Hello everyone!

I'm Amanda. I'm a second semester junior english major and sociology minor. I am from NY, and went to school in DC for a year, but I am now a resident of VT. I work at Starbucks when I'm not at school. I really like animals, books, movies and music, so when I do find myself with some free time these things are usually involved - I read 12 books over the summer and saw a ton of movies.

I took ENGS 86 with Paul last spring and thought he was an awesome professor, so I decided to take another course with him. Plus, I am an english major and this fufills some of my requirements. I have never been to Canada and I really don't know anything about it. I would love to visit Parc Safari though. =) So far, no questions about the class; I'm just looking forward to reading some (hopefully) good books.

Hi, I'm Seth. I'm a sophomore English major. I'm from Randolph, Vermont. It's a tiny town, and the only interesting thing to say about it is that it is the geographical center of Vermont. I don't know much about Canada at all, which is why I'm taking this class.

Hello class - Can't be travelling every day so why not be educating? Matter of fact is - that's travelling, metaphorically speaking. And, it's also a discipline which comes in handy after retirement. What could be better than new information, additional knowledge, a get up, get dressed, get out, get studying, get going, get smarter message?. . . lots of gets and who doesn't love to 'get?' elizabeth k.

Hey!
I'm Erin, a secondary education/English major from Addison, VT. I was really lucky this summer and worked at a VT State Park, so I was able to do a ton of reading in between checking in campers, cleaning bathrooms, and listening to people (out-of-staters complain about the 'wildlife')There were a few reasons that I took this class...
1) It's an English class and meets requirements
2) I had heard great things about Paul- he came highly recommended from some fellow Secondary Ed/English majors.
3-4) (These are perhaps the most unrelated reasons, but true, nevertheless) My fiance goes to school in Canada and actually proposed in Old Quebec City. And I have a lot of friends who reside in and around Toronto.

I guess that's it... No questions on the course so far, just mild shock that the national sport is not, in fact, hockey. :)

I'm Melissa, a senior majoring in English and minoring in Anthropology. I'm from both NYC and Northwestern VT (about 10 miles from the border), having grown up in both places my entire life. I am not so familiar with Canadian culture as I am with Québécoise culture. I've taken a Canadian lit. course before -- in high school, specifically -- but am a bit rusty with the material. I do remember reading some MacLeod, Atwood, and Davies, though. Aside from that, I love Canada, which is primarily what prompted me to take this class. I know a little about Canadian history and its Scottish roots, but mostly about its bursting indie rock scene. If anyone hasn't heard of Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton, I highly recommend it. Also, her father, Paul Haines, was a phenomenal poet, so I recommend that for a nice slice of Canadian lit.

I'm Ellie. I'm from New York State and I'm a junior. I transferred here as a sophomore after taking a year off (during which I worked and travelled in Nicaragua and New Zealand), and I did my freshman year at Sarah Lawrence. I've spent the past two summers in Montana and have driven through Alberta and Manitoba on the way home--my contact with Canada has occurred largely in transit. I read a lot and I'm looking forward to getting through some good books and having interesting discussions.

Hi,
My name is Anna. I am a Junior and I'm an English major and Women and Gender Studies minor. I took this class because it fulfilled some English classes I need to take and it fit into my schedule nicely. I've been to Canada several times and have had a good time each visit. No questions yet. Looking forward to a good year!

I'm Catherine, I am from Connecticut and I love it there and plan on going back as soon as school is over. I took this class because I like reading and I tend to enjoy Lit classes more than I like some other English classes like the linguistics class I am also taking. I have only been to Canada once and it was only for a day trip with my dad, who loves to travel and go go museums so that is what we did. We had a really great brunch at some little place though. No questions yet, seems like it is going to be a fun class.

Hello,
My name is Kaitlyn and I graduated from UVM in 2007 with a degree in Philosophy and a minor in Religion. After a year of ski bumming in the Tetons and another in various settings pondering what to do with a philosophy degree I realized that I want to teach. I am applying for a masters in teaching secondary English and thus I need more English credits. I chose this class because I have never studied Canada or Canadian lit and thought this was the perfect opportunity.

Hi, I'm Hannah. I'm a junior and I'm majoring in English and Film/TV Studies. I'm from southern VT and I took last year off to travel and live in Portland, OR. I was in Paul Martin's Canadian Studies TAP program as a freshman and I went on the Ottawa trip with my class. It was a great time! Definitely recommend going on the trip. I'm taking Canadian Lit this semester because I'd been hoping to take another class with Professor Martin before I graduate. That, and I'd like to read a few more books by Canadian authors.

Hey everyone!
My name is Audrey and I am a double major in Film Theory and English. Like many of the rest of you have already stated, I took the class because it fulfilled the requirements, but also because I realized my understanding and knowledge of Canadian culture is pretty embarassing, so the class could only help. Plus, the only times I have been to Canada were for select side rugby tours when I was much younger. I think a trip is in order.
I am currently a junior here at UVM, concentrating on Film & Screenwriting. I am from Clarendon VT, and I love Vermont & UVM! I have no questions.

