Academics
Academic Departments
English & Humanities

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

English

Study grammar, punctuation, logic, critical thinking, fallacies, reading comprehension strategies, research methods, and essay structures.

Visit the English program page

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. Based on the table below, some students may also elect to take English C090 (1 unit), basic skills and support co-requisite course, concurrently with specified sections of English C100. This allows all students to complete the freshman composition requirement in only one semester.

Eligibility table for students enrolling in English classes
Recommended for English C100 only	Recommended for English C100 + C090
High school GPA of 2.6 or above	High school GPA of 2.59 or below
OR Earned an A or B in highest level of high school English	Earned a C or below in highest level of high school English
OR Note that any student is eligible for English C100, regardless of the criteria in the right column, preferably with the input of a counselor or instructor.	English Language Learners and students completing the ESL pathway

Note that the English C100 + C090 option replaces the former English C099 to English C100 pathway starting Fall '19.

English Placement
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. (Please see above for placement info and descriptions of English C090, C098N, and C099N.)

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 English, 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

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.

Marilyn Brock

Dr. Marilyn Brock is co-chair of the English and Humanities Department. She is the 2022 recipient of the Hayward Award for Excellence in Education.

As 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, and Latin American literature. Dr. Brock's research focuses on Southeast Asian refugees, Diaspora, the Gothic, Postcolonialism, and Ethnic Studies in literature.  She is a passionate educator and is strongly committed to the success of her students. She received her PhD in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati, her EdD in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy from Pepperdine University, and a graduate certificate in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University.

Professor Brock is the editor and co-author of From Wollstonecraft to Stoker: Essays on Gothic and Victorian Sensation Fiction and is currently working as project director for the NEH grant funded project, "Fifty Years Later: The Vietnam War Through the Eyes of Veterans, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian Refugees." She is the editor of Coastline's Nzuri Journal, the literary and arts journal for Umoja community, and is an Academic Senator and Faculty Accreditation Coordinator. She lives in Huntington Beach with her two children, three dogs, and a cat named Cleopatra.

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

Non-credit Options

Starting Fall ’19, if you are a non-credit student seeking to develop your English reading and writing skills prior to enrolling in English C100, then you may enroll in English C098N Sentences to Paragraphs or English C099N Paragraphs to Essays. These courses are repeatable and tuition-free. Students who complete both non-credit courses earn the Preparation for College Writing certificate, after which they should be well-prepared to succeed in English C100 or at writing-related duties in the workforce.

Writing Competition

Crux Essay Contest

If you have received high marks on an essay in any class at Coastline, consider submitting it to the Crux Essay Contest for an opportunity to earn $300 for your achievement. Winners are also published in Storyline, Coastline's Arts & Letters Magazine.

Essays are accepted in the Fall each year for the following categories:

Argumentative or Persuasive Essay
Informative or Analytical Essay
Research-Based Essay

Publications

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. View Issue 3 via a plain-text accessible version or a viewbook.

Nzuri Literary & Arts Journal

Stay connected, get inspired, and tap into compelling voices of the UMOJA Community. Read moving works by many prize winning poets and writers from all over the world. This Umoja-inspired publication explores the African American diaspora, in particular, and celebrates the beauty of diverse imaginations. It's been created in support of the student club Umoja at Coastline.

link to journal