Selecting Courses
carefully consult the Requirements For The Major In Literatures In English;
consult the Annual Offerings to determine which courses are being offered (because not all courses are offered in a particular academic year) and in which semester, I or II, courses are being offered (this becomes important when the time comes to fill out the registration form).
Students should note that, by contrast to other disciplines, students majoring in Literatures in English are required complete a minimum of 16 courses in Literatures in English in order to graduate. Students should also note that they are required to do specified numbers of courses in prescribed categories. Students may, of course opt to do more than the prescribed number of courses in each area. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements specified may not be eligible to graduate when the time comes.
LEVEL I STUDENTS
All new full time students are required to complete a full load of 10 level I courses.
Part-time students do their ten level I courses over a period of two years. Those with only CXC's (or equivalent) will do five in their first year and five in the second year. Those with 'A' levels or the Associate degree may do six in their first year and in their second year must complete the remaining four level I courses together with two others drawn from level II. Some part-time students choose to do all their Literatures in English courses during their first year, others choose to do a few each year in addition to other courses outside the discipline.
Students may not normally register for level II courses before they have completed all ten required level I courses. Moreover, level I courses in Literatures in English are prerequisites to all subsequent courses at levels II and III: for example, one cannot do level II courses in prose fiction until one has passed E10B Introduction to Prose Fiction.
Required Courses: E10A Introduction to Poetry, E10B Introduction to Prose (both offered normally in semester I), and E10C Introduction to Drama (normally offered in semester II) are mandatory because they are prerequisites to all courses in Literatures in English at levels II and III. These courses are designed to introduce students to the three basic kinds of literature, poetry, prose and drama respectively. This generic approach to the study of literature is maintained and expanded at subsequent levels, where courses in nineteenth century prose fiction or Shakespearean drama, for example, are offered.
Recommended Courses: E10E Writing About Literature (normally offered in semester II) is not mandatory but we do highly recommend it precisely because it seeks to introduce students to some of the basic interpretive skills necessary for effective literary 'criticism.' Most students majoring in Literatures in English end up doing E10E;
CL13A Classical Background to Western Literature I and / or CL13B Classical Background to Western Literature II seek to acquaint students of literature with the foundation of literature as we know it today. Students will become acquainted with the main genres (epic poetry, lyric poetry tragedy, comedy, etc.) as well as seminal ancient authors such as Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Horace, Virgil, and Catullus. As you will come to realise, a knowledge of Homer's Iliad or Odyssey is an almost indispensable prerequisite for an understanding both of Milton's Paradise Lost and Derek Walcott's Omeros;
Courses in complementary disciplines such as French literature, Spanish literature, Philosophy, History, and Psychology are useful choices.
Foreign Languages:
For those students without a foreign language at least to CXC (or equivalent), a Beginners' or Basic course in a foreign language (normally either French or Spanish) is mandatory. Options include F01A Beginners' French, F01B Basic French, S01A Beginners' Spanish, and S01B Basic Spanish;
Students with adequate background in French and / or Spanish may choose to do the more advanced level I language and / or literature courses in these areas. Options include F10A Intermediate French I, F10B Intermediate French II, F12C Introduction to French Literature, F12D Introduction to Caribbean and African Literature in French, S10A Intermediate Spanish I, S10B Intermediate Spanish II, S12C Introduction to Literature in Spanish, S12D Introduction to Literature in Spanish II;
Relevant level I Philosophy courses at present include PH19A Introduction to Philosophy and Logic, PH19B Ethics, and PH19C Greek Philosophy;
Relevant History courses include:
- H13B African Civilizations from 1500 BC to AD 1000,
- H13C African Civilizations from 1000 to 1800,
- H16A The Atlantic World: 1400 - 1600,
- H16B The Atlantic World: 1600 - 1800, and
- H17C Introduction to History
Level I Psychology courses include:
- PS12A Introduction to Psychology and
- SY40B Introduction to Social Psychology.
To make your selections, consult the course descriptions in the relevant departmental pamphlet or the Faculty Handbook; For those who intend one day to teach English at the Secondary level (which necessarily includes the teaching of English language to CXC level), we recommend any of the level I courses in Linguistics, especially L15B Introduction to Language Structure and L15A Introduction to Language and Linguistics;
For would-be teachers, the School of Education offers level I courses in Education that you should also consider. These include:
- ED10A Introduction to Human Development,
- ED10B Introduction to Social Psychology,
- ED10C Introduction to Educational Psychology, and
- ED10D Introduction to Psychology.
LEVEL II / III STUDENTS
After completing ten courses at level I, students are required to complete the equivalent of twenty (20) level II / III courses (i.e. courses coded with a 2 or 3 such as E25A or E36A). Any additional level I courses (i.e. courses coded with a 1 such as PH19A) subsequently taken do not count towards graduation. (However, if students have not completed a full slate of 10 level I courses, they must do so retroactively in order to graduate.)
Although students must select courses according to the guidelines prescribed, students are advised to choose as many courses as possible, within these restrictions, in categories which are of particular interest to them. For example, if a student particularly likes poetry, s/he would be well advised to do most / all courses offered in that area.
Level II:
In choosing courses, students entering level II should bear in mind that some level III courses have pre-requisites. For this reason, they should aim to register for at least one level II course drawn from each category listed in the Major. For example, a student would not be allowed to do a level III course in West Indian literature upon entering her final year if she has not done even one of the level II courses in this area.
