THE POWER OF STORIES
English at the University of Lethbridge
We offer students the opportunity to study the properties and powers of language—the fundamental means by which we communicate our values, our ideals and vision.
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English is not just about the rhetorical and creative aspects of literature. It’s about examining culture in the context of history, culture, psychology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, and more.
Our program begins with an introduction to language and literature in which instructors focus on the basics of literary reading, discussion, and writing. In second year, we teach broad overviews and surveys of literary genres, periods, theory, and other topics. Third and fourth year involve the close study of major works, periods, and topics in literature from the British, American, Canadian, Diasporic and Global Anglophone traditions. In addition, we offer a variety of special courses in topics such as rhetoric, the history of language, literary theory, gender, children’s literature, the digital humanities, and creative writing.
By studying English, you will learn how we use language in the world at large, as well as consider the functions, structures and significance of literature over time. The program provides you with an excellent foundation for a career in virtually any professional capacity due to the cross-disciplinary knowledge base you will develop in the program.
Graduate supervision is available in either English (Masters) or the University's interdisciplinary Cultural, Social, and Political Thought program (Masters and PhD). We have a particularly active cohort of graduate students in the digital humanities, language, and medieval/textual studies in our Humanities Innovation Lab.
Find out more about getting your degree in English.
Department News
The Department of English welcomes two new colleagues this semester: Jessica Copley (Contemporary Literature) and Dana Lew (Eighteenth Century).
Jessica Copley has been appointed to a tenure-track position in contemporary literature. She is teaching our first year course (English 1900) this semester and will be teaching courses in her research specialty in the Winter Semester.
Dana Lew joins us for a three-year position in eighteenth-century literature. He is currently teaching a fourth year seminar, Violent Voyages: Fiction and Travel before 1800.
Both new faculty members come to the University of Lethbridge from the University of Toronto.
New Book by Ian McAdam, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Religious Toleration
Professor Ian McAdam’s Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Religious Toleration has just been published by University of Toronto Press. The major work of scholarship reconsiders how Marlowe and Shakespeare engaged with the theological conflicts of their age, offering new insight into the early stirrings of religious tolerance.
Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Religious Toleration is McAdam's third monograph.
$300,000 SSHRC Insight Grant Awarded
Dr. Daniel Paul O’Donnell, Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Innovation Lab, has received a four-year, $300,000 Insight Grant from SSHRC. His project, Resistance to Data, explores how humanities scholars work with research materials and how data infrastructure can better support them. Over 90% of the funding will support graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow.
English student Levi Mason wins second prize in Play Right Competition
University of Lethbridge English student, Levi Mason, has secured second place in the 2025 Play Right Prize competition for his script, God is a Black Hole.
God is a Black Hole delves into themes of existentialism, nihilism, and the quest for meaning against the backdrop of an impending apocalypse. The narrative follows three childhood friends who reunite at the world's end, reflecting on their choices, regrets, and enduring bonds.
Mason attributes the inspiration for his script to the English course "Literature and Nothingness," taught by Dr. Jay Gamble. A class discussion linking concepts of God, black holes, and existential nothingness sparked the central idea for his play.+1
Students, Alumni, Faculty Network
Faculty, students, and alumni of the English department have set up a new network on Linked-In. The goal is to bring together current students with recent (and not-so-recent) alumni in order to share skills, interests, and stories. And hopefully find some old and new friends.
If you are interested in joining, please visit our group on Linked-In.
English graduate students publish article on AI and student writing
MA and PhD students in the Department published an article on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on commonly used student writing tools n the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education.
The paper, which was developed from a project under the supervision of Adjunct department member Dr. Barbara Bordalejo, compares tools and assesses their impact by using them on texts written prior to the advent of popular chatbots such as ChatGPT.
Department Stories
Shining Student Danika Tarasewich
2025 Play Right Prize winners create compelling written tales
Shining Student Niihtaapookaa (Old Man River Child), Tatiana Weasel Moccasin
Shining Student Indie MacGarva
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