English
Program Information
A major in English involves a focus on the English language, including such topics as college-level writing, the research paper, the critical paper, creative writing, technical writing, and linguistics; and an in-depth concentration on literature, including such topics as Shakespeare, classical through modern European literature, literature of other cultures, genres such as science fiction or poetry, and American literature. Related studies may include journalism or the broader field of communications, or other languages.
All English courses, whether you are considering English as your major or not, provide you will valuable skills for the job market, as well as good writing skills and the ability to read and analyze texts which useful in all fields. Taking a variety of English courses is a good platform for studying law, history, psychology, business, theology, or any number of other disciplines.
Mission Statement
The faculty of the Department of English works to provide EvCC students with the skills to use language effectively so that they may achieve their potential as individuals and live as critically-informed citizens of the world. We aim to teach students to read closely, to think critically, and to write persuasively, thereby encouraging literary appreciation and broadening the range of ideas in our students. We are also strongly committed to pursuing our own scholarship and creative writing.
Program Goals and Outcomes
The English Department supports three programs: Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing. In carrying out the mission stated above, we pursue the following program goals:
I. Composition Program-General Goals
- That students write well developed expository, persuasive, and critical essays.
- That students design and learn to edit documents to meet grammatical clarity.
- That students understand the rhetorical strategies writers use to achieve their purposes.
- That students learn to conduct research by finding and using sources in the library, on the internet, or in the field.
- That students attribute quotations and document sources correctly and ethically in essays based on research.
- That beginning, developmental, or underprepared students become competent, functional, confident writers.
Composition Program – Learning Objectives
To ensure that our composition program meets these goals, our faculty members pursue the following learning objectives, each expressing what our graduates should know and be able to do.
- Develop appropriate content to support claims in expository, persuasive, and critical writing.
- Arrange content in appropriate patterns—spatial, chronological, relational, logical—to develop ideas persuasively.
- Edit to meet readers’ expectations for clarity and grammatical correctness.
- Analyze and evaluate the choices writers make to achieve rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.
- Locate appropriate primary and secondary sources efficiently in conducting literary research.
- Quote primary and secondary sources correctly and document research correctly and ethically.
- Understand the use and role of technology in the writing process.
Composition Program – Curricular and Pedagogical Strategies
To achieve these learning objectives, faculty members use the following strategies:
- Employ a writing-centered pedagogy, focusing on peer response and revision.
- Operate a Writing Center, where a faculty director, a variety of English faculty, and trained student peer tutors assist EvCC students in their development as writers.
- Provide periodic feedback in assessing student writing at various stages of the writing process.
- Recognize and accommodate a variety of learning styles, giving particular attention to the needs of developmental or underprepared students, where appropriate.
- Support the campus strategic plan and learning objectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of our courses.
- Ensure continuity of experience for students across the composition sequence, with the understanding that, though composition courses may be taught through a wide range of means and materials, these are primarily method courses.
- Adopt a grammar or rhetorical handbook or other tangible or definite body of reference materials (such as an online compendium) for student consultation and use.
- Promote writing across the curriculum, through learning communities, a writing certificate of endorsement, and other collaborative means.
- Promote collaboration and innovation among our faculty.
II. Literature Program-General Goals
III. Creative Writing-General Goals
The Department offers a full slate of introductory and intermediate courses in creative writing, including poetry, fiction, screenwriting, and creative non-fiction. For more information on the Written Arts program and the AFA degree, see the Written Arts page:
