English
Welcome
Welcome to the Department of English. Here you will encounter ideas, both new and old, and texts, both experimental and traditional. You will read some of the best works in literature and culture; you will engage in provocative conversations about meaning, history, the future, your identity, and your place in the world.
We offer degrees in English and communication studies, diplomas in creative writing and performance and communications media, and a certificate in film studies.
All of our programs are designed to help you think critically, read closely, and write effectively. Whether you are pursuing a major, a minor, an honours, or a graduate degree, you will find a diverse range of courses taught by dynamic and engaging professors.
Spotlight on: Joel Thomas Hynes, Winter 2025 - Writer-in-Residence
The Department of English and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are delighted to welcome Joel Thomas Hynes as Memorial University’s 2025 Writer-in-Residence. He will be in residence throughout the Winter term.
Joel Thomas Hynes is a multidisciplinary writer and performer from Calvert, Newfoundland.
He has authored numerous books, stage plays and feature films and is the creator of the award-winning CBC TV comedy series Little Dog. His essays and stories have been published across various periodicals and media outlets such as the Globe and Mail, the Independent and CBC.
His published works include Down to the Dirt (winner of the Percy Janes First Novel Award), Right Away Monday, God Help Thee: A Manifesto, Straight Razor Days and The Devil You Don’t Know (cowritten w/Sherry White). His 2017 novel, We’ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night, won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, The BMO Winterset Award and the NL Writer’s Alliance Award for Fiction. Cast No Shadow, the feature film adaptation of his novella Say Nothing Saw Wood won Hynes the award for Best Atlantic Screenwriter at FINN and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
As an actor, JTH has held lead and principal roles for many films and TV series including Down to the Dirt, Republic of Doyle, Cast No Shadow, A Small Fortune, Orphan Black, Little Dog, Book of Negros, Purgatory Jack, Trickster, and Sullivan’s Crossing.
He is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Screenwriter’s Lab and holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King’s College, Halifax.
Also a musician, Hynes’s music is available across all online platforms including Apple Music and Spotify. Hynes lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Harlow Semester 2025
Theatre, Film, and Social Justice at MUN’s Harlow Campus in England
Join Drs. Jamie Skidmore and Andrea Procter in Fall 2025 for a semester in Harlow, UK. Study world class theatre, watch and create films, and learn about social justice from social activists.
Classes can be used towards an English, Anthropology, or CMST degree, or towards the Diploma in Stage and Screen Technique.
Students from any discipline can attend.
To find out more, join our Facebook information page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/harlowfall2025
Or contact Dr. Skidmore or Dr. Procter directly:
In the Spotlight: Creative Writing Newsletter
