Develop flexible skills for any career.

English majors find gratifying employment in fields as diverse as the legal professions, communication, sales and marketing, business management, secondary and higher education, arts/entertainment, science/medicine, public service and politics/government, software development, and many more. It’s your move! Join us!

Department overview

Former English major, Chelsea Hensley, wrote: “I feel my major has allowed me to possess and master certain skills sets that make me a desirable employee in many fields. If you can communicate with varying audiences effectively, you can do pretty much anything.”

Explore with us the intellectual challenges of literary study. Immersion in American, English, and World literature is a central component of a robust liberal arts education and cultivates skills in critical reading, effective writing, careful research, and information literacy that prepare you to be both a successful student and an engaged citizen of your community and the world. We provide an educational foundation, with online and face-to-face courses, that prepares you for professional pursuits in a variety of fields including (but not limited to) writing, editing, publishing, public relations, library science, higher education, government, and the non-profit sector.

Our graduates have transferred to such prestigious institutions as Yale University, Columbia University, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, and Rider University.

Nota Bene, an annual online journal, provides an opportunity for students to showcase academic achievements.

Degree Programs

Associate of Arts, English

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Meet our highly qualified and experienced faculty

Susan Arvay
Susan Arvay

Susan Arvay

Professor

Area of Expertise

Composition, Medieval and Early Modern British literature, Early World literature

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D., M.A., B.A., Rutgers University
Michael McKeown Bondhus
Michael McKeown Bondhus

Michael McKeown Bondhus

Professor

2014 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, 2013 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award, 2008/2009 Brickhouse Books Stonewall Book Award

Author (as Charlie Bondhus) of Divining Bones (Sundress Publications, 2018), All the Heat We Could Carry (Main Street Rag, 2013), and How the Boy Might See It (2009, 2nd ed. 2015 Jane’s Boy Press).

Area of Expertise

Creative Writing, Poetry

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
  • M.F.A., Goddard College
  • B.A., St. Anselm College
David Chase
David Chase

David Chase

Professor

Area of Expertise

Composition; 20th Century American Literature; LGBT Literature; Gender & Sexuality Studies

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D., M.A., University of California
  • M.A., University of Illinois
  • B.A., Wheaton College
Jessica Darkenwald-DeCola
Jessica Darkenwald-DeCola

Jessica Darkenwald-DeCola

Associate Professor

Area of Expertise

Developmental Reading and Composition

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ed.M., Rutgers University
  • Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies, Indiana University
Justin Felix
Justin Felix

Justin Felix

Associate Professor

Area of Expertise

English

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., B.A., Kent State University
Karen Gaffney
Karen Gaffney

Karen Gaffney

Professor

Author of Dismantling the Racism Machine: A Manual and Toolbox (Routledge 2018); manages the blog with resources Divided No Longer (available at https://dividednolonger.com/); for c.v. go to https://dividednolonger.com/about/my-cv/

Area of Expertise

Composition, Race in American Literature and Popular Culture, Women in Literature, and Intro to Women and Gender Studies

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D., M.A., University of Delaware
  • B.A., Wesleyan University
Ishimine Monique Goins
Ishimine Monique Goins

Ishimine Monique Goins

Assistant Professor

Area of Expertise

Rhetoric & Composition, Masculinity in Literature

Academic degrees achieved:

  • M.A., English, Western Illinois University
  • B.A. English, Jackson State University
  • A.A., Liberal Arts, Pearl River College
Alexa Offenhauer
Alexa Offenhauer

Alexa Offenhauer

Associate Professor

Area of Expertise

Developmental Reading and Composition; English Education.

