Special Topics in Canadian Literature
Curriculum guideline
Some or all of the following methods will be used:
- lecture/discussion;
- group work;
- peer review;
- independent research;
- instructor feedback on students’ work;
- individual consultation; and
- presentation (individual or group).
All third-year English courses share the following features:
- Students are presumed to have had first-year level instruction and experience in writing critical essays on literary subjects.
- Students are required to read in the course subject area beyond the texts assigned by the instructor.
- Students are required to incorporate into their oral and written coursework secondary source materials, which may include biographical information, literary criticism or theory, unassigned texts by the author under study, relevant cultural or intellectual history, or other aesthetic works such as music or visual art.
Readings and topics vary with each instructor’s presentation of a course, but all course materials are consistent with the objectives and outcomes outlined in Section M.
In English 3140 the course content will vary depending on the special topic, as the examples below indicate:
1. Northrop Frye as theorist and critic (theoretical).
2. The building of the transcontinental railway (historical).
3. The literature of Atlantic Canada (regional).
4. Racism and the Aboriginal experience (cultural).
5. The Mythic North (thematic).
A sample reading list for 5 (above) is provided below, in “P.”
Upon completion of any third-year English literature course, students should be able to
- read and analyze literary texts with increased skill and insight;
- integrate their understanding of literature into an evolving awareness of relevant cultural and historical contexts and perspectives;
- perceive connections among literary texts across genres, historical periods, and/or cultural contexts;
- conduct independent research to supplement the course material and integrate this information into course assignments; and
- write different kinds of literary analyses, such as thematic, technical, or theoretical.
Upon completion of English 3140, students should also have
- developed an understanding and appreciation of the historical development of the special topic under consideration, where applicable;
- developed an understanding of some of the social, political, cultural or historical conditions out of which the special topic arises, and to which it responds; and
- developed an understanding of the range of critical approaches to the special topic.
- A minimum of two academic essays and a final exam worth at least 80% of the course grade (combined total).
- A maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments
Sample Assignment Structure
- Two essays 50%
- Class presentation 20%
- Final examination 30%
Texts will vary with authors and genres selected by the instructor, and may include shorter readings compiled in custom course packs.
The following reading list represents selections that might be considered in a course organized around the theme of “The Mythic North.”
Primary Readings
Boyden, Joseph. Born with a Tooth. 2001. Toronto: Cormorant, 2008. (selections)
---.Through Black Spruce. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2008.
Hay, Elizabeth. Late Nights on Air. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2008.
Highway, Tomson. Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry &
Whiteside, 1989.
---. Kiss of the Fur Queen. 1999. Toronto: Vintage Anchor, 2005.
Robinson, Eden. Monkey Beach. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2001.
Tracy, Ann. Winter Hunger. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions, 1990.
van Herk, Aritha. The Tent Peg. 1981. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press, 2005.
Wiebe, Rudy. First and Vital Candle. 1966. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2006.
---. The Mad Trapper. 1980. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press, 2003.
Secondary Source Readings (from which a selection will be examined)
Atwood, Margaret. Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature. New York:
Oxford UP, 1995.
Byers, Michael. Who Owns the Arctic?: Understanding Sovereignty Disputes in the North.
Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009.
Grace, Sherrill. Canada and the Idea of North. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s UP, 2001.
Hay, Elizabeth. The Only Snow in Havana. Toronto: Cormorant, 2008.
Hulan, Renée. Northern Experience and the Myths of Canadian Culture. Montreal: McGill-
Queen’s UP, 2003.
Mowat, Farley. No Man’s River. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 2007.
Richler, Noah. This is my Country, What’s Yours?: A Literary Atlas of Canada. McClelland &
Stewart, 2006.
Saul, John Ralston. A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada. Toronto: Penguin, 2008.
Whelan, Dianne. This Vanishing Land: A Woman’s Journey to the Canadian Arctic. Prince
George, BC: Caitlin Press, 2009.
Wiebe, Rudy. Playing Dead: A Contemplation Concerning the Arctic. Edmonton: NeWest,
2003.
Any TWO university-transfer first-year English courses, or ONE first-year university-transfer English course and ONE first-year university-transfer CRWR course, AND a minimum of 45 credit hours.