English

We teach literature because we are convinced that it will provide you with insights into the human condition. Whether you are confronted with the ever-changing world of technical innovation or the daily pressures of life, literature can provide models for reflection and action.

In our Communications courses, we teach you to succeed in today's workplace with precise communication skills and an awareness of professional protocol.

Our ESL & Academic Preparation courses will help you upgrade your English skills in a timely manner so that you can go on to the university-transfer courses.

For the individual learning outcomes of our courses, follow the links to the Section Information Summaries.

All our English and Communications courses provide ways to improve your English skills: be it in class discussions about a character's motivations in a novel, be it in drafting and revising a homework assignment on the imagery in a poem, or be it in producing a flawless business letter, you will improve your reading, speaking, and writing skills.

All of these skills will give you an edge over your competition in your chosen career, for good English skills are always in demand in every profession.

Here are some resources for you to explore the possibilities of what you can do with enhanced English skills or even an English degree:

• Julie DeGalan and Stephen Lambert, Great Jobs for English Majors, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill: 2006.
• Robert W. Bly, Careers for Bookworms and Others Who Have a Way with Words, VGM Career Books: 2003.
• Jay R. Gould Wayne A. Losano, Opportunities in Technical Writing Careers, VGM Career Horizons: 2000.

All our courses, except academic preparation courses (ENGL 1107, 1110, 1121), are fully transferable to universities. Here is a selection of the most common ones (for transferability of other courses check the BC Transfer Guide):

What students are saying:

"The Writing Lives course provided a thought-provoking, impactful personal experience. Once I gained the trust of the Survivors, they generously shared their memories and life stories. I had the honour of documenting their lives and amplifying their voices in their memoirs. By engaging empathetically, I established a genuine, meaningful relationship with each Elder, which I will forever cherish." – Melissa Halford, former Writing Lives student

"Stories are the most important thing we have. When we have left this earth, all we will be remembered for is the story we left behind. Whether it is a family anecdote or a chapter in history, other people carry us, and they carry us through story.

History is written and told about those who are remembered. Remembering is political: colonial powers have tried to erase the stories of Indigenous peoples for centuries, and tried to have their histories forgotten. Erasure has come in various forms: murder, forced sterilization, the Indian Act, residential schools, foster care, prisons, police abuse, theft of resources, chronic underfunding, and intentional obfuscation of history.

As citizens of 'Canada' and settlers on Turtle Island, we have a moral duty to remember the real history of this place. We have the privilege of knowing what has happened here, and we have the privilege of still having witnesses and survivors alive with us. The stories of our Elders deserve to be remembered. We must honour Indigenous truths just as we honour colonial ones.

We are writing not only lives; we are writing history." – former Writing Lives student