Formula of words: An Early Guide to English Courses for First and Second Year

Written by Euan MacDonald

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Warner Bros.

It’s a strange world, and context can be hard to come by: The context that elaborates on the vague course titles, the context that goes beyond a brief synopsis, and the context that decides between a justifiable University experience and an enjoyable one. To help make some sense of it all, this brief overview of a department that finds itself between consistent-as-stone rubrics and irregularly spaced niche topic discussion will hopefully help provide some footing for those who find gaps in their timetable for the upcoming semester. We’ll cover the basics in decision-making, the maze of Greek myth that defines credit requirements, and to conclude, I will offer some recommendations for those who still find themselves un-tethered. 

Know thyself: What reads well to you?

Uninformed choices are a lose-lose: You’ve not only made an unsure commitment, but it’s one you aren’t happy with and take a gamble on in the future. An adequate amount of preparation will ensure the reward remains the same but the risk is decreased. As many first-year students have realized, there’s a specific feeling in your gut that rises from the abdominal depths when you’re twenty minutes into a class you needed for an elective, only to realize it’s not only note-heavy, but also boring. Two steps - an amount fittable on any national parks sign that could also read Bears! Do not enter - can inform and prevent this. 

Self-Reflection and Prioritization 

First, know your own priorities and do some self-reflection. It’s a subjective thing, but everyone should do some library research on themselves before committing to the SMU self-service banner. I went back to high school, and the unfamiliar subjects were the ones I enjoyed enough to remember fondly and with little struggle. But akin to university, it all depends on the teacher, especially in literature and the arts. So reflect on former activities once enjoyed: Extracurriculars you did a single time before it interfered with the part-time job, the language your parents tried to teach you, a book club you attended once, et cetera. 

Understanding the Course and Instructor 

Second, know the class. Registration is bare bones. You get time, dates, and sometimes they haven’t even posted a professor yet. The class may exist hypothetically, the room may move, you can’t trust much. That’s why Saint Mary’s has an A-Z course guide giving curt yet apt descriptions of all courses. This might seem pretty formal and not very personalized. A great backup, if the professor is listed, is to try finding course-specific reviews on ratemyprofessor.com. Using some critical thinking is necessary here. You can’t really trust what they have to say about the professor personally, but it’s possible you gain some info on course material. For instance, the amount of assignments, grading scheme, material discussion, and so on. Getting to know the professor will come from actually taking their class; that’s a risk worth your time if you’ve done a decent amount of prep work. 

Labyrinth of credit requirement

Thankfully, your university does not take pleasure in your pain at waking up at seven in the morning for microeconomics. As a general rule, universities are interested in malleability - meaning they prefer flexibility and elasticity (so students have wiggle room in their dayplanning) over the concept of rigid scheduling and otherwise unbending calendars. This starts with the silent lifesaver of ten in the morning being your earliest class. But in the same vein, it ends with you scheduling a class that begins at 6 pm while living in Dartmouth and attempting a pilgrimage of cruel machinations reminiscent of an After Hours scene. As a life rule, don’t end up like Paul Hackett: The constant man of misfortune, his plight in the film is one that stems from a constant lack of foresight. Whether it’s the subway’s schedule change, awareness of his pocket change, poor social cognizance, or a lack of self-preservation in the form of an unpleasant habit to emburden strangers, Paul teaches us the importance of the ability to help you help yourself with awareness. Plan ahead - and carefully. Applying Hackett’s misfortune to our topic brings light to not only the consequences you avoid with a battle-tested schedule but also the perks that are introduced: One of which is credit requirements and their many bonuses.

The most pressing and evident step to take first: Saint Mary’s is most definitely interested in your Advanced Placement (AP) classes from high school. These can count as university credit (depending on your score) and a guide to Saint Mary’s specific requirements can be found here. This means you may be able to take 2000 level courses and other programs previously prohibited to first-years. But this isn’t the only way to move through coursework in an unorthodox manner: Some second-year material is accessible without a prerequisite credit. Specifics can be found at the aforementioned course guide. If they lack a stated prerequisite, you may be able to apply as a freshman. It’s good to do this now as a not-yet student because the requirements for those 2000 level courses are usually dependent on the department-specific courses you took in your first year. It’s not a lot usually - 3 credits, or an average single semester course - but if you’re making a large pivot from your academic movements in year one, it’s good to be informed now. However, if you are going into your sophomore semesters, there’s a similar lesson about third year courses: Some may have the same credit requirements (3 at the 1000 level) as second year courses, and some may ask for double (6 credits). The point: Both as a second semester first year student and a first semester second year student, you can take selective 2000 level courses. 3000 levels for first years are not recommended, but readily available for second years with appropriate skills. Return to the mantra of the first paragraph and know your limits - both in personal skill and possibility of application. 

