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  • Our Mission Statement:
    Merritt College puts students first. Through our rich educational programs, we foster a culture of equity and inclusion that empowers students to achieve their greatest potential and make meaningful contributions to their respective communities and our global society.

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The English and Humanities Departments offer a range of courses that give you the foundation skills for all the other courses you will take at Merritt (and beyond) and also satisfy graduation and transfer requirements. Our courses offer students the opportunity to read, write, and think critically about a diversity of ideas and topics. Visit the Merritt Class Schedule for specific courses and meeting times and days. Also visit the English faculty pages to learn more about our English faculty and the department. If you have any questions, please contact the Department Chairs.

Careers for English majors include a variety of options such as law, education, journalism, mass media, marketing, public relations, communications, business administration, and the humanities.

Check Out Our Bars & Brains Podcast – Click the Links Below!

“Bars and Brains is a podcast that lives at the intersection of education and hip-hop culture. Hosted by English professors ReJeanne Smith and Todd Johnson, this show explores how hip hop can be used as a powerful tool for critical thinking, composition, and cultural affirmation in the classroom.
ReJeanne Smith is an English professor and Learning Center Director at Merritt College. Born and raised in the Bay Area, ReJeanne earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from San Francisco State University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Education at the University of San Francisco, where he researches hip hop pedagogy and its transformative potential in first-year composition courses.
Todd Johnson is a writer and English professor at Merritt College and Chabot College. He earned his B.A. in English from Vassar College, his M.A. in English from Howard University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from California College of the Arts. His work centers on Black storytelling, cultural literacy, and educational equity.
Together, ReJeanne and Todd bring decades of classroom experience, community roots, and a deep love for the culture to every episode. Through conversations with educators, artists, students, and scholars, Bars and Brains unpacks the ways hip hop can disrupt traditional academic spaces and open up new possibilities for learning.
Whether it’s breaking down lesson plans that use Kendrick Lamar to teach rhetorical analysis, analyzing the social commentary in Lauryn Hill’s lyrics, or debating AI in rap music, Bars and Brains is a space for dialogue, creativity, and liberatory education.”

Bibliography:

Baldwin, James. Go Tell It On the Mountain. NYC, Library of America, 1998.
Ellison, Ralph. The Invisible Man. NYC, Vintage/Penguin Random House Publishing, 1995.
Hooks, Bell. Feminism Is For Everybody: Passionate Politics. 2nd edition. Milton Park,
United Kingdom.  Routledge Publishing Co., 2014.
Lamar, Kendrick. Good Kid . . .M.A.A.D. City album. Aftermath/Interscope Records, 2012.
Lamar, Kendrick. To Pimp A Butterfly album. Aftermath/Interscope Records, 2015.
Lamar, Kendrick. Damn album. Aftermath/Interscope Records, 2017.
Nas, Illmatic album, Columbia Records, 1994. 
Outkast, Aquemini. Arista, 1998.
Rapsody. Eve album. Roc Nation, 2025.
Rapsody, Laila’s Wisdom album. Roc Nation, 2018.
Rapsody, Please Don’t Cry album, 2024.
Sinners. Directed by Ryan Coogler. Performances by Michael B. Jordan, Wumni Mosaku,
Delroy Lindo, Miles Canton, and Hailie Steinfeld. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2025.

 

English Courses

Toni Morrison Seminar