Studies in Major Writers

Overview

Course description

This course offers an in-depth study of a body of literature by two or three writers whose works are related in significant ways, such as stylistically, historically, or thematically.

Course content

All second-year English literature courses share the following features:

Students are presumed to be proficient in the writing of critical essays on literary subjects.
Students are required to read in the course subject area beyond the texts assigned by the instructor or discussed in class.
Students are required to incorporate into their oral and written coursework secondary source materials. These may include autobiographical or biographical material; literary criticism or theory; unassigned texts by the author under study; relevant cultural or intellectual history; or other arts, such as music, film, or fine arts.
Readings and topics will vary with each instructor’s presentation of a course; however, all course materials are consistent with the objectives of the course.

In English 2313, students will examine

the nature of authorship as reflected in a range of creative works by one author;
autobiography, biography, literary criticism and theory as it relates to the work of the particular authors under study;
significant cultural, historical or thematic parallels that emerge in the literary works of the authors under study.

Learning activities

Some or all of the following methods will be used:

Lecture/discussion;
Group work;
Peer editing;
Presentation (individual or group);
Independent research;
Instructor feedback on students’ work; and
Individual consultation.

Means of assessment

A minimum of two formal academic essays, with a combined value of at least 40% of the course grade.
A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs). 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.
A minimum of 15% of the course grade will be based on in-class writing (essay or exam).

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of any second-year English literature course, the student should

be able to use with increased proficiency the skills of literary analysis taught in first-year English courses;
be able to recognize the significance of the literary and non-literary or cultural context of a work being studied, such as the biographical, historical, mythological or philosophical context;
be able to read critically and use in essays secondary sources, such as criticism and other texts by the same author, as an aid to comprehending the primary text(s) being studied;
be able to read critically and independently works or aspects of works not discussed in class; and
be able to formulate a thesis on a given subject in one or more specific works, and to develop this thesis using suitable textual evidence.

Upon completion of English 2313, the student should also have a deeper understanding of

the different historical, biographical, social, textual, and/or aesthetic influences that inform literary work;
the similarities and differences among theme, genre or style in the works under study, in light of relevant cultural and literary contexts;
the place of individual works studied in the context of a writer’s oeuvre.

Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students

Texts will vary depending upon the instructor, and may include shorter readings compiled in custom course packs.

Three sample reading lists follow:

Sample List A:

Yeats, Selected Poems and Three Plays
Yeats, Autobiography
Yeats, Mythologies
Plath, Ariel
Plath, The Bell Jar

Sample List B:

Harold Pinter, The Caretaker
Harold Pinter, The Homecoming
Harold Pinter, Ashes to Ashes
Morris Panych, Lawrence and Holloman
Morris Panych, Girl in the Goldfish Bowl
Morris Panych, Dishwashers
Douglas Coupland, JPod
Douglas Coupland, Generation A

Sample List C:

Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood, Alias Grace
Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison, Beloved
Toni Morrison, A Mercy

Requisites

Prerequisites

Any TWO university-transfer first-year English literature courses, or ONE university-transfer first-year English literature course and ONE university-transfer first-year Creative Writing or English writing course.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

January 2011 (Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution	Transfer details for ENGL 2313
Emily Carr University of Art & Design (EC)	EC ENGL 200 lev (3)
Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU)	FDU ENGL 2XXX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU)	KPU ENGL 2XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG)	LANG ENGL 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU)	SFU ENGL 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU)	TRU ENGL 2XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU)	TWU ENGL 2XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO)	UBCO ENGL_O 2nd (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV)	UBCV ENGL_V 2nd (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC)	UNBC ENGL 2XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV)	UFV ENGL 3XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC)	UVIC ENSH 2XX (1.5)
Vancouver Island University (VIU)	VIU ENGL 2nd (3)