Image by Warner Bros. Griffin Dunne as Paul Hackett in After Hours (1985)

Accuracy versus area: Ballistics of choice

No single course will have it all. Even the longest, most arduous courses offered will only take place twice a week for two semesters. A limit that - while logical - requires a spread of courses and variety that benefits from careful drafts. Ballistics, defined as the science of flight, propulsion, and impact of projectiles, is applicable to a study of what you want most out of a course from the English wing of SMU. To simplify a complex scientific study for easier understanding, we can divide into the two aspects of accuracy and area: Accuracy being the class that provides in-depth knowledge on a speicfic topic, while area represents a possibility of broader perspective in a syllabus. A course for newer students looks like your basic boilerplate introduction course. Despite the prosaic simplicity they can be described with, make no snap judgements: These are ripe with opportunity. They offer variety in a way no course past this level will. Professors are creative and can work with rubrics they’re passionate about. And you gain ground in a way that gives you wisdom beyond the 3 credit hours you may receive.

This was my experience in my first semester taking ENGL 1205 (Introduction to Literature), as I read widely (but not an absurd amount) and enjoyed full class hours that simply and strongly swept through multiple eras of important pieces of writing. Nothing is promised: Courses like this change hands every year (I’ve checked - the professor I enjoyed is already no longer teaching this semester under 1205) and experiences will vary. But it’s a safe bet as far as first year courses are concerned. While not holding the same introductory titles, other 1000 level courses hold a resemblance: Courses from this upcoming semester (September-December 2024) that may work adjacent are 1250 (Literature and Law), 1230 (Literature & the Environment), and 1284 (Literature & Resistance). At a higher level, we find courses that better represent our second value of accuracy. Does this mean that more honed-in courses can only be taken in your second semester or year? No! As mentioned when discussing credit criteria, some 2000 level courses lack a prerequisite, and can be taken in the first year. For this upcoming academic cycle, 2325 (The Media in Everyday Life) can fulfill an early need for a more focused topic. The second semester includes more, but by this time you can hold the needed 3 credits for any 2000 level course. For students in their second year or otherwise already holding their needed course hours, many more doors open: 2317 (Literary Legends: Faust) provides unique insight into a specific mythical figure. 2511 (Reading Film) gives a double-fisted approach to learning the language of cinema in a wider, bolder manner. And 2320 (Writing by Women I) strikes a nice chord in the middle of our two criteria by specifying a specific subgroup of authors while still making broad strokes in literary study. This course also reminds us our limited search does not represent the whole of your options. There are in-betweens! And a subjective notion to all of this.

Use your own judgement to figure out what makes a class a heavy weight or a feather to carry by checking the course guide biographies and sifting through the available options on the self-serve banner. This can get quite complicated very quickly: The self-serve system requires a mass of numbers to remember specifics and even with extra information, one can be left feeling overwhelmed and undersupported. If needed, students can seek additional guidance with their academic advisor. Furthermore, a career counselor can provide personalized advice. The previous link will lead to advisor contact information, while a login to career360 can provide a appointment scheduling for counselors. Never feel afraid to reach out, especially when it can save you from a less enjoyable university experience without any risk. 

Not quite right: Offshoots and sweet spots

To close, it’s best to admit - like we’re all forced to sometimes - that what we originally thought would satiate our passions may have been an error in judgment. It happens to the best of us, and although there’s no solution to the fact that mistakes will be everywhere in our lives, there’s perhaps a tertiary option if the classes recommended above don’t work for you. Although you may find literature most strongly represented in that department, it seeps through the cracks to enter every well: Almost any arts class will hold some reading. The first course I’d like to recommend is PHIL 1200 (Critical Thinking) and PHIL 1201 (Introduction to Philosophy). Philosophy holds some of the most diverse, divisive, and impregnable writing you’ll interact with in university. This may interest some already, but these courses sometimes also hold hidden surprises: For example, in the second semester of my 1201 course, our final assignment included a reading, report, and presentation on a preselected book we could vote on. What I ended up reading - Miranda Fricker’s Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing - felt more like the experience you find inside a late-year law class. The book, which I experienced as educational, easy to read, and powerful, left me with a new perspective on both the justice system and the class I had just taken. Sometimes these things surprise you. Some other courses I advocate for are HIST 1253 (Canada: Confederation to Present) with a full and lush account of Canada’s many post confederate eras, POLI 1201 (Politics: Contemporary Issues) if you find discussion and argument of art or artist vastly engaging, and PHIL 1600 (The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly) for a mixture of hypotheticals in group talks and engaging but quick reads. 

If this column is at all successful, you’ve garnered some kind of useful information from this account of early inter-departmental choices: An edge gained, a key turned, a fear eroded. The small things lead to big things, and this work is nothing more than a compilation of tiny things. If there’s a final word, it’s that all these classes - for you or not - have a similar date drop before certain consequences apply. Never be ashamed to use it and be sure not to miss it: A regret can be many things, but keep it from being a bad class you can’t take back.