English
22 courses · San Jose City College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Summer 2026 · Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- Placement as determined by the college's multiple measures assessment process.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
In this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research. Students will learn the skills necessary for writing college level compositions. Students learn expository and argumentative writing, critical and close reading, cogent thinking and research techniques and strategies. Students will also learn to write academic essays including a documented research paper in conventional format using MLA style. This course was formerly known as ENGL 001A: English Composition.
ENGL C1001 Critical Thinking and Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- ENGL C1000 with C or better
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
In this course, students receive instruction in critical thinking for purposes of constructing, evaluating, and composing arguments in a variety of rhetorical forms, using primarily non-fiction texts, refining writing skills and research strategies developed in ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing (or C-ID ENGL 100) or similar first-year college writing course. This course presents the techniques of critical reasoning and advanced composition and emphasizes the development and refinement of critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate and produce academic and argumentative writing. Students will learn formal and rhetorical components of argumentative writing and will enage in critical reading, critical writing, research, and inquiry strategies to identify the basic structures of arguments and the ways language is used to fortify or to falsify arguments. Students will analyze and demonstrate these techniques by writing and critiquing essays. This course was formerly known as ENGL 001C: Critical Thinking/Composition.
ENGL C1002 Introduction to Literature
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- ENGL-C1000 with C or better.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
In this course, students are introduced to works by diverse authors and major literary genres, developing close reading and analytical writing skills. Students also develop appreciation for and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature. Students will study expository and argumentative writing directed toward an analysis of ideas and concepts from a wide variety of literature which includes works from those of all genders and sexual orientations, as well as works from writers around the world in a variety of literary and cultural traditions (sometimes called Western and non-Western cultures). Students will develop an understanding of a wide variety of perspectives and cultures from a study of literary works that address the critical concepts of civilizations, such as philosophy, art, and religion. These studies will foster a fundamental humanizing perspective that develops the whole person. This course was formerly known as ENGL 001B: English Composition.
ENGL 001B English Composition
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- ENGL-C1000 with C or better.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL_120
English 001B is a second semester college composition course. Students will study expository and argumentative writing directed toward an analysis of ideas and concepts from a wide variety of literature. Students will read fiction, drama, poetry, and essays critically reading in these genres for the purpose of writing.
ENGL 010 Great Works of Literature
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- ENGL 092 and READ 101 or ESL 091; all with C or better
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will read works considered influential throughout the world. The analysis of form, style, and rhetoric will lead students to an understanding of what comprises great literature. The course is designed to heighten critical awareness of universal themes in literature.
ENGL 033 Women in Literature
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- READ 101 and ENGL 092 or ESL 091 all with C or better, or placement based on assessment
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will be introduced to literature focusing on images of women as depicted in drama, short stories, poetry, essays and novels. The relationship of self to characters in the literature will also be examined.
ENGL 065 The Short Story
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will develop the ability to analyze and interpret the short story. Elements of fiction, critical literary approaches, historical context, author-biographical information, and techniques for writing about literature will be covered.
ENGL 071A Fundamentals of Creative Writing/Poetry
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 200 when combined with ENGL 071B
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of writing poetry, such as figurative language, and will explore poetic forms, including the sonnet, blank verse, ballad, haiku, villanelle, and free verse. Students will discuss and analyze poems written by published writers and by their classmates.
ENGL 071B Fundamentals of Creative Writing/Fiction
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 200 when combined with ENGL 071A
Students are introduced to techniques in fiction writing, such as description, setting, theme, character development, narration, short story, novella, and the novel. Students will read and produce works of fiction.
ENGL 071C Fundamentals of Creative Writing/Drama
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students are introduced to the principles and forms of drama such as conflict, setting, timing, pace, dialogue, scene-building, radio or television plays, one-act, and full-length plays for the theatre. Students will produce a portfolio of drama.