Hey everyone, I'm Ian. I'm a Junior who is majoring in English, and I am from Georgia, VT. It's a small town in between St. Albans and Milton, no one ever seems to know where it is! I hope to have a great year in this class, and I look forward to learning more about Canada.

Hi Everyone,
I'm Theresa. I am from Bridgewater, MA, which is not a particularly interesting town except it has a college in it and it is close to Boston. I am a Business major and an English minor. I signed up for the class to learn more about Canada.

Hey Everyone,
I'm Evan and I'm a junior english major and environmental studies minor from simsbury connecticut. Its a pretty small town close by to Hartford and about 45 minutes to Springfield Mass. I like to ski during the winter and decided to take this course because it fit well into my schedule and met my major requirements as well. I am interested in learning more about Canada and look forward to a good semester.

Hi! My name is Jen and I'm a senior. I am majoring in Political science with a minor in English and History. I am from Iowa and am excited for the upcoming semester. I was abroad in the spring in Prague and had a great time traveling and learning about another country. I figured taking this class would maintain my interest in international studies as well as my love of reading.

Hello fellow readers,
my name is Matthew Panagakis, a third year business major here at UVM. First off I'd like to say my post was a bit tardy as I was in California until late last evening. Originally from Lynn Massachussetts, I enjoy skiing, surfing, playing lacrosse, tennis, and soccer. What brought me to this class was first my love of literature, as well as an interest in gaining knowledge about the Canadian culture. I hope class will be more than entertaining, and look to give my insight wherever it may help. Looking foreward to the reading!

I'm Elizabeth,
I am a senior and a history major who is an english minor. I transferred to UVM from simmons college in Boston. I have been to Canada many times and hope to possibly go to grad school in Toronto

Im Mike. I enjoy english and philosophy. I like these two because i find them useful when writing stories as well as when constructing all sorts of arguments. I chose this class because I enjoyed the canadian authors we read in 086. Canada, being a very culturally diverse place, is ripe for intertextual analysis, so there should be a lot of different elements to play around with in this class, which i think will be fun. I dont know much about canada, but I do know that their citizens love to come to marshalls and make a mess of the shoe department, which I have to clean up because my boss thinks I work there or something.

Hello, my name is Sophia. I'm from Lexington, MA, a town about 20 minutes outside of Boston. I'm an English major and Studio Art minor and I have been considering double majoring in English and Religion. While I don't actually play any sports, I have a lot of enthusiasm. I like word games and crossword puzzles. I also like to read and to be outdoors with my friends. I like McDonald's, although I'm a vegetarian. I took this class because Alice Munro, a Canadian author, is one of my favorite short story writers. I have often been struck by her depiction of rural Canada and would like to read other Canadian perspectives.

Hey guys,
My name is Liz and I'm from Hudson, New Hampshire, which is right outside Nashua. I am a junior and a double-major in English and Public Communications, which keeps me pretty busy (since they're in two different colleges within the University). I took this class because it looked to be one of the most (if not the most) appealing classes out there and the reading list seemed good. I am looking forward to learning a lot about Canada; where I'm from, we never really learned about it!

Hi everyone, Im Alyssa and Im a senior with a major in Elementary Education and my concentration in in English. I grew up in Stamford, CT. I grew up in a huge hockey family. Everyone played so all my free time consisted of going to my relatives hockey games all over the country. The best tournaments were in Vegas. You could sit in a cold rink for two hours then go outside and lay in the sun. A friend recommended that I take this class so I did and Im looking forward to a great semester.

Hey everyone,
I'm Matt and I am a Junior from Colchester Vermont. I am majoring in Business, specifically Accounting. Outside of school I enjoy playing soccer and lacrosse. I took this class because I have only been to Canada a few times and am interested in learning more about the Canadian culture.

Hi, my name is Danielle. I am a junior in the CESS college. I am a secondary education major with Spanish as my concentration. I am double minoring in English and Special Education. Part of the reason I took this course is because it fulfilled a minor requirement but I also took the class because it seemed like fun! I took English 86 with Paul last Spring and I loved the class and the books we read. I knew taking another class with him would be fun and it would be interesting to learn more about Canada.
I have to admit I don't know a whole lot about Canada. I hope that this changes over the course of the semester! I am already excited about what we've learned and I can't wait to get into the novels!

Hi I'm Dan and I'm a business major from Flemington, New Jersey. It's a cool location because it's one hour from the Jersey shore and a little over an hour from New York City. I took the class because I liked Paul's English 086 last spring and I don't know much about Canada so I figured it would be interesting. One thing I do know about Canada is the band Rush is from there and they rule.

My name is Ingrid, I'm an English major and I'm taking this class because Canada is cool and I heard it is an interesting course. I'm from Virginia and I came to Vermont because I really like Burlington and I always wanted to go to UVM.

