Studies in the Literature of Life Writing
Overview
All first-year English literature courses share the following features:
- Students are instructed in the writing of critical essays on literary subjects.
- Students are taught to recognize and understand a variety of literary devices and textual elements, such as metaphor, symbolism, distinctions between author and narrator/narrating persona, and issues of language and of structure, as appropriate to the genres and texts studied.
- Readings and topics vary among sections of the same course, according to each instructor’s selection; however, all course materials are consistent with the objectives of the course.
In English 1118, students will examine works in at least three of the following forms of life writing:
- Autobiographical prose (long or short works, ranging from the personal essay or creative non-fiction to novel-length works);
- Autobiographical poetry;
- Autobiographical drama (full-length play, performance essay or dramatic monologue);
- Memoir;
- Biography;
- Travel narrative;
- Journals/diaries; and
- Letters.
For purposes of comparison, students may also examine some mock-autobiographical works (such as fiction, diaries or memoirs that purport to be based on “real-life”), and/or autobiographical film, theatre, music or performance art.
Some or all of the following methods will be used:
- Lecture/discussion
- Group work
- Peer editing
- Instructor feedback on students’ work
- Individual consultation
- A minimum of two formal academic essays, with a combined value of at least 40% of the course grade.
- A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs). A maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments.
- A minimum of 15% of the course grade will be based on in-class writing (essay or exam).
Upon completion of any first-year English literature course, the successful student should be able to
- read receptively and reflectively, with sensitivity to the subtleties of language;
- recognize and understand literary devices;
- practice writing as a process involving pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing;
- write an essay of literary analysis that develops an interpretive thesis supported by appropriate and correctly cited evidence; and
- give and receive constructive criticism on written work.
Upon completion of English 1118, the successful student should also be able to understand
- key problems in the literature of life writing, including questions of the veracity or reliability of self-disclosure in confessional writing, of the role of the reader in influencing authorial choices, and of self-censorship;
- key issues regarding the roles of memory, language and historical/cultural context in the construction of identity; and
- the inherent difficulty in life writing of distinguishing among fact, fiction and non-fiction.
Sample reading list:
- Moodie, Roughing It in the Bush
- Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
- Atwood, The Journals of Susanna Moodie
- Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Coursepack, containing selections from the following:
- Montaigne, Essays
- Pepys, The Diary of Samuel Pepys
- Rousseau, The Confessions
- McCarthy, Memories of a Catholic Girlhood
- Brightman (ed.), The Collected Letters of Hannah Arendt and Mary McCarthy
Requisites
Prerequisites
Any College entrance Language Proficiency Requirement with the exceptions of the °µÍř51 Course Options in ELLA or ENGU and the assessments listed below. These require the specified higher standard for entry into CMNS, CRWR and ENGL courses.
• a minimum grade of C- in ELLA 0460, or a minimum grade of C- in both ELLA 0465 and 0475, OR
• a minimum grade of C- in ENGU 0450 or ENGU 0455 or ENGU 0490, OR
• Mastery in ELLA 0330 and any two of ELLA 0310, 0320, or 0340, OR
• TOEFL overall score of 83 with a minimum of 21 in Writing, OR
• IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0; for individual bands below 6.0:
• if in Speaking, ELLA 0210 required
• if in Reading or Listening, ELLA 0220 required
• if in Writing, ELLA 0230 and ELLA 0240 required
OR
• CLB score of 8, OR
• CEFR level B2+, OR
• CAEL minimum overall and essay score of 70 (computer or paper based), OR
• recognized equivalent or exemption.
Corequisites
Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:
- No corequisite courses
Equivalencies
Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:
- No equivalency courses
Course Guidelines
Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Course Transfers to Other Institutions
Below are current transfer agreements from °µÍř51 to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the .
| Institution | Transfer details for ENGL 1118 |
|---|---|
| Camosun College (CAMO) | CAMO CRWR 152 (3) |
| Capilano University (CAPU) | CAPU ENGL 1XX (3) |
| Emily Carr University of Art & Design (EC) | EC ENGL 100 lev (3) |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) | FDU ENWR 1102 (3) |
| Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) | KPU ENGL 1200 (3) |
| Langara College (LANG) | LANG ENGL 1XXX (3) |
| Simon Fraser University (SFU) | SFU ENGL 1XX (3) |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU ENGL 1XXX (3) |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU ENGL 1XX (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) | UBCO ENGL_O 1st (3) |
| University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) | UBCV ENGL_V 1st (3) |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | UNBC ENGL 1XX (3) |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | UFV ENGL 263 (3) |
| University of Victoria (UVIC) | UVIC ATWP 1XX (1.5) |
| Vancouver Island University (VIU) | VIU ENGL 125 (3) or VIU ENGL 135 (3) |