AP LITERATURE ANDCOMPOSITION SYLLABUS 2016-2017

Elsinore High School

Instructor: Dana Coogan

Major works covered in class will include (in alphabetical order):

  • The Awakening by Kate Chopin
  • Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  • Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
  • Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  • The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  • 1984 by George Orwell

All of these texts are readily available in the Elsinore High School media center, online, and/or contained within TheBedford Introduction to Literature, which we will be using as our course textbook. To facilitate annotation and for future reference, however, students are strongly encouraged to buy their own copies of our core works. Poetry, which makes up a large portion of the class, will usually be provided in handout form or retrieved online. All questions regarding grammar, writing, and research techniques will be answered by consulting the MLAHandbook for Writers of Research Papers.

Reading Expectations

As the title of this course suggests, HALF of our focus will be on the close reading of imaginative literature (fiction)—if you are a poor, or even just reluctant, reader, you will find it difficult and/or painful to keep up. All reading is completed at home; we do not read aloud or listen to audiobooks during instructional time in AP Literature.

In addition, many of the works we will be reading are quite difficult and require one to slow down, re-read, and/or take notes in order to comprehend them fully. Far too often, students enrolled in this course do not view reading assignments as “real” homework, and approach them haphazardly or hurriedly.

That being said, here are some tips to help you be successful:

  • Accept the fact that reading for school is not a leisure activity. It's not “entertainment," nor was it meant to be. This is not to say that reading is not enjoyable, or cannot be enjoyable. You are reading to learn, and if you enjoy learning, then you will enjoy reading.
  • Only read (for school) when you are awake and alert. Set aside a time when you know you're not likely to be tired or mentally distracted. Be prepared for the necessity of concentrating deeply.
  • Choose a place to read that's comfortable and unobtrusive. Don't try to read in a place that you know will cause you distractions. Some people like to read in noisy, busy places; others need quiet. Get to know what works best for you individually.
  • Be prepared to write as you read (even—gasp!—when it is not for a grade). You'll need a pen to annotate the text and a dictionary to look up words you don't know. You might even need to keep a notebook or a reading journal handy so that you can note any longer questions or commentary you might have about specific passages. Writing as you read helps you stay active and alert.
  • Have an open mind. Remain receptive to what the text can show you or teach you. If you are willing to entertain ideas you don't necessarily agree with, you can expand your understanding of different points of view. You can still disagree, but you'll have to think about why. Real learning is never passive.

Writing Expectations

As the second part of the title of this course suggests, the other HALF of our focus is on the art of composition (writing). We will regularly write to learn in addition to writing about what we have learned.

In-class short responses to literature, dialectical journals, explications, and other types of informal writing will be utilized daily, both in class and at home as we move through each unit. These are exploratory assignments designed to help you focus your thinking about the work/topic at hand, and as such, grading of these process assignments will be based mainly on completeness and effort. It is expected, however, that students taking this course will strive for correctness and clarity on all assignments; sloppiness or lack of control of the conventions of English, even on daily classwork or homework assignments, WILL have a negative impact on students’ grades.

Formal writing assignments of various lengths that have passed through all the stages of the writing process will be assigned every few weeks and will be graded according to the standards outlined in the AP Literature and Composition Course Description (to be reviewed later). Since much more time is spent drafting, revising, and editing these texts, they are weighted more heavily than informal assignments and evaluated with greater scrutiny.

Participation Expectations

This is a seminar, or discussion-based course, and therefore all students will be expected to participate in all classroom activities. An inability to participate due to lack of preparation and/or excessive absences will negatively affect one’s grade.

In addition, oral presentations, both in groups and individually, formally and informally, will be required at various points during the course.

**Timelines are not exact and texts may be added or deleted as necessary**

FIRST SEMESTER

Unit 1: Welcome to AP!(~6 weeks)

  • Introduction to the course; diagnostic reading and writing; the elements of fiction; close reading instruction and practice
  • The Grapes of Wrath
  • Short stories

This unit will be spent familiarizing students with AP expectations, increasing readiness for AP-level work, and developing close reading skills.Short in class and out of class writing assignments will be produced frequently.

Unit 2: Poetry as Story and Story as Poetry: Tradition and Genre(~6 weeks)

  • A Brief History of English and Poetic Traditions
  • Elizabethan, Romantic, and Victorian poetry

During this unit, we will explore the evolution of the English language and its literary traditions. In addition to various in-class writing activities, students will produce a 5-6 page formal essay in which they will use the skills reviewed and developed in this unit to address how distinct textual details such as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone contribute to the artistry and quality of a work as a whole.

Unit 3: What Is Worth Dying For? The Nature of Tragedy(~6 weeks)

  • Hamlet
  • Death of a Salesman
  • Assorted poetry

In this unit we will consider the classical definition of tragedy as well as its implications in modern life. In addition to multiple informal writing assignments, at the end of this unit each student will develop a formal, 5-6 pageanalytical essay related to the readings.

SECOND SEMESTER

Unit 1: Where and how do we belong? The Individual vs. Society (~8 weeks)

  • The Scarlet Letter
  • The Awakening
  • Assorted poetry

This unit will focus on the condition of the outcast with a focus on critical theory. A formal 4-5 page paper incorporating the use of critical theory will be the culminating project for this unit.

Unit 2: Who is in Control? Politics and Point of View(~8 weeks)

  • Heart of Darkness
  • 1984
  • Assorted poetry

This unit will explore the concept of power as depicted in literature. In addition to multiple informal writing assignments, at the end of this unit each student will produce a 4-5 page formal analytical essay related to the readings.

Unit 3: Preparing for success (final 2-3 weeks)

This unit will include specific instruction, review, and practice of strategies designed to help one succeed on the AP exam and a final project.

**NOTE** There are no exemptions from any assignment or grade changes due to a student’s participation or non-participation in the AP testing process.