Monday, December 12, 2011
CBU English Video
Check out our new video on Youtube, complete with original music by Hinson Calabrese.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
CBU English Student a Finalist in International Teleplay Competition
Cape Breton University Honours English Student Stephen MacNeil has been named a finalist in the Creative World Awards Screenwriting and Teleplay competition. MacNeil, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) English student, was honoured in the existing sitcom category for his hilarious spec script for the CBS hit The Big Bang Theory.
The Creative World Awards is an international competition based in Los Angeles. Its goal is to recognize up and coming talent and encourage writing within the film and television industry. Submitted works must be produced by amateurs, and be written in English. The competition is considered by many to be one of the leading screenplay and teleplay competitions in the world with participation from some of the major production companies in the industry.
In 2008, MacNeil’s spec script for film, The Last Anzian, reached the quarter-finals in the Austin Film Festival drama category, and this year, the same script placed as a preliminary finalist in the Creative World Awards action/adventure category in their feature screenplay competition.
MacNeil is currently in the last year of his degree at CBU and plans on earning a Master’s degree in English with a focus on creative writing to help him in pursuing his interests in film, television, and literature.
The Creative World Awards is an international competition based in Los Angeles. Its goal is to recognize up and coming talent and encourage writing within the film and television industry. Submitted works must be produced by amateurs, and be written in English. The competition is considered by many to be one of the leading screenplay and teleplay competitions in the world with participation from some of the major production companies in the industry.
In 2008, MacNeil’s spec script for film, The Last Anzian, reached the quarter-finals in the Austin Film Festival drama category, and this year, the same script placed as a preliminary finalist in the Creative World Awards action/adventure category in their feature screenplay competition.
MacNeil is currently in the last year of his degree at CBU and plans on earning a Master’s degree in English with a focus on creative writing to help him in pursuing his interests in film, television, and literature.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Meet Dana Mount!
I spend my few bits of free time these days dreaming up reading lists for my future courses. A reading list is a lot like a playlist: you want it to have a theme, a mood. It should excite people, and maybe even surprise them. But you don’t want to hear my playlists, because I’m pretty hopeless when it comes to music, really. What I do know is books. More specifically (because by this point in our education and careers, we professors get pretty specific), I know postcolonial environmental literature.
I’m Dana Mount, and I’m (delighted to be!) the new professor in World and Indigenous Literatures here at CBU. I’ll tell you a bit about how I came to be where I am today. It’s a story of someone who tried to avoid studying English but kept coming back to it.
Upon leaving high school I was pretty determined to Save the Planet. I enrolled in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program at York University where I met a bunch of wonderful people who were also pretty determined to Save the Planet. Turns out many of them had a lot more hands-on determination than me. I kept gravitating towards questions about why we were in the state of crisis that we were in, what informed our attitudes towards the environment.
My focus on cultural attitudes towards the environment led me to want to study theories of power and structure in society. I undertook a Masters of Arts in the School of Women’s Studies, also at York University. There I studied theories of race and racism, labour history, gender and sexuality, global development and politics. I met a lot of inspiring people who are working to end oppression.
Throughout these two degrees, though, what sustained me was being able to take courses on literature where I could finally see these larger ideas being expressed, argued, and illuminated in ways theory alone was unable to do. I signed on for a PhD in the Department of English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University. I met a lot of people who are passionate about reading and who believe in the power of writing. There I combined my interest in world and indigenous issues, environmentalism, and literature.
And it is that combination that I bring with me here at CBU. Next year I hope to be offering courses in postcolonial literature and theory. I’m working on the reading list right now, and yes, I take requests. Feel free to drop by (CC228) or email me, dana_mount@cbu.ca.
I’m Dana Mount, and I’m (delighted to be!) the new professor in World and Indigenous Literatures here at CBU. I’ll tell you a bit about how I came to be where I am today. It’s a story of someone who tried to avoid studying English but kept coming back to it.
