Literature

pcc.edu/programs/literature/

Description

Literature classes help students better comprehend cultural complexity as well as help them develop cultural awareness. PCC’s literature program teaches and promotes an understanding of the significance and history of various literatures and fosters an appreciation for the richness and variety of literary texts. Through improving their comprehension and appreciation of written language, students will be more likely to engage actively and effectively in their many communities, as they transfer to universities and/or pursue career technical education. Acknowledging others' voices, evaluating authority, recognizing subtle biases and prejudices, and integrating the ideas of others with one’s own are all skills essential to active citizenship developed through the study of literature.

The prerequisite for PCC literature courses is WR 115 and RD 115 or equivalent placement test scores.

All PCC literature courses are transferable to four-year institutions and fulfill the block transfer agreement for the humanities in the General Education requirement for an associate degree. Students interested in writing courses should consult the Writing section of the catalog.

ENG 104. Introduction to Literature (Fiction). 4 Credits.

Examines significant works of fiction, short stories and novels, from diverse cultures and periods in history. Explores fiction as an art form designed to provoke thought and challenge social norms. Considers fiction as an expression of human experience. Prerequisites: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 105. Introduction to Literature (Plays). 4 Credits.

Examines plays as literature and as an art form designed to provoke thought and to challenge social norms. Considers drama as an expression of human experience. Prerequisites: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 106. Introduction to Literature (Poetry). 4 Credits.

Examines significant poems from diverse cultures and periods in history. Explores poetry as an art form designed to provoke thought and challenge social norms. Considers poetry as an expression of human experience. Prerequisites: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 107. Introduction to World Literature (Up to 16th-Century). 4 Credits.

Introduces a broad spectrum of literature in translation that begins in antiquity and concludes at the dawn of the Renaissance. Includes works of fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. Examines the uniqueness and interconnectedness of literature from a variety of worldwide traditions, both western and non-western. ENG 107 and ENG 108 do not have to be taken in sequence. Prerequisite: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 108. Introduction to World Literature (16th-Century to Present). 4 Credits.

Introduces a broad spectrum of literature in translation that begins in the Renaissance and concludes at the present. Includes works of fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. Examines the uniqueness and interconnectedness of literature from a variety of worldwide traditions, both western and non-western. ENG 107 and ENG 108 do not have to be taken in sequence. Prerequisite: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 195. Film Studies: Film as Art. 4 Credits.

Enhances understanding of film through analysis of film history and form. Develops visual literacy and analysis skills by offering a range of tools to study any film. Explores ways in which a film may both contribute and react to its time and culture. Analyzes film through studying the techniques by which it was made. Substantiates observations with examples taken from film tradition and from the film itself. Prerequisite: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 196. Film Studies: Directors. 4 Credits.

Enhances understanding of film through analysis of directorial decisions and film techniques. Develops visual literacy and analysis skills by offering a range of tools to study any film. Explores ways in which directorial decisions may affect an individual film and viewer. Situates a film within a director's body of work. Analyzes ways in which it may both contribute and react to its time and culture. Substantiates observations with examples taken from the film tradition and from the film itself. Prerequisite: (RD 115 and WR 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 197. Film Studies: Contemporary Themes and Genres. 4 Credits.

Enhances understanding of film through analysis of contemporary film-making, narrative techniques, genres, themes and critical approaches. Develops visual literacy and analysis skills by offering a range of tools to study any film. Analyzes contemporary film techniques and the ways in which the films may both contribute and react to their time and culture. Covers contemporary film theory. Substantiates observations with examples taken from the film tradition and from the film itself. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 201. Shakespeare: Early Works. 4 Credits.

Explores the development of Shakespeare's art and contribution to literature, culture, and the English language, with a focus on the earlier histories, tragedies, comedies, and non-dramatic poetry. Introduces the study of Shakespeare's dramatic techniques, character development, historical and cultural setting, and language. Recommended: ENG 105 and ENG 106. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 202. Shakespeare: Later Works. 4 Credits.

