern and Contemporary Contexts
Introduction to Critical Theories
Directed Readings
Honours Seminar I
Honours Seminar II
Honours Thesis
Honours Seminar III
Honours Seminar IV
List of Faculty Members
Sessional Faculty
Kimberly Fahner
Matthew Heiti
Caitlin Heppner
Paula Humfrey
Scott Istvandi
Victoria Kannen
Mandy Koolen
Lisa LaFramboise
Monazza Makhoom
Mark Sundaram