Safiya O'Brien

Residential Faculty - English

English

480-461-7693

Office Hours

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
By appointmentBy appointmentBy appointmentBy appointmentBy appointment

  Please don't be shy!  Come in and say hello or receive extra help as you need it.

Profile

As a midwestern born and raised transplant, Safiya shares common appetencies with many who come to the valley seeking warm, halcyon days.  Safiya enjoys creating a student-centered classroom devoted to equity and justice for all.  She hopes her classroom is one that invites creativity, safety, and experimentation as a means to reach deeper self-actualization and stronger critical thinking agency.  She attempts to employ metacognitive strategies in the hopes that students will begin to reflect and become more mindful in not only on how they learn, but also what motives them.  As a self-professed, huge nerd, she is an avid gamer, collector of action figures, and remains picky about her choice of anime.  She always takes recommendations (books, films, comics, video games) and will discuss the MCU with anyone. She wrote her master's thesis on Ghost in the Shell (the manga) and has strong feelings about the Scarlett Johansson abomination that must not be named.

  • Pronouns used: she, her, hers

Classes Taught

Fall 2024

ENG101 First-Year Composition 3 Credits

Emphasis on rhetoric and composition with a focus on expository writing and understanding writing as a process. Establishing effective college-level writing strategies through four or more writing projects comprising at least 3,000 words in total.

Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C or better in ENG091 or ESL097or WAC101) or (B or better in ALT100) or (ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (ESL202 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+).

Course Notes: Due to the possibility of last-minute schedule changes, students are encouraged to attend the first class meeting before purchasing the textbook.

It is highly encouraged that you attend the FREE MCC Reading/Writing Boot Camps that occurs prior to the beginning of the semester. Participants will review key skills necessary for success; participants will be better prepared for their course. Visit https://www.mesacc.edu/students/foundations-student-success/boot-camps for more information and to register.

General Education Designations: First-Year Composition [FYC]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
13551
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/20/2024 – 12/13/2024
TuTh
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Class Started

ENG102 First-Year Composition 3 Credits

Emphasis on rhetoric and composition with a focus on persuasive, research-based writing and understanding writing as a process. Developing advanced college-level writing strategies through three or more writing projects comprising at least 4,000 words in total.

Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ENG101.

Course Notes: Due to the possibility of last-minute schedule changes, students are encouraged to attend the first class meeting before purchasing the textbook.

General Education Designations: First-Year Composition [FYC]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
15183
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/19/2024 – 12/13/2024
MoWe
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Closed

13565
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/19/2024 – 12/13/2024
MoWe
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Closed

ENH255 Contemporary U.S. Literature and Film 3 Credits

Strengths and weaknesses of literature and film. Challenges of adapting literature to film. Addressing racial, ethnic, gender, class and religious differences between cultures and mediums. Use of narrative in each medium and how it translates various cultural values and assumptions. Specific genres present in literature and film. Cultural metaphors and symbols used in literature and film.

Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG101.

General Education Designations: Cultural Diversity in the US [C], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU], Literacy & Critical Inquiry [L]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
15721

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
08/19/2024 – 12/13/2024

Class Started

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Class 15721 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

HUM215 Film Comedy 3 Credits

Explores the basics of humor in film by tracing its roots through a historical examination of a variety of arts, artists, and theorists. Focuses on films' unique contributions to the world of laughter. Investigates how comedy, and film comedy in particular, provides an essential and unifying force for culture and society. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
13584

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
08/19/2024 – 12/13/2024

Class Started

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Class 13584 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

Fall Flex Start 2024

ENG101 First-Year Composition 3 Credits

Emphasis on rhetoric and composition with a focus on expository writing and understanding writing as a process. Establishing effective college-level writing strategies through four or more writing projects comprising at least 3,000 words in total.

Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C or better in ENG091 or ESL097or WAC101) or (B or better in ALT100) or (ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (ESL202 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+).

Course Notes: Due to the possibility of last-minute schedule changes, students are encouraged to attend the first class meeting before purchasing the textbook.

It is highly encouraged that you attend the FREE MCC Reading/Writing Boot Camps that occurs prior to the beginning of the semester. Participants will review key skills necessary for success; participants will be better prepared for their course. Visit https://www.mesacc.edu/students/foundations-student-success/boot-camps for more information and to register.

General Education Designations: First-Year Composition [FYC]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
16352

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
09/03/2024 – 12/13/2024

Closed

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Spring 2025

ENG102 First-Year Composition 3 Credits

Emphasis on rhetoric and composition with a focus on persuasive, research-based writing and understanding writing as a process. Developing advanced college-level writing strategies through three or more writing projects comprising at least 4,000 words in total.

Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ENG101.

Course Notes: Due to the possibility of last-minute schedule changes, students are encouraged to attend the first class meeting before purchasing the textbook.

General Education Designations: First-Year Composition [FYC]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
28145
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/13/2025 – 05/09/2025
MoWe
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Open

13 of 22
Seats Available

28855
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/13/2025 – 05/09/2025
MoWe
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Open

18 of 22
Seats Available

27450
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/13/2025 – 05/09/2025
MoWe
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Open

6 of 22
Seats Available

HUM201 Humanities: Universal Themes 3 Credits

Study of worldviews in a variety of historical and contemporary world cultures, including analysis of origin and creation myths, artistic expression, spirituality, and the natural environment. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Global Awareness [G], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
27459
Dobson Campus
Hybrid
Lecture
01/14/2025 – 03/07/2025
TuTh
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Open

22 of 25
Seats Available

Notes: Hybrid classes include face-to-face format on campus at the time listed in the class schedule. The other part will be held online either without a set time to attend or a Live Online session. Students enrolling in a hybrid class acknowledge they already possess the skills described in the Minimum Computer and Technology Requirements at https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

HUM209 Women and Films 3 Credits

Analysis of images of women in films from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Cultural Diversity in the US [C], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
27354

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
01/13/2025 – 05/09/2025

Open

17 of 25
Seats Available

Notes: This is an Online class that does not meet at specific class times. Students are required to have access to a computer or mobile device, and Internet access, unless otherwise specified. Before enrolling in their first online class at MCC, students need to view the online orientation and complete the readiness survey on https://www.mesacc.edu/online/get-started for additional information.

Class 27354 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

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