English & Communications
Mon-Thu: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fri: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Overview of English & Communications
The English/Communications Department offers a variety of courses from freshman composition to literature, from creative writing to public speaking and interpersonal communication. Knowledge of the English language and skill in using it are required in many aspects of life, including one’s employment; consequently, many MCC courses, programs, and degrees require competency in English composition and oral communication. The English/Communications Department takes seriously MCC’s mission “to prepare students in critical thinking, communication, and long-term learning skills for the changing challenges of the future” and to prepare students for successful transfer to four-year colleges and universities.
- Guidelines for English Courses
- River Voices
- Sigma Kappa Delta
- Michigan Author’s Garden
- Creative Writing & Art Contest
- 10-Minute Play Festival
- National African American Read-In
Guidelines for English Courses
Take English 101 within your first 15 hours of course work. MCC offers two options for beginning your college writing requirements:
- RDG090 + ENG101: This pair of classes is your chance to complete college-level ENG101 with the support of RDG090. You’ll take both classes in the same semester with the same instructor and the same classmates. In RDG090, you’ll develop the reading, organizing, and editing skills required of the challenging research and writing assignments you’re working on in ENG101.
- ENG101 (alone): In this course, you will develop the abilities to read critically, to think logically, to discuss intelligently, and primarily to write effectively using exposition, argumentation, and research.
Which option is right for you? The advice in — Guided Self-Placement for English — will help you choose the right course for your success!
Visit Simple Syllabus to learn what a typical semester of ENG 101 or RDG 090 looks like!
River Voices
River Voices, Muskegon Community College’s literary magazine, showcases the artistic and written work of current students, faculty, and alumni. For more information on submitting your work or joining the River Voices team, please contact MCC English Instructor Shauna Hayes at (231) 777-0695 or by email at: shauna.hayes@muskegoncc.edu.
Click here to view the MCC Spring 2024 River Voices
Categories
The English and Communications Department encourage submissions in the following categories:
- Artwork
- Creative Nonfiction
- Fiction
- Photography
- Poetry
Submission guidelines outlined below must be followed, or entries will not be considered for publication.
Eligibility
All MCC faculty, alumni, staff, and students are encouraged to submit.
There is no quantity limit
- Six entries per student are permitted.
Specifications
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be fewer than 2,000 words in length.
- Poems must be 50 lines or less.
- No previously published work may be submitted.
- Work must be original. Any borrowed ideas or language must be appropriately acknowledged.
Format
- All written work should be written using 12-point Time font.
- All written work must include a title (centered) along with the author’s name.
- All multi-page entries must be titled and paginated.
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be double-spaced unless alternate formatting is an integral part of the story’s aesthetic effect.
- Poems may be spaced and arranged according to the poet’s intent.
- All entries must be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
- All artwork and photography entries must be submitted using .jpg or .jpeg format.
Submission Deadline
- All entries must be submitted by noon (12:00 pm) on Friday, January 31, 2025.
- Please complete the submission form below and attach your entry before clicking on the submit button. Be sure to check that your submission was fully completed and that you did not receive an error message.
What is Sigma Kappa Delta?
Sigma Kappa Delta (SKD), the English Honor Society for two-year colleges, was founded in 1996 at Cottey College in Missouri.
Sigma Zeta, the SKD chapter established in April 2019 at Muskegon Community College, is more than just another college club. It is a unique entity that opens the doors of opportunity for its members and facilitates academic, professional, and personal growth. Each of 130-plus active chapters across the country is defined by its location and membership yet bound to the rest by the common goal of promoting excellence in the disciplines of the English language.
Members of every chapter can share their love of literature and linguistics with like-minded peers, participate in rewarding activities, and be recognized for their accomplishments. They may also apply, or in some cases instantly qualify, for one or more of the Society’s numerous awards and scholarships. The guiding principles of Sigma Zeta can be found in its constitution.
Mission
- Confer distinction for high achievement in English language and literature in undergraduate studies;
- Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation on college campuses and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities;
- Foster all aspects of the discipline of English, including literature, language, and writing;
- Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members;
- Exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and Serve society by fostering literacy.
