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 2023

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.

General Education Designations: First-Year Composition [FYC]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
17529
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/22/2023 - 12/15/2023
TuTh
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Closed

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
19755
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/22/2023 - 12/15/2023
TuTh
7:30 AM - 8:45 AM

Class Started

17535
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
08/22/2023 - 12/15/2023
TuTh
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Class Started

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
20161

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
08/21/2023 - 12/15/2023

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 20161 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

HUM214 African-Americans in Film 3 Credits

Study of films featuring African-American performers and directors from the Silent Era to the present. Emphasis on the historical and social elements of African Americans in film and basics of film analysis. Prerequisites: None.

General Education Designations: Cultural Diversity in the US [C], Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
17559

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
08/21/2023 - 12/15/2023

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 17559 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@gccaz.edu

Fall Flex Start 2023

HUM205 Introduction to Cinema 3 Credits

Survey of the history and development of the art of motion pictures, including criticism of aesthetic and technical elements. Prerequisites: None.

Course Notes: Students in this class will be provided an Adobe Creative Cloud account tied to their MEID username, for home use on PC or Mac computers (smartphone or tablet mobile devices are not supported) during the duration of this course. Students should review the minimum configuration requirements to run Adobe CC on their personal device at:

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html. Your instructor will provide login directions on the first day of class.

General Education Designations: Humanities, Fine Arts & Design [HU]
Section Location Delivery Dates Days Times Availability
19806

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
10/16/2023 - 12/15/2023

Open

1 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 19806 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

Spring 2024

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
29092
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/16/2024 - 05/10/2024
TuTh
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Open

18 of 18
Seats Available

29097
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/17/2024 - 05/10/2024
MoWe
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Open

18 of 18
Seats Available

28122
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/17/2024 - 05/10/2024
MoWe
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

Open

18 of 18
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
28134
Dobson Campus
In Person
Lecture
01/16/2024 - 03/08/2024
TuTh
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

Open

20 of 20
Seats Available

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
28002

Online Course

Online (On Your Time)
Lecture
01/16/2024 - 05/10/2024

Open

25 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 28002 Students may contact instructor at: safiya.obrien@mesacc.edu

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