English Electives - Full Year
BANNED BOOKS AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM
Grade 12
SWS43 / SWSH43 - A Level / Honors - 1 English Credit
Each year the American Library Association’s list of banned books increases.
This course will explore the reasons behind the banning of books, and the possible legal ramifications of doing so. Books on the list such as The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian, Perks of Being a Wallflower, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Slaughterhouse Five will be read and analyzed, and positions on censorship will be debated. Students will create projects, complete college essays, and have many other opportunities to refine research and writing skills.
Honors students will complete the curriculum above, with the addition of reading and writing assignments, research projects and class presentations.
FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES
Grade 12 - Full Year
SWS40E / SWSH40E – A Level / Honors - 1 English Credit
A project-based, cooperatively taught two credit integrated history and English course. The focus in the fall is the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust through the lens
of psychology, propaganda, film, art and novels. During the spring we explore the
history and legacy of racism in our culture through science fiction, advertising,
children's literature, film, Disney, television, psychology and novels. Students will
also complete college essays and scholarship letters. For a full description, see listing
in the SWS section.
SHAKESPEARE FOR PERFORMANCE AND LITERARY ANALYSIS
TH30 / TH30H – A Level / Honors - 1 English Credit - Full Year
Prerequisite: Acting I and Teacher Approval
This class will concentrate on learning to perform Shakespearean drama. The stance, the voice, the rhythms, the rhymes, and the worlds of Shakespeare’s plays will be studied and performed. Characters, plots and themes will be analyzed and discussed. The class will read plays and perform monologues and scenes along with each of t hem. The senior English students in the class will, in addition, be assigned an informal and a formal essay for each unit in order to engage in a deeper analysis of each play.