Emily Looking Back at the Year - English & History

Today is my birthday, I’m all done with exams, and I’m sooo looking forward to relaxing at home with a good book.

This academic year was another step closer to earning my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature (with a History minor). I’m doing a 4-year degree, but I’m trying not to take more than four courses a semester, so it’ll probably take me 5 or 6 years to complete. This was my fourth year, so I’m almost done! If you’re willing to take a couple extra years to get your degree, I definitely recommend going at your own pace, especially if you’re working part time on the side. Four courses is already enough stress and hard work! I can’t imagine doing five.

This year was full of great courses for me; I managed to take nothing but English and History. The dream!

• Fall Semester
  • Britain in the 18^th Century
    This was my last course with Dr. Vaudry! He’s retiring this year, and I’m excited for him to enjoy his retirement, but we’ll miss him here on campus. Don’t tell the other history profs, but he was among my favourites. Dr. Vaudry’s lecture style was perfect for me – just sit back, listen well, and take lots of notes. No powerpoint. No group discussions. And he’s so easy to listen to! Our interests often lined up too – any time I saw a history course I wanted to take, he was the prof. I guess I like British history!
  • Canadian Literature Pre-1970
    I’ll be honest, I was a little wary of this course! I didn’t think I would be interested in Canadian lit from this time period, but I knew Dr. Trigg would make taking this class a delight, and I was right. She could teach anything and make it interesting. This is a must for English students who need to fulfil their Canadian Lit credit, or aspiring Education students who need a Canadian Content credit – especially of Dr. Trigg’s the one walking you through it. Who knew Canadian literature could be so interesting?
  • Milton and the 17^th Century
    Speaking of phenomenal professors . . . if you have the opportunity to take a class with Dr. Zinck, do it! Reading all of Paradise Lost was daunting, but so worth it. I found it especially enriching because I had taken the Stuart Britain history course with Dr. Vaudry the year before, so I already had a good grasp of the historical context informing the works we read and studied.
  • Historiography and Methods
    Don’t let the title fool you – this course was so interesting! Dr. Sandle is hilarious and delightful and I loved learning about why and how we do history. History is a labor of love for the people of the past and present, and learning explicitly how be loving historians was so valuable.
• Winter Semester
  • History and Practice of Allegory
    I’ll be honest, the main reason I took this course was because I wanted to study The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (strongly recommend) but I’m glad I got to get to know some other famous allegories too! Animal Farm became a new, unexpected, favourite of mine.
  • King Arthur in Legend and Literature
    Part of the reason I chose King’s was because I wanted to take this course. I grew up reading books about King Arthur, in grade 4 I named my dog after one of the characters in the legends, and now I’ve finally read some of the older source materials for Arthurian legend, and really know the story and how it’s evolved over time! So cool.
  • Psychology and Literature
    I discovered one of my new all-time favourite novels because of this course (Go give Fugitive Pieces a read if you haven’t yet)! The marriage of psychology and literature is engaging and important for both disciplines. Dr. Trigg and Dr. Peet have a great dynamic, and it was so interesting to learn from both of them at the same time.
  • Creative Writing: Short Story/Poetry
    When I was a kid I was always My childhood dream was to be a published author before I graduated High School (lol). I’ve been out of the writing game for a while, so this was a great opportunity for me to get back into the practice of writing more regularly. It was also very affirming! I’ve been encouraged to pursue it more seriously, which speaks well to those childhood dreams.

Oops! This blog is getting a little long! I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about some of the amazing courses offered at King’s.

Enjoy your summer!

Emily