Student Benefits
- Academic Recognition – Members receive a personalized Sigma Kappa Delta membership certificate and the official Society pin to signify high achievement in English language, writing, and literature.
- Scholarships – Members can apply for a variety of Sigma Kappa Delta scholarships valued at up to $750 each.
- Writing Awards and Opportunities – Members may submit papers for publication in The Hedera Helix, Sigma Kappa Delta’s annual literary magazine. Works selected for publication are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes.
- Annual Convention – Members may submit papers for presentation at the annual Sigma Tau Delta, the four-year Honor Society, international convention. Works selected for presentation are also eligible for overall awards and monetary prizes. Members who attend the annual convention have opportunities to hear students from throughout the U.S. and abroad present their creative and critical writing, to attend sessions on student leadership and chapter activities, and to listen to presentations by noted authors.
- Student Leadership and Community Services – Members compete for officer positions and take part in community service projects.
- Career Advancement – Members may use their honor society affiliation as a tangible sign of academic success to help advance their professional career.
- Lifetime Affiliation and Fellowship – Members have many opportunities to network with other Sigma Kappa Deltans through local chapter activities, the annual Sigma Tau Delta international convention, and online sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Affiliation with River Voices
As an English Honor Society, Sigma Zeta will work alongside MCC English Honor Students (you can be a member of both groups) to solicit submittals of written work (fiction and non-fiction) and art (photography, drawings, and digital art) to River Voices, MCC’s literary magazine. Students will also work to select the works to publish and play the role of student editors.
Community Outreach Projects
Each year, Sigma Zeta members will take part in helping to organize the annual River Voices Release Party. Along with that, members will choose a project based on literature, reading, or writing that will benefit either the Muskegon Community College community or the Muskegon community at large.
Student Membership
Student membership in Sigma Zeta is open to students currently enrolled at MCC. It is an outward recognition of personal accomplishment and most members of SKD are invited to join Sigma Tau Delta, the four-year international Honor Society, upon transferring.
Membership in SKD’s Sigma Zeta Chapter is open to two-year college students of any major who meet the following criteria:
- currently enrolled at Muskegon Community College;
- completed a minimum of one college level course in English language or literature, excluding developmental or remedial courses;
- earned a grade of “B” or higher in all English classes;
- maintains a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in general scholarship;
- has completed at least one semester or two quarters of college course work for a cumulative of 12 semester hours;
- pays the one-time $40 membership fee.
Contacts
To inquire into joining or for any other questions, please contact either Sean Colcleasure at sean.colcleasure@muskegoncc.edu or Shauna Hayes at shauna.hayes@muskegoncc.edu.
2024 SKD Officers, Members, and Advisors
Michigan Author’s Garden
The Michigan Author’s Garden plays host to several plaques from authors who have called Michigan home.
- Angeline Boulley
- Bonnie Jo Campbell
- Patricia Clark
- Jeff Daniels
- Gemini Da Poet
- Jeffery Eugenides
- Judith Guest
- Jim Harrison
- Robert Hayden
- Ernest Hemingway
- Tyehimba Jess
- Elmore Leonard
- Terry McMillan
- Arthur Miller
- Marge Piercy
- Theodore Roethke
- Katie Zhao
The garden offers visitors a place to sit, relax, grab a book from the Little Free Library Book Box, read and take in the surrounding nature. Twice a year, events featuring local authors take place in the garden, and students are invited to attend.
The English and Communications Department and the English Honor Society (Sigma Zeta) sponsor the Fall and Winter Creative Writing and Art Contests.
Categories
- Artwork
- Creative Nonfiction
- Fiction
- Photography
- Poetry
Contest Theme
- Open
Eligibility
- MCC students must follow the eligibility and “specifications” guidelines outlined below or their entries will be disqualified.
- The contest is open to Muskegon Community College students registered in at least one 1-credit class during the semester of the contest.
Quantity Limit
- A total of four entries per student are permitted.
Specifications
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be fewer than 2,000 words in length.
- Poems must be 50 lines or less.
- No previously published work may be submitted.
- Work must be original. Any borrowed ideas or language must be appropriately acknowledged.
