Literature
Literature Degrees from Oklahoma City Community College
Past, present and future collide when you study the classics and prepare for a career in literature.
Are you wild about Oscar Wilde? Have a penchant for Dorothy Parker’s prose? Love the ancient struggle of Agamemnon and Achilles in The Iliad?
If you want to learn more about English, American and World Literature, an associate degree in arts in humanities with an emphasis in literature would be a perfect plan of study for you.
At Oklahoma City Community College, these courses bring you valuable insight into cultural values and significant experiences that have shaped and continue to shape our world. Additionally, they will give you a solid academic background in liberal arts and allow for an easy transition to a four-year college or university.
After graduation, you could look into career opportunities in teaching, writing, visual arts, law, theater, film or the ministry.
Get started today! Complete your online community college admissions application.
In the literature degree program at OCCC, you’ll study:
- Literary forms and genres
- Literary terminology
- Critical literary theories
- A diversity of authors and writing styles
- How to interpret, analyze and evaluate literary works such as short stories, poems, drama, and novels
- Native American and African-American literature
- Women in literature
- World literature
- British literature
- American literature
Literature Degrees at Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City Community College offers an associate degree in arts in literature.
After completing this associate degree program, it’s best to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. However, an associate degree in literature can still open up many job opportunities.
Literature Classes at Oklahoma City Community College
At Oklahoma City Community College, you’ll take the following courses if you major in literature:
- Humanities – Classical and Medieval
- Humanities – Modern
- Approved Literature Electives
- Approved General Education Electives
- Critical Thinking
OCCC’s online course catalog includes full details on all your required college classes. Check out class availability and map out your schedule today!
Jeffrey Cleek
Professor of English/Humanities
Jeffrey Cleek became a full-time faculty member at OCCC in 2008.
Angela Cotner
Professor of English
Both of my parents are natural teachers. My mother taught me to cook and to enjoy reading. My father taught me to drive a tractor, to change a tire, and to shoot an arrow into a bale of hay(essential bits of information necessary in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, where I grew up).I began my college education intending to teach high school English and received a bachelor's degree in English Education. After not finding a teaching job right out of college, I began work on a master's degree in American Studies, which is a combination of American literature and American history. While in graduate school, I began a teaching assistantship. I immediately loved it and knew I did not want to teach anything except college classes. I eventually went to law school, where my research and writing skills helped me greatly. While practicing law for a short time, I knew I wanted to return to the college classroom. I began as an adjunct professor at OCCC and am now a full-time professor.There is no better job than being a college professor. I enjoy teaching students new ways of looking at issues and approaching problems in philosophy courses, and I enjoy teaching students critical thinking and organizational skills in composition and Success courses.
Michael Franco
Coordinator of Composition
An alumnus of OCCC, Michael Franco earned both his BA and MA in English from the University of Central Oklahoma. Before serving as the Coordinator of Composition, Michael served as Professor of English for seven years. Prior to teaching at OCCC full time, Michael also worked at OCCC as a library assistant, recruiter, and adjunct.
Carlotta Hill
Professor of Learning Skills
I am a mother of three, a grandmother of many, and a lover of people. It has been my pleasure to teach at OCCC for many, many years, and I have loved coming to work every single day. The clear, blue Oklahoma skies delight me, the sunsets intrigue me, but I still miss the fabulous changing of the leaves on the hills of West Virginia, my birth home.Hopefully, I can spread as much joy to those I encounter as I have been blessed to receive.
Jon Inglett
Professor of English
Professor Inglett received a B.A. Degree in English from the University of Arkansas and an M.A. in English from Missouri State University. He has taught full time at OCCC since 2000. His ultimate goal as a teacher is to empower students, train them for the workforce, provide them with a desire for life-long learning, engage them in global diversity and sensitivity, and instill compassion, creativity, and contemplation in every student.
Tonya Kymes
Professor of English
I am a Cherokee and Creek native Oklahoman. I was born and raised in Southeastern Oklahoma, and I am the first in my family with a college education. My focus is Rhetoric and Composition, and I have an interest in ancient languages (Koine Greek, Aramiac).
Marybeth McCauley
Professor of English
Marybeth McCauley began her educational career at Keystone Learning Center and eventually completed a M.A. degree in English with Creative Writing Emphasis at UCO. In addition to currently teaching Comp I, Comp II, and Creative Writing, she is the faculty editor and advisor for Absolute, the literary journal housed at OCCC.
