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English and Communication Joint Major

Bachelor of Arts

The Joint Major in English and Communication will give students the opportunity to combine the study of literature, rhetoric and writing, and cultural criticism with inquiry into the history, methods, and social significance of communication. The goal of the program is to graduate students who are adept in the analysis of communication and media, versed in literary and print traditions, and proficient in the creative and rhetorical skills of effective communicative practice. The many natural intersections between these disciplines are well-expressed by the diversity of courses offered in both the English and Communication programs.

Students may complete their BA degree in either the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, or in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology.

Program Requirements

Students complete 120 units, as specified below.

Lower Division English Requirements

Students complete the lower division requirement of the English major program, as follows.

Students complete any two 100-division English courses. Such courses may include:

ENGL 111W - Literary Classics in English (3) *

Examines literary “classics”, variously defined, apprehending them both on their own terms and within larger critical conversations. May incorporate the comparative study of work in related artistic fields and engage relevant media trends. Includes attention to writing skills. Students with credit for ENGL 101W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Torsten Kehler
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D105 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D107 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D108 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D109 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D110 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D111 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D112 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ENGL 112W - Literature Now (3) *

Introduces students to contemporary works of literature in English and/or contemporary approaches to interpreting literature. May focus on one or multiple genres. Includes attention to writing skills. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
B100 Mary Ann Gillies
TBD
B101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B105 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B107 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B108 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B109 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B110 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B111 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
B112 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
ENGL 113W - Literature and Performance (3) *

Introduces students to plays and performance works created and adapted for the stage, and/or the performative dimensions of other literary forms. May be organized historically, generically or thematically. The course may also explore the links between literary and performance theory. Includes attention to writing skills. Students with credit for ENGL 103W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 114W - Language and Purpose (3) *

Introduces students to the relationships between writing and purpose, between the features of texts and their meaning and effects. May focus on one or more literary or non-literary genres, including (but not limited to) essays, oratory, autobiography, poetry, and journalism. Includes attention to writing skills. Students with credit for ENGL 104W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 115W - Literature and Culture (3) *

An Introduction to the study of literature within the wider cultural field, with a focus on contemporary issues across genres and media. Students with credit for ENGL 105W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 199W - Writing to Persuade (3) *

An introduction to reading and writing from a rhetorical perspective. The course treats reading and writing as activities that take place in particular circumstances and situations, in contrast to the traditional emphasis on decontextualized, formal features of texts. It prepares students for reading and writing challenges they are likely to encounter within and beyond the classroom. Prerequisite: 12 units. Students with credit for ENGL 199 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

Students also complete any four 200-division English courses. Such courses may include:

ENGL 202 - The Environmental Imagination (3) **

Explores how literature and language imagine the natural world and engage with environmental and ecological crisis. Topics may include ecocriticism: eco-poetics; approaches to the natural world; local, imperial, and Indigenous ecologies. May be further organized by historical period or genre. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 204 - Reading Sexuality and Gender (3) **

Considers how sexuality and gender are articulated, understood, explored, and negotiated through literature and language. May be further organized by historical period, genre, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Nicky Didicher
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, Wed, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D105 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D107 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ENGL 209 - Race, Borders, Empire (3) **

Examines how literature and language work to reflect, perform, complicate, and critique constructions of race, ethnicity, and national and diasporic identities and spaces. May draw from post-colonial approaches, critical race theory, and Indigenous and decolonizing methodologies. May be further organized by historical period, genre, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 210 - Reading and Writing Identities (3) **

Considers how identity - construed psychologically, culturally, or socially - is performed and interrogated through literature and language. May be further organized by historical period, genre, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 211 - The Place of the Past (3) **

Examines literature and language within specific social, cultural, geographical, and textual environments to explore the mutually informing relationship between history and text. May be further organized by historical period, genre, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 213 - Reading Across Media (3) **

Explores texts in relation to their different material forms, including oral, manuscript, print, film, and digital media. May be further organized by methodology (e.g. book history, textual scholarship, media studies, adaptation studies, digital humanities), historical period, or genre. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Breadth-Humanities.

ENGL 214 - History and Principles of Rhetoric (3) **

Introduction to the history and principles of rhetoric, and their application to the creation and analysis of written, visual, and other forms of persuasion. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course.

ENGL 216 - History and Principles of Literary Criticism (3) ***

The study of selected works in the history of literary criticism, up to and including modern and contemporary movements in criticism. Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course.

ENGL 234 - Metrics and Prosody (3) **

A study of different historical methods of measuring poetry in English, with practice in scanning and analyzing poems using different methods of quantitative analysis (e.g. Syllabic, rhythmic, alliterative). Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Students with credit for ENGL 212 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.

ENGL 272 - Creative Reading (3)

An introduction to the art of reading for creative writers, focusing on the linguistic, literary, and conceptual tools writers use to manipulate language to create different experiences for those encountering it, and exposing new writers to innovative literature. Prerequisite: ENGL 111W, 112W, 113W, 114W, or 115W; or WL 105W; or PUB 101. Breadth-Humanities.

Students wishing to major in English are strongly advised to submit a formal declaration to this effect to the undergraduate advisor upon completing all lower division requirements.

