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BA - English as a major

If you’re fascinated by the history and creative activities of humankind and how this shapes societies and our future, then a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is for you. Our graduates are in demand for their flexible skills, practical outlook and depth of understanding they bring to their roles.

English at Waikato prepares you for what employers want – a trained mind and the ability to understand and creatively solve problems with words. You'll grow your appreciation for major literary works and a love for the English language.

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Key information

Years: 3
Points: 360
Start Dates: Trimester A (March) and Trimester B (July)
Estimated Fees* (Domestic): $6,591 - $7,608 per year
Estimated Fees* (International): $28,025 - $35,420 per year
Entry Requirements: Undergraduate International
Area of Study:
*Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees.

Career opportunities

  • Creative Writer
  • Editor
  • Freelance Writer
  • Journalist
  • Librarian
  • Marketing Executive
  • Public Relations Executive

Degree Planner

Degree planner — BA in English

For a list of papers for level 200 and level 300 study options, please see the degree planner footnotes.

Year 1

ENGLI100
Telling the Story

ENGLI101
Adaptating Stories

One from List A

ARTSC110
Old Worlds - New Worlds

Field of the Degree
100 level

Field of the Degree
100 level

Elective

Elective

Year 2

Any 200 level
ENGLI or WRITE paper

Any 200 level
ENGLI or WRITE paper

Any 200 level
ENGLI or WRITE paper

One from List B

Field of the Degree
200 level

Elective

Elective

Elective

Year 3

Any 300 level
ENGLI paper

Any 300 level
ENGLI paper

Any 300 level
ENGLI paper

Any 300 level
ENGLI paper or WRITE300

One from List C

Elective

Elective

Elective

  • Major
  • Compulsory
  • Elective

English is about language, history and culture. It is about art and aesthetics, meaning and value. At the University of Waikato, papers are drawn from literatures written in English since Medieval times, and from all major English-speaking cultures, especially from the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, the Pacific and New Zealand. English is the home of the University's programme in Writing Studies.

English is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Arts (BA). English may also be taken as a second major or minor in other undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.

To complete English as a single major for the BA, students must gain 135 points in papers listed for English, including at least 45 points at 200 level and at least 60 points at 300 level. At least 105 points must be gained from ENGLI-coded papers.

To complete English as part of a double major for the BA and other undergraduate degrees, students must gain 120 points including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level.

To complete a minor in English, students must complete 60 points from the papers listed for the English major, including at least 30 points above 100 level.

Students considering graduate study in English are advised to include a range of modern and historical papers in English in their undergraduate programme of study.

100 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ENGLI100Telling the Story15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper examines the deep stories which are at the core of the English literary tradition and the wider Western canon, using picturebooks, fairytales, popular film, detective fiction and short stories.
ENGLI101Adapting Stories15.023B (Hamilton)
This paper explores the art of adaptation, examining the process of transformation that occurs when creative artists reimagine and retell stories in new ways and new media.

200 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ENGLI200Global Fictions15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper examines literary responses to the contemporary world. We will study international writing that grapples with issues associated with gender, race, technology, terrorism, and climate change.
ENGLI201Utopias and Dystopias15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper provides an introduction to utopian and dystopian writing and the way in which literature gives voice to the dreams and fears of humanity.
ENGLI202Shakespeare's Worlds15.023C (Hamilton)
This paper explores Shakespeare's worlds in performance and in print, examining his plays and poems in the context of the dynamic cultural outputs from many other Renaissance artists.
PACIS201Pacific Texts15.0No occurrences
This paper explores the diverse written, film, media and online texts of the Pacific region. The main focus is on contemporary texts; these will be contextualised by an examination of traditional Pacific textual forms and the histories of textual production in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
WRITE201Food Writing15.023B (Hamilton)
This paper uses writing about food, including recipes, memoirs, restaurant reviews and researched food writing, as the primary materials in a learning experience with an intensive applied writing focus.
WRITE202Creative Writing: Voice and Image15.023B (Hamilton)
This course explores the basic elements of imaginative writing - image and voice - concentrating the student's attention on the central writing practices of 'seeing' and 'saying.'
WRITE203Creative Writing: Inspiring Work15.023G (Hamilton)
This intensive, workshop-based paper, taught by award-winning novelist Catherine Chidgey, examines the concept of inspiration as it applies to creative writing. Students will consider historical theories of artistic inspiration as well as the methods of practising writers. Thematic lectures around the central topic will address rit...
WRITE205Writing for the Screen15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper explores foundational concepts in writing for the screen and develops practical skills in the application of these concepts during workshop sessions. The paper is organised around four main topic areas: world-making, characters, structures, and scenes/sequences. Students will produce a portfolio of writing, including pro...

