The AP English Language and Composition course strives to engage “students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes” (The College Board, AP English Course Description, Fall 2014, p. 16). You will be required to read a challenging set of selections critically, and as a result, students will deepen their awareness of the use of rhetoric and the function of language. These selections feature personal, analytical, expository, and argumentative texts from an array of historical contexts and authors. Through critically reading and annotating and completing writing assignments, you will develop the ability to think analytically while working with the language of various texts, and as a result develop a greater awareness of purpose, while simultaneously strengthening their own writing abilities. My goal is to help you meet the demands of college-level literacy. However, my greatest hope is that you apply the skills we practice in this course to engaging in civic life for year to come.