English English Associate in Arts (Liberal Arts Option) Focusing on English within the liberal arts program allows you to explore literary traditions while building essential career skills. Request Information Apply Now English Department website Program Contact Lillian Ruiz (413) 775-1236 ruiz@gcc.mass.edu Program Overview Degree Requirements Learning Outcomes Faculty Career Outlook Upcoming Events Plum Reading Tuesday April 29 - 12:00pm Plum Reading Wednesday April 30 - 6:00pm With the English option of the liberal arts degree, you can explore your favorite types of literature and discover new genres that span time periods and traditions. ‘Survey’ courses like American and British Literature and Women in Literature are complemented by genre-specific courses, including Gothic Literature, Modern Poetry, and The Short Story. Develop an understanding of the achievements of the writers you study, as well as the contexts that inform their work. You’ll also hone your analytical and creative writing skills as you learn to interpret and appreciate literature in a scholarly way. 60-62credits Associate in Arts Associate in Arts (AA) degrees are typically completed in two (2) years and designed for transfer Learn more TransferGuaranteed admission and streamlined transfer to four-year state schools through MassTransfer!Learn more What's Next?Many graduates of this program transfer to bachelor’s degree programs to major in English or similar disciplines like journalism or comparative literature. They go on to careers in writing, editing, publishing, education, public relations, advertising, business, media, information technology, law and politics, among other fields. In their own ways, all English courses use writing, reading, and critical thinking to cultivate habits of mind that are both intellectual and practical and that will support students’ success in school, work, and the wider world. Curiosity the desire to know more about the world Openness the willingness to consider new ways of being and thinking in the world Engagement a sense of investment and involvement in learning Creativity the ability to use novel approaches for generating, investigating, and representing ideas Persistence the ability to sustain interest in attention to short- and long-term projects Responsibility the ability to take ownership of one’s action and understand the consequences of those actions for oneself and others Flexibility the ability to adapts to situations, expectations, or demands Metacognition the ability to reflect on one’s own thinking as well as on the individual and cultural processes used to structure knowledge Cultural Awareness the ability to explore literary voices of different cultural heritages and to study these voices in context of history and theory; to find relevance in a global awareness of environmental/ political/ social/ spiritual/ gendered realities that shape experience Collaboration a willingness and desire to work with others offer feedback, solve problems, and create Pleasure a willingness to experience life of literature and the arts through the senses of taste, touch, sight, sound and smell