Format
- Neither the author’s name nor the name of the author’s college should appear anywhere on any entry.
- Entries will be identified by the author’s student number, which should appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- All multi-page entries must be titled and paginated.
- All written work must include a title.
- All entries must have one-inch margins and page numbers.
- Creative nonfiction must be double-spaced.
- Fiction must be double-spaced unless alternate formatting is an integral part of the story’s aesthetic effect.
- Poems may be spaced and arranged according to the poet’s intent.
- All written entries must be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
- All artwork and photography entries must be submitted using .jpg or .jpeg format.
Prizes and Recognition
- A first-place prize of $100, a second-place prize of $50, and a third-place prize of $25 will be awarded for each category.
- Certificates of Achievement will be presented to prizewinners.
- Top winners will be published in River Voices, unless otherwise indicated.
Submission Deadline
All entries must be submitted by noon (12:00 pm) on November 21, 2024.
For more information on submitting your work, please contact Sean Colcleasure at (231) 777-0245, Shauna Hayes at (231) 777-0695, or Kelli Loughrige, Contest Coordinator/Department Support at (231) 777-0371 or email mcccreativewritingcontest@muskegoncc.edu
Please complete the submission form below and attach your entry before clicking on the submit button. Be sure to check that your submission was fully completed and that you did not receive an error message.
10-Minute Play Festival
Submission Guidelines
- Submission to Muskegon Community College’s Ten-Minute Play Festival will be accepted after September 25, 2023.
- Deadline for submission is February 14, 2025.
- Top Five Plays will be read on the MCCs Overbrook Stage on April 4, 2025.
- Submission fee is $10 for each play, limit of two per playwright. Payment must be submitted by check made to Muskegon Community College. Address the envelope to Muskegon Community College. Attn. Sean Colcleasure. 221 Quarterline Road. Muskegon, MI 49442. Or through Paypal—see link below.
- Plays should be 10-15 typed pages following a generally accepted script format (double-spaced with play title and page numbers on each page) and must be e-mailed to sigmakappadelta@muskegoncc.edu
- Plays must be sent as a Microsoft Word document or PDF. They MUST NOT include the name of the playwright anywhere on the script as we conduct the festival using “blind” judging. (If selected for publication, you will be asked for a Word version of your play for re-formatting purposes.)
- Comedic or dramatic plays of all types fitting this year’s theme of SEEN AND UNSEEN will be accepted.
- Plays must have 2-4 characters (no more, no less to be considered).
- Plays are judged by the English Honors Society and the Theater Department (including four professors) and critique forms are available (by request only at the time of submitting your play—please make the request in your submittal e-mail) to the playwrights after the competition.
- Playwright bios are accepted during the application process but are not required. Top Five playwrights will be asked to submit short recorded bio within two weeks of the performance to be shown before each play is read.
- If available, we request the playwrights of the Top 5 chosen plays to attend the performance—either in person or through ZOOM—to see their plays read and take part in a brief Q&A with the audience.
- FIVE chosen plays will be selected for live STAGED reading performances (chairs and scripts in hand) on the Overbrook Theater stage at Muskegon Community College, and the overall winner will be published by the English Honors Society in the annual River Voices Magazine. We may invite more plays for publication.
- One play will be selected as the “Audience Favorite” (voted by the audience in attendance at the Festival performance) and will receive $100 cash prize. This is not a “winner” or “best” award, but simply the play voted on by the audience in attendance. Casting, mood of audience, and even placement within the line-up affect audience reaction…this is meant to engage the audience and give them a feeling of investment.
- Remember, the competition will be based on STAGED readings of the scripts, and plays will be read and directed by MCC theater students and actors.
National African American Read-In
Every February during Black History Month, Muskegon Community College participates in the National African American Read-In, an event started in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English. It is the nation’s oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature; its aim is to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. Typically, during the last week of February, students, teachers, staff, and administrators, as well as participants from across the wider community, assemble on the MCC campus to listen to and read aloud from great works of prose, poetry, and oratory by African American writers. All are welcome to attend—and to participate by reading if they choose.
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