I’m going to be a first year Humanities student at U of T starting in the Fall. I’m thinking about double majoring in English and Book & Media Studies once second year comes around. The problem is that I have no idea what courses I should take because there are really any specific course requirements for either program. I got accepted to Innis One, so I know I’ll be taking two half credit courses. I have no idea what to do though. Any suggestions for courses? Thanks!
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hey there,
well congrats on having your interests so coherent and figured out already. aska also happens to be in an english POSt, and that’s about all the assurance you need that a subject POSt is going to absolutely blow your mind.*
as for courses, you’ve got quite a bit of flexibility, especially in your first year. however, to make sure that the POSts are right for you, it’s a good idea to take one or more of the first year courses offered by the department.
ENG140Y1 and ENG150Y1 are the first-year courses offered by the English department. aside from being really great classes, a lot of people who will end up in an English POSt take them, and it’s nice to be have the same knowledge foundation as everyone else in your major.
there are no first-year Book & Media Studies courses. i’d recommend that you take SMC188Y1, which can go towards fulfilling admission requirements for the POSt, but it looks like you can’t take the course if you’re in innis one. you might consider taking Book & Media’s introductory course, which is SMC219Y1. think about it carefully, though, because it is a second-year course, which some first-years can find a bit overwhelming. but you know – you could be a child prodigy. who knows. anyway, it’s your call.
generally speaking, there are a myriad different courses that can nicely complement English and Book & Media Studies. i found that taking a couple of Classics courses is nice for an English major, because a lot of the old-as-sand literature you’ll be reading will reference ancient Greek and Roman myths and stuff. Latin, Celtic Studies and French are pretty good supplements to an English POSt as well. finally, a couple History courses could nicely contextualize what you learn about in your Book & Media courses.
also, it’s a good idea to take a couple breadth requirement courses while you’re in first year, if you can. the quicker they’re out of the way, the easier it is for you, though they only need to be done by the time you graduate.
cheers,
aska
*no, i don’t think my rampant narcissism is a problem. why?