AP Literature & Composition

Provisional Syllabus 2018-2019

Course Description

Advanced Placement (AP) Literature and Composition develops the student's powers of oral and written expression; leads the student to the appreciation of literature through the critical analysis of selected literary works; promotes a deeper understanding of humanity; and brings the student into contact with ways of thought which differ from modern American culture. Students will improve oral and written fluency through essay writing, mandatory class discussion, and formal oral presentations, and a creative project of their choosing.

Course Goals

1. To carefully read and critically analyze imaginative literature.

2. To understand the way writers use language to provide meaning and pleasure.

3. To consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.

4. To study representative works from various genres and periods (from the sixteenth to the twentieth century) and to know a few works extremely well.

5. To understand a work’s complexity, to absorb richness of meaning, and to analyze how meaning is embodied in literary form.

6. To consider the social and historical values a work reflects and embodies.

7. To write, focusing on critical analysis of literature including expository, analytical, and argumentative essays as well as creative writing to sharpen understanding of writers’ accomplishments and deepen appreciation of literary artistry.

8. To become aware of, through speaking, listening, reading, and, chiefly, writing the resources of language: connotation, metaphor, irony, syntax, and tone.

Preparing for the AP Examination

While all students will take the AP examination in May, the goal of the course is not merely to prepare students for the test. We will, however, devote some class time to practice tests and to identifying test-taking strategies. Tests on our texts will include AP-style essay and multiple-choice questions. Some of these AP-style essays on our texts will be assessment and some will be targeted practice in essay writing. In the latter case, students may peer review each other’s work and revise or strategize as a group regarding appropriate areas for revision. In addition, throughout the course, we will practice testing using Richard Vogel’s Multiple Choice and Free-Response Questions in Preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition Examination 8^th ed. (New York: D & S Marketing Systems, Inc., 2012). (The AP Lit & Comp exam is a 3-hour exam: 1 hour of multiple choice questions on poems and prose extracts you’ve never seen before, and two hours in which to write 3 essays – 1 on a poem you’ve never seen, 1 on a prose passage you’ve never seen, and 1 on a text you read this year.)

Discussions & A Note on Independent Reading

* An integral part of our class meetings will be class discussion; all students will be expected to participate in this exchange of ideas and will even lead discussion on occasion. Discussion will require that students be willing to take some risks by articulating ideas that may not have fully formed yet. All students will be treated with respect and consideration. Don’t be afraid to speak up – or say the “wrong” thing! Students who are not as comfortable speaking before others are encouraged to take advantage of the discussion at the beginning of class based upon reflective writing related to an excerpt or idea from the text.

* You will be responsible for reading much of our material on your own, that is, for homework; in addition to discussing the texts as a class, we will practice together such skills as close-reading, exploratory writing, and literary analysis. In order to get the most out of our class-time, then, you must keep up with reading assignments. To encourage you to read actively and thoughtfully, I require you to keep a reading journal which consists primarily of informal reactions, questions, and reflections you encounter as you read. It’s up to YOU to learn how to read for yourself and by yourself; by the end of the course, you will know what to look for in a literary text as well as how to engage with difficult works and how to write analytically about them.

Course Outline

The course texts will include study of the genres of Drama, Poetry, the Novel, and the Short Story.

Semester I:

• Hamlet—William Shakespeare
• Frankenstein—Mary Shelley
• The Awakening – Kate Chopin
• Till We Have Faces – C.S. Lewis
• Selected short stories
• Selected poetry
• The Princeton Review: Cracking the AP English Literature
• Vocabulary for the College Bound

Semester II:

• The Glass Menagerie—Tennessee Williams
• Their Eyes Were Watching God—Zora Neale Hurston
• The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde
• Selected poetry & short stories
• The Princeton Review: Cracking the AP English Literature
• Vocabulary for the College Bound

Note: While the school will provide literary texts, it is highly recommended that students purchase their own copies so that they can mark in them.

Educational Materials

* The nature of the AP program promotes close readings of the text, and writing in your text is encouraged. The novels and plays may be purchased in paperback through a local bookstore or online so that the student may make notations in his/her personal copy. The school supplies copies of the text, but these texts are not to be marked in. (See here for the whys and hows of marking up your books: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/adler.html) Alternatively, you may use post-it notes and other removable book-markers to annotate school texts.

* You are required to purchase and use 1) a binder dedicated solely to this course in which you keep all handouts; and 2) a composition book for reading journals and other exploratory writing. Not having supplies will influence your discussion grade for that day. Random notebook checks will be conducted as needed.

* Unless we are using a class set of books, students are expected to bring to class the books that they have been issued—extra books will not be supplied. Books must be returned in satisfactory condition; students must pay for damaged and/or lost books.

Student Evaluation

Evaluation of written and oral work is based on clarity and cogency. Grades are based on successful completion of required course work that includes writing assignments, reading journals, class discussion, quizzes, and exams. Class discussions, informal and formal oral presentations, written essays, and a poetry project are all important aspects of the grade for the course. Thus, critical attention to planning, working within time limits, composing, and revising are essential.

Homework Policy—A detailed day-by-day syllabus will be given to each student as a guide for each nine weeks. It is expected that students will keep up with reading and journaling, and be prepared every day.

Make-Up Work Policy—Please consult a “study buddy” for the missed assignment, and seek clarification, if needed, from the instructor in person or via email. The course’s Google site is kept up to date and should be consulted first. This course follows District Policy for Make-Up Work.

Grading Scale: A= 90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=59 and below.

School Rules and Code of Student Conduct

School policies and procedures will be enforced at all times. In the Suncoast Agenda/Planner please read the attendance policy, the make-up work policy, the cell phone policy, the cheating/plagiarism policy, and the school-wide rules including the tardy policy (note that many changes have been made in these policies). Your ability to work within the guidelines of Suncoast will insure both your education and safety. Note that cell phones should not be visible during school hours except during lunch—including in the halls—per District School Rules. Note also that any cheating and/or plagiarism will be pursued according to the stated policy in the Agenda Planner.

Your instructor has a list of authorized and acceptable websites that directly correspond with the course material. Academic integrity may be compromised if unauthorized sites or materials are used.

The School District of Palm Beach County promotes the following Universal Guidelines and Behavioral Expectations:

1. Be