COURSES OFFERED: English (ENG), Jewish Studies (JWS), Latin American Studies (LAS), Multidisciplinary (MDC), Women's Studies (WST).
The Department undertakes to improve students' understanding of literature and their ability to write through the study of outstanding works of literature and through formal writing assignments. Masterpieces of literature are interpreted against social, historical and aesthetic backgrounds. The Department's ESL class (English 030) prepares non-native speakers of English to do the college-level writing required in a wide variety of degree and certificate programs. Students concentrating in English who intend to transfer to a four-year college are advised to take a maximum of 18 hours in English courses at Nassau Community College. A student seeking to transfer to a four-year school should also check the catalog of that institution to ascertain which literature courses should be taken at Nassau Community College.
English is a desirable pre-professional program for business and industry, law, federal service, government, publishing, advertising, public relations, marketing, writing, teaching and other language-related fields. English is also recommended for premedical and other science-related fields. Placement into English 001 or 101 is determined by preadmission testing and/or by diagnostic essay. Advancement from English 001 to English 101 is based upon writing an exit essay, which is graded Satisfactory (S) by Placement Committee readers. In certain cases, a student's portfolio (a collection of instructor-approved, classwork-generated essays) may supercede a failing in-class final essay. Advanced Placement: Upon request, the Chair or Placement Coordinator will meet with students seeking exemption from English 101, which will be based on a review of his or her writing.
The Creative Writing Project: After successfully completing the English Department's ENG 102 or 109 requirement, students may pursue their interest in writing plays and screenplays, fiction, and poetry in creative writing courses: ENG 313 Creative Writing, which includes all these genres, ENG 316 Play and Screen Writing, ENG 317 Fiction Writing, and ENG 318 Poetry Writing. Creative Writing classes are complemented by a program of campus visits by published authors who read and discuss their work with students, public readings/performances by student and faculty writers, and seminars on publishing. The student Creative Writing Club meets in the Creative Writing Resource Room in Bradley Hall 218 to share their writing in an informal setting and produces the student literary magazine.
Writing Center: The English Department's Writing Center is open to students of all levels interested in improving their writing in any discipline. Faculty members offer individualized and group instruction in expository and creative writing, research and documentation, as well as grammar and usage. ESL students receive assistance in language development and learning. Tutoring can also take place at a networked computer or online by e-mail. In addition, students are welcome to use the Department's PC lab for word processing and internet research. Weekly appointments and unscheduled drop-in sessions are available. We are also open most weekends when the Weekend College is in session.