English and Communications Department

English Library Resources
Communications Library Resources 

Barbara Lonnquist, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Chair
Suzanne del Gizzo, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English
Karen Getzen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English
Kimberley Leahy, MBA, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication, Communications Major Coordinator
Keely McCarthy, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Coordinator of the Writing Program
Megan E. Ryan, M.A., Instructor in Writing, Director of the Writing Center

Rita Michael Scully, SSJ, M.A., Associate Professor of English
 
English and Communication Department Presentation (.pdf)
Chestnut Hill College offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature; a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communications; a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature and Communications; and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Communications and Technology (new program, Fall 2010). Minors in English Literature and Communications are also offered. A minimum Career GPA of 2.00 and a minimum Major GPA of 2.00 are required for graduation. Courses Required in the Major comprise the Major GPA. Unless indicated, students must earn a grade of C- (1.70) or better in courses both Required in the Major and Also Required in order to successfully complete the requirements for the Majors. Students must earn a grade of C- (1.70) or better in courses required to successfully complete the requirements for the Minors.

Departmental Mission
The English and Communications Department offers a flexible program that develops students’ literacy in numerous genres to prepare them for a variety of fields after graduation. Students may choose from several majors in the department, as listed above. The overall goals are to offer knowledge in diverse forms of written, oral and visual expression; to train students in critical thinking and effective written and oral communication; and to help students integrate their own intellectual development with critical theory in their particular field of study. Each of the majors culminates in the production of a senior thesis, in which students demonstrate their ability to present and synthesize critical analysis and research in their field.

Placement Testing
All incoming first-year students must take a writing placement test administered by the English and Communications Department. Registration in ENGL-100: Essay Writing may be required based on the results of the test. ENGL-100 does NOT satisfy the general education requirement in college writing; however, the 3 credits earned may be used as elective credits towards graduation. Students successfully completing ENGL-100 will register for ENGL-101: College Writing the following semester.

Advanced Placement
A score of 4 or 5 on the English Language and Composition Exam may be accepted as credit for ENGL-101: College Writing depending upon results of the College’s writing placement exam.

A score of 4 or 5 on the English Literature Exam will be accepted as 3 elective credits in English at the discretion of the department.

Honors and Honor Societies Students who meet the requisite GPA of 3.00 and receive departmental approval are eligible for membership in the national honor societies of their respective disciplines: Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society and Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Honor Society.

Outstanding students may be invited to participate in the Departmental Honors program. Sophomores of high scholastic standing (a Career GPA of 3.50 or higher) may be invited by their major department to stand for Honors in their Junior and Senior years. The Departmental Honors program provides an opportunity for independent study and research culminating in an Honors thesis submitted in the spring of Senior year. All students who have successfully completed the Honors Program will be recognized with Honors in their major field at the annual Honors Convocation and on their academic transcripts. In addition, the title of the completed Honors Thesis will appear on the academic transcript.

Extra-Curricular Activities A yearbook, newspaper, campus magazines, a literary and a scholarly journal offer English and Communications majors opportunities to develop their writing interests and skills. The TV and Radio Clubs offer opportunities for all students to participate in, prepare and edit campus media programs.

Teacher Certification Program/Secondary Education Minor Teacher Certification in English (Grades 7 -12) is available to English Literature and Communications majors. The undergraduate program in Secondary Education integrates educational theory and practice with field experiences that include practicum and student teaching, and includes opportunities to develop teaching competence through innovative and effective approaches to the educational process with focus on students at the secondary level of education. See the Education Department section of the catalog for additional information.

Students in the minor are expected to complete all courses for Secondary Certification including student teaching. Students may complete student teaching after graduation but the minor will not be included on the transcript unless student teaching is successfully completed. Students must earn a grade of C- (1.70) or better in courses required to successfully complete the requirements for the minor.

