AP English Literature & Composition 218A Course Syllabus 2018-2019 Mr. Jeff Dearing Room jdearing@doralacademyprep.org Exam Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Overview The AP English Literature and Composition course is a deliberate attempt to bring the most pertinent components of a demanding first year college composition course into the high school setting. This course is open to any student willing to take up the challenge of rigorous reading and writing, within an environment which only assumes that the student desires growth. (Writing) Throughout the duration of the course students will be provided with ample opportunities to expand the range and depth of their writing via challenging AP prompts and other writing assignments, both formal and informal. This will be accomplished by exposing students to a broad array of drama, fiction, and poetry that will permit them to explore various modes of discourse appropriate to a course focused on critical analysis and evaluation of voice tone, connotation, metaphor, irony, and syntax in sophisticated imaginative literature. Students will learn the essentials of cogent analytical and argumentative writing a clear and arguable general claim (thesis) supported by specific and relevant illustrative evidence for that claim, and valid, potent discourse that connects the evidence to that claim. The varieties of writing tasks we will employ to effect this exploration include: Timed practice with retired AP prompts Essay prompts like those students encounter college surveys of literature Reading, responding to, and analyzing novels, drama, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry Researched literary analysis arguments to explain and evaluate how the aesthetic (effect upon the audience) choices of writers engender complex 1
emotional and intellectual responses by audiences; persuade an audience to adopt an interpretation of a literary work Personal/college application essays Annotations, dialectical journals, graphic organizers, and short response paragraphs and sentences Thus broad exposure to authors choices in syntax and diction will develop a keen awareness in students that knowledge of rhetorical means is only a tool, the end product being reasoning why an author chose a specific means. To facilitate this, students will be assisted via detailed, constructive teacher feedback and peer work shopping guided by the AP rubric; furthermore, students will learn to assimilate teacher and peer commentary with their own reflections on how to more effectively meet the objectives of a given writing situation, thereby understanding the recursive nature of the writing process by putting it into practice. While close reading and analysis of the writing of the world s most accomplished writers will provide the finest examples to which students may aspire to emulate, mastery of the conventions of standard written English is an indispensable adjunct of every college writer s development. To that end we will engage in active learning and employment of complex grammar, syntax, and diction, with the aim of enabling every student to convey insightful ideas with fluency, conciseness and sophistication. Furthermore, students will learn how editing (correction of a written work s errors in grammar and conventions) is integral to the revision process as clear writing is understood as inseparable from clear, effective argument and crucial to establishing credibility with one s readers (writer s ethos). Related topics include but are not limited to: Coordination and subordination Parallel structure Sentence mood Run-ons and fragments Pronouns Mixed constructions (Reading) A prime objective of this course is expansion of students intellectual development through literary analysis of a range of genres as the material presented in the AP exam may cover four hundred years from Elizabethan authors (16 th C.) to contemporary scribes (1960 and later) of literary output, with a particular focus on influential works of major American and British authors. This will be accomplished by having students read and respond in a variety of writing situations, both formal and informal, as well as in Socratic discussion to literature from different periods and genres, thus exposing them to the extensive breadth of voices addressing the human condition while prompting them to challenge their preconceptions about themselves and the world around them. 2
Reference Works (no need to purchase as I draw on these resources to prepare lessons) King James Bible Bulfinch s Mythology How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (summer reading) Novels & Novellas The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy (provided) The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (provided) Drama King Lear by William Shakespeare (please purchase the Folger Shakespeare Library edition pictured below) The Three Theban Plays, [Antigone] by Sophocles (please purchase the Penguin edition pictured below) Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (provided) Epics Book of Job (provided) 3