* any one, but not more than one, of these courses may be replaced by any three unspecified transfer units in English or in ENGL-Writing

** any one, but not more than one, of these courses may be replaced by any three unspecified 200 division transfer units in English

*** recommended and any one, but not more than one, of these courses may be replaced by any three unspecified 200 division transfer units in English

Lower Division Communication Requirements

Students complete all of

CMNS 110 - Introduction to Communication Studies (3)

An introduction to selected theories about human communication. This course is required for a major, honours or minor in communication. Breadth-Social Sciences.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
OL01 Layla Cameron
Online
CMNS 120W - Creativity and Communication Across Media (3)

Introduces students to the creative practice of multimodal writing and content creation for communication and media studies. Topics may include: creativity and idea generation; media literacy in digital environments; writing conventions for various platforms and genres; analytical writing and scholarly argumentation; audio-visual production for popular audiences. Writing.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Jennesia Pedri
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D105 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Fri, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
CMNS 130 - Communication and Social Change (3)

An introduction to the forms, theories and institutions of communication as they relate to broader social change, with a focus on the political, economic and regulatory shifts characterizing Canadian and transnational media systems. This course is required for a major, honours or minor in communication.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
OL01 Byron Hauck
Online

and at least five 200 level CMNS courses, including

CMNS 201W - Empirical Communication Research Methods (4) *

An introduction to empirical research methods in diverse traditions of communication enquiry. Some methods recognize communication as everyday interactions; others analyze communication as a process; still others blend traditional scientific empiricism with analytical and critical methods derived from the arts and humanities. Topics include: ethics, paradigms, conceptualizing and operationalizing research, sampling, interviews, surveys, unobtrusive observation, content analysis, and the role of statistics in communication research. Prerequisite: Nine CMNS units with a minimum grade of C-. Students with credit for CMNS 201 or CMNS 260 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Quantitative.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Pippa Adams
Alicia Massie
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 9:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 11:30 a.m.–1:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 3:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
or CMNS 201 - Empirical Communication Research Methods (4) *

An introduction to empirical research methods in diverse traditions of communication enquiry. Some methods recognize communication as everyday interactions; others analyze communication as a process; still others blend traditional scientific empiricism with analytical and critical methods derived from the arts and humanities. Topics include: ethics, paradigms, conceptualizing and operationalizing research, sampling, interviews, surveys, unobtrusive observation, content analysis, and the role of statistics in communication research. Prerequisite: Nine CMNS units with a minimum grade of C-. Students with credit for CMNS 201W or CMNS 260 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.

CMNS 202 - Design and Method in Qualitative Communication Research (4)

An introduction to interpretive approaches in communication inquiry. Topics include ethics, paradigms, conceptualizing the research process, documentary research, historical methods, discourse or textual analysis, ethnographic research, and performative research. Prerequisite: Nine CMNS units with a minimum grade of C-. Students with credit for CMNS 262 may not take CMNS 202 for further credit.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Hoornaz Keshavarzian
Xiaoxing Zhang
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Mon, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D102 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
D104 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby

Students wishing to joint major in English and communication are strongly advised to submit a formal declaration to this effect to the undergraduate advisors (in English and in communication) upon completing all lower division requirements in both units.

* completion of this quantitative (Q) course satisfies part of the University's Q requirement.

Upper Division English Requirements

Students complete 20 units of upper division English courses. A minimum of four of these units must be at the 400-level, excluding directed studies courses (ENGL 490, 491); a minimum of four units must be from the following group of courses, focused on Canadian and/or Indigenous Literatures:

ENGL 355 - Canadian Literatures (4)

Study of selected works of Canadian literature, including Indigenous, diasporic, and settler texts. May draw from a variety of methods, critical debates, regions, and historical periods. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.

ENGL 360 - Popular Writing by Indigenous Authors (4)

Examines works of popular fiction by Indigenous authors, and their use of specific genres (e.g. the mystery novel, vampire thriller, sci fi, comic book). This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. Students who have taken FNST 322 under this topic, or FNST 360 may not take this course for further credit.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Alexa Manuel
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 12:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ENGL 431W - Seminar in Indigenous Literatures (4)

Advanced seminar on selected works by Indigenous writers. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Strongly recommended: At least one Indigenous studies course. Writing.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Alexa Manuel
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Thu, 12:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ENGL 432W - Seminar in Canadian Literature (4)

Advanced seminar in Canadian literature. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.

With permission of the department, other English courses of equivalent content may be substituted for those required in this group.

Upper Division Communication Requirements

Students complete six upper division CMNS courses (minimum of 24 upper division units) including one of

CMNS 304W - Communication in Everyday Life (4)

An examination of a range of theories of everyday language focused on specific forms of discursive practice, including gossip, humour, religion, and sarcasm. Prerequisite: 17 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 45 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00. Writing.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
D100 Byron Hauck
May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Tue, 8:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D101 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 8:30–9:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D103 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 10:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
D106 May 6 – Aug 2, 2024: Wed, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
Burnaby

and one of

any 400 level CMNS course.

CMNS Directed Study, Field Placement, and Project Group courses may not be used to meet this requirement.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Requirements

For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes

  • at least 60 units that must be completed at Simon Fraser University
  • at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at Simon Fraser University
  • at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
  • satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
  • an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division overall CGPA of at least 2.0, and program CGPA and upper division program CGPA of at least 2.0 on the course work used to satisfy the minimum program requirements. FASS departments may define additional GPA requirements for their respective programs.

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology Degree Requirements

For more information, please refer to the SFU Degree Requirements.

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit

Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Simon Fraser University within the student's major subject; two courses (minimum three units each)

Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division; two courses (total six units or more)
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth

Must be outside the student's major subject, and may be lower or upper division:

Two courses (total six units or more) Social Sciences: B-Soc
Two courses (total six units or more) Humanities: B-Hum
Two courses (total six units or more) Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

Two courses (total six units or more) outside the student's major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements).

Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

  • At least half of the program's total units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.
  • At least two thirds of the program's total upper division units must be earned through Simon Fraser University study.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.