English & Humanities

Develop a richer understanding of human society and culture.

To Be Or Not To Be

The ability to communicate effectively on paper is instrumental to academic and professional success. Coastline's English and Humanities courses help you prepare for a certificate, earn a degree, transfer to a university, or advance your career. Our students have busy schedules, so our caring instructors offer classes during fall, spring, and summer in 8-week and 16-week sessions through a variety of deliveries, including classroom, hybrid, independent study, and online.

Coastline has a wide variety of courses in English composition, literature, and writing. Coastline's Humanities courses provide insights into historical, religious, intellectual, socio-political, philosophical, and cultural values through the study of arts and civilizations.

Available Programs

Ready To Get Started?

Our students have busy schedules, so Coastline's instructors offer classes during Fall, Winter Intersession, Spring, and Summer in 4-week, 8-week, and 16-week sessions.

Take a look at our topics below to get a better sense of the English & Humanities department and commonly asked questions. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the English & Humanities department.

• English Freshman Composition

  Enrolling in Freshman Composition

  In accordance with the state law AB 705, all incoming Coastline students enter English C100 Freshman Composition (4 units), ideally during their first semester. Students who would like additional support may enroll in the Writing Center.

  The Writing Center is a tuition-free course that enables you to work directly with a Coastline English or ESL faculty member on their writing. By enrolling in Freshman Composition in your first semester, you increase your chances of completing your first-year composition requirement within your first year.

  Questions? Send us an email.

• Current English Offerings

  Current English Offerings

  English C100 Freshman Composition teaches students grammar and punctuation conventions, logic, critical thinking, fallacies, reading comprehension strategies, research methods, and the structures of the most common essay modes.

  After completing English C100, students who are planning to transfer to the University of California, to any private college or university in California, or to any university may take English C102 Critical Reasoning. Students who are on the IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) track are required to take 102, which focuses on reading critically, thinking critically, writing argumentative essays, and writing a research paper.

  For other types of writing, students may take Fiction Writing, Business Writing, or Business Communication. Coastline has a wide variety of literature courses from which to choose: Appreciation of Literature, Children's Literature, American Literature: The Short Story, American Lit through the Civil War, American Lit 1865 to Present, Shakespeare, British Lit to 1800, British Lit Since 1800, Gothic Victorian Lit, and Contemporary Gothic Lit.

• Humanities Offerings

  Humanities Offerings

  Coastline's Humanities courses provide insights into historical, religious, intellectual, socio-political, philosophical, and cultural values through the study of arts and civilizations. Our three offerings: HUM C100 Introduction to the Humanities, HUM C110 Humanities through the Arts, and HUM C135 History and Appreciation of the Cinema also fulfill IGETC Area 3, CSU Area C, CCC Group C, and the CCC Global and Multicultural Studies requirement.

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment

English, ESL, and Math Placement

All Coastline students are eligible to register for transfer-level English composition and Math courses, regardless of educational background.

Students' initial placement for English, ESL, or Math is based on multiple measures, beginning with the high school information a student reports on the Coastline application.

Learn more at Counseling | Assessment.

Marilyn Brock

Marilyn Brock

Marilyn Brock

Dr. Marilyn Brock was the 2022 recipient of the Hayward Award for Excellence in Education.

As a Professor of English, she teaches a range of courses, including composition, critical reasoning, Victorian and American Gothic literature, Asian and Transpacific literature, African American literature, Native American literature, and Latin American literature. Dr. Brock's research focuses on Digital Humanities, Southeast Asian refugees, Diaspora, the Gothic, Postcolonialism, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. She is a passionate educator and is strongly committed to the success of her students. Her educational background has a broad Humanities focus. She has studied History at Harvard and has a graduate certificate from the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at MIT. She received her Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati, her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy from Pepperdine University, and a graduate certificate in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. She is a Fulbright Specialist and serves on the Board of Directors for ArtsOC.

Professor Brock is the editor and co-author of From Wollstonecraft to Stoker: Essays on Gothic and Victorian Sensation Fiction, and has authored other books, short stories, and essays. She was project director for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant funded project, "Fifty Years Later: The Vietnam War Through the Eyes of Veterans, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian Refugees." She was the editor for Coastline's first open access literary journal titled Nzuri, inspired by Umoja community. Dr. Brock has served as an Academic Senator, Faculty Accreditation Coordinator, and the English and Humanities Department Chair. She lives in Orange County with her two children, three dogs, and a cat named Cleopatra.

Interested in English at Coastline? Check out the English Program page.

Publications

StoryLine Magazine

StoryLine Magazine

StoryLine Magazine

Coastline's Arts and Letters Magazine

StoryLine, Coastline College's Arts and Letters Magazine, is published once a year in the fall semester featuring original art, poetry, essays, and short stories by Coastline students. Submit by July 1^st if you would like your original work to be considered for inclusion.

StoryLine's latest issue is now live! Please take a break from your daily grind and check out Issue 6. Pour yourself a cup of inspiration and enjoy!

A plain-text, accessible version of the magazine is embedded within the magazine. Just click on the accessibility icon in the upper left-hand corner.

Department Faculty

Charles Ardinger

cardinger@coastline.edu

Stephanie Bridges

sbridges@coastline.edu

Marilyn Brock

*Dept. Chair

mvbrock@coastline.edu

Teacher Feature: Marilyn Brock

Oceana Callum

ocallum@coastline.edu

Teacher Feature: Oceana Callum

Maribeth Daniel

mdaniel@coastline.edu

Scott Davis

sdavis@coastline.edu

Nicholas Enke

nenke@coastline.edu

Jamie Greuel

jgreuel@cccd.edu

Josiah Golojuh

jgolojuh@cccd.edu

Ken Leighton

kleighton@coastline.edu

Michelle Lopez

mlopez208@coastline.edu

David McDevitt

dmcdevitt1@coastline.edu

Teacher Feature: David McDevitt

Karen Morehouse

kmorehouse@coastline.edu

Kristen Nichols

knichols@coastline.edu

ENGL 133 Teacher Asset Video

Katherine Ozbirn

kozbirn@coastline.edu

Tremonisha Putros

tputros@occ.cccd.edu

Meri Rogoff

mrogoff@coastline.edu

Dave Seymer

dseymer@coastline.edu

Kim Volmer

kvolmer@cccd.edu