English

Steve Close
509.793.2387
english@bigbend.edu

Sean Twohy
509.793.2188
english@bigbend.edu

Octaviano Gutierrez
509.793.2189
english@bigbend.edu

Dawnne Ernette
509.793.2360
english@bigbend.edu

Zach Olson
509.793.2362
english@bigbend.edu

English courses are be taken as part of the Associate in Arts and Science DTA degree. These courses may be used toward Basic Requirements, Humanities Breadth requirements, or for Specified or General Elective credit. Students seeking an Associate in Arts and Science DTA degree should refer to the Arts & Science DTA Program pages for a detailed description of program outcomes and courses that will satisfy the degree requirements.

An English major might find employment as a teacher, a writer, or an editor of magazines, books, or advertising, or might plan to enter a profession requiring a graduate degree for which a background in English is desirable, such as law or librarianship. English courses are designed to provide students who plan to major in English, as well as other college students, with opportunities to improve their written and visual communications.

Since programs differ at each college, students should consult program outlines published by the college or university to which they intend to transfer. The following recommended courses prepare students for most baccalaureate institutions. Students should prepare their quarterly schedules with the assistance of an advisor knowledgeable in this transfer area.

Courses

ENGL& 101: English Composition I

Credits 5
This composition course provides instruction in academic written communication by having students compose formal essays, with the goal of teaching students to communicate effectively and engage with issues and ideas.

ENGL& 102: Composition II

Credits 5
This advanced composition course provides instruction in academic writing through literary analysis and increases students’ exposure to literature.

ENGL& 220: Intro to Shakespeare

Credits 5
William Shakespeare has been the central author of the English-speaking world for centuries. His plays and poems are quoted more often than those of any other English-speaking writer. This introduction to Shakespearean Comedy, History and Tragedy will focus on Shakespeare’s most popular works and their relevance in the modern world.

ENGL& 235: Technical Writing

Credits 5

This course is designed to improve students’ written technical communication skills as are related to a range of professional applications. The goal of technical writing is to communicate a message clearly, concisely, and persuasively. This course emphasizes critical thinking skills as applied to technical writing, attention to research techniques, detail, professionalism, purpose, and audience. Students will learn to design, format, and produce documents common in business and industry.

ENGL& 244: American Literature I

Credits 5
This course explores the religious views, politics, and cultural beliefs of early America through its literature. Texts range from American literature’s beginning to 1860, focusing on American authors and poets, beginning with Puritan and Separatist journals and pamphlets, captivity narratives, moving on to romance novels and to the short fiction of Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne, and ending with the works of Dickinson and Whitman. Students may take the American Literature courses at any time without regard to the I, II, III sequence.

ENGL& 245: American Literature II

Credits 5
An introduction to American Literature from 1860 to the 1960’s. Explore the religious views, politics, and ideologies of late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century of America through its literature. This course studies American authors, poets, and playwrights beginning with realism through naturalism, continuing with the political themes of early twentieth century, through the writers of the Great Depression, post World-War II, up to the 1960’s

ENGL& 246: American Literature III

Credits 5
This class explores American literature published in the decades since 1960. Themes studied may include terrorism and cold war anxiety, technology, gender roles, multiculturalism, alienation, rebellion, popular psychology, or others relevant to the literature of the time. Students will read contemporary novels, stories, and poems that reflect American trends and culture during this period. Students do NOT need to have taken American Literature I or American Literature II to do well in this course.

ENGL 094: Applied Technical Writing Foundations

Credits 5
This course is designed for students who need ENGL 109: Applied Technical Writing but placed at below-college level English. The course provides instruction in professional written communication. Students compose formal essays and a variety of technical documents to learn to communicate effectively. Students will focus on reading, interpreting, evaluating, planning, organizing, and composing professional and technical writing as applied in academics, business, and industry. This course provides instruction in ENGL 109 with embedded support. Students earn ENGL 094 or ENGL 109 depending on demonstrated competencies at course completion. A passing grade in ENGL 094 earns 5 credits; a passing grade in ENGL 109 earns 3 credits ENGL 109 plus 2 credits General Electives.

ENGL 098: Basic English Skills

Credits 5
English 098 Basic English Skills provides instruction in basic writing skills, particularly sentence patterns and paragraph development. The course also introduces students to concepts of grammar, mechanics, punctuation, spelling, word usage, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and reading fluency. See course notes: some sections of this course require co-enrollment in additional classes as part of a learning community.

ENGL 99: English Skills

Credits 5

This composition course provides instruction in academic written communication. Students compose formal essays to learn to communicate effectively and to engage with issues and ideas. The course is taught as ENGL& 101 enhanced with instruction in ENGL 99 skills. Students who demonstrate at least a 2.0 competency in ENGL& 101 skills will receive ENGL&101 credit; students who demonstrate ENGL 099 skills will earn ENGL 099 credit. This course has a co-requisite of CSS 106, College Reading Strategies. Students must be enrolled in both courses, ENGL 099 and CSS 106, in the same quarter. A grade of 2.0 in ENGL 99 is required to move into ENGL& 101.

ENGL 100: English Composition Foundations

Credits 5
This composition course provides instruction in academic written communication. Students compose formal essays to learn to communicate effectively and to engage with issues and ideas. ENGL 100 is taught as ENGL & 101 with additional support. Students earn ENGL 100 or ENGL & 101 at course completion depending on demonstrated competencies. A passing grade in ENGL 100 earns 8 credits General Electives; a passing grade in ENGL & 101 earns 5 credits ENGL & 101 plus 3 credits General Electives. A grade of 2.0 in ENGL 100 is required to advance to ENGL & 101; a grade of 2.0 in ENGL & 101 is required to advance to ENGL & 102 or ENGL & 235. ENGL 100 does not substitute for any required college-level English Composition course.

