COURSES

English Composition I:

ENG 105 is a required freshman course in expository composition consisting of a combination of readings and analysis followed by student writings of essays.  These writings begin with paragraph-length assignments of 200-250 words each and end the semester with full-length themes of 5-6 paragraphs coming to 600-700 words minimum.

     Writings are based on patterns of exposition such as comparison and contrast, classification, definition, process analysis, description, cause and effect and narration.  Six essays and two exams are the minimum work required for this course which emphasizes expository writing.  NO RESEARCH PAPER IN COMP. I!! For more information on this course click HERE.

     Required Texts:

The Little, Brown Handbook—Fowler, 11^th ed.

Patterns of Exposition—Schwegler, 18^th ed.

English Composition II:

ENG 106 is a required freshman course with a pre-requisite of completion of English 105 or its equivalent.  The emphasis in this course is on argument and persuasion in student writing, growing directly out of the work and skills gained in the English 105 course.  There are no exams in this semester class, but all of the short essays using deduction and induction as the primary patterns of development lead up to the creation of a research paper as a final project.  This project takes about one-half of the semester to complete.

     A minimum of four short essays of 600-700 words leads into the 2000-2200 word final research paper, with full MLA documentation.  Readings in argument are prepared and discussed in the classroom.  Both of these courses fulfill 2 of the 3 components of CCC’s communications requirement.

Required Texts:

     The Little, Brown Handbook—Fowler, 11^th ed.

     The Informed Argument—Miller, 7^th ed.

Creative Writing:

ENG 230 is an elective class which runs as a writing workshop designed for students who wish to express themselves creatively. Emphasis is placed on self-expression, audience reactions to the writings, good craftsmanship and the high importance of meeting deadlines for assignments. The writings will consist of responses to ideas from the course's textbook and to ones generated by the class participants themselves. Assignments can be done in the form of short character sketches, but then can move on to full-length short stories demonstrating the use of elements such as theme, setting, plot, character, point of view, tone, style and dialogue. Students may also create poetry responses to the assignments and some may even wish to try their hands at short dramas or screenplays. The class learning experience is enhanced by class discussion and critical analysis of student-produced writings. This three-credit class has a recommended prerequisite of EN 105 and ideally one of the general education literature courses.

Textbook:

     The College Handbook of Creative Writing—Robert DeMaria, 3^rd ed.

Th/ink Practicum:
JOU 941 is a one-credit class which is designed to give students some practical application of skills in the field of journalism. The course provides students with the opportunity to create the current issue of th/ink magazine, a publication that has been in existence at CCC since 1984. This journal publishes students' poetry, essays, stories, art works and photographs. Enrolled students must participate in the following tasks: doing the advertising for submissions; choosing what works will be published; doing the magazine's layout; proofreading its copy and content; and selling the magazine at semester's end. Students editors do not have to contribute creative materials themselves. Course may be repeated for credit in other semesters. 

Below is a sample entitled "My English Teacher Has Just Bought A Gun."

Part1                         Part2

Introduction to Literature:                               

LIT 101 is an introductory literature course designed to acquaint students with the four major genres of short fiction, poetry, drama and the novel.  This course fulfills the literature requirement  at CCC and it requires the writing of two short analytical/critical papers (one on short fiction or poetry, the other on the drama or novel genres) of 6-7 pages each plus the taking of two one-hour exams (one each on short fiction and poetry) plus a final exam covering the dramas and novels read for the course. Sample syllabus is available upon request. Every Fall semester, Mr. K. provides his Literature 101 students with the opportunity to see a live production of a Shakespeare play at APT in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The production for September 18, 2008, is Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Required Texts:

     Introduction to Literature—Kennedy & Gioia, 10^th ed.     

     The Sun Also Rises—Hemingway

     The Bell Jar—Plath

Introduction to Literature
Half-Price Ticket Booth board	Number 59  Cadogan Square	Shakespeare's statue--  Leicester Square	A Woman of No Importance
Interval of Titus Andronicus Globe Theatre--London 2006	Curtain call of MSND Globe Theatre--London 2002	Curtain call of MSND-- Globe Theatre 2008	The setup for Pericles at the Globe Theater  2006
Charles and Martha meet Brian Dennehy	CCC relaxes after the Scottish play	CCC poses at the Goodman Theater 2004	CCC students "run with a bull" in Chicago
Holburn Station --London	Cast of CCC's Hotel Suite	CCC goes to Chicago 2006	"Pericles"signs programs after the show
CCC visits APT to enjoy Measure for Measure	CCC grabs a bite at a Culver's Restaurant	CCC experiences the Trip to Bountiful 2008	The Bontes meet Lois Smith
Penultimate London home of Sylvia Plath	Final home of Sylvia Plath--London	Gone With the Wind-- New London Theatre 2008	Charles with a smiling "Scarlett O'Hara"--Jill Paice

World Literature II:

LIT 183 is a readings course which fulfills the literature requirement at CCC and also uses the four genres of short fiction, poetry, drama and the novel.  It is arranged chronologically starting with Shakespeare in the late 16^th century and ending with readings in the 20^th century.  The course requires intensive readings with analysis and class discussion plus a midterm and final exam on those readings.  Two analytical/critical papers of 6-7 pages each are also required in this course.  A sample syllabus is available on request.

