English - Cultural Studies Major Concentration (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: English (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The Cultural Studies option concentrates on analysis of forms of cultural expression and symbolic interaction, and of the various media through which these may be disseminated and transformed. Such study concerns symbolic form, aesthetically based forms of analysis, and the various modes of criticism and theory relevant to media which contain both verbal and non-verbal elements. The aim is above all to hone students' analytical and interpretive skills while introducing them to specific critical approaches to cultural studies. This is not a major in journalism or communications; and while many of our graduates go on to do creative work in a variety of media, instruction in film and video production is not part of the curriculum.
For the most up-to-date information on Department requirements and detailed course descriptions, please see the English Department Handbook at http://www.mcgill.ca/english/.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Required Courses (9 credits)
These courses should be taken in the first two terms of the program.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 275 | Introduction to Cultural Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Cultural Studies. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A survey of cultural studies, its history and subject matter, presenting key interpretive and analytic concepts, the aesthetic and political issues involved in the construction of sign systems, definitions of culture and cultural values conceptualized both as a way of life and as a set of actual practices and products. | ||
| ENGL 277 | Introduction to Film Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Film Studies. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to key concepts in film studies. Exemplary works from the history of film will be studied to introduce students to such topics as the aesthetics of film; sound's production of meaning; film as narrative; film and genre; period and national cinemas; film's role in culture. | ||
| ENGL 359 | The Poetics of the Image. | 3 |
The Poetics of the Image. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course examines contemporary debates about the aesthetic dimensions as well as social roles of pictorial, theatrical, cinematic, and other representations, the meanings, effects, and aesthetic significance of which depend on their having visually recognizable features. | ||
Complementary Courses (27 credits)
27 credits selected as described below.
Note on Topics Courses: The Department of English offers courses which change topic from academic year to academic year. Depending on the topic in a specific year, these courses may count toward different program requirements. At the time they register for a topics course, students should confirm with their program adviser the program requirement it fulfils for that academic year.
Major Figures
3 credits from a list of courses on Major Figures in Cultural Studies:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 315 | Shakespeare. | 3 |
Shakespeare. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A study of the major works of Shakespeare. | ||
| ENGL 381 | A Film-Maker 1. | 3 |
A Film-Maker 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Studies in the history of film: the works of a major director. Topic varies each year. | ||
| ENGL 418 | A Major Modernist Writer. | 3 |
A Major Modernist Writer. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Intensive study of a writer important for Modernism, such as James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein. | ||
| ENGL 444 | Studies in Women Authors. | 3 |
Studies in Women Authors. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Study of a particular topic related to literary, dramatic, or cultural productions by female-identified authors. | ||
| ENGL 481 | A Film-Maker 2. | 3 |
A Film-Maker 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Studies in the history of film. | ||
Canadian Component
3 credits from a list of courses in Cultural Studies with a Canadian component:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 393 | Canadian Cinema. | 3 |
Canadian Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of Canadian cinema. | ||
| ENGL 440 | First Nations and Inuit Literature and Media. | 3 |
First Nations and Inuit Literature and Media. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An introduction to Inuit and First Nations literature and media in Canada, including oral literature and the development of aboriginal television and film. | ||
| ENGL 441 | Special Topics in Canadian Cultural Studies. | 3 |
Special Topics in Canadian Cultural Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced study of a specific area of Canadian culture or Canadian cultural theory. | ||
Theory, Criticism and Methods
3 credits of Theory, Criticism, and Methods courses from the complementary list or with the permission of your department adviser.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 317 | Theory of English Studies 1. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Philosophical approaches. | ||
| ENGL 318 | Theory of English Studies 2. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Socio-Historical approaches. | ||
| ENGL 319 | Theory of English Studies 3. | 3 |
Theory of English Studies 3. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Cultural theory now. | ||
| ENGL 322 | Theories of the Text. | 3 |
Theories of the Text. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course focusing on textuality (as opposed to, say, intentionality and interpretation) and on how specific effects are made - how texts work and produce meaning, including rhetoric and form. | ||
| ENGL 346 | Materiality and Sociology of Text. | 3 |
Materiality and Sociology of Text. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Writing, printing, distribution, marketing, and placement within canon-making institutions; the influence of material forms of production and transmission on the creation and reception of literature, film, and theatre. | ||
| ENGL 352 | Theories of Difference. | 3 |
Theories of Difference. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to a selection of theories that have influenced thinking about difference across the humanities and social sciences, including gender, sexuality, race, class and hierarchical structures, language, religion, ethnicity, and personal identity. | ||
400-Level Theory
3 credits from a list of 400-level courses in Cultural Studies with a theoretical component.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 444 | Studies in Women Authors. | 3 |
Studies in Women Authors. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Study of a particular topic related to literary, dramatic, or cultural productions by female-identified authors. | ||
| ENGL 454 | Topics in Cultural Studies and Gender. | 3 |
Topics in Cultural Studies and Gender. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Current studies focusing on the gendered dimensions of cultural life, including the production and reception of mainstream, avant-garde, and alternative cultures. | ||
| ENGL 479 | Philosophy of Film. | 3 |
Philosophy of Film. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Philosophical approaches to and topics in the study of cinema. | ||
| ENGL 483 | Seminar in the Film. | 3 |
Seminar in the Film. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In-depth study of a topic related to film. Topic varies by year. | ||
| ENGL 484 | Seminar in the Film. | 3 |
Seminar in the Film. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In-depth study of specific topics related to the film, which vary from year to year. | ||
| ENGL 489 | Culture and Critical Theory 1. | 3 |
Culture and Critical Theory 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive study of advanced theoretical topics in the study of culture. | ||
| ENGL 490 | Culture and Critical Theory 2. | 3 |
Culture and Critical Theory 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive study of advanced theoretical topics in the study of culture. | ||
| ENGL 492 | Image and Text. | 3 |
Image and Text. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study of the relationship between verbal and visual aspects of a range of cultural artifacts. Topics may include iconography; illuminated manuscripts; book illustrations; cartoons and caricature. | ||
Historical Dimension
6 credits from a list of courses in Cultural Studies with an historical dimension:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 350 | Studies in the History of Film 1. | 3 |
Studies in the History of Film 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Developments in proto-cinema and early cinema through the silent era. | ||
| ENGL 351 | Studies in the History of Film 2. | 3 |
Studies in the History of Film 2. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Developments in the Hollywood Studio Era, including rivals, imitators, and alternatives. | ||
| ENGL 363 | Studies in the History of Film 3. | 3 |
Studies in the History of Film 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Developments in post-1958 cinema, from the European New Waves to contemporary global and independent cinemas. | ||
| ENGL 374 | Film Movement or Period. | 3 |
Film Movement or Period. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Study of a significant movement or period in film history. | ||
| ENGL 444 | Studies in Women Authors. | 3 |
Studies in Women Authors. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Study of a particular topic related to literary, dramatic, or cultural productions by female-identified authors. | ||
| ENGL 451 | A Period in Cinema. | 3 |
A Period in Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In-depth examination of a significant historical period in cinema's development, early silent era to present. | ||
| ENGL 480 | Studies in History of Film 1. | 3 |
Studies in History of Film 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Studies in the history of film. | ||
Additional Courses
9 additional credits from ENGL offerings, in the Literature, Cultural Studies, and Drama and Theatre Options. Other courses require approval by a departmental adviser.
Other Departments
Students are normally permitted to count 6 credits from other departments toward their English programs. In exceptional circumstances, an adviser who is approached by a student with strong academic grounds for including a third such course may grant permission (to a maximum of 9 extra-departmental credits) and must so indicate in advance by signing the departmental program audit sheet.