Program Information

Mission Statement

The Department of English at Central Arizona College promotes critical thinking and effective writing in an interactive and student-centered environment. We recognize the diversity of our students’ cultures, backgrounds, ages, and learning styles and encourage the students to use their experiences as tools in the learning process. All courses emphasize real-world writing contexts and the practical application of skills.

The department offers courses in basic writing, transfer level composition, creative writing, and literature.

Goals

• Engage students in college level writing by providing instruction in paragraph and essay development with the emphasis on writing as a process.
• Enable students to understand and respond critically to various texts while considering their audience, purpose, and context.
• Instruct students to research issues, draw independent conclusions, and communicate their knowledge using a variety of formats.
• Promote the ability to analyze research sources for quality and credibility.
• Provide opportunities to use relevant technology to enhance learning.
• Encourage students to use various college resources and support services to enhance their learning.
• Help students develop flexible transferable writing and critical thinking skills that can be applied across academic, professional, and public domains.

Related Courses

Reading Courses

Central Arizona College’s reading courses enable students to apply reading strategies for increased comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. RDG 091 and RDG 100 supports academic and personal growth and ultimately prepares students to be successful in their pathway/program core classes. Reading instruction gives students the tools to become independent and successful learners.

Humanities Courses

Humanities courses focus on the understanding of human culture through the study of its values and ideas. Topics include literature, art, architecture, music, philosophy, intellectual history, and language. The Literary Arts & Languages Division at CAC offers a variety of humanities courses, including Humanities in the Western World I and II and Classical Mythology.

Through the exploration of the humanities, we learn how to think creatively and critically, to reason, and to ask questions. Because these skills allow us to gain new insights into everything from poetry and paintings to business models and politics, humanistic subjects have been at the heart of a liberal arts education since the ancient Greeks first used them to educate their citizens.

Humanities courses are primarily offered online in 8 and 16-week formats and usually once a semester face to face at the Superstition Mountain campus.