ENGL 105: The Moral of the Story

Credits 5
This course examines different ways that we can find meaning and value in the stories that surround us. We will use our own values and experiences, as well as other perspectives, to gain a better understanding of cultural artifacts such as movies, written texts, songs, comics/graphic novels, and even physical objects, such as cars or clothing. This class has no prerequisite and focuses more on ideas than writing skills. This course is not a replacement or prerequisite for required English composition courses. It is recommended for students who are exploring degree options or considering a career related to the liberal arts.

ENGL 109: Applied Technical Writing

Credits 3
This course provides instruction in professional written communication. Students compose formal essays and a variety of technical documents to learn to communicate effectively. Students will focus on reading, interpreting, evaluating, planning, organizing, and composing professional and technical writing as applied in academics, business, and industry.

ENGL 201: Advanced Academic Research Writing

Credits 5
This advanced writing course focuses on critical thought and composition within academic/professional communities. Published works regarding current affairs, pressing social matters and/or political issues will be critically read and then written about in a way that meets the expectations of an academic/professional community. Students will write a variety of papers, the last of which will be a researched argument.

ENGL 211: Creative Writing: Fiction

Credits 5
In this course students will develop the basic techniques that writers use to create imaginative and effective fiction, and use the writers workshop as a method for improving their work. Although this class focuses on writing short stories, it can be useful for those interested in all forms of narrative writing, including novels, screenplays, and creative nonfiction.

ENGL 212: Creative Writing: Poetry

Credits 5
This creative writing course focuses on writing poetry and critiquing your classmates’ poems. Through dose examination of modem and contemporary poetry, you will begin to recognize elements of craft and form and use those techniques in your own weekly poems. This course will also teach you the habits of using concrete, original, concise language as well as the etiquette of being an integral member of a workshop— skills transferable to any college course that involves writing or collaboration.

ENGL 221: Creative Writing II: Fiction

Credits 5
This course is designed for students who have completed an introductory fiction writing class (such as ENGL 211) and who want to continue their creative writing in a lecture and workshop setting. Students will further develop the techniques that writers use to build effective fiction and use the writer’s workshop as a method for improving their own work. Students will also read and analyze stories and/or novels with an eye toward improving their own craft.

ENGL 223: Banned Books in Literature: A Cultural Approach

Credits 5

This course examines literary texts that are transgressive, revolutionary, or concerned with taboo subjects. Reading material will consist of excerpts from longer texts, many of them full-length novels or works of creative non-fiction. Students will study the historical and political context of these texts as well as the content of the texts, and the interpretation of underlying themes connected to the cultures represented by the authors. Because this class is designed to have a multicultural focus, the texts chosen should cover a variety of reasons for censorship, including but not limited to decisions based on politics, sexuality, religion, and social themes.                           

ENGL 225: Chicanx Literature

Credits 5
This class will explore the rhetorical and narrative strategies used by Chicanx writers to explore the themes of identity, culture, and discrimination in Chicanx novels, short stories, and essays. Engagement with these texts requires not necessarily agreement with, but openness to and respect for, perspectives different from our own.

ENGL 234: Science Fiction as Literature

Credits 5
This course provides instruction in the genre of science fiction as a literary type and will provide instruction in analysis of short stories, novels, and films from within the genre of science fiction. The course will range from the beginnings of science fiction through the present. Emphasis is placed on historical and current use of science fiction to address social, cultural, and political issues, and will focus on the ways in which the genre facilitates discussion of social problems and relevant social issues.

ENGL 239: The Mystery Story as Literature

Credits 5
From Sherlock Holmes to C.S.I., mystery stories have been popular and enduring forms of entertainment. In addition to exploring the world of crime, mysteries can offer insight into the nature of good and evil, raise questions about the human condition, and reveal truths about history and culture. This class will use mystery stories, novels, and films that range from the classic to the contemporary.

ENGL 243: The American Novel

Credits 5
An introduction to the major American novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. Novels will be chosen from the works of major writers such as Melville, Hawthorne, Crane, James, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Salinger and Mailer.

ENGL 261: Women’s Literature

Credits 5
This course begins by asking the questions “What is Womens Literature?” and “Why study Womens Literature?” Reading a variety of genres (poetry, fiction, & nonfiction), students will engage with intersecting expressions of womanhood across identities as they learn about the many ways women have empowered themselves, individually and collectively, to participate a society and a history that had long excluded them. Students increase their critical reading and thinking skills while learning to critique the limits of traditional literary canons, or what represents “great” writing. By encountering all different kinds of women's literature across several centuries and across the globe, we become better versed in the many experiences that define “womanhood” and thus become more inclusive readers and thinkers.

ENGL 272: Graphic Novel as Literature

Credits 5
Though once condemned as “low brow” literature and “badly drawn, badly written, and badly printed.. .pulp-paper nightmares” certain to turn young readers into juvenile delinquents, comics have forever been on the cutting edge of counterculture and alternative movements. Only in recent years have comics and their book-length counterparts, graphic novels, started receiving serious attention from adult audiences in the U.S. This course traces the comic tradition from comic book superheroes to Japanese manga to poignant autobiographies, examining the literary merit and legitimacy of the graphic novel along the way.