Explores the development of Shakespeare's art and contribution to literature, culture, and the English language, with a focus on the later histories, tragedies, comedies, and non-dramatic poetry. Introduces the study of Shakespeare's dramatic techniques, character development, historical and cultural setting, and language. Recommended prior coursework: ENG 105, ENG 106 and ENG 201. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 204. Survey of British Literature - Medieval Age to 1700s. 4 Credits.

Introduces the study of British Literature. Develops an understanding and appreciation of literature produced in the British Isles from the medieval era to the 1700s. Covers the interrelationship between geography, politics, history, and culture. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 205. Survey of British Literature - 1700 to Present. 4 Credits.

Introduces the study of British Literature. Develops an understanding and appreciation of literature produced in the British Isles from 1700 to the present day. Covers geography, politics, history, culture, and the implications of British Empire influenced Anglophone literatures published after 1700. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 207. Literature of India. 4 Credits.

Introduces Indian literature in English (for the most part, translated) from ancient to contemporary. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 208. Literature of China. 4 Credits.

Introduces Chinese literature translated into English, from the oldest texts (ca. 1000 BCE) to contemporary works. Includes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, and film. Examines the cultural and historical importance of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism on Chinese literature. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 209. Literature of Japan. 4 Credits.

Introduces a range of Japanese texts and films in order to explore the artistic, social, political, and historical characteristics of Japanese literature from the earliest poems to contemporary novels. Explores movements in literary and artistic traditions from multiple periods (e.g., Heian, Meiji) and analyzes how texts emphasize or resist the values of each historical moment. Considers issues of social class, religion, and aesthetics as they apply to creative works. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 212. Biography and Autobiography. 4 Credits.

Covers the study of biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and journals as works of literature. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 213. Latin American Literature. 4 Credits.

Explores fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama, myth, and other texts from Latin America. Includes works from many cultures and ethnicities from Latin America, including indigenous peoples. All readings are in English. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 214. Literature of the Northwest. 4 Credits.

Studies fictional, factual, and poetic works by Northwest writers from before the arrival of Euro-Americans to the present. Emphasizes relationship between Northwest writing and Northwest social, cultural, and physical environment. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 216. Teen and Children's Literature. 4 Credits.

Explores a wide range of literature written for children and teens and introduces the history of this literature focusing on American and British writing as well as international and multicultural traditions. Examines the differences between literature for children and teens and literature for adults, the relationship between text and illustrations, and other issues and controversies concerning children's literature such as the didactic use of text and censorship. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 217. Literature of Genocide. 4 Credits.

Introduces a range of international texts and films pertaining to genocide in order to explore the social, cultural, political, and historical conditions that have led to genocide, the conditions it creates for its victims, and its aftermath. Explores experiences of individuals, later generations, and nations, including issues of exile and reconciliation. Considers memoirs, fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, documentaries and feature films created by survivors and others. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 220. Literature of Comics and Graphic Novels. 4 Credits.

Explores comics and graphic novels. Examines the complex relationship between images and the written word when combined in narrative forms. Considers cultural, political, and/or artistic elements of a variety of examples of the form. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 222. Images of Women in Literature. 4 Credits.

Explores images of women as they appear in a diverse range of texts from across a variety of cultures and historical periods. Focuses on how both men and women have imagined and represented femininity and femaleness in ways that can challenge, reinforce and/or reconfigure culturally-based perceptions, behaviors and practices. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 230. Environmental Literature. 4 Credits.

Introduces texts that explore the relationship between people and their environments, both natural and built. Examines historical trends that have shaped thinking, understanding, and feelings about how humans and the natural world interact. Explores literary writings on issues of sustainability, environmental justice, ecological literacy, and a sense of place. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 237. Working-Class Literature. 4 Credits.

Introduces U.S. and global literature by and/or about the working class. Recommended: ENG 104, ENG 105, and/or ENG 106. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 240. Introduction to Native American Literatures. 4 Credits.

