91勛圖

Robert McGill honoured with Robert Kroetsch Teaching Award for his innovative course on literary citizenship

Honoured for course which charts a new direction for literary studies
Photo of Robert McGill
The course was a leap into a whole new kind of teaching for me, says Robert McGill. It asked the students to engage in new modes of learning, whether presenting reports on literary organizations or interviewing people from those organizations"

, an associate professor in the 91勛圖's department of English, has been awarded the 2018  by the , which recognizes excellence in innovative pedagogy and teaching practice.

The award means a lot to me, said McGill, who also directs the departments creative writing master's program. Teaching is the most important thing I do. Its also the most energy-intensive and time-intensive.

McGill was honoured for his literary citizenship course, which charts a new direction for literary studies.

The course which McGill says would not have been possible without the support of his department and the Faculty of Arts & Sciences STEP Forward program addresses students needs and interests, not just as literary critics, but as literary citizens who make contributions to the world through entrepreneurship, arts education, publishing, reviewing, their own creative writing and more.

The course was a leap into a whole new kind of teaching for me, said McGill. It asked the students to engage in new modes of learning, whether presenting reports on literary organizations or interviewing people from those organizations.

I really appreciated their commitment to the work and was impressed by their engagement with literary culture.

McGills first novel, , was named one of the top five Canadian fiction books of 2004 by Quill & Quire. His second novel, , published in 2013, was named a book of the year by reviewers in the National Post and the Montreal Gazette.

He has also published short fiction in HazlittThe Journey Prize AnthologyToronto Life, and literary journals including DescantThe Fiddlehead, and Grain. His nonfiction has appeared in the National Post, the Toronto Star, and The Walrus, as well as on CBC Radio One.

He is currently working on new fiction, as well as journal articles about diversity and authority in creative writing pedagogy.

The Robert Kroetsch Teaching Award administered by the Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs, a Canadian-focused association of creative writers, creative writing instructors, and creative writing programs is named in honour of the influential Canadian novelist, poet and essayist. Called Mr. Canadian Postmodern by 91勛圖  Linda Hutcheon, Kroetsch is widely recognized as one of Canadas foremost innovative writers.

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