Honours degrees

The Honours English Literature degree plan provides you with a structured program of studies to ground you in the discipline of English as well as many opportunities for you to explore your own interests.

You will have the opportunity to read a wide range of national and historical literatures - British, Postcolonial, Canadian, and American. You will be exposed to both popular and "high" forms of writing. These courses may take up such subjects as literary history, canon formation, textual representation, gender relations, imperialism, colonialism, race, ethnicity, and the relationships between literature and nationalism.

You will graduate with the breadth and the depth of a well-rounded education and be prepared for further study (e.g. law, education, graduate school) or for a variety of careers in areas such as government, business, industry, or art -€“ any career, in other words, that values excellent communication and analytical skills.

Honours English -€“ Rhetoric, Media and Professional Communication (RMPC) is an innovative degree plan that offers both intellectual challenge and practical insight into rhetoric, professional writing and information design, and digital media.

This degree will give you a solid grounding in classical and contemporary rhetoric, and allow you to pursue interests in advertising, technical writing, document design, and digital media.
You will take courses in the following areas:

• Literature courses can be chosen from any field of literary study, including British, Canadian, American, and Postcolonial.
• Linguistics courses will show you the nature and structure of the language through which we express and define ourselves.
• Rhetoric and writing courses will give you experience not only in writing in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes and audiences, but also in exploring a variety of research methods.
• RMPC electives will give you the opportunity to extend your interests in many directions.

At the conclusion of your degree, you'll be prepared for graduate studies in several fields, including literature, language, communications, and composition writing or for a career in business, industry, government, teaching, or communications -€“ in any field, in other words, that values a well-educated person capable of analytical, critical, and creative thinking, writing, and speaking.

The Honours English - Literature and Rhetoric degree plan provides a structured course of study to train you in both disciplines and considerable freedom in exploring your own interests. It allows you to follow a course of study that brings together the dual strengths of the uWaterloo Department of English.

In studying literature and literary theory, you will be grounded in the traditions of British, Canadian, American, and Postcolonial literatures. In studying Rhetoric and Professional Writing, you will explore the history and theory of rhetoric, the nature of professional writing and information design, and digital media.