Required Texts:

     The Norton Anthology of World Literature II—Mack, et al., 7^th ed.

     Henry IV- Part I—Shakespeare

     The Comedy of Errors—Shakespeare

Contemporary Literature:

LIT 185 is a course in literature covering the period from 1945 to the present.  It fulfills the CCC literature requirement and makes use of a variety of texts and handouts in order to present the four genres of short fiction, poetry, drama and the novel.  The major writers of  the post-World War II period in world letters are read and discussed intensively in the class and become the subjects of two analytical/critical essays of 6-7 pages in length each. Course grades also determined by a midterm and a final exam consisting of essay-style questions.  A sample syllabus is available on request.

Required Texts:

     Eight Plays of the Modern Period—Clurman, Ed.

     The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction—Cassill & Oates, 2^nd  ed.

     The Old Man and the Sea—Hemingway

     Catch-22—Heller

Introduction to Film:

DRA 110 is a new course offering at CCC for 2004. This 3-credit class fulfills the requirement in either the Humanities or Fine Arts categories by introducing students to the history, development, and artistic aspects of the film industry for an appreciation and critical understanding of the motion picture. Emphasis is placed on major film genres (such as the musical, western, horror film, sci-fi, film noir and comedy types) and their historical development from the silent era to the present, as well as the literature on which they are based. Student requirements include two short analytical/critical papers of 6-7 pages each, a midterm and final exam, plus a class project involving the actual creation of a short film involving directing, acting, photographing, editing, costume designing and all other aspects that have been studied in the course which now demand practical application of student talent.

Required Text:

         Film: An Introduction—Phillips, 4^th ed.

 The year 2004's student film was a comedy titled Svengali's Follies (see photos of the cast members below). It consisted of a two-part program, one all-female and one all-male. The two parts were subtitled "Girls Throwing Down" and "White Men Can't Shop" respectively. The onscreen cast was comprised of nine actors and had a running time of 31 minutes. It was filmed on location at CCC and Paul's Discount store at 1940 Lincoln Way in Clinton.

The final exam film project for the 2005 Survey of Film class was entitled Pawn of the Underdog, which began on The Jerry Springer Show but then turned into a toothsome vampire flick. It involved the active participation of the whole class in terms of writing the screenplay, shooting and editing the movie, then processing and exporting the finished product onto CD/DVD. It ran 30 minutes and was shot at various locations in and around Clinton, including Room 116 at CCC, The Lyons Tap owned by the Riojas family, and Wave Lengths hair salon owned by Kathy Mohr. The whole class tried out for roles that eventually went to the actors depicted below:

Pawn of the Underdog
Peter Clarke as "Guy"	Amy Ehredt as "Sheila"	Mike Root as "Jerry Springer"	Jenna Cummings as "Mel"
Jack Barnette as "Steve the Bouncer"	Faye Guynn as "Malba Schwartz"	Derek Ehrhart as "Jake"	Jenni Riojas as "Brittany"
Eric Brown, April Diss and Tamara Tatham	Meggan Judd as "Guy's Mom"	James Pryor as "The Prompter"	Erin Fee the Key Grip

This year's magnum opus had the working title of  IT Came from CCC!, a horror-comedy with a dynamite opening montage/homage which involved the whole class getting on-screen time and lines. It is dedicated to the memory of the late Michael Hayes, who starred in the "White Men Can't Shop" segment of the 2004 film comedy Svengali's Follies.

Humor and American Popular Culture:

LIT 194 is a literature course which is the most unusual class available at CCC (or in the EICCD, for that matter).  This class fulfills three credits of elective and covers all four literary genres of short fiction, poetry, drama and the novel by way of a variety of texts and handouts.  The period covered is 1920 to the present and it uses a thematic arrangement of humor and its relations to such topics as the family, the “little man”/”little woman”, authority figures, institutions, crises and the like.  It also examines the types of humor like low comedy (slapstick), middle comedy (parody) and high comedy (screwball).

     Further, all ways in which humor is presented to an audience are open to being presented, including comic strips, cartoons, TV sitcoms, movies, radio programs, stand-up comedians, commercials, jokes, scripts and music/songs.  The course climaxes with a discussion of some of the “heavy” subjects on which humor is applied:  sex, death, ethnic relations and bodily functions.  Emphasis is placed on the literary values of such materials.  Two analytical/critical papers of 6-7 pages each, along with in-class discussion, and two exams (midterm and final) are required.  A sample syllabus is available on request.

Required Texts:

     Humor in America —Veron, 2^nd ed.

     The American Dream and The Zoo Story—Albee

     Catch-22—Heller

     The Graduate—Webb

Comedians
Sean Morey and Charles	Bob Zany  and Charles	Dave Ing and  Christopher Robin	Charles and Gallagher