FAQs

1.0 credit in first-year English is a requirement for both Majors and Minors. This credit can be earned in one of two ways. Pathway A is recommended for students who plan to declare English as their Major, on the grounds that a full-year introductory course gives you your best opportunity to develop your skills.

Pathway A – FYSM 1004 (“Reading Literatures and Cultures” [1.0 credit])

Pathway B – ENGL 1010 (“Writing an English Essay” [0.5 credit]) and one (but no more than one) of the following thematic 0.5-credit lecture courses:

• ENGL 1009 (“Literature in Global Context”)
• ENGL 1100 (“Literature, Law, and Criminality”)
• ENGL 1200 (“Literature, Science, and Technology”)
• ENGL 1300 (“Literature, Psychology, and the Mind”)
• ENGL 1400 (“Literature, Art, and Culture”)
• ENGL 1600 (“Literature and Magic”)
• ENGL 1700 (“Climate Change and the Humanities”)

REMEMBER THAT FYSM 1004, ENGL 1000, ENGL 1100, ENGL 1200, ENGL 1300, ENGL 1400, ENGL 1600, & ENGL 1700 PRECLUDE ONE ANOTHER.  YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE CREDIT FOR ONE OF THESE COURSES. Please do not register in more than one of these courses.

The overall mandate of FYSM 1004 is to move students from high school modes of reading, writing, and thinking to more complex modes of critical reading, critical writing, and critical thinking.  All sections of Reading Literatures and Cultures have in common that they include novels, short stories, poetry, and drama, drawn primarily but not exclusively from the 20^th and 21^st centuries.  Some sections are organized thematically, some generically, some historically.  Instructors of these courses must adhere to the Writing Attentive requirements for first-year English classes.  Although all sections share a common mandate, courses and course material are extremely diverse.  Before you pick a section, look through the course outlines that will be posted on the English Department website.

No, ENGL 1010 “Writing an English Essay” (0.5 credit) and ENGL 1020 “Effective Writing” (0.5 credit) preclude one another. English Majors and Minors in search of a dedicated writing course should take ENGL 1010 instead of ENGL 1020.

Writing attentive guidelines are attached to two 1.0 credit core courses in the first two years (FYSM 1004 and ENGL 2802) to ensure that English students have basic instruction in the art and mechanics of academic writing and research.  Although geared to the writing of literary essays, writing attentive instruction is intended to be widely adaptable to various kinds of academic and workplace writing.

The requirements for the English B.A. program reflect current trends in the study of English (and history and many other areas), which recognize the importance of moving beyond a strictly Eurocentric point of view to embrace a genuinely global understanding of literature and culture. The department offers specialized courses that drill down into different literary, oral, linguistic, and cultural traditions from across the globe and across time: from 500 to Now, from Turtle Island to the Americas, from Britain to South Asia, from centres of empire to centres of resistance. Students may choose from a wide variety of courses to complete their post-colonial requirements. The global literatures stream in the new Bachelor of Global and International Studies offers students additional pathways to exploring this exciting terrain.

During the 2020-21 academic year, the Department began to phase in curriculum changes. Consequently, the degree requirements for students beginning their studies in the Fall 2020 term will be different from those of students who entered the program in a previous year. The Undergraduate Calendar lists the new requirements, so it is all the more important that students check their audits to make sure that they are fulfilling their respective degree requirements.

There is latitude in all the programs to take non-required English courses that interest you as well as the courses required for your program.

YOU MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO TAKE TOO MANY ENGLISH COURSES AT THE EXPENSE OF NON-ENGLISH GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.

Your audit provides up-to-date information on your personal progress.  If you need help reading your audit, see the Undergraduate Supervisor at least a year before you plan to graduate.

Because of its emphasis on critical reading, writing, and thinking an English degree is more transferable than you may think: read, Why Study English?  You might also want to visit Career Services, where counselors are trained to answer your questions.

This can be done in Carleton Central through the Change of Program Elements feature, providing you meet the Good Standing requirements for the program to which you wish to move.

If you want help optimizing your summer school experience in terms of your program, make an appointment to see the Undergraduate Supervisor.

Once you have been accepted to study abroad, you will work with the Registrar’s Office and the English Department to determine Carleton equivalencies for the courses you wish to take abroad.   Courses abroad often do not meet program requirements, which might necessitate attending summer school or an extra term or partial term to complete your graduation requirements.  If finishing within a specific timeframe is important to you, you should work with the Undergraduate Supervisor to make sure that your courses abroad satisfy Carleton requirements.

Probably not.  Only in the most exceptional circumstances are students allowed to enroll in a fourth-year seminar without fourth-year standing.  The seminars are the capstone of the program, and care is taken to ensure that students in their final year have the chance to concretize their experience of themselves as young scholars by participating in critical conversations and debates with their peers and instructors.

There is a lot of movement in course enrollment between the start of classes and the end of the registration period.  Chances are good that if you keep checking, you will be able to register.  If you are really serious about the course, it might be good to speak to the professor about attending classes until you are able to register because you will be responsible for the material in those classes.

You should submit a Registration Override Request explaining your situation, and we will do our best to accommodate you.  Please be aware that we check students’ audits to verify claims regarding year of standing and program needs.