Undergraduate Study in English
See the Course Advice page for information about planning your degree.
General Course Information
What can an English degree give me?
As a student of English at the University you will join a community of readers and writers who are deeply committed to investigating the ways in which literature helps us understand what it means to be human, and how “humanity” has been constructed throughout the centuries. Starting with close readings and moving into more theoretical and abstract approaches, you will learn how to read and analyze a wide range of texts. Members of the programme study and teach across the spectrum of literary production: poetry, novels, plays, essays, comic books, children's books, and film. Courses offer both breadth and depth of coverage as we explore the history of literatures in English, including New Zealand and Australian literature, British and American literature, and world literatures in translation.
Stephen King asserts that “ Reading is the creative centre of a writer's life.” Here we think that's true. By writing, we grasp the meaning of what we read, and we become able to make more effective, more logical, and more interesting arguments about our reading, and about the world from which that reading emerges. Writing is central to the English curriculum, and our courses will help you develop critical thinking skills. In other words, both in and out of the university, you will be able to state your case, support it with evidence, and explain its larger importance – skills that you will need throughout your working and personal lives.
Like our fellow programmes in the School of Humanities, we in the English programme ask questions such as: who are we? Where are we going? Why are we here? We ask these questions not to quell the pleasure of literature, but rather to enhance it. We love literature, and love sharing the pleasure that literature can bring. As a student here you'll find how rigorous intellectual pursuit can be combined with a real enjoyment of words and the innumerable ways in which they can combine to tell us stories of the worlds we share.
Who can help me find out more?
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me, Dr Daniel Bedggood, at dan.bedggood@canterbury.ac.nz. I'm the Undergraduate Coordinator, and I'm here to answer student questions and to help you choose the best courses to fulfil your major requirements. I also act as a liaison between students and staff, and I can assist you to find various resources on campus.
How do I find out more about English courses?
Information about coursework is available through the English Courses page. If you want to major in English, you'll need to take a minimum of six courses, with at least two above the 100-level and at least two at the 300 level. I strongly encourage beginning students to take ENGL 102 Introduction to Literary Study and ENGL 117 Writing the Academic Essay.
I'm interested in your B.A. Honours programme – how do I find out more about it?
I'd also be happy to talk about the B.A. Honours programme and the ways in which an B.A. Honours degree can help you in your future career. To study at the Honours level requires that you take seven undergraduate courses, rather than the minimum six courses required to graduate with an English B.A. Honours also requires that you do well in your third-year courses and maintain a minimum B average, so you can see that you need to plan ahead if you think the Honours degree is for you. For more information on the Honours degree see the Honours page and/or the Honours Coordinator.
How about Postgraduate study?
We offer the MA and the PhD degrees in literature, and the MFA in Creative Writing. A prerequisite for postgraduate study is that you must complete four 400-level papers first. If you pass these papers you can either graduate with the B.A. Honours degree, or go on to write an MA thesis. It's quite possible to convert a B.A. Honours course to an MA course, so we often encourage students to simply enrol in Honours to begin with. For more detailed information, please see the Postgraduate page and/or the Postgraduate Coordinator.