English (2022)

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.

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.

Note: Normally, candidates must gain at least 60 points at 100 level in any subject(s) before enrolling in English papers above 100 level, and at least 90 points at 100 and 200 level before enrolling in English papers above 200 level.


On this page


  • Prescriptions for the GradCert(Engl) and GradDip(Engl)

    A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included English at an advanced level in their first degree.

    For further details, contact the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences Office.

  • Prescriptions for the PGCert(Engl), PGDip(Engl), BA(Hons) and MA

    To complete a BA(Hons) in English, students must gain 120 points at 500 level, including at least 30 points in research (normally ENGLI591) and at least 30 points from papers listed for English.

    To be eligible to be considered for enrolment in the MA in English, a student must have completed either:

    a) a BA with a major in English (or equivalent) and have gained at least a B average across the 300 level papers, or

    b) a BA(Hons) in English (or equivalent) and have gained at least second class honours (second division), or a PGDip in English (or equivalent) with at least a B average, and

    c) have satisfied the prerequisites for graduate study in the subject(s) being presented for the Degree, at levels considered appropriate by the Academic Board.

    Completion requirements for the MA in English vary according to admission criteria:

    Students admitted under a) above must complete 180 points from approved 500 level papers, including a research foundations paper, and either a 120 point thesis, a 90 point thesis or a 60 point dissertation.

    Students admitted under b) above must complete a 120 point thesis, a 90 point thesis and a further 30 points from approved 500 level papers, or a 60 point dissertation and a further 60 points from approved 500 level papers.

  • Prescriptions for the MPhil

    The Master of Philosophy is a one year research-based degree in which students undertake a programme of approved and supervised research that leads to a thesis which critically investigates an approved topic of substance and significance, demonstrates expertise in the methods of research and scholarship, displays intellectual independence and makes a substantial original contribution to the subject area concerned, and is of publishable quality.

  • Prescriptions for the PhD

    The Doctor of Philosophy is a three year research-based degree in which students undertake a programme of approved and supervised research that leads to a thesis which critically investigates an approved topic of substance and significance, demonstrates expertise in the methods of research and scholarship, displays intellectual independence and makes a substantial original contribution to the subject area concerned, and is of publishable quality.

  • 100 Level

    Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
    ENGLI100Telling the Story15.022B (Hamilton)
    This paper examines the deep stories which are at the core of the English literary tradition and the wider Western canon, with examples from the epic of Gilgamesh to Star Wars IV: A New Hope.
    ENGLI101Adapting Stories15.022A (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 Fictions15.022B (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.
    ENGLI201Genre Studies: Tropes and Techniques15.022A (Hamilton)
    This paper is an introductory study of specific literary forms. This year, the focus will be on utopian and dystopian writing and the way in which literature gives voice to the dreams and fears of humanity.
    ENGLI202Shakespeare's Worlds15.022C (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.
    WRITE201Applied Writing: Food Writing15.022A (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 Image15.022B (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.'
    WRITE203Special Topic: Inspiring Work15.022G (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 Screen15.022A (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 Matters15.022B (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 Forms15.022B (Hamilton)
    This paper is an intensive study of specific literary forms such as tragedy, travel writing, autobiography, and crime writing. The focus will vary from year to year.
    ENGLI303Looking Back: Reading Now15.022A (Hamilton)
    This paper explores the dynamic relationship between contemporary readers and the reception of historical literary texts.
    WRITE300Creative Writing: Creative Non-fiction15.022A (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
    ENGLI509The Literature of Trauma30.022B (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 Medicine30.022A (Hamilton)
    This paper explores literature's engagement with the medicalised 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.
    ENGLI590Directed Study30.022A (Hamilton) & 22B (Hamilton)
    Students have the opportunity to pursue a topic of their own interest under the guidance of academic staff.
    ENGLI591Dissertation30.022A (Hamilton) & 22B (Hamilton)
    A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.
    ENGLI592Dissertation60.022X (Hamilton)
    A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.
    ENGLI593English Thesis90.022X (Hamilton)
    An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.
    ENGLI594English Thesis120.022X (Hamilton)
    An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.
    WRITE501Writing for Publication30.022A (Hamilton)
    Writing for Publication will focus on writing for professional publication, examining the modes, standards and practices associated with different forms of published output. Students will read examples from a variety of fields, including fiction and creative non-fiction, writing for advertising and digital media, and scholarly/acad...
  • 800 Level

    Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
    ENGLI800English MPhil Thesis120.022X (Hamilton)
    No description available.
  • 900 Level

    Code Paper Title Points Occurrence / Location
    ENGLI900English PhD Thesis120.022I (Hamilton), 22J (Hamilton), 22K (Hamilton), 22L (Hamilton), 22M (Hamilton) & 22X (Hamilton)
    No description available.

2022 Catalogue of Papers information current as of : 22 September 2023 8:09pm

This page has been reformatted for printing.