Poetry We will read a broad range of English language poetry throughout the year Short Fiction & Essays * Some texts are freely available to students online as e-texts and/or provided by the instructor: (A) http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au (B) http://www.gutenberg.org/ Textbooks: Perrine s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense 5 Steps to a 5: English Literature and Composition Daily Required Materials Text book Reading book at all times 1 ½ three ring binder/20-30 sheets of loose-leaf paper as well as the following tabs*: General Information Vocabulary/Terminology Literature/Notes Rhetoric/Notes Argumentation Synthesis Writing Process/Essays Grammar Projects * Handouts/Study Guides are to be hole-punched and placed in the appropriate tab Composition Book/stitched spine (preferably 7 ½ by 9 ¾ in) I WILL PROVIDE THIS Pens/Blue, black, & red Highlighters/yellow, pink, & orange * These texts are freely available to students online as etexts and/or provided by the instructor: (A) http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au (B) http://www.gutenberg.org/ DEPARTMENT FEES All students will pay an English Department fee of five dollars ($5.00). The fee can be paid online at the school website: http://www.onlinerene.com/fees/search.aspx. Mandatory Saturday Sessions 4
There will be a total of three (3) full mock exams held on Saturdays; attendance is mandatory. The following list reflects a week by week course study of the major works that will be covered in class. It is expected that students will fully read each text before class discussion. In addition to these texts, selected short fiction and poetry outlined in the syllabus will be read and analyzed weekly. Also, in preparation for the AP exam, students will write a variety of essays and respond to multiple choice practices. Several full-three hour tests will be administered to develop testing stamina and greater familiarity with the test format. Week 1 Introduction to Course: Summer Reading - in class essays and tests/poetry Week 2 How to Read Literature Like A Professor/Poetry Week 3 How to Read Literature Like A Professor/Poetry Week 4 Introduction to the Epic/Poetry Week 5 Job/Poetry Week 6 Job/Poetry Week 7 Introduction to Greek Drama: Antigone/Poetry Week 9 Antigone/Poetry Week 10 Antigone/Poetry Week 11 The Death of Ivan Ilyich/Poetry Week 12 The Death of Ivan Ilyich/Poetry Week 13 The Death of Ivan Ilyich/Poetry Week 14 The Metamorphosis /Poetry Week 15 The Metamorphosis /Poetry Week 16 The Metamorphosis /Poetry Week 17 Introduction to Shakespearean Drama: King Lear /Poetry Week 18 King Lear /Poetry Week 19 King Lear /Poetry Week 20 King Lear /Poetry Week 21 King Lear/Poetry Week 22 King Lear/Poetry Week 23 King Lear/Poetry Week 24 King Lear/Poetry Week 25 King Lear/Poetry Week 26 Intro to Modern Drama: Death of a Salesman/Poetry Week 27 Death of a Salesman/Poetry Week 28 Death of a Salesman/Poetry Week 29 Death of a Salesman/Poetry Week 30 - Death of a Salesman/Poetry Week 31 Selections from 21 st C. Novels and Short Fiction/Poetry Week 32 Selections from 21 st C. Novels and Short Fiction/Poetry Week 33 -Final Test Prep Week 34- AP Testing 5
Week 35- (Independent Project) Introduction to the Formal Literary Research Paper Week 36- First Draft Due Week 37- Paper Workshop/One-on-One Week 38- Revision Due Week 39- Final Week of Classes Grading Criteria: Assessments (Quizzes/Tests) 70% Assignments 30% Daily Required Materials Reading book at all times 1 ½ three ring binder/20-30 sheets of paper Composition Book/stitched spine (provided) Pens/Blue, black, & red Highlighters/yellow, pink, & orange Dictionary/thesaurus Class Procedures Homework is due at the beginning of the period and needs to be placed in the appropriate class drawer in the small plastic storage cabinet located near the cell phone wall organizer on the back wall. Make-up work is your responsibility. Check with your study buddy when you are absent. Make-up work will only be accepted if your absence was EXCUSED. You are expected to be punctual and on task once the bell rings. Keep an eye on your attendance. Remember that 10 unexcused absences will result in an NC. (no exceptions) Remember to show RESPECT to all in class. Be prepared to make the best of the learning experience, complete all work in a TIMELY manner and actively participate in class. Follow the Doral Academy rules regarding electronic devices (cellphones, computers, etc.) Follow the Doral Academy Integrity Code. Changes to syllabus may be made at the teacher s discretion. 6
AP English Literature and Composition Please sign that you have read and agreed with the conditions stated above. Return this sheet to Mr. Dearing. The class syllabus must be placed in the front of the student s class binder. This syllabus outlines the requirements and expectations as well as procedures that will be followed. We, the parent/guardian(s) and the student, have fully read and understood the course syllabus for the 2018-2019 academic year. We agree with the course syllabus and will abide by all said requirements, expectations, and procedures. Student s Name Class Period 7
Student s Email Date Student Signature Parent/Legal Guardian s Name Parent/Legal Guardian s Signature Date Parent/Legal Guardian s Email Parent/Legal Guardian s Cell Home Number 8