Stephen Morrow
Professor of English
At heart, I am a teacher.I studied Philosophy at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and at The University of Dallas. I became very interested in both the Philosophy of Religion and the Philosophy of Science, two great loves of my life still today, with an evolving love for the Philosophy of Peace. I studied English and Education at Oklahoma City University, and now use all my incredible education in the Humanities as a source of both knowledge and passion in my classes.I have studied cooperative learning with the two gurus of the field, David and Roger Johnson. My great intellectual hero is Parker Palmer, and I am proud to say he is now a friend and someone whom I work with professionally. I am involved through his organization, Courage and Renewal, and I am now involved in his new work in revitalizing democracy.I love our students, my field of the Humanities, and teaching. You will always be welcome in my courses and will be treated like an equal Socratic soul-all of just trying to figure out this big, beautiful world!
Mary Punches
Professor of English
Born and raised in northwestern Oklahoma, I received my B.A. in English Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and my M.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma. I have taught at OCCC since 1996.
Michael Punches
Professor of English
I have been teaching at OCCC for over twenty years. My wife Mary, to whom I've been married for 29 years, is also a professor here. During my career, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach at a four-year university, at a small private school where I taught grades 6-10, and of course, at OCCC. The community college is by far the best fit for me. I enjoy the diversity in age, ethnicity, religion, and career goals.
Nina Smith
Professor of English
Professor Smith was awarded her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Oklahoma and her Master's Degree from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Michael Snyder
Professor of English
BA English, Haverford College MA English, University of Colorado PhD English, University of Oklahoma Specialty areas: Twentieth-century and contemporary American literature and culture, Native American literature and culture, Composition and Rhetorical Studies, Gender Studies, American Studies, Indigenous Studies, Film Studies, Cultural Studies, Jazz, John Joseph Mathews, Gerald Vizenor, James Purdy, and James Leo Herlihy. Professor Snyder has published numerous peer-reviewed critical articles in scholarly journals including SAIL: Studies in American Indian Literatures, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction (x2), Chronicles of Oklahoma, and Huxley Annual. His book chapters appear in edited collections such as Gerald Vizenor: Texts and Contexts (U of New Mexico P), Across Cultures/Across Borders: Canadian Aboriginal And Native American Literatures (Broadview P), the forthcoming Gerald Vizenor: Poetry and Poetics (UNM P), and several book reviews. His poetry appears in the book collection Ain't Nobody that Can Sing Like Me: New Oklahoma Writing (Mongrel Empire), and the journals Windmill, Sugar Mule, and Absolute. Snyder is a music fan, especially jazz, rock, and indie, and plays a little guitar and drums when he has time. Snyder has written album and book reviews for Skyscraper, once a print magazine, now an online music magazine, for over a decade.
Pamela Stout
Professor of English
In 1990, I earned a B.A. in Education and in 1992, an M.A. in English, both from the University of Central Oklahoma. I have been teaching English and Humanities courses at OCCC since 1992, and my special interests are world mythology and folklore. Some things I enjoy outside of my time at OCCC include practicing and teaching yoga, reading for pleasure, and playing with my dogs.
Bertha Wise
Professor of English
I have lived in Oklahoma for over 30 years, but before that I was in many other states, including South Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, California, and Arizona. I also lived in Japan for two years, an experience for sure! I started my educational journey at a college in South Carolina, but earned my BS in English Education at UCO and went on to earn an MA in English at UCO too. Being the first in my family to earn college degrees, I say it's not out of the question, if one wants it badly enough. I started teaching as an adjunct in 1985 at various colleges in the Oklahoma City area: Rose State College, OSU-OKC, UCO, and OCCC. In 1991, I became a full-time professor at OCCC. Through the years, I have been afforded many opportunities to be a part of the OCCC community as a department chair, first faculty director of the Center for Learning and Teaching, coordinator of multi-divisional programs, and co-chair of the 2011 accreditation self-study. I am an active member of the Two-Year College English Association in the Southwest Region (TYCA_SW) as well as participating in many other professional activities. I write poetry and have read at various locations over the years, most notably in Ukraine, Wales, Seminole, OK. I was a featured poet at the Poetry at Rose (Rose State College) one year, too. I enjoy reading and traveling when I can. I also take care of my husband and two kitties and have a daughter and son, both grown with families of their own. I am a proud grandmother of a granddaughter and three grandsons too.
Careers for Literature Majors
A degree in literature is versatile and helps students develop skills useful in many different career fields. In this discipline, students are trained to conduct research, think critically and write well.
Career opportunities abound in teaching, writing, visual arts, law, theater, film or the ministry in addition to business, government and education.
Are you ready to hit the right books and pursue your career in literature? Complete your online community college admissions application today!