Required: Students should register for at least one level II course in poetry chosen from the survey courses E20A Poetry I: Wyatt to Pope and E20B Poetry II: Romantics and Victorians and the special author courses E20E Introduction to Chaucer and E20M Introduction to Milton. These courses all introduce students to key moments in the historical development of poetry in English.
Students should register for at least one level II course in Prose Fiction chosen from the courses in British fiction E21A Novel I: the Rise of the Novel and E21B Novel II: the Nineteenth Century Novel and the courses in American fiction E21R African American Fiction and E21Y The American Novel: a Survey. These courses all introduce students to key moments in the historical development of prose fiction in English.
Students should also register for at least one level II course in Drama chosen from E22C Shakespeare I: Comedies and Histories, E22D Shakespeare II: Tragedies and Romances, and E22F Renaissance Drama. The performative aspects of drama are often emphasised in these courses (i.e. the fact that plays are more than words on a page in that they are meant to be performed on stage). As more courses in drama are developed, more titles will be added to this category.
Students should register for at least one of our core level II courses in West Indian literature chosen from E25A West Indian Literature I and E25B West Indian Literature II. In these courses, students are introduced to seminal regional authors such as Brathwaite and Harris, and who may be said to comprise what some term the 'canon' of West Indian literature. A course of related interest is E24C Caribbean Popular Culture for which there are restrictions on the number of students allowed to register, however.
To meet the Critical Theory requirement, students should register for at least E23F History of Literary Criticism which is the pre-requisite for E23G Twentieth Century Literary Theory. Theory courses seek to introduce students to various approaches to or schools of interpretation and, thus, some of the key concepts involved in literary criticism.
Recommended: Students who have a particular interest in the Theatre and Dramatic Performance are advised to register for the year-long course E240 Drama and Theatre Arts (the equivalent of two semester-long courses and thus worth 6 credits.) Students are advised that in its approach to the study of drama, this course is 50 % theoretical and 50% practical.
For aspiring authors, courses in Creative Writing such as E26C Creative Writing: Poetry (semester I) and E26D Creative Writing: Prose Fiction (semester II) exist. To be accepted into either, students must submit ahead of time a portfolio of original work to the relevant course directors.
In addition to courses in the discipline, Literatures in English students may choose to register for level II / III courses in French, Spanish, Linguistics, History, Philosophy, Psychology and Gender Studies offered in the Faculty. To this end, see the relevant departmental pamphlets and / or the Faculty Handbook.
All students are also required to do the level II Foundation Courses offered by the Faculty of Science and Technology (FD12A Science, Technology and Medicine in the Twentieth Century) and the Faculties of Social Sciences and Law (FD13A Caribbean Society, Law, and Governance).
Level III:
Students entering Level III should seek to complete the remaining requirements of the major and register in such a way as to ensure that, by the time they graduate, they have completed at least the minimum number of courses prescribed in each category for a total of 16 courses in Literatures in English.
Required:
If students have followed the guidelines above for choosing courses at level II, they usually end up registering for at least one more in each category listed. For this reason, students normally end up registering for:
- at least one more course in poetry,
- at least one more course in prose fiction,
- at least one more course in West Indian literature chosen from E25A, E25B, E35A Advanced Seminar in West Indian Literature, and E35B West Indian Literature: Special Author Seminar, and
- at least one more course in Critical Theory.
In addition, students must also register for at least one level III course in twentieth century prose fiction.
Level III students are also required to register for RP300 Caribbean Studies (see the general requirements) and should note both the RP300 Guidelines for Students in Literatures in English and the list of approved substitutes in Literatures in English.
Recommended: There is also a number of courses that are not listed in the prescribed categories for the major. However, many / all of these are very important. For example, students are well advised to register for at least one of the level III courses in African literature such as E36A African Literature I, E36B African Literature II, and / or E36C African Film. (Students who should note that a second year Theory course is one of the prerequisites for both these courses. Students who register for E36C should also note that much of the introductory material for this course is dealt with in E36A.)
Students should bear in mind that, according to Faculty regulations, at least three (3) courses in the area of their major chosen at this level must be coded as specifically level III courses. E25A, for example, would not meet this requirement but E36A would. The other courses chosen may consist of courses coded as either level II or III.
In addition to courses within the discipline, Literatures in English students may choose to register for level II / III courses in French, Spanish, Linguistics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, and Gender Studies offered in the Faculty. To this end, see the relevant departmental pamphlets and / or the Faculty Handbook.
Students should note that level III courses tend to be seminar-type courses rather than those of the lecture / tutorial-type that tends to be the case at levels I and II. Such a format is designed to foster discussion in a slightly more intimate atmosphere of 'give-and-take.' As a result, there are often restrictions on the number of students (usually somewhere between 10 and 15) who can register for these courses.
ADVICE
Finally, students should note the following:
Pass Requirement: Whatever their course work mark might be, students must pass at least one question in the final exam in order to pass any course in Literatures in English.
The Importance of Reading: Students who fail courses in Literatures in English usually do so because they fail to keep up with course readings. It is quite simple: in order to learn about texts, and how to analyze them, you have to allow time to do the required reading. It is a good idea to get booklists, acquire core texts, and read ahead of lectures in order. The wider your reading, the more you will get out of your degree program and, believe it or not, the more pleasure you will experience as books become friends. |