300 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ENGLI300Theory Matters15.023B (Hamilton)
This paper reads primary literary texts through a range of theories of literature, for example, historicist approaches, deconstruction/post-structuralism, gender studies, psychoanalysis, and theories of narrative and representation.
ENGLI301Genre Studies: Challenging Forms15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper is an intensive study of specific literary forms such as tragedy, poetry, travel writing, autobiography, and crime writing. The focus will vary from year to year.
ENGLI302Modernisms15.023A (Hamilton)
This paper explores canonical modernist texts of Europe and North America. It also examines exciting new developments in transnational modernisms that broaden the temporal, geographical and stylistic scope of modernism.
ENGLI303Looking Back: Reading Now15.023B (Hamilton)
This paper explores the dynamic relationship between contemporary readers and the reception of historical literary texts.
WRITE300Creative Writing: Creative Non-fiction15.023A (Hamilton)
This course explores the key elements of creative non-fiction writing, engaging with a variety of non-fiction texts including memoir, biography, the personal/lyric essay, and auto/biographical meta-fiction.

500 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ALPSS590Directed Study30.023X (Hamilton)
This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major under the guidance of academic staff.
ENGLI509The Literature of Trauma30.023B (Hamilton)
This paper explores the relationship between memory, suffering and writing in the literature of war, the Holocaust, physical trauma and mental illness.
ENGLI531Literature and Medicine30.023A (Hamilton)
This paper explores literature's engagement with the body and mind, mapping out the arts' responses to medical advances from the 1850s to the present. We will study public and literary reactions to such things as germs, vaccinations, nervous disorders, cancer, and tuberculosis.
ENGLI591Dissertation30.023A (Hamilton) & 23B (Hamilton)
A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.
ENGLI592Dissertation60.023X (Hamilton)
A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.
ENGLI593English Thesis90.023X (Hamilton)
An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.
ENGLI594English Thesis120.023X (Hamilton)
An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.
WRITE501Writing for Publication30.023A (Hamilton)
This paper explores different forms of published output, including poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction, writing for advertising, digital and print media, and essays/features. WRITE501 addresses research, drafting, editing and proof-reading, and issues such as privacy, defamation and informed consent.
WRITE546Creative Writing: Writing and Embodiment30.023A (Hamilton)
A writing-intensive paper focused on the ways in which 'embodiment' is key in generating vital characters, shaping dramatic narratives, and crafting resonant sentences aware of the sensory impact of language.

800 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ENGLI800English MPhil Thesis120.023X (Hamilton)
No description available.

900 Level

Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
ENGLI900English PhD Thesis120.023I (Hamilton), 23J (Hamilton), 23K (Hamilton) & 23X (Hamilton)
No description available.

Scholarships and prizes

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Subject Requirements

For more information about subject requirements, please refer to the Catalogue of Papers for the most up to date information. If you have any questions and need more advice contact one of our friendly student advisors phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4080 or email: [email protected]

Contacts

School of Arts
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4922
General and Undergraduate Email Enquiries: [email protected]
Graduate and Postgraduate Email Enquiries: [email protected]