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Students in SMC’s English programs develop written and spoken mastery of the English language, creativity of thought, and an appreciation of the language’s literature. The English academic and career path can lead to a career in teaching at all levels. Additional careers include advertising copywriter, editor, foreign correspondent, literary agent, media planner, reporter, fundraiser, paralegal, public administrator, speechwriter, information abstractor/information indexer, interpreter, and translator.

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Programs Offered

Transfer Preparation
Associate Degree for Transfer
- English
Certificate of Achievement
- Creative Writing
See also Liberal Arts – Arts and Humanities

Associate Degree for Transfer Requirements

Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of degree-applicable courses,
Minimum overall grade point average of 2.0,
Minimum grade of “C” (or “P”) for each course in the major, and
Completion of Cal-GETC.

Certificate of Achievement Requirements

A Certificate of Achievement is granted upon successful completion of a program of study with a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) and a designated minimum number of units, including:

Completion of the area of emphasis with a grade of C or higher in each course, or with a P if the course was taken on a Pass/No Pass basis, and the P is equal to a C or higher;
Completion of at least 50% of area of emphasis units at Santa Monica College. Department Chairs have the discretion to waive the 50% minimum units required at SMC to meet the major or area of emphasis. All major coursework must be completed with a “C” or better grade.

Catalog Rights

Transfer Preparation

Many colleges/universities offer baccalaureate degrees in this field. Students planning to transfer to a four-year college or university should complete the lower-division major requirements and the general education pattern for the specific transfer institution. SMC has articulation agreements with the many UC and CSU campuses, as well as several private and out-of-state institutions.

Exact major requirements for UC and CSU campuses can be found online at assist.org.

A listing of private, nonprofit California colleges and universities can be found online at aiccu.edu. For articulation agreements between SMC and some of these institutions see smc.edu/articulation.

English, Associate Degree for Transfer

The Associate in Arts for Transfer degree in English (AA-T) prepares students for professional and transfer institution success. Beyond learning to navigate a constantly changing world, students will enter the job market as sought-after communicators and critical thinkers. Empowered to use language skillfully, students pursuing the English AA-T learn to communicate in nuanced ways beyond socioeconomic and political differences and across boundaries of gender, race, and ethnicity. The program guides students through a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse range of literary expression including foundational, emerging, and global voices. Students begin the program with core courses in the discipline to build writing and critical analysis skills. Next, students complete survey courses to develop a broad understanding of a variety of styles, movements, and genres. In addition, students complete elective courses to pursue their interests in classic and contemporary fiction, poetry, prose, drama, film and literature, and creative writing.

Program Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate, through written, oral, and collaborative academic work, the skills to: 1) Evaluate and critically examine a variety of texts from ethnically and culturally diverse literary traditions, including foundational texts of British and American literature and works in translation;  2) Demonstrate a sensitivity to and an analytical grasp of the nuances of literary language, and an appreciation for multiple literary genres;  3) Identify the ways historical, psychological, sociopolitical, and philosophical contexts influence how literary texts are written and received; 4) Demonstrate critical reading, writing, research, and citation skills relevant to academic study and effective, meaningful self-expression.

Area of Emphasis: (18 units)

Required Core (3 units):

ENGL C1001,Critical Thinking and Writing (formerly ENGL 2)(3)

Select 1 Course (3 units):

ENGL C1002,Introduction to Literature(3)

ENGL 10,Race and Ethnicity in Literature of the U.S.(3)

ENGL 18,Children's Literature(3)

ENGL 34,Afro-American Literature(3)

ENGL 41,Introduction to Asian American Literature(3)

ENGL 53,Latino Literature in the United States(3)

ENGL 54,Indigenous Literatures of North America(3)

ENGL 59,Lesbian and Gay Literature(3)

List A: Select 2 Courses (6 units):

ENGL 3,World Literature 1(3)

ENGL 4,World Literature 2(3)

ENGL 5,British Literature 1(3)

ENGL 6,Brutish Literature 2(3)

ENGL 7,American Literature 1(3)

ENGL 8,American Literature 2(3)

List B: Choose one course from Required Core or List A not already taken, or one course from List B below (3 units):

ENGL 9,Literature of California(3)

ENGL 14,Contemporary American Literature(3)

ENGL 15,Shakespeare(3)

ENGL 17,Contemporary British Literature(3)

ENGL 18,Children's Literature(3)

ENGL 32,History and Literature of Contemporary Africa(3)

ENGL 38,Literature of the Absurd(3)

ENGL 39,Images of Women in Literature(3)

