Literature Home | Program | Faculty | Courses | Declaring your English major
Literature entertains, enlightens, and transforms us. It show us everything language is capable of, and the study of literature imparts a knowledge of language and culture that will serve you well whether you’re planning to be a PR professional, lawyer, CEO, technical communicator, or creative writer. Your literature degree will introduce you to the full spectrum of literature in English. As Toni Morrison tells us, "Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind," so whether you’re studying Chaucer, Mary Shelley, or Tolkien, everything you read will spark new insights about you and your world.
Degree Options
Literature is one of four majors offered by our department. Students can pursue their literature major via a four-year honours degree, a four-year general degree, or a three-year general degree. See the Literature program page for more information on the degrees and their requirements.
Elements of the degree
Your Literature degree will give you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in three key areas:
Writing
Your Literature degree will introduce you to the breadth and richness of writing in English. Your studies will increase your ability to understand and appreciate all kinds of texts, literary and non-literary. And what you read affects how you write. As you study and write about the works you encounter, your own writing will become stronger, more flexible, and more effective.
Culture
Literary texts are powerful because they hold a mirror up to their cultures, and also show how a culture's present is rooted in its past. More than this, literature can help change the world around us. As Dionne Brand says, "If I write this poem, something will happen, something will change in the air, it will give language to a life, or at its best, something deeply radical will happen."
Co-op
Coop is a great fit for our English Literature majors who have strong critical thinking and writing skills and who know how to read, understand, and explain difficult texts to others. UWaterloo has the world’s largest co-op program. In their study terms, English co-op students can pursue their interests and develop their skills; on their co-op terms, they can gain employment experience that will make them stand out in the job market.
From UWaterloo English to the NYT Best Sellers List
School of Life: What is Literature For?
Want more information?
Contact our undergraduate coordinator, Jenny Conroy, or our undergraduate chair, Heather Smyth.
The English undergraduate office is located in Hagey Hall room 222.