Major Research Paper
A research project on a selected topic involving independent work and original research and thought.
MA Thesis
An extended research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research and thought.
Theoretical Foundations
Survey and critical analysis of a broad range of theories bearing on the relation of literary texts to cultural formations.
Graduate Seminar in Research and Professional Development
Topics such as the nature and requirements of academic work, research methodologies, research resources, the nature and requirements of the graduate thesis and research paper, the development of the research proposal, focused discussion of research and design strategies for the work proposed, the development of and adherence to a schedule, preparation of conference proposals and public presentations.
Graduate Tutorial
Research course with directed study and regular meetings with a faculty member, covering topics not offered in a designated course. Requires permission of the Graduate Program Director.
Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture
English literature, literary culture, and discourses on community from the 14th century to the late 17th century.
2013-14: Christopher Marlowe: Texts and Contexts
The production, dissemination, and reception of the plays and poetry of Christopher Marlowe in the contexts of early modern culture. The course will engage issues ranging from the relationship between trauma and tragedy to the role of censorship in the works' textual histories.
The Long Eighteenth Century Literature and Culture
Studies in literature and culture from the Restoration of Charles II to the ascension of Victoria, 1660-1837.
Nineteenth Century British and American Literature and Culture
Literature and literary culture in relation to the political, social and intellectual movements of the 19th century. May include transatlantic or nationally located studies.
Twentieth Century Literature and Culture
Literature and cultural identity, location and change in established and developing literatures in the 20th century.
Canadian Literature and Culture
Studies in Canadian literature with an emphasis on texts and their relation to intersecting notions of community.
2013-14: Avant-Garde Writing in Vancouver 1961-1975
Revolutionary experimental writing arrived with a vengeance in the 1960s in Vancouver. This course will explore sound poetry, concrete poetry, prose-poetry, and various hybrid genres that emerged by writers and visual artists such as bpNichol, bill bissett, Judith Copithorne, Daphne Marlatt, Roy Kiyooka, David UU, and Maxine Gadd.
Contemporary Literature and Culture
The role of literature in the creation and maintenance of located and imagined communities in the contemporary world.
Special Topics in Literature and Culture
Literature, culture and community in areas such as genre studies, specialized theoretical studies and comparative historical studies.
2013-14: Empathy as Literary Strategy: Contemporary Canadian Fiction
Theories of empathy and affect from Plato and Aristotle to the contemporary period with an emphasis on recent neurocognitive research and theories of mind. Examination of direct and indirect means of generating empathy in recent Canadian fiction, and of the efficacy of 'cool empathy' as a literary strategy in an age of irony.
Rhetoric and Discourse Studies
Study of rhetoric, genre, discourse and language. Topics may include rhetorical instatiations of textual communities, ideologies of language as they operate in conceptualizations of nation and self, and discourse analytic methods for examining texts and their contexts.
2013-14: Literary Journalism: The Art of Fact
Examination of literary journalism and its relationship with the communities in which it is produced and read. Special focus on works written after WWII and the questions they raise concerning genre, history, objectivity, and representation.