Following formal acceptance into the minor, students need to complete the following 12 courses (39 credits) in addition to all major requirements:

EDSC-201: Adolescent Psychology and Development

EDSC-202: Educational Psychology

EDSC-203: The Foundations of High School

EDSC-315: General Methods & Assessment

EDSC-316: Content Reading for Diverse Learners

EDSC-317: Special Methods-English/Soc Studies

EDSC-420: Student Teaching in Secondary School (6 credits)

EDSC-421: Student Teaching Seminar/Secondary School

EDSP-340: Introduction to Special Education

EDSP-345: Assessments and Adaptations

EDSP-355: Instruction in Inclusive Environment

EDSP-390: ESL Foundations and Methods

Course Options
In addition to courses for majors and minors, the department offers several courses for students of any major interested in fulfilling a Ways of Knowing or Writing Intensive requirement, or pursuing an interest in English or Communications without completing a minor. Check the Course Description section for any Pre-Requisites.

Courses are three credits unless indicated. Courses open to students of any major meeting the indicated Pre-Requisites include the following, which may not be offered each semester:

COMM-102: Newspaper Workshop (1 credit course, may be taken up to three times)

COMM-110: Introduction to Communication (WOK: Behavioral)

COMM-112: Television Workshop (1 credit course, may be taken up to three times)

COMM-141: Introduction to Journalism

COMM-201: Introduction to Film Analysis

COMM-203: Visual Literacy

COMM-210: Interpersonal Communication (WOK: Behavioral)

COMM-221: Video Design and Production I

COMM-251: Mass Media and Society (WOK: Behavioral)

COMM-252: Writing for Electronic Media (Writing Intensive)

COMM-253: Advanced Public Speaking Applications

COMM-254: Advertising (WOK: Behavioral)

COMM-255: Public Relations (WOK: Behavioral)

COMM-275: Persuasive Methods

COMM-258: Scriptwriting (Writing Intensive)

COMM-260: Public Relations Writing (Writing Intensive)

COMM-265: Writing and Editing for Magazines (Writing Intensive)

COMM-325: Video Design and Production II

COMM-281: Special Topics in Communications/Topics vary by semester (Repeatable for credit.)

COMM-481: Advanced Special Topics in Communications/Topics vary by semester (Repeatable for credit.)

ENGL-100: Essay Writing *

ENGL-101: College Writing *

ENGL-102: The International Tale (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-104: Introduction to Literature (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-105: Advanced College Writing

ENGL-110: Literature into Film (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-175: The Short Story (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-190: Modern Japanese Literature (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-201: Shakespeare's Heroes and Heroines (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-202: Shakespeare in Love and War (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-204: Writing Literary Non-Fiction

ENGL-205: American Poetry (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-206: Twentieth-Century and Contemporary British Poetry (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-225: Eighteenth-Century British Literature (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-227: Drama: Classical to Modern (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-228: Modern Drama (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-233: English Romanticism (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-238: Victorian Literature

ENGL-240: The Comic Spirit

ENGL-241: Gender and Literature (WOK: Literary and Writing Intensive)

ENGL-245: The American Theater (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-248: Irish Literature I: The Celtic Era to the Gaelic Movement (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-249: Irish Literature II: 20th Century Irish Renaissance to the Present (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-250: Creative Writing

ENGL-251: African-American Writers (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-260: Ethnic Voices (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-264: Early American Literature, contact-1820 (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-265: American Romanticism, 1820-1865 (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-266: Modern American Literature, 1865-1945 (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-267: Contemporary American Literature, 1940-present (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-270: Writing Short Fiction

ENGL-271: Gothic Tradition in Literature (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-275: Writing the Graphic Novel

ENGL-280: American Literature of the 1920s: The Lost Generation (WOK: Literary and Writing Intensive)

ENGL-281: Special Topics in English/Topics vary by semester (Repeatable for credit)

ENGL-300: James Joyce and Ulysses (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-301: American Novel (WOK: Literary and Writing Intensive)

ENGL-305: Writing Poetry

ENGL-308: British Novel (WOK: Literary and Writing Intensive)

ENGL-338: Age of Chaucer (WOK: Literary)

ENGL-340: American Literature Seminar

ENGL-342: British Literature Seminar

ENGL-410: A Sense of Place (Intersession course – additional charge)

ENGL-481: Advanced Special Topics in English/Topics vary by semester (Repeatable for credit)

* If taken to fulfill a Core Requirement, a grade of C- is required.