English 

The English Department prepares students who have various levels of proficiency to reach an optimum level of performance in writing. The courses offered by the department enable students to qualify for graduation and to perform successfully in four-year colleges.

Writing and Literature Major

The Writing and Literature program trains students to think and write critically about literature, write journalism, and compose poems, plays, and stories.

The BMCC Writers Guild allows writers to share their work, meet fellow writers, and participate in activities and events such as invited speakers within the writing profession and open mic events. The Writers Guild also publishes a journal of literature and art.

The English Department presents the annual Working Writers series of author talks. Check the events calendar for future listings.

Each year, cash and kudos go to the top student-writers in a Writing Awards program sponsored and judged by the English department faculty. The entrants in three categories—journalism, creative writing, and academic writing—are celebrated with an afternoon of readings by the winners and keynote speeches by such notable writers as novelist Elizabeth Nunez and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Roger Hernandez.

Journalism Concentration

Imagine interviewing powerful politicians or celebrities for a major magazine or website, imagine being part of breaking historical events as they unfold, or defending the rights of your neighbors and making a difference every day by writing about what matters most to your community. With a degree in journalism, you can do all these things and more. The Journalism concentration at BMCC is designed to provide you with the skills, training, experience, and confidence to pursue a career in newspaper, magazine, and web writing and to do the kind of on the ground investigative work necessary for all kinds of reporting, from crime, to news, sports, fashion, the arts and more.

Children and Youth Studies Major

The Children and Youth Studies major combines courses in children’s literature with the study of psychology and child welfare, leading to a variety possible careers.

General English Requirements

All BMCC students are required to take English 101 and English 201 (or English 121 which combines both). Liberal Arts students are required to take one three-credit course beyond English 201. This requirement may be fulfilled by an English III course or by literature courses offered in the Department of Ethnic and Race Studies (African-American, Asian-American, and Latino/a literature).