Studies literary arts and cultural expressions by Native American authors. Considers Native American literatures in their national, historical, cultural, geographical, political, and legal contexts. Prioritizes Indigenous experience, worldview, and intellectual traditions in the study of Native literatures. ENG 240 and NAS 240 are equivalent and only one can be taken for credit. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 244. Introduction to Asian-American Literature. 4 Credits.

Studies writings in English by American writers of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Pacific Islander, and other Asian ancestry. Considers the writings in their historical, cultural, political, and social contexts. Emphasizes development of Asian and Pacific American perspectives, values, and identities. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 250. Introduction to Folklore and Mythology. 4 Credits.

Develops a cross-cultural perspective on myths, mythologies and folklore from around the world. Explores different theories of the cultural meanings and functions of myth, past and present. Introduces various ways of interpreting and experiencing myth and folklore as texts with oral origins. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 253. American Literature to 1865. 4 Credits.

Introduces multicultural American literature. Explores literature from the land which is now the United States that was published before 1865. Covers the interrelationship between geography, politics, history, and culture, with special consideration for how gender, indigeneity, settlement, colonization, and slavery influenced cultural expressions in the USA prior to 1865. Includes various literary forms and genres. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 254. American Literature from 1865. 4 Credits.

Introduces multicultural American literature. Explores literature from the land which is now the United States that was published on or after 1865. Covers the interrelationship between geography, politics, history, culture, colonialism, race, and gender has influenced cultural expressions in the USA after the Civil War. Includes various literary forms and genres. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 257. African American Literature to the Harlem Renaissance. 4 Credits.

Covers the major genres and authors of African American literature from the period of slavery through the Harlem Renaissance. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 258. African-American Literature. 4 Credits.

Introduces the literature of Americans whose roots are in Africa. Emphasizes the way contemporary political and social aspirations of African Americans are reflected in the literature of the periods from the Harlem Renaissance through the present. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 260. Introduction to Women Writers. 4 Credits.

Explores women's writings and literary theory from diverse places and historical periods. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 261. Literature of Science Fiction. 4 Credits.

Explores the roots of science fiction as well as classic and modern works of science fiction and speculative literature. Introduces common themes in science fiction, the various ideological underpinnings of science fiction, and the way such literature comments on current issues in society and presents new ideas to society. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 265. Literature of Social Protest. 4 Credits.

Develops an understanding of how the literature of social protest addresses issues of class oppression, economic inequality, racism, sexism, war, and peace. Engages theoretical questions about the relationship between politics and aesthetic expression, as well as the nature of literature in relation to social protest. Prerequisites: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 266. Literature of War. 4 Credits.

Introduces a range of international texts and films pertaining to war in order to explore the social, cultural, political, and historical conditions that have led to war, the experiences of those directly and indirectly involved in war, as well as its aftermath. Explores various perspectives, including those of combatants and their families, innocent victims, returning soldiers and veterans, and later generations. Explores the many complex questions about the evolving definitions of war; the morality of war; the roles of race, gender and religion in war; the roles of propaganda and anti-war movements; the ways in which wars are remembered and forgotten; and the possibilities for peace. Covers memoirs, fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, graphic novels, documentaries and feature films created by both combatants and civilians. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Arts and Letters/AL, Cultural Literacy/DIV

ENG 269. Wilderness Literature. 4 Credits.

Explores writings about wilderness and the natural world, giving attention to the relationship between nature and culture. Considers a variety of historical perspectives through essays, poetry, book-length nonfiction, novels, and film. Examines efforts to rethink the concept of wilderness with respect to law, gender, work, race, and the built environment (e.g., urban forests, gardens, farming) while addressing contemporary concerns for global environmental sustainability. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL

ENG 275. The Bible as Literature. 4 Credits.

Explores the Bible as a literary text by discussing authorship, translation, literary forms, history, and cultural context. Discusses the Bible as a point of reference for literature as well as for other works of art. Prerequisite: (WR 115 and RD 115) or IRW 115 or equivalent placement. Audit available.
This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Arts and Letters/AL