English

Professional Writing builds on the fundamentals taught in ENGL120W. It differs in that Professional Writing has students produce documents used every day: practical, professional, employment correspondences such as emails, office memos, business letters, informal and/or formal reports, instructional brochures, proposals, resumes, and grants. It includes common professional activities (such as oral presentations) and covers many technical aspects of professional communication, including email etiquette, interviewing protocol, and visual design. Professional Writing fosters organizational skills, research methods, ethical practice, editing skills, collaboration and teamwork, critical and creative thinking, and cultural considerations in any act of communication, both written and oral.

Children's Language and Literature presents children's language and literature from a developmental perspective. Students examine various genres in order to choose appropriate literature for the developmental stages of children from birth through pre-adolescence. Students participate in a variety of language and literature activities, including research, critical observation, original projects, and story-hour presentations. 

Advanced Research Writing builds upon the fundamental research skills acquired in ENGL120W. Students learn advanced research-writing strategies and effective rhetorical techniques used across the curriculum and within disciplines. Reading peer-reviewed, scholarly articles, primary and secondary sources, in-depth reports, and comprehensive studies, students acquire advanced research skills. Through analysis, evaluation, and synthesis, they develop competence in the art of rhetoric, persuasion, and argumentation. Unlike ENGL120W, which teaches MLA, this course teaches APA, a documentation style required for many degree programs. This course is highly recommended for students interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Graphic novels, also known as comic books or sequential art, have come a long way since the first issue of Superman. This relatively new form of literature has exploded in popularity and increases daily in its variety and substance. The Graphic Novel explores different kinds of graphic novels (memoir, fantasy, adaptations, social critiques, and more) to illustrate how writers and illustrators weave words and images together to create meaning that transcends traditional genres and harnesses new modes of expression. Students broaden their knowledge and appreciation of the graphic novel and put their mind to creating one of their own.

British Literature: Middle Ages to 1800 surveys the major works of British literature from its Anglo-Saxon origins to 1800, including poetry, fiction, essays, and drama. By reading closely and analyzing critically, students explore these texts in relation to their cultural, social, historical, political, and literary contexts.   

British Literature: 1800 to the 21st Century surveys the major works of British literature from 1800 to the 21st Century, including poetry, fiction, essays, and drama. By reading closely and analyzing critically, students explore these texts in relation to their cultural, social, historical, political, and literary contexts.

Poetry: A Study of a Literary Form examines a wide range of poetry, acquainting students with major poets and potentially minor ones. It provides a strong basis for reading, understanding, and writing about poetry and poetic form. Students become acquainted with various types of poems, such as the lyric, the sonnet, the elegy, the ballad, and many more. The course gives students a language and vocabulary, as well as critical, theoretical, social, and historical contexts, to read, analyze, and interpret poetry.

American Literature: Civil War to the Present surveys the works of American literature from the Civil War period up to the 21st century, emphasizing themes that have contributed to the development of an American consciousness. Pre-Civil War text may be considered for context. Reading these works closely and analyzing them critically, students gain exposure to various literary periods and movements, seeing them through the lens of their cultural, social, historical, political, and aesthetic contexts.

​​​​​​​Shakespeare exposes students to the works of the playwright, with emphasis on his plays. Students study the major genres (tragedy, comedy, history, and romance), which give them ways to analyze and interpret drama and its elements. The course introduces students to the social and cultural characteristics of the Early Modern Period and to the biography of the author. No previous knowledge of Shakespeare is assumed. NOTE: Shakespeare at WMCC is a 4-credit course that screens each of the plays, enabling students to study Shakespeare from both literary and performance perspectives.