Welcome to the English Department

English Studies at the University of Victoria

From Norse Vinland to West CoastVineland

For descriptions of English Department courses offered next winter, please refer to the 2010-2011 Undergraduate Course Guide (PDF).

The English Department at the University of Victoria grants both undergraduate (B.A. and B.A. with Honours) and graduate degrees (M.A. and Ph.D). We are one of the largest departments at UVic, offering many courses of interest to the University community as a whole, and maintaining close ties to Digital Humanities, Women's Studies, Medieval Studies, and the Indigenous Governance Program. With over 40 permanent faculty members, the UVic English Department teaches across the whole range of English Studies, from Old English to contemporary poetry, from modern literary theory to postcolonial literature, including Canadian and American Literature. Our aim is to provide students with a stimulating environment in which to develop skills in all areas of English.

Departmental Highlights

The Department has a proud record of teaching excellence. Our Undergraduate Honours programme is generally recognized as the best in the country. The Professional Writing minor is based on both contemporary and traditional practices, ranging from web design to copy-editing, and has an exceptional work-placement record.

Our doctoral and master's programs offer professional training to approximately 25 graduate students a year in all areas of literary research, theory and criticism, including the teaching of literature and writing. The UVic English Department is currently the home of ELS Editions, which has been publishing well reviewed books in all areas of literary criticism since 1975; Internet Shakespeare Editions, the largest electronic resource devoted to the study of Shakespearean drama; Scandinavian-Canadian Studies, the journal of the association for the advancement of Scandinavian studies in Canada; and the Victorian Review, one of the leading professional journals devoted to the study of Victorian literature and culture.

Further Department highlights:

• In 2010, the Department will host the 12th annual Modernist Studies Association conference, with 600 delegates and 150 panels expected. The keynote speakers are Astradur Eysteinsson, Patricia Leighten, Leela Gandhi, Harish Trivedi, Chana Kronfeld, Glenn Willmott, Ken Seigneurie, and Shuh-Mei Shih. See the MSA conference Website for more details.
• In 2009, the Department hosted the Eighth Biennial Conference of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE).
• In 2008, the Department launched a new MA concentration in Literatures of the West Coast.

For a list of recent Department activities, see our news and events archive.