As part of our Department of English and Creative Writing, you will creatively engage with past and present literary cultural achievements to better understand yourself and your own culture.

By examining culture through the lens of literature, you will learn to critically and creatively engage in our world. Studying English literature and creative writing at Trinity prepares you for the complexities of life, sharpens your perspectives, and develops your ability to think and communicate with clarity, eloquence, and creativity. By engaging with authors and texts that have stood the test of time and developing your own writing voice and compositions, you will learn to navigate the intersecting stories that make up our world with both wisdom and compassion.

OUR ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OFFERS:

• A major in English, leading to a BA (Honours) degree
• A major in English, leading to a BA degree
• A concentration
• A minor
• A creative writing stream

ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE:

“Taking a degree in English at TWU was one of the most significant career choices I’ve made. The critical thinking and writing skills cultivated in my English courses are essential in a marketplace where strong communication is critical to job success. My degree not only taught me how to read and interpret texts, but how to read and interpret the world – and that’s a skill I can carry anywhere I go.”

JILLIAN SNYDER, 2008

SAMPLE COURSES

ENGL 208 • Introduction to Creative Writing

A seminar that focuses on imaginative writing techniques and developing a critical appreciation of the art of writing in its varied forms.

ENGL 392 • Fantasy Literature

Approaches to the genre of fantasy literature, including the study of early works (such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) that shaped the imagination of creators of modern fantasy such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

ENGL 414 • Literature and Spirituality

Literature has been at the centre of the human story from its beginnings as recorded in ancient sacred texts to its current study as cultural narrative with transformative and transcendent possibilities for interpretation and creativity. This course explores literary themes integral to the pursuit of Christian spirituality, past and present.

AFTER GRADUATION

Graduates of our English program have pursued careers in fields such as teaching, professional writing, creative writing, editing, publishing, speech pathology, marketing, project management, and more. Some of these professions require additional training and degrees. The Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities integrates graduate studies in English, history, and philosophy in order to analyze significant aspects of western culture in a global context, including those that are rooted in or impacted by Christian world views.