The English Department of St. Jerome’s University is committed above all to teaching excellence and undergraduate education. Every faculty member is an expert in an established field of English language and literature. As a group, the faculty represents a wide range of theoretical perspectives, from formalist modes of analysis to post-modern reading strategies. The expertise instructors have in other fields--creative writing, cultural studies, social history, religion and culture, community development, theatre, film, radio, and Irish literature —gives English studies at St. Jerome’s a multi-disciplinary dimension needed for an understanding of the contemporary world.
English at St. Jerome’s assumes that literature has been, and continues to be, one of the ways that people make their experiences meaningful, change society, and come to terms with human life. For that reason, the department registers students in all English programs and teaches a full array of courses from Beowulf to hypertext fiction. English studies at St. Jerome’s is unique in its strong, vital links to the arts community. Home to The New Quarterly, SJU English sponsors the Canada Council reading series, brings contemporary writers into classes, collaborates with the Stratford Festival on courses there, and offers other courses designed to help students develop the knowledge, research methods, and communication skills needed for careers in education, law, government, business, and cultural institutions.
Chair: Norm Klassen
