Revised course: An introduction to Canadian literature

This course presents an overview of Canadian literature from its beginnings to the present. Students will study novels, poetry, humorous stories, drama, exploration narratives, creative non-fiction stories, and other works from authors such as Pauline Johnson, Emily Carr, Gabrielle Roy, M.G. Vassanji, Michael Ondaatje, Marilyn Dumont, Shyam Selvadurai, Madeleine Thien, Don McKay, and others.

Just as the nation itself is a diverse and contested place, so too is Canadian literature a collection of many forms of representation with diverse and sometimes conflicting priorities. To develop an understanding of this complexity, students will read about the injustice of the railroad, contemplate the collapse of civilization, and watch Lorna Crozier perform an erotic poem.

After completing this course, students should be able to:

• Evaluate the concerns at stake in the field of Canadian literature
• Apply the skills of close reading in relation to the assigned texts while also assessing the existing secondary criticism on particular works
• Assess the ways in which particular texts approach cultural assumptions and concepts
• Analyze the ways in which relevant literary concepts operate within specific texts
• Create thoughtful, articulate, original critical analyses of the assigned texts, surprising your instructor with new insights

English 302 is a six-credit senior level individualized study course with a 12-month contract. ENGL 302 is available those who have completed ENGL 211 and ENGL 212 or equivalent first-year English course(s).