Hi, my name's Kate and I'm a Religion/ English major, Studio Art/ Middle-Eastern Studies minor. I'm from Minneapolis, Mn...like VT another state bordering Canada. I don't know that much about Canada but I was intrigued last semester learning about the multiculturalism + history in Prof. Martin's 86 class. I am very excited to read some literature from Canadian writers + thinkers!

My name is Amy. I grew up in Jeffersonville and Waterville, VT, which are both pretty far in the middle of nowhere. I originally planned never go to to UVM, but now that I'm here, I've fallen in love with it.
I chose this class for a couple reasons. I had ENG 086 with Paul last semester also, so I knew he was an excellent professor. I'm an English major, so I needed the requirement met. I thought Canadian Lit would be a good choice.
I don't know much about Canada other than what I've learned from ENG 086 last semester. I haven't been since I was a little kid, but I look forward to going back. I actually aspire to be Canadian some day.

Hey, my name is Kate Smith. I'm from New Canaan, Connecticut. It's a small town about 45 minutes from New York City. I'm an English major, Math minor. I actually signed up for this class because I needed for my major, but a friend of mine had taken a history of Canada class and she raved about it so know I'm interested to see where the semester goes. And as for my knowledge of Canada, I know very little, but I am excited to learn more.

Hi, my name is Lindsay Harrigan. I am a resident of Canada House in the Global Village. I've never been to Canada and I'm hoping to learn a lot more about the country. I am a junior and a double English and Anthropology major.

Hi I'm Cody and I'm a junior this year at UVM. I am from Charlotte, Vermont and have lived around the area my whole life. I'm planning on being an English major with a music minor. I enrolled in this class because I don't know much about Canada and their literature. Also, this class helps fulfill major requirements for English. Sweet.

hey guys, I'm Courtney a sophomore English major working towards a minor in economics. I'm from Swampscott Massachusetts,a beach town famous for it's indigenous plankton that gives off a rather peculiar odor not unlike rotten eggs. I've been to Canada a few times and aside from the 10 years of French I've taken (yet still I only know enough to order food and find the bathroom) I know very little about Canada and this fact has always irked me. I'm really excited to get a taste of Canadian literature and some of the history behind our great neighbor to the north:] Oh and I really like trailer park boys but I always feel really guilty watching it due to the not so impressive stereotypes.

Hi,
I'm Ben and I'm a junior anthropology major and english minor from Williston, Vermont. Growing up in this fine state, it was a high school rite of passage to make frequent weekend trips to Montreal and remember very little of what transpired. I enjoy what I know of Canadian culture and appreciate all things Canadian, with the notable exception of Canadian bacon. That stuff is vastly inferior to traditional bacon.

Hey everyone!
I'm Robbie, Rob, Robert, just never Bob. I also respond to the occasional "Hey, you!" I'm a sophomore English major originally from Torrington, CT which is in the Northwest Corner of the state. My ties to Canada are distant relatives in Toronto that I've only visited once. I've seen the Hockey Hall of Fame, the CN Tower, Niagara falls and some of Montreal. I love the movie Strange Brew. It's plot is very loosely based on Hamlet and tells the story of two Canadians trying to save people from drinking poison beer at Oktoberfest.

I'm excited for this class because I've heard great things about Professor Martin, it fills a requirement, and above all I'm eager to learn alot more about Canada and its literature!

Also great music comes from Canada.

Hello. My name is Milo. I'm from Amherst Massachusetts, and I'm a junior here at UVM, majoring in English. I was excited to sign up for this class for a few reasons, one being that my dad is from Montreal so I've been visiting Quebec regularly since I was little. Still, I don't know very much about Canada as a country and can't wait to learn more. I like skiing at Mount Saint Sauveur and eating cheap hotdogs at La Belle Province.

My name is Susan, I have just become an English major, art minor. I am definitely interested Canadian lit. I work for a Canadian company and would love to learn more about it.

Hi, my name is Marcus. I am a Junior English major at UVM and taking my second class with Professor Martin. I took this class because the last class I took with him was a informative class and I found that I got a lot out of the readings. I do not know much about Canada with the exception that they love hockey up there and one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Neil Young, came from there. My mother would be very disappointed to hear this since she is a geography teacher and does a long section on Canada every year, but I trust she won't be reading this blog. I have been to Montreal once but it was for only a night and I did not experience much other than the nightlife. It was definitely a good experience though and I hope to go back soon and plan to go on the Ottawa trip if possible. Anyway, I hope to have a great semester and I will be seeing everyone in class.

Hello, my name is Charlie Trinkle. I'm a junior studying Secondary Education, Spanish, and minoring in English. My first reason for taking this class is because I know little about Canada as a country or as a culture. I am a freelance student of French and have found it interesting that Quebecois culture is so markedly different than the rest of Canadian culture, largely based on a difference in language and the feeling of 'separateness' this engenders. The idea of a Quiet Revolution, where there is little violence or political instability, but instead a concerted effort at self-definition and needed reform, is an idea that holds intrigue for me as well. I also heard Professor Martin is an awesome professor, and thought this would round out my consideration of English literature nicely. Thanks.
P.S. I also love Rush. Farewell to Kings is brilliance.