English
English
The study of English offers a basic understanding of reading and writing skills and an appreciation of literature. The more practical skills offered by the study of English—effective reading, writing and thinking —are applicable to all education, careers, and civil responsibilities.
Credit Courses
This is a writing course that emphasizes critical reading, expository and argumentative writing, and mastery of library research techniques. It includes instruction and practice in critical thinking; analytical reading and evaluation of written work, including at least one book-length work of significant literature; and communicating and supporting ideas in organized, coherent essays. Students are required to write a minimum of 5000 formal words, including a research project, based on essays, literature read in class, personal experience, and college-level research.
This course introduces representative works from major literary genres and offers instruction in analytical, critical, and argumentative writing, critical thinking, research strategies, information literacy, and proper documentation through the study of literary works. This course develops students’ close reading and analytical writing skills and promotes appreciation and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature.
This course offers practice in critical thinking and writing, centered on a course theme and based on analytical evaluation of primarily non-fiction texts. It also offers instruction in the writing process, research strategies, information literacy, and documentation. Students submit a final portfolio of their best work.
The student will learn to write coherent, well-developed expository essays using a variety of rhetorical modes; to summarize and analyze essays as models for writing; and to conduct research and write a research essay.
Introduction to the craft of creative writing through the study and analysis of the works of established and peer writers. Students will practice writing in various genres and will be introduced to the workshop method.
This course is an in-depth study of the literary forms -- short story, poetry, and drama -- with practice in writing original works with a goal of publication and with special emphasis on criticism of students' works by instructor and students.
This is a course for students who wish to improve their skills as poets, authors of fiction and as nonfiction writers.
This is a basic introductory course in writing for the film and electronic media. Emphasis is on preparing scripts in proper formats, including fundamental technical, conceptual and stylistic issues related to writing fiction and non-fiction for informational and entertainment purposes in film and electronic media. Includes a writing evaluation component as a significant part of the course requirement.
This course is a study of creative nonfiction with an emphasis on critical reading, analysis, interpretation, and creative writing. The student will study the principles and methods of creative nonfiction, submit original pieces for class discussion, and learn to use the workshop format to further their work. A critical analysis of student and master works will address personal, social, political, and/or cultural issues.
This course is a study of poetry with an emphasis on critical reading, analysis, interpretation, and creative writing. The student will study the different forms and elements of poetry.
This course focuses on the analysis and interpretation of representative short stories and novels. Students will study the connection between content and form in fiction, and compare and contrast the approaches, content, and style among various writers, cultures, and time periods. Structure, style, theme, character, setting, and tone will be emphasized.
This course introduces representative works of children’s and adolescent literature and film, develops students’ close reading and analytical writing skills, and promotes an appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of literature and film created for children and adolescents.
This course presents a survey of British literature in its cultural framework from the Celtic epic tradition to the late 18th century, covering the Heroic Age, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Neoclassicism.
This course surveys British literature from the late eighteenth century to contemporary British and post-colonial texts.
This course introduces students to America’s literary traditions from their beginnings to the second half of the nineteenth century. Topics will include the literature of Puritanism, reason and revolution, transcendentalism, romanticism, the Civil War and its related subjects, abolition and slavery. Multicultural contributions to early American texts include those of the primary groups--Native American, African American, Hispanic American writers--and commentators on the young republic. Readings will encompass both the traditional canon and more recent, multicultural sources.
This course introduces students to a wide range of American authors and their relationship to major literary and intellectual movements from the second half of the nineteenth century.
This course is a beginning study of dramatic theory. Plays from various time periods will be studied and analyzed as literary works in the historical context, traced through their production history, considered for their relevance and importance for today's artists and audiences, and analyzed for their production possibilities. The course will emphasize critical reading, analysis, interpretation, and creative writing. The student will submit original pieces for class discussion and learn to use the workshop format to further their work.
In this course, students will draw connections between traditional and contemporary literary genres as they read William Shakespeare's plays and critically analyze film adaptations of these plays. Students will read and analyze a selection of Shakespeare's histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances in the context of Elizabethan drama. Then they will view a variety of cinematic interpretations of these plays and compare and contrast such elements as plot, character, theme, staging, and critical and directorial interpretation.
This course explores comics, graphic novels, and related literature represented from various ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, historical, socio-political, and gender communities. These stories will be analyzed and examined with an emphasis on writing, visual art, design, ideology, and content in order to explore comics and graphic novels as an art form. The course will explore the various historical, social, psychological, and cultural forces shaping the literary and artistic form of comics and graphic novels and allow students to appreciate the cultural contributions to the art form.
This course is an introduction to the study of one or more popular literary genres, such as mystery, crime fiction, horror, science-fiction, and fantasy. Focusing on a wide range of texts from diverse cultures, the course highlights the works of major authors, traces the development of literary genres over time, and examines important themes. Texts will be analyzed using critical approaches, allowing for an examination of the ways historical, social, economic, psychological, philosophical, and aesthetic forces shape genre fiction. The course will also cover the unique features of various literary genres and the methods used for analyzing literature across genres.
This course is an introduction to the study of film, especially feature-length commercial films. Emphasis will be on creative and critical interpretation and evaluation of film techniques and effects.
This course provides additional study of film as a medium for dramatic presentation. Emphasis will be on creative and critical interpretation of films. Films seen and evaluated in the introductory film course will be different from films presented in this course.
This course is a comparative study of selected works, in translation and in English, of literature from around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and other areas, from antiquity to the mid or late seventeenth century.
This course is a comparative study of selected works, in translation and in English, of literature from around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and other areas, from the mid or late seventeenth century to the present.
This course is an in-depth study of the literature of the African American experience in the United States.
This course is an introductory survey course in Mexican American/Chicana/o literature covering traditional and contemporary literary styles and forms. The course will explore various genres including, but not limited to, poetry, ballads, short stories, novels, drama, and essays, and will engage in literary analysis of these materials. The course will emphasize a critical understanding of the literary texts within the context of economic, political, social, and intellectual elements of the culture of the Mexican American/Chicana/o community.
This is a survey course on the ethnic American experience in the United States, focusing primarily on the literary works of African American, Asian American, Chicano, Latino, and Native American authors. Genres explored will include poetry, drama, short fiction, and the novel. Literary works will be examined within their cultural, racial, historical, and social frameworks.
This course is an examination of the images, roles, and identities of women in literature, focused on the contributions of women to a variety of literary genres including prose, poetry, short fiction, drama, and novels. It explores the particular cultural, historical, political, and social issues that have influenced women and society.
This course offers specialized study opportunities for students who wish to pursue projects not included in the regular curriculum. Students are accepted only by a written project proposal approved by the discipline prior to enrollment.
Noncredit Courses
This course is focused on developing effective sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-structured essays; students will also analyze short passages as models for writing. The course emphasizes practical strategies for academic writing success through structured activities and expert guidance. Designed to enhance writing skills and build confidence, students can enroll at any time and progress at their own pace, making it a flexible and valuable resource for academic growth.
This critical reading course focuses on the effective use of critical thinking in a cross-disciplinary framework. Emphasis is on the development of critical reading skills related to interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of various academic texts across disciplines.