Program Codes:
LAWRT.AA
Associate in Arts Degree
This program provides graduates a foundation for lifelong intellectual development and college transfer following associate’s degree completion. A Liberal Arts degree also develops a set of critical thinking skills students may use over the course of their professional careers.
Below are required courses for program completion.
Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students will use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing documented essays. Extensive reading materials serve as structural models and as the bases for discussion and for the writing of essays involving response, analysis, and synthesis.
A passing score on the College placement test or a grade of “C” or better in ENG-010
Through a variety of writing projects requiring competence in clear, correct, and effective English, students will use inferential and critical skills in the process of composing argument synthesis essays. Students will engage in formal written argumentation based on extensive reading and analysis of complex texts. Through the research process, students will locate, analyze, and synthesize scholarly sources to advance their own informed positions on relevant issues in the composition of a formal research paper.
A grade of “C” or better in ENG-121
Introduction to the theory and practice of public address; the study of representative public addresses and the preparation and delivery of short speeches.
The development of clear, logical and effective speech communication is the goal of this basic discussion and debate course. The focus will be on reasoned decision making with the context of a free society. Topics will draw upon social values, personal responsibility and/or ethical behavior. Speech presentations will include large group discussions, panel discussions and debates that emphasize the ability to work in a team environment.
Take one of the two-course sequences below. Must take both courses in the chosen sequence.
The historical development of Western civilization from ancient times to approximately 1715 A.D. Emphasis is on the social, economic, political and cultural forces that helped to shape the West, beginning with the early Mediterranean civilizations and following through to the subsequent rise of European civilization.
Europe and the world since 1715. Emphasis is on the emerging nation-state political system, the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, and intellectual history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the rise of totalitarianism in the twentieth century and the world balance of power since 1914.
This course is a survey of world history from the emergence of human settlements to the 15th century c.e. The course emphasizes social, cultural, economic, and political developments on the Asian, American, European, African and Pacific island landmasses. A special emphasis is given to comparing cultures over time and geographic space. The rise and decline of major civilizations, the transition from an agrarian to an urban economy, the role of women, and the origins of globalization are some of the major features discussed.
This course is a survey of world history from the 15th century c.e. to the present. The course emphasizes social, cultural, economic, and political developments on the Asian, American, European, African and Pacific island landmasses. A special emphasis is given to comparing cultures over time and geographic space. The rise and decline of major empires and states, the transition to a modern political economy, the role of women, the cause and effects of colonialism and imperialism and world wars, and the rise of globalization are some of the major features discussed.
Historical importance of the Puritan heritage, the American Revolution, the Constitution, Jacksonian democracy, Manifest Destiny and the Civil War to understand pre-Civil War America.
Historical importance of Reconstruction, the rise of big business, the Progressive Movement, the World Wars, the New Deal and the Cold War. Understanding American institutions and values from the Civil War to the present.
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Humanities (GE HUM). Choose two modern language courses in sequence from either: FRE, GER, ITA or SPA. For students who completed at least two years of high school study in one modern language, their level of language will be determined by a placement test (excluding SPA-242).
Students must take 12-15 credits in General Education Mathematics, Science, and Technology courses. Choose one or two science courses (GE MST), one or two math courses (GE MST) and one technology course, in consultation with an academic advisor. For the technology elective, choose either CSC-105 or CSC-106.
Choose courses designated in the course descriptions as General Education Social Science (GE SS).
Choose one course designated in the course descriptions as General Education Diversity (GE DIV).
Choose one course from the following areas: AFS, AGD, ART, ASL, BIO, CHM, CHN, CJU, COM, COR, CPT, DAN, DMA, EDU, ENG, FRE, FSC, GER, HED, HIS, IDC, ITA, JOU, LNC, MAD, MAT, MUS, PCP, PED, PHI, PHY, POL, POS, PSY, SSD, SOC, SPA, SPE and THE.
Physical/Health Education Elective
A basic course in creative and imaginative writing. Various literary forms are discussed and undertaken by the students. Student manuscripts are extensively analyzed and criticized.
ENG-122 or written permission of the department chairperson
A continuation of ENG 235. Various literary forms are discussed and undertaken. Student manuscripts are extensively analyzed and criticized by both students and instructor. Students focus on one major writing project. Various forms, techniques and styles of imaginative writing are discussed via an investigation of professional as well as student writing.
ENG-122 or written permission of the department chairperson
An advanced writing course in which students continue to improve composition skills by interacting with both instructor and peers (including students from various curricula) to form a community of writers. Students are required to undertake sustained reading of books, periodicals and monographs in their fields and to complete research and other writing projects on topics related to their majors and fields of interest.
ENG-122 or written permission of the department chairperson
An advanced writing course designed especially for the students majoring in the various A.S. and A.A.S. curricula (with the exception of business majors). Enhances students' skills for technology communication projects with particular emphasis on informal and formal report writing. It emphasizes clarity, conciseness, objectivity and practicality of style.
ENG-122 or written permission of the department chairperson
The course focuses on oral and written communication theory and practice appropriate for a variety of business situations. Students generate and examine routine and special business correspondence, strategic electronic communication and informational and analytical business reports; conduct business research; refine team-oriented skills; and design/deliver oral presentations. The following concepts are emphasized: the nature of audience; business communication forms/formats; tone, style and diction; purpose; clarity and complexity; and other relevant rhetorical issues.
Scriptwriting is designed for the student who needs a course in generating story ideas, dialogue and presentational information for marketing, educational, industrial and/or entertainment arenas as well as for playwriting. During the course, students analyze the components of a script and review numerous published scripts with the intention of creating their own viable scripts. Also, students will write and work with dialogue, plot, scene development, storyboarding and distinctive script formats required for various media.
ENG-122 or written permission of the department chairperson
Contact Name: Assistant Professor Michael Nester, department chair
Contact Phone: 732.906.2591
Contact Email: MNester@middlesexcc.edu
Department Web: http://www2.middlesexcc.edu/academics/academic-departments/english.html
A Liberal Arts education helps students develop strong and ordered minds as they explore the world’s collected wisdom in literature, history, mathematics, science, philosophy and the arts. It teaches them to recognize and construct arguments, to appreciate diverse cultures and perspectives, and to have a sense of scholarship about the lives and events that have gone before. Liberal Arts emphasis on language helps students broaden their cultural perspective and become more aware of their own identity. Courses comprising a Liberal Arts education at Middlesex County College are the core of all liberal arts programs at the bachelor’s level. Students may select the general degree, the most flexible of all our Liberal Arts programs, or one of the many specialized options.
Algebra I is a prerequisite for all majors. Competency in Algebra I may be verified with a passing score on the College’s placement test or by completion of the appropriate course. Students must also have a grade of “C” or better in one year of high school laboratory science.
Once students complete required developmental coursework (if any), the degree can be completed in two years of full-time study. Students may shorten the amount of degree completion time by taking courses in the summer and winter sessions.