Topics in Feminist Theory

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course focuses on a topic in feminist theory that varies from year to year. Possible topics include women and language; women and nature; feminism and Marxism; female communities; women and diaspora; and feminism and popular culture. Students should consult the English Department website for information about specific iterations of the course. This course may be repeated once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Students may not hold credit for this course and WGS-3951. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]. ENGL-3980 (3 or 6) Topics in Comics and Graphic Narratives (3 hrs Lecture) This course focuses on a particular topic in the study of comics and graphic narratives. Possible topics are: autobiographical comic books; feminist comics; superhero comics; comics and film; comics and/as history; comics culture(s); individual creators. Course readings may include some non-comics texts and theoretical material. Students should consult the department website for information about the specific topic offered in a given term. This course may be repeated once when the topic varies. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]. ENGL-4110 (3 or 6) Critical Theory (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course explores current trends in critical, cultural, and literary theory. Possible areas of inquiry include Marxism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, reader response, poststructuralism, deconstruction, feminism, queer theory, critical race theory, postmodernism, and postcolonialism. Note: This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above; Course may be taken in previous semester(s) (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4116 (3 or 6) Advanced Topics in Creative Writing (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This advanced course explores a particular approach to creative writing or a specialized topic in the field of creative writing. The content varies from year to year. The course focuses on a specific genre (e.g., memoir, mystery, or science fiction); an issue of identity (e.g., religion, sexuality, or ethnicity); or other topic (e.g., experimental writing; editing; chapbook publishing; or traditions in story-telling). Please consult the English Department website for a detailed course description in any given year. This course may be repeated when the topic varies. Restrictions: Instructor Permission Required. Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: ENGL 2102 [prerequisite(s)]; 6 credits of 3000-level CW courses [prerequisite(s)]. ENGL-4122 (3 or 6) Special Studies (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) Students interested in advanced study in a specific area should consult the professor with whom they propose to work. Special Studies courses are offered only in exceptional circumstances, and/or only when students can satisfy program requirements in no other way, and only where the course proposal follows departmental guidelines and receives approval from the Departmental Curriculum Committee and the Department Chair. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above; Course may be taken in previous semester(s) (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4160 (3 or 6) Young People's Texts and Cultures (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course offers a focused study of an area of young people's texts and cultures, such as narrative fiction and film, digital or material culture. It may be organized as an exploration of texts and cultures of a particular period, consider a figure, genre, or theme across a range of historical periods and/or contemporary moments. Possible topics include Victorian children's literature, the tween and the teen, revisionist fairy tales, and transnational literacy. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-Year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above; Course may be taken in previous semester(s) (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4211 (3 or 6) Romanticism (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course pursues in-depth analyses of literature, history, and culture of the English Romantic period (1789-1832). The course considers how events and issues such as the French Revolution, abolitionism, and women's rights influenced Romantic writers, including Mary Wollstonecraft, Anna Barbauld, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, William Godwin, Byron, Percy Shelley,John Keats,Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen. Sections of the course may also consider other national Romantic movements (e.g., American or Transatlantic Romanticism) as well as elements and discourses of Romanticism across history and in the present. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above; Course may be taken in previous semester(s) (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4242 (3 or 6) Medieval Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course discusses representative works in medieval literature and culture. Topics vary from year to year and often include medieval romance and visionary allegory. The texts studied may include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Pearl, and Piers Plowman and the work of Chaucer. Some continental predecessors in translation (Romance of the Rose and Chretien's romances), lays and metrical romances, lyrics, mystery plays and works by known female authors, as well as texts from medieval revivals in later centuries, may also receive attention. Students may repeat this course once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-2221 | ENGL-2301 | ENGL-4302. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above; Course may be taken in previous semester(s) (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4251 (3 or 6) Early Modern Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course focuses on literature produced by English writers between 1485 and 1660. Each iteration of the course focuses on a particular topic in the field of early modern literature and culture. Topic areas vary from year to year, but may include: specific authors, or groups of authors (e.g. Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, the Cavalier Poets); particular literary forms (e.g. history plays, political pamphlets, epic poetry); or religious, scientific, political, social, and/or philosophical contexts (e.g. the Reformation, natural philosophy, formulations of gender and/or sexuality). This course may be repeated for credit when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4270 (3 or 6) Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course provides an opportunity for seminar study of Restoration and eighteenth-century British literature, contextualizing it within contemporary political, economic, social, and intellectual life. Relevant contexts include the development of party politics, the rise of commercial capitalism and colonialism; debates over the status of women , parliamentary reform, and abolition; the proliferation of print culture; the professionalization of authorship; and concepts such as "Enlightenment," "Neoclassicism," and "sensibility". The course equally draws upon current theoretical frameworks for understanding materials, which may extend beyond literary texts to other texts and media. