Program Highlighted | English
Introduction by | Professor John Baird
Interview with | Kandice Ardiel
Date | January 2002

Introduction | Assiociate Chair, Professor John Baird

At the University of Toronto, "English" means "the study of literature composed in the English language from the earliest times (that is, about 1400 years ago) to the present, and the history of the English language itself." That is a pretty daunting mandate, even for the centuries when English was spoken only in the British Isles. Since about 1600, English speakers have been spreading around the globe, and today literary texts are composed in English in every continent of the world, not excepting Antarctica.

The Department of English maintains its longstanding reputation for thorough treatment of the literature of the past, even as it is now enlarging the range and depth of its offerings in contemporary literatures beyond Europe and North America.
The Department of English offers minor, major, and specialist programs in English, and two joint specialist programs (with Drama and with Philosophy). Apart from one common requirement (ENG201Y or ENG202Y), all these programs are flexible, and there are many different ways to complete them. The Department encourages students to select courses which extend their understanding of different periods, genres, and national literary traditions. A number of courses introduce students to literary theory and the history of literary criticism, the frameworks within which readers have ordered and interpreted literary texts. All English courses require significant writing assignments.

.

Interview | Kandice Ardiel

Kandice is a fourth year, Innis College English student. For the complete interview click here.

For furher information about the program in University of Toronto and beyond, click here.