How should I select my English course?
Consider your writing background and interests to help identify the course(s) best suited for you. Choose from the following options:
Note: not all courses are offered every semester. If you do not see a course listed in the registration offerings, please choose an alternative. View the current year course offerings.
You want to study writing and composition in depth and/or UBC Admissions has recommended you take ENGL 109
ENGL 109: STUDIES IN COMPOSITION ENHANCED (SIX CREDITS)
This is a two-term course running from September to April open to all UBCO students who have not taken ENGL 112 or 114. English 109 is designed for both international and domestic students who wish to develop their university-level communication skills through extended practice. The course offers in-depth coverage of writing and research topics, including practice in rhetoric, critical analysis, scholarly style, documentation, and the processes of research-based writing. Admissions may recommend ENGL 109 as part of the admissions process.
You are confident in English and want to study writing and composition at the university level: ENGL 112 and 114
ENGL 112: STUDIES IN COMPOSITION (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to all UBCO students who have not taken ENGL 109 or 114. English 112 is designed for students who wish to improve their writing and research skills within one semester to ensure success in post-secondary studies. In this course, we take a faster paced, practice-based approach to writing at the university level, and we emphasize the processes involved in research-based writing.
ENGL 114: STUDIES IN COMPOSITION: INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to students recommended by Indigenous Programs & Services who have not taken English 109 or 112. We take a practice-based approach to writing at the university level in relation to Indigenous perspectives. English 114 is designed for students who wish to improve their writing and research skills to ensure success in post-secondary studies. To support this goal, we emphasize the processes involved in research-based writing.
You are fluent in English and want to build critical thinking and writing skills while studying literature in a range of cultural contexts: ENGL 150, 151, 153, 154, 155, and 156
ENGL 150: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY GENRE (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to all UBCO students. It is highly recommended for students wishing to major in arts and humanities subjects such as English or History, but students in other degree programs will find the focus on literature of all kinds—poetry, fiction, drama—to be engaging. Students in English 150 develop important critical thinking and analytical skills because of our focus on the interpretation of texts. We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in essay writing and research.
ENGL 151: CRITICAL STUDIES IN LITERATURE (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to all UBCO students. It is highly recommended for students wishing to major in arts and humanities subjects such as English or History, but students in other degree programs will find the focus on critical analysis and critical thinking to be beneficial for study at the university level. We examine the various ways that literary critics and readers of all sorts engage with literature. We test a range of distinct critical approaches (such as feminist, postcolonial, and psychoanalytical ways of reading), and in doing so, develop important intellectual skills. We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in essay writing and research.
ENGL 153: READINGS IN NARRATIVE (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to all UBCO students. It is recommended for students who are intrigued by the study of narrative forms such as life-writing, films, histories, myths, narrative poems, novels, short stories, and songs. As they do in other ENGL 15X series of courses, students in English 153 develop important critical thinking and analytical skills. We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in essay writing and research.
ENGL 154: INDIGENOUS NARRATIVE (THREE CREDITS)
This course on Indigenous narrative forms is open to all UBCO students. It is highly recommended for students wishing to major in arts and humanities subjects such as English or History, but students in other degree programs will find the focus on critical analysis and critical thinking to be beneficial for study at the university level. We introduce a range of Indigenous writing, including textual and oral forms of storytelling such as those found in anecdotes, autobiography, biography, diaries, life-writing, films, histories, narrative poems, novels, performances, and songs. We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in essay writing and research.
ENGL 155: READING, WRITING, AND MAKING WITH TECHNOLOGY IN THE HUMANITIES (THREE CREDITS)
This course is open to all UBCO students, and is highly recommended for students who are interested in digital and technological cultures. We focus on a humanities-based approach to digital technology, which includes exploring a range of historical periods in the development of technology and examining critical approaches to digital media. We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in university-level humanities criticism, writing, and research, which could include writing about technology and culture, composition across media forms, basic digital research methods, and/or critical prototyping.
ENGL 156: ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
This course is open to all UBCO students. It is highly recommended for students who are interested in sustainability and the environment. We study literary texts and critical writings while engaging in an area of literary criticism identified as “ecocriticism.” We also devote a substantial portion of class time (at least 35%) to practice-based instruction in essay writing and research.