Upon leaving high school I was pretty determined to Save the Planet. I enrolled in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies program at York University where I met a bunch of wonderful people who were also pretty determined to Save the Planet. Turns out many of them had a lot more hands-on determination than me. I kept gravitating towards questions about why we were in the state of crisis that we were in, what informed our attitudes towards the environment.
My focus on cultural attitudes towards the environment led me to want to study theories of power and structure in society. I undertook a Masters of Arts in the School of Women’s Studies, also at York University. There I studied theories of race and racism, labour history, gender and sexuality, global development and politics. I met a lot of inspiring people who are working to end oppression.
Throughout these two degrees, though, what sustained me was being able to take courses on literature where I could finally see these larger ideas being expressed, argued, and illuminated in ways theory alone was unable to do. I signed on for a PhD in the Department of English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University. I met a lot of people who are passionate about reading and who believe in the power of writing. There I combined my interest in world and indigenous issues, environmentalism, and literature.
And it is that combination that I bring with me here at CBU. Next year I hope to be offering courses in postcolonial literature and theory. I’m working on the reading list right now, and yes, I take requests. Feel free to drop by (CC228) or email me, dana_mount@cbu.ca.
Monday, August 15, 2011
New French Courses
FRNC 3701: L’Acadie/Acadia: Translating Literature and Culture
Instructor: Dr. Richard Marchand
Frnc 3701 is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Acadian culture, its history, language and literature (in the original and in translation). The course will include historical material (Naomi Griffiths – Contexts of Acadian History 1686-1784) revealing both English and French Colonial attitudes and the realities of the Acadian “nation” through the ages. The literary investigation will follow with a focus on poetry (Reves Inachevees – Unfinished Dreams: contemporary Poetry of Acadia), drama (Maillet – La Sagouine) and the novel (Maillet Pelagie la Charette), in the original texts but with English translations for support, although the classroom discussions will be primarily in French. We will also look at the difficulties of translation when what might be called “regional works” are involved.
FRNC 3703: Innovation & Variation in French/Francophone Literature
Instructor: Dr. Bernard Mulo Farenkia
The course will look at forms and functions of innovative language usages (e.g. code-switching, semantic shift, loan word, calquing) and regional variations in the works of some contemporary French / francophone writers (e.g. Ahmadou Kourouma, Yves Viollier, Mongo Beti, Camara Laye, Patrice Nganang, Ferdinand Oyono, Joseph Zobel, etc.). We will further discuss translation difficulties of “regional language usages” and comment on some translation techniques adopted in the English versions of the original texts.
Instructor: Dr. Richard Marchand
Frnc 3701 is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Acadian culture, its history, language and literature (in the original and in translation). The course will include historical material (Naomi Griffiths – Contexts of Acadian History 1686-1784) revealing both English and French Colonial attitudes and the realities of the Acadian “nation” through the ages. The literary investigation will follow with a focus on poetry (Reves Inachevees – Unfinished Dreams: contemporary Poetry of Acadia), drama (Maillet – La Sagouine) and the novel (Maillet Pelagie la Charette), in the original texts but with English translations for support, although the classroom discussions will be primarily in French. We will also look at the difficulties of translation when what might be called “regional works” are involved.
FRNC 3703: Innovation & Variation in French/Francophone Literature
Instructor: Dr. Bernard Mulo Farenkia
The course will look at forms and functions of innovative language usages (e.g. code-switching, semantic shift, loan word, calquing) and regional variations in the works of some contemporary French / francophone writers (e.g. Ahmadou Kourouma, Yves Viollier, Mongo Beti, Camara Laye, Patrice Nganang, Ferdinand Oyono, Joseph Zobel, etc.). We will further discuss translation difficulties of “regional language usages” and comment on some translation techniques adopted in the English versions of the original texts.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
New Course Description Information for 2011-2012
Looking for detailed information on English, French, or Drama courses for the coming year?
Find all the answers in this handy PDF!