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A.T., Western Carolina University
  • B.A., Rutgers University
Christine Pipitone-Herron
Christine Pipitone-Herron

Christine Pipitone-Herron

Professor

Area of Expertise

Composition

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ed.M., Rutgers University
  • M.A., The College of New Jersey
  • B.A., Brigham Young University
C. Lionel Spencer
C. Lionel Spencer

C. Lionel Spencer

Instructor of English

Area of Expertise

African American Literature, Slave Narratives, Black Sacred Music/Negro Spirituals, Rhetoric & Composition

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., English, Fordham University
  • B.A., English, Lehman College
  • A.A., Liberal Arts, Bronx Community College
Lisa M. Tucker
Lisa M. Tucker

Lisa M. Tucker

Professor

Diversity Certificate, Cornell University Holocaust & Genocide Advisory Board, Raritan Valley Community College Big Brother Big Sister mentor Admissions volunteer, Hobart & William Smith Colleges Minority Student Careers Panel volunteer, Hobart & William Smith Colleges National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) member

Area of Expertise

War Trauma literature

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., Teachers College, NY
  • M.A., Rutgers University
  • B.A., William Smith College
Kaitlin Tonti
Kaitlin Tonti

Kaitlin Tonti

Instructor

Book: Fix-It-Fics: Challenging the Status Quo through Fan Fiction, Vernon Press, 2024

Articles: “Milcah Martha Moore and the Editorial Function,” Women’s Studies, 2021

“Reading Between the Silences in the Correspondence of Esther Edward Burr and Sarah Prince,” Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, 2023

Awards: Omohundro Institute Mount Vernon Digital Collections Fellowship, 2018

Area of Expertise

Composition, Early American Literature, Women’s Life-Writing

Academic degrees achieved:

  • Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • M.A., Seton Hall University
  • B.A., Seton Hall University
  • A.A., Brookdale Community College
Ronald A. Tyson
Ronald A. Tyson

Ronald A. Tyson

Department Chair / Associate Professor

Area of Expertise

Rhetoric & Composition, American Literature, Early World Literature (Pre-Renaissance), American Ethnic Literature, African American Literature & Culture

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • M.A., Rutgers University
  • B.A., City College of New York-CUNY
Izabela Zieba
Izabela Zieba

Izabela Zieba

Assistant Professor

Area of Expertise

Multi-ethnic literature of the United States
20th-century American literature
Composition

Academic Degrees Achieved:

  • Ph.D., University of Miami
  • M.A., University of Miami
  • M.A., University of Wroclaw
  • B.A., University of Wroclaw
  • B.Sc., Wroclaw University of Technology

Adjunct Faculty

Janine Albanese

Danielle Bacibianco

Telia Bennett

Christy Bouziotis

Jessica Brent

Rebecca Campbell

Kelsey Carter

Nancy Castello

Keith Chiappone

Denise Cimpko-Beller

Lauren Cojocar

Daniel Cymbala

Tina Diamond

Suanne Fetherolf

Melanie Frances

Zahra Hammoud

Dr. Ann C. Kane

Maria Kayal

Sabrina Mahfouz

Thomas A. Makin, Ph.D.

Dr. Robin Mako Citarella

Raymond Masullo

Mark McElgunn

Nina McPherson

Kathalyn Messano

Sara Pampinto

Jamie Parmese

Nina Presuto

Allison Rosenzweig

Robert Sager

Tracey Schuller

Divya Sood

Eric Specian

Cathline Tanis

Christopher Teixeira

Bridget Tsemo

Lindsay Warren

Valerie A. Wheatley

Turn Words Into Opportunities

Latin for “noteworthy,” Nota Bene acknowledges the creative strength and ingenuity that is prevalent at Raritan Valley Community College.

Each year, faculty members nominate exceptional students whose work spans a wide array of disciplines, such as

  • poetry and essays
  • scientific research
  • musical performances
  • visual arts

Works have included short stories, book cover design, voice performances, and models of indigenous dwelling structures.

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Start with a question. End with clarity

The English Department empowers students to find their voice, tell their stories, and confidently defend their ideas. English majors develop in-demand skills in writing, analysis, research, and storytelling—preparing them for careers in business, media, law, education, marketing, and beyond.

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