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-4221. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4281 (3 or 6) Victorian Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course examines the literature and culture of the Victorian period (1837-1901). As a topics-based course the specific focus may vary each time it is offered. Possible topics include imperialism and colonization, urbanization and industrialization, sexuality and gender, and science and technology. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-4511. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4285 (3 or 6) Modernist Literature and Culture (3 hrs Lecture) This course focuses on some of the literary and cultural texts of modernism, understood as a series of contemporaneous transnational artistic and cultural movements between approximately 1910 and 1945. Sections of the course may focus on a specific form, genre, movement, place, or politics. Sample topics include: Modernist Poetry, Noir in Fiction and Film, the Harlem Renaissance, Gender and Modernism, and Reading the 1930s. This course may be repeated once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4294 (3 or 6) Contemporary Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course offers an in-depth examination of some particular aspect of contemporary literature or cultures. The course may concentrate on a specific national context for literature and culture (e.g. visual culture in Britain; Canadian heritage films and historical fiction) or may examine a specific aspect of contemporary literature and culture from an international perspective (e.g. representations of urban experience). Topics vary and may include multiculturalism, race, gender, contemporary film and television, youth cultures, visual cultures, popular music, and popular culture. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4403 (3 or 6) Author, Genre, or Form (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course offers students the opportunity for intensive critical study of an author, genre, or form. Sections of the course may focus on a particular author, or a particular genre or form of literary and/or cultural production (e.g., sub genres and forms within poetry, drama, graphic narrative, popular fiction, and visual media). Each time the course is offered the topic covered will be listed on the English Department Website. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours in First-Year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4710 (3 or 6) Canadian Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course offers a study of an area of Canadian literature and culture at an advanced level. It may, for instance, involve the study of a limited number of authors, artists, or cultural producers, an historical period, school, or movement, one or two genres, forms, or media, or critical and cultural theory in relation to Canadian literature and culture. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-4711 | ENGL-4712. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4717 (3 or 6) Indigenous Literatures and Cultures (3 hrs Lecture) This course examines Indigenous texts and culture. The theme of the course varies from year to year. It may focus on historical and/or contemporary representations of Indigenous people. Or the course may study Indigenous contributions on topics such as the environment, neo-colonialism, violence against women, health, sovereignty, and reconciliation. The course may examine a specific artist, nation, genre, or period. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Cross-listed: IS-4717(3)/(6). Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and IS-4717. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4720 (3 or 6) American Literature and Culture (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course focuses on a specific area of study in American literature and culture. For example, it may focus on works from the Harlem Renaissance or the Beat Generation. Alternatively, it may draw on texts from a particular region or ones that address a specific subject. Specific focus depends on the instructor. Students may repeat this course once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-4531 | ENGL-4651. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4730 (3 or 6) Postcolonial Literatures and Cultures (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course investigates some of the central questions in the field of postcolonial studies through an analysis of cultural and theoretical works from one or more of these regions: Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4740 (3 or 6) Topics in Comparative Literature (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course focuses on a topic in the field of comparative literature, the study of literatures and cultures, literary history, and theory, across two or more linguistic groups, cultures, or national literatures. Texts originally written in other languages are read in translation normally. Students should consult the English Department web site for information about specific iterations of the course. This course may be repeated once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4741 (3 or 6) Screen Studies (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course focuses on a topic in screen studies that varies from year to year. Possible topics may include: genre (e.g., noir, melodrama, documentary ); national cinemas (e.g., Canadian, Nigerian, Japanese ); literary remediations; identity and representation (e.g., race, Indigeneity); youth culture (e.g., adolescent sexuality, Disney); video games and gaming; new media platforms and technologies; screen practices. In addition to media materials, the course focuses on critical and theoretical questions related to the topic. This course may be repeated for credit once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First Year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)]; and 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course). ENGL-4742 (3 or 6) Cultural Studies (3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) This course focuses on a topic in the field of cultural studies that varies from year to year. The course may focus on a specific critical and methodological approach (reception studies, Marxist cultural analysis, etc.), on a particular school of thought or moment in the field (the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies; Cultural Studies beyond Britain; the turn to Gramsci in Cultural Studies), or on a particular topic in the field (popular culture; digital culture; fandom; the politics of representation; youth and subcultures; cultures of resistance; etc.) Students may repeat this course once when the topic varies. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 12 credit hours of English at the 2000-level or above (must be taken previously or at the same time as this course); 6 credit hours in First-Year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)].