PSC Home | Admissions | How to Enroll | Academic Programs | Financial Aid | Tuition | Human Resources

English Department

Course Descriptions

For a listing of when the following courses are offered, consult the current course schedule or WebAdvisor.

NOTE: Some of the following courses are designated as "IAI" courses. These courses fulfill the Illinois General Education Core Curriculum requirements and "articulate" within the Illinois Articulation Initivative, meaning that upon satisfactory completion, these courses will transfer to institutions belonging to the Initiative. The IAI number consists of a letter prefix and a code number. Letter prefixes include the following: a "C" (for "Communication" requirement), an "H" (for "Humanities" requirement), and an "EGL" (for "English major credit").

Eng 097

Fundamental English I

Prerequisite: Qualifying score on English Placement Test 4 lectures per week: 4 hrs non-degree, non-transfer credit

(may be repeated two times)
This course provides basic writing skills for students who need individualized instruction. The emphasis is on grammar and sentence structure.

Eng 098

Fundamental English II

Prerequisite: Qualifying score on English Placement Test

4 lectures per week: 4 hrs non-degree, non-transfer credit
(may be repeated two times)
This course provides basic writing skills for students who need individualized instruction. The emphasis is on grammar and sentence structure.

ENG 098

FUNDAMENTAL ENGLISH II

Prerequisite: ENG 097 with a C or better or qualifying score on English Placement Test

4 lectures per week: 4 hrs non-degree, non-transfer credit
(may be repeated two times)
This course provides a review of basic writing and grammar. Emphasis is placed on sentence structure, grammatical and mechanical problems, and spelling. Through the writing of short essays, students learn to combine clear correct sentences into a coherent, organized whole.

Eng 099

Fundamental English III

Prerequisite: ENG 098 and RDG 098 with a C or better or qualifying score on English Placement Test

6 lectures per week: 6 hrs non-degree, non-transfer credit
(may be repeated two times)
This course is designed to equip students with the critical inquiry and writing skills necessary to succeed in college-level courses. Through prewriting and rewriting of essays and a research paper, students learn to combine clear, correct sentences into a coherent, organized whole, reflecting critical understanding of assigned texts. Note: All students must complete the English 099 Exit Test with a passing grade in order to pass English 099.

Eng 101 (IAI: C1 900)

Composition I

Prerequisite: ENG 099 with a C or better or qualifying score on English Placement Test

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit
This is the first course in the composition sequence. It develops the ability to write clear, correct, effective personal, expository, and argumentative prose. It emphasizes critical reading skills, collaborative peer work, and use of library resources. Students write a minimum of five essays with extensive revisions. Review of grammar and mechanics is included. Note: All students must complete the English101 Exit Test with a passing grade in order to pass English 101.

Eng 102 (IAI: C1 901R)

Composition II

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This is the second course in the composition sequence. Emphasis is on the writing process with special attention to the research paper.Writing activities include both short and longer forms of traditional academic writing including critical essays and a documented investigative paper.

ENG 110 (IAI: EGL 922)

CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better or consent of instructor

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

Students write poetry in a variety of genres, learn the structure and elements of poetry and the writing process, and demonstrate an understanding of the critical terminology of the creative writer.

ENG 111 (IAI: EGL 924)

CREATIVE WRITING: NONFICTION PROSE

Prerequisite: ENG 101 Composition I (3) with C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

Students study the elements of nonfiction and the critical terminology of the creative writer, and produce fully developed works of nonfiction. Students explore themselves, their identity, and their world through writing autobiography, family history, and observations on culture, places, and time periods.

ENG 211 (IAI: H3 914; EGL 911)

AMERICAN LITERATURE I

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course studies American literature from the pre-colonial period to the Civil War and includes the style, techniques, and themes of the major writers responsible for shaping the traditions of American literature. Emphasis is on understanding major literary movements in their intellectual, social, and political contexts.

ENG 212 (IAI: H3 915; EGL 912)

AMERICAN LITERATURE II

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course is a study of American literature from the Civil War to the present. Emphasis is placed on the peculiarly
American as well as universal themes which recur throughout poetry, drama, short stories, and novels of major American writers. Major literary movements are studied in relation to intellectual, social, and political contexts.

ENG 215 (IAI: H3 910D)

AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This survey course examines the varieties of the Black experience in America as it is found in poetry, the novel, the short story, and drama. Particular emphasis is placed on trends and themes as revealed in changes in style and content.

ENG 220

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course focuses on the importance of children's literature from preschool to adolescence and its enjoyment at home and in the classroom. Through reading a varied selection of books, students learn to evaluate, select, discuss, and use literature for children. It is recommended for teachers, aides, librarians, and parents.

(same as ED 220)

ENG 221 (IAI: H3 903)

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

Students read and enjoy poetry of various types and periods. Through close reading of selected poems, students learn to appreciate the beauty and art of poetry and its relevance to their own lives and emotions.

ENG 231 (IAI: H3 912; EGL 913)

BRITISH LITERATURE I

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course surveys British literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through 18th-century Neoclassicism. Writers and their works are studied in relation to their intellectual, social, and political contexts.

ENG 232 (IAI: H3 913; EGL 914)

BRITISH LITERATURE II

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course surveys British literature from 1800 to the present with an emphasis on major literary movements understood in relation to their intellectual, social, and political contexts.

ENG 240 (IAI: H3 901; EGL 917)

INTRODUCTION TO FICTION

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course is an introduction to fiction with special emphasison understanding and appreciation of the short story. The primary focus is on developing students' ability to read critically, to learn about the principal literary elements of fiction, and to improve writing skills through the use of literature as subject matter.

ENG 243 (IAI: H3 908N; EGL 916)

NON-WESTERN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course examines non-Western literature written during the twentieth century. Emphasis is placed on understanding the works both as part of local and global aesthetic traditions and within their intellectual, political, social, and historical contexts.

ENG 252 (IAI: H3 902)

INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course emphasizes drama as literature and studies plays of various genres from a variety of literary periods. Eight to ten plays are analyzed in terms of meaning, form, and value.

ENG 256

FILM AND LITERATURE

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course examines the formal, thematic, and historical relationships between literature and film, and includes an examination of the adaptations and influences that demonstrate the strengths of each artistic medium.

ENG 261 (IAI: H3 906)

WESTERN/WORLD LITERATURE I

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course surveys masterpieces of Western/World literature from the beginnings in the ancient world through the 16th century. Themes of major writers are explored through consideration of their lives and work in the context of their times.

ENG 262 (IAI: H3 907)

WESTERN/WORLD LITERATURE II

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course surveys masterpieces of Western/World literature from the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries. Writers and their works are discussed within the context of their times.

ENG 271 (IAI: H3 905)

INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE

Prerequisite: ENG 101 with a C or better

3 lectures per week: 3 hrs credit

This course includes selected sonnets of Shakespeare and 6-8 of his plays: representative selections from the comedies, tragedies, historical dramas, and romances. Emphasis is on the dramatic and literary qualities of the works, but attention also is given to film versions of the plays.