For Undergraduates
We believe that the best way to develop crucial analytical skills is by exchanging and testing ideas in workshop settings and small-group discussions led by experienced and dedicated teachers. We are passionate about discussing literature and exchanging ideas with our students.
We introduce our students to literature in English, from its beginnings over a thousand years ago in Anglo-Saxon England, to its current status as the global medium of culture and communication. We study the language of our daily existence (whether that language happens to be Shakespearean, Canadian, Chaucerian or Jamaican) in works of the imagination, which confront the pressing and enduring issues in our lives and our world.
We invite you to join the discussion!
Why English at Trent?
- Develop a solid foundation for graduate studies in M.A./Ph.D. and/or professional studies
- Engage with authors during guest lectures and study with award-winning faculty dedicated to teaching and research
- Explore alternative learning methods, including dramatic performances, music, peer-assessed active learning, blogging and many other innovative strategies
Popular Courses
- Reading Shakespeare for the Classroom and Stage
- Creative Writing
- Children’s Literature
- Popular Fiction
- American Literature
- Canadian Literature
- Modern Irish Literature
Career Paths
- Broadcaster
- Journalist
- Librarian
- Public Relations Specialist
- Teacher
- Writer
- Translator
- Archivist
- Editor
- Communications Strategist
- Arts Critic
Get Engaged!
Find us on Twitter @english_trent, or check out the department blog, Engage and Express.
Get Involved!
Looking to meet fellow book lovers, learn about literary events, and get inspiration and support from your peers?
Visit The Trent English Student Society ( TESS in Peterborough and TESSO, in Durham) on Facebook!
Make a Plan! What can I do after my studies in English?
Whether you're still contemplating studying English, already taking classes, or on the hunt for a job, you should check out the Career Centre's guide to using your Trent English Literature degree. You will find information on the skills developed in the program, sample fields of work, professional associations, the alumni-student mentoring program, and much more.
For Graduates
In the Public Texts M.A. program at Trent University, we explore what it means to “go public” – to “publish” – and how that act resonates for writers, cultures and publics. Our students will develop new ways of looking at the production and circulation of texts, and at the history and future of texts and publics, exploring issues and emerging as central to research today.
Close working relationships between faculty and students
Trent University has a long history of encouraging our students' intellectual development and communication skills through our strong emphasis on small group teaching – an emphasis we believe contributes to our students’ exceptional depth and breadth of knowledge. This commitment, coupled with the modest size of the Public Texts program, will ensure that we are able to give you the personal guidance and encouragement needed to achieve your academic goals in a timely manner, whichever degree option you choose – Thesis, Major Research Paper or Internship.
Preparation for the future
Our program prepares our graduates for further study in a range of doctoral programs directly and indirectly related to the field of Public Texts. These include both traditional programs in English Literature and newly emerging programs in the History of the Book, Publishing and Print Culture. In addition, all of our students – especially those who take the Internship option – will benefit from the opportunity to develop professional skills applicable to fields such as publishing, editing, communications, journalism, information science and archival work.
Options
The Public Texts program offers three ways to complete your degree: by Major Research Paper, by Thesis or by Internship. The program is unique in offering an Internship opportunity as part of a research degree. Student Interns will work with a range of institutions specifically involved in the production or circulation of Public Texts such as publishers, libraries, archives, bookstores, and scholarly journals; or will develop print or digital texts for publication on behalf of a variety of institutions and community groups; or will work with faculty on program-related research.
Some Collaborative Opportunities
The Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College. In collaboration with the Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, the Public Texts program offers to a select number of students the opportunity to simultaneously earn an MA degree in English (Public Texts) and an Ontario Graduate Certificate in Creative Book Publishing. This option is available to students in all three streams of the MA program – Thesis, Major Research Paper or Internship – but is best suited to students in the Internship option who will then have available to them a very wide range of Internships through Humber College’s association with many of Canada’s leading publishers.