Find all the answers in this handy PDF!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Jesse Ferguson talks about his upcoming creative writing workshop
Jesse Patrick Ferguson currently lives in Sydney, Cape Breton, with his wife and son. Jesse has published poetry and reviews in ten countries, in both print and online formats. Recently, his poems have appeared in Canadian Literature, Prairie Fire, The Walrus, Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry and Harper’s. His work also appears in the anthologies Best Canadian Poetry, 2009 and Rogue Stimulus. Jesse has been a poetry editor for The Fiddlehead and for several other Canadian literary journals. In 2009, Freehand Books published his first full-length poetry collection, Harmonics.
In this one-day workshop, we will explore the craft of poetry writing, within a fun and casual atmosphere. We will discuss some of the basics of poetry (meter, rhyme, metaphor, form, etc.), and in order to reinforce these basics, we will read some classic poems.
Our next task will be to workshop (share/edit) our own poetry. Participants will have the opportunity to share their poems and to receive constructive feedback. Participation is therefore encouraged, but not mandatory.
Finally, the class will discuss how to successfully send poetry out for publication in magazines, e-zines and/or books. Students of all experience levels are welcome, though some experience of writing poems is preferable (please bring them if you have any).
In this course you can expect to become a better writer and reader of poetry, gain confidence in your writing and ideas, learn how to get published, and, of course, have fun!
See the Cabot Trail Writers Fest website for further details.
In this one-day workshop, we will explore the craft of poetry writing, within a fun and casual atmosphere. We will discuss some of the basics of poetry (meter, rhyme, metaphor, form, etc.), and in order to reinforce these basics, we will read some classic poems.
Our next task will be to workshop (share/edit) our own poetry. Participants will have the opportunity to share their poems and to receive constructive feedback. Participation is therefore encouraged, but not mandatory.
Finally, the class will discuss how to successfully send poetry out for publication in magazines, e-zines and/or books. Students of all experience levels are welcome, though some experience of writing poems is preferable (please bring them if you have any).
In this course you can expect to become a better writer and reader of poetry, gain confidence in your writing and ideas, learn how to get published, and, of course, have fun!
See the Cabot Trail Writers Fest website for further details.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Celebration!
Please join the Department of Languages and Letters on Friday, April 8 as it celebrates student scholarship in literature and writing. The event will be held in Multi-Purpose Room B. A light lunch will be provided. Please join us as we celebrate student achievement.
Schedule of Events
11:00a.m.: Honours Thesis Presentations by Kyle Capstick and Brittany Harnum
12:00: Awarding of Shauna Gillis Prizes for outstanding literary essays in upper-year and first-year categories, and the Mary Keshen Prize for composition.
The short-listed candidates for the Prizes are:
Shauna Gillis Prize
Upper year category: Kyle Capstick, Stephen MacNeil, Mary Vickers
First year category: Carl Kooka, Parker MacNeil, Sarah Penney, Chantelle Zawila
Mary Keshen Prize: Shawn P. Aucoin, Alyssa Kowalczyk, Patricia McCann
12:30 p.m.: Information Session on Upper-year English Courses for the 2011-12 Academic Year.
The Department would also like to thank the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Norton Publishers, Pearson Education, Broadview Press, and Oxford UP for their donations and support.
Schedule of Events
11:00a.m.: Honours Thesis Presentations by Kyle Capstick and Brittany Harnum
12:00: Awarding of Shauna Gillis Prizes for outstanding literary essays in upper-year and first-year categories, and the Mary Keshen Prize for composition.
The short-listed candidates for the Prizes are:
Shauna Gillis Prize
Upper year category: Kyle Capstick, Stephen MacNeil, Mary Vickers
First year category: Carl Kooka, Parker MacNeil, Sarah Penney, Chantelle Zawila
Mary Keshen Prize: Shawn P. Aucoin, Alyssa Kowalczyk, Patricia McCann
12:30 p.m.: Information Session on Upper-year English Courses for the 2011-12 Academic Year.
The Department would also like to thank the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Norton Publishers, Pearson Education, Broadview Press, and Oxford UP for their donations and support.
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