English AA-T Degree

College of the Desert’s Associate in Arts in English for Transfer, also  called the English AA-T Degree, offers a wide range of courses designed to help students develop writing, research, problem solving, and critical thinking skills that are applicable across disciplines and the varied career paths that our diverse student body will pursue. Courses in writing and literature prepare students to write effective essays, conduct in-depth research on many topics, and use problem solving and critical thinking strategies in synthesizing and relaying information to specific audiences. These skills translate across all disciplines and career paths that students will pursue. Students earning an AA-T degree in English are well prepared for a variety of career fields in the liberal arts. Students may also choose to continue their study in the discipline toward a bachelor’s degree.This degree requires students to complete 60 CSU transferable units including completion of CSU GE or IGETC and 19-21 units in the major with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. Title 5 requires that students must earn a “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. There are no additional graduation requirements.  Students should consult with a counselor when planning to complete the degree for more information on university admission and transfer requirements.

Learning Outcomes

1. C3 – ARTS, HUMANITIES, AND CULTURE The Arts, Humanities, and Culture areas allow students to appreciate and develop philosophical, cultural, and literary perspective, encouraging independence, and aesthetic sensibility, adapt, respond, and grow in the diverse, global, and rapidly changing environment of the 21st century. Students completing courses in this category will demonstrate an ability to: • communicate effectively in many different situations involving diverse people and viewpoints. • analyze the variety of forms of expression and how those are used to communicate social, cultural, and personal ideas, feelings, and concepts. • show how and why the visual and performing arts are unique and how inherent meaning in the arts transcend written and verbal communication. • effectively communicate and express themselves and make themselves understood through visual, auditory, tactile, and symbolic means. • understand and appreciate diverse local, national, and world contexts. • connect knowledge of self and society to larger cultural contexts. • articulate the differences and similarities between and within cultures.
2. C4.B – Communication and Analytical Thinking Communication and Analytical Thinking emphasize active participation in clear communication, logical thought and quantitative reasoning. Students completing courses in this category will demonstrate an ability to: • raise questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely. • gather, assess, and interpret relevant information • compare and contrast ideas from conclusions and solutions based on relevant criteria and standards. • recognize and assess assumptions, implications, and practical consequences of alternative systems of thought. • express solutions to complex problems using language and logic. • apply logical and critical thinking to solve problems; explain conclusions; and evaluate, support, or critique the thinking of others.
3. C4 – LANGUAGE AND RATIONALITY C4.A – English Composition English Composition courses emphasize active student participation in writing and speaking assignments, including accurate reporting and evaluation of information, as well as advocating points of view in a logical, well-organized, and clear manner. Students completing courses in this category will demonstrate an ability to: • communicateinmanydifferentsituations,involvingdiverse people and viewpoints. • listen and analyze the substance of others’ comments. • summarize and analyze fiction and nonfiction. • conduct research, synthesize and evaluate information, develop arguments and organize evidence into oral and written presentations, using proper research methods and documentation. • recognize public presentation of oral and written work as a process subject to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising.

 Program Requirements

¹

Units for the major may be double counted for CSU GE or IGETC, confer with Counselor.

²

Elective units to reach 60 unit total must be CSU transferable, confer with Counselor

Please refer to Associate Degree for Transfer (SB 1440).