ENGL 40,Asian Literature(3)

ENGL 45,Asian Film, Literature, and Society(3)

ENGL 50,Mythology(3)

ENGL 58,Literature of Mexico(3)

ENGL 71,Introduction to Creative Writing(3)

List C: Choose one course from Required Core, List A, or List B not already taken, or any course from List C below (3 units):

ENGL 26,Introduction to the Humanities (same as HUM 26)(3)

ENGL 31,Advanced Composition(3)

ENGL 49,Asian Mythology(3)

ENGL 51,Literature of the Bible: Old Testament (same as REL ST 52)(3)

ENGL 52,Literature of the Bible: New Testament (same as REL ST 52)(3)

ENGL 55,Modern Drama(3)

ENGL 56,20th Century European Literature(3)

ENGL 57,Latin-American Literature(3)

ENGL 58,Literature of Mexico(3)

ENGL 59,Lesbian and Gay Literature(3)

ENGL 60,English Seminar(3)

ENGL 61,Introduction to the Fairy Tale(3)

ENGL 62,Crime Fiction in a Global Context(3)

ENGL 63,Science Fiction: Worlds Within Worlds(3)

ENGL 64,Graphic Literature(3)

ENGL 70,Technical Communication(3)

ENGL 72,Writing in Fiction(3)

ENGL 73,Writing in Poetry(3)

ENGL 74,Writing in Creative Nonfiction(3)

Creative Writing, Certificate of Achievement

The Creative Writing Certificate provides students with the preparation needed to author works in creative writing, including works for personal development and/or professional application. Completion of the required courses in the Certificate Program provides a comprehensive foundation in the study and practice of creative writing, and guides students through varied and rich opportunities to dig deep into the power and properties of language and the craft of writing expressively.

This certificate meets the needs of those students who wish to exercise their imaginations, think rigorously about craft and literature, generate and shape personal stories, prepare creative work for publication, and/or pursue professional opportunities in fields that rely on critical thinking, creative imagination, narrative skills, sensitivity to language and training in the craft of written communication. In the course of this program, students learn an incisive critical vocabulary, formulate and absorb constructive, critical feedback, and apply critical responses to multiple, iterative revisions of their work. The program also meets the needs of those in the community who wish to participate in a creative writing community.

Students who complete the certificate read widely and closely from the work of writers who represent a variety of genres, styles, periods, aesthetic concerns, geographies, and perspectives, thereby gaining a deeper and broader cultural fluency. In the certificate program, student writers gain meaningful experience in collaboration (via the workshop model), public presentation (via sharing their work with an audience), and self-evaluation (via critical reflection about their drafts in progress).

Program Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate: a) the skills to write short works that cohere, or have internal integrity, and reflect a greater sensitivity to language, attention to the rhythm and structure of the sentence and demonstrates an awareness of the relationship of form to content in the generation of meaning b) the skills to read and critique works by both established and peer writers using a critical lens c) the ability to maintain an independent creative practice that includes close, active reading, independent generative exercises, and strategies for revision of works in progress d) the skills necessary for using language and storytelling for a wide-range of applications in industry and publishing.

Area of Emphasis: (12 units)

Required Introductory Course (3 units):

ENGL 71,Introduction to Creative Writing (3)

Genre Options; Select 2 Courses (6 units):

ENGL 72,Writing in Fiction(3)

ENGL 73,Writing in Poetry(3)

ENGL 74,Writing in Creative Nonfiction(3)

Literature Options; Select 1 Course (3 units):

ENGL 3,World Literature 1(3)

ENGL 4,World Literature 2(3)

ENGL 5,British Literature 1(3)

ENGL 6,Brutish Literature 2(3)

ENGL 7,American Literature 1(3)

ENGL 8,American Literature 2(3)

ENGL 18,Children's Literature(3)

ENGL 31,Advanced Composition(3)

ENGL 34,Afro-American Literature(3)

ENGL 38,Literature of the Absurd(3)

ENGL 41,Introduction to Asian American Literature(3)

ENGL 53,Latino Literature in the United States(3)

ENGL 54,Indigenous Literatures of North America(3)

ENGL 55,Modern Drama(3)

ENGL 56,20th Century European Literature(3)

ENGL 57,Latin-American Literature(3)

ENGL 59,Lesbian and Gay Literature(3)

ENGL 61,Introduction to the Fairy Tale(3)

ENGL 62,Crime Fiction in a Global Context(3)

ENGL 63,Science Fiction: Worlds Within Worlds(3)

ENGL 64,Graphic Literature(3)