Why study English?

Class sizes are kept as small as possible to encourage a collegial and collaborative learning environment. Most undergraduate English classes are capped at 45, while second and fourth-year seminars are capped at 15.

The University of Ottawa is situated in the heart of downtown Ottawa, a short walk from Parliament Hill, the Rideau canal, the Byward Market and some of Canada’s most prestigious cultural institutions. Our students have unparalleled access to the National Library, the Canadian History Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, as well as an internationally renowned group of scholars and teachers.

We have a thriving cultural life on and off campus. Join student movements and become a part of the English Department’s community. Reading groups, work-in progress seminars, and visiting speakers ensure that the intellectual life of the department is conducted in public spaces beyond the lecture hall and seminar room.

At the University of Ottawa, we pride ourselves on our ability to foster and support students through mentorship and guidance. With our individualized attention, we will help you find the right academic path for you. 

Our faculty members’ research and teaching draw on a wide variety of methodological approaches, including historical scholarship, archival research, book history, post-colonialism, eco-criticism, feminism and gender studies, media studies, and digital humanities. As a department, we are committed to interdisciplinary research which forges connections with related fields such as philosophy, art history, theology, anthropology, ecology, and the history of science.

Our breadth of interest is reflected in the courses we offer at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. From medieval manuscripts to graphic novels, and from Shakespeare to slam poetry, our students explore the full diversity and range of expression afforded by the English language.

Our students learn research skills and critical methods that enable them to become independent scholar-researchers adept at analyzing large bodies of complex information. Our programs are designed to provide a thorough grounding in the literary and cultural histories of Canada, Great Britain, the United States, and other Anglophone cultures around the world, as well as exposure to key debates in cultural politics and literary theory.

We offer very popular Creative Writing seminars for undergraduates, each year bringing a new Writer-in-Residence to the department to give readings, lectures, hold office hours, and teach a creative writing seminar.

With an English degree, you develop analytical skills and the ability to write and edit on a professional level. We teach critical and creative thinking, clarity and ease of expression, the ability to weigh evidence, assess arguments, and conduct research. Many of our graduates pursue careers in journalism, publishing, professional writing and editing, government, law, education, finance and many other professional fields.