ENGL 073 Introduction to Shakespeare
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will study Shakespeare as a major figure in literary history. Through examination of selected works, students will recognize the immense contribution Shakespeare's texts have had, and continue to have, in the modern world's literary, artistic, and cultural compositions. This course is designed to increase the awareness on the part of the student with regards to the contributions Shakespeare's works have had on society, and to increase the appreciation of those works' influence and artistic construction.
ENGL 079 Memoir Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will study the characterics and techniques of memoir writing. They will analyze styles employed by authors in diverse autobiographical works. Students will incorporate this knowledge into their own autobiographical exercises.
ENGL 080 Mexican-American Literature
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will study the literary contributions of both Mexican and Mexican-American writers from the early 20th Century to the present. The course is designed to heighten critical awareness of the image of the Mexican-American in distinct genres of literature. The focus is on the relationship of the literature to society and the various themes contained in the literature.
ENGL 081 Introduction to African American Literature
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will be introduced to African American literature from the late 18th century to the present. The focus of the course is on African American literature as it relates to culture, society, and ideology. Topics such as cultural heritage, structural racism, political struggle for civil and human rights, and issues of gender will be included. Students will read literature including poetry, essays, short stories, drama, and novels from major periods of African American writing that influenced society. The course is designed to heighten awareness of African American literature as a major contribution to American literature.
ENGL 084A Survey of American Literature I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- Eligible for college-level English composition as determined by multiple measures.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 130
Students will study the progression of American literature from its beginning to 1865 with emphasis on social and cultural backgrounds. This course includes works of writers of the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Romantic periods.
ENGL 084B Survey of American Literature II
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- Eligible for college-level English composition as determined by multiple measures.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 135
Students will study the progression of American literature from 1865 to the present with emphasis on social and cultural backgrounds. This course includes works of writers of the Realist, Naturalist, Modernist, and Contemporary movements.
ENGL 086A Survey of British Literature I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 160
Students are introduced to the development of British literature from its beginnings in the 8th Century AD through the 18th Century. Students will read and discuss examples of epic, lyric, drama, and prose writings.
ENGL 086B Survey of British Literature II
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- ENGL 092 and READ 101 or ESL 091; all with C or better or placement based on assessment.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ENGL 165
Students are introduced to British Literature from the 18th Century AD through the present day. Students will read and discuss examples of epic, lyric, drama, and prose writings.
ENGL 092 Essay Development
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 4
- Prerequisite
- New students will be placed based on the results of assessment.
Students will focus on the writing of short compositions in response to readings reflecting sentence variety, syntactic complexity, and paragraph efficiency using a variety of rhetorical modes. Students will also read college-level materials and write responses to the readings. Students will edit compositions for punctuation, spelling, and capitalization errors. This course prepares students for ENGL C1000, the General Education transfer English Composition course.
ENGL 098 Directed Study
- Units
- 0.5-9
- Hours
- Lab Hours: 2.07
- Prerequisite
- ENGL C1000 with C or better
- Transfers to
- CSU
Individual or small groups of students who would benefit from Independent Study under the direction of faculty members in specific or related disciplines may develop individualized learning contracts designed to enhance their individual instructional programs. The students and the faculty member in consultation with the Division Dean will determine appropriate learning objectives and activities as well as the number of units to be earned. Instructions and the Learning Contract forms are available in the Division office. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 units across all disciplines.
ENGL 120 College Composition Skills Support
- Units
- 2
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 2
- Corequisite
- ENGL-C1000
Students will develop writing and critical thinking skills to enhance success in ENGL C1000. This is a supplemental support course for ENGL C1000. Students will practice a variety of writing and revision techniques and build research literacy. Topics may include essay organization, writing for an audience, using college level diction and tone, and self-reflective strategies for revision. This course must be taken concurrently with ENGL C1000.
ENGL 587 Essay Exam Practice: WST & CBEST
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 2
This non-credit course offers transfer bound and other students an opportunity to strengthen their grammar and language awareness, focusing specifically on the Writing Skills Test (WST) and other related tests of the CSU system as well as the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST). The course offers an overview of English sentence structure; practice in identifying and correcting errors in writing; and practice in timed writing.