English and Reading
Welcome to the English and Reading Area. Our caring, inclusive, and innovative faculty members help students build the critical reading, thinking, and writing skills that they will need for their major, certificate program, transfer institution, and/or the workforce. In addition to teaching effective writing and communication skills, our faculty members guide students to gain insight into the human experience by introducing them to diverse literary traditions.
Subjects of study in the English and Reading Area include English composition, creative writing, literature, professional writing, and reading. In addition to providing foundation courses for all academic programs, the English and Reading Area offers a Technical Writing Certificate. An English pathway of study is also included in the General Studies Humanities, Arts, Languages, and Communications Program.
English and reading faculty members are committed to meeting students where they are. We offer “live online,” regular online, face to face, and hybrid courses. We engage in up-to-date professional learning activities so we can make informed decisions about student-centered, inclusive classrooms that challenge students and prepare them for further studies and employment opportunities.
Dr. Elizabeth Benton began her career in education over twenty years ago. After teaching high school English for nine years, she began teaching college-level course work, first as an adjunct professor of English and education at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. In 2004, Dr. Benton and her family relocated to the Washington, D.C., area where she joined Montgomery College as an adjunct professor before joining the College full-time in January 2007. During her tenure as an English faculty member, she served in various roles including course coordinator, department chair of the English and Reading department (Rockville), and more recently, Faculty Associate in English and Reading serving as program director for the Montgomery College Minority Faculty Internship (McMFI) and Academic Support Innovation.
In addition to teaching and providing college leadership, Dr. Benton enjoys serving on collegewide committees and participating in MC ELITE’s many professional learning cohorts. Most recently, Dr. Benton has contributed to various collegewide committees: MC 2025 Strategic Plan, Virtual Campus Strategic Plan, Committee for Assessment and Placement of Developmental Issues (CAPDI), and the Employees Services Council. Dr. Benton has engaged in several professional learning fellowships at Montgomery College including Facilitative Leadership, MC Management, and the Presidential Innovation and Leadership Institute. Additionally, she is a member of two Maryland Affinity Groups for English Composition, as well as the Two Year Composition Association (TYCA) and the College English Association Mid-Atlantic Group (CEA-MAG).
Dr. Benton earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. A few years later, Dr. Benton received her Master of Arts degree from Columbia Teacher’s College in New York, New York. She completed her Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her scholarly work focuses on teacher lived experience and improving access to college.
Departments
English and Reading Department - Rockville Campus
Department Chair: Teri Hurst
English and Reading Department - Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus
Department Chair: Charmaine Weston
English and Reading Department - Germantown Campus
Department Chair: Alejandro Leopardi
Degrees and Certificates
More Programs and Courses
We offer courses in grammar, literature, reading (developing reading skills and teaching reading), vocabulary, writing (basic writing skills; college writing; professional and technical writing; and creative writing, especially fiction and poetry). See full list below.
- ENGL 122 - Introduction to World Mythologynew window
- ENGL 190 - Introduction to Literaturenew window
- ENGL 201 - Introduction to World Literature Inew window
- ENGL 202 - Introduction to World Literature IInew window
- ENGL 205 - Masterpieces of Asian Literaturenew window
- ENGL 208 - Women in Literaturenew window
- ENGL 211 - Survey of American Literature Inew window
- ENGL 212 - Survey of American Literature IInew window
- ENGL 213 - Survey of British Literature Inew window
- ENGL 214 - Survey of British Literature IInew window
- ENGL 226 - Survey of African American Literature Inew window
- ENGL 227 - Survey of African American Literature IInew window
- ENGL 228 - Survey of Latina/o/x Literature in the USnew window
- ENGL 230 - Introduction to Modern Dramanew window
- ENGL 233 - The Short Storynew window
- ENGL 235 - Film and Literaturenew window
- ENGL 245 - The Bible as Literaturenew window
- ENGL 248 - Literature of the Holocaustnew window
- ENGL 258 - Techniques of Proofreading and Editingnew window
- ENGL 259 - Organization and Development of Technical Documentsnew window
- ENGL 264 - Introduction to Creative Writing of Fictionnew window
- ENGL 265 - Advanced Creative Writing of Fictionnew window
- ENGL 272 - Introduction to Creative Writing of Poetrynew window
For information about the upcoming semester's course offerings, click here.
ENGL 110: Principles of English Grammar is a required course in the Professional and Technical Writing Certificate program.
Students with an extensive familiarity with English grammar and/or editing experience
may take the ENGL 110 credit-by-exam test to earn course credit. Complete the Credit-by-Exam application (PDF, 
) and meet with an English & Reading Department Chair to determine exam eligibility.
Course Syllabi
ENGL 101 & 011 (PDF, )
ENGL 101 (PDF, )
ENGL 102 (PDF, )
ENGL 103 (PDF, )
ENGL103 Accelerated (PDF, )
More course syllabi will be added as they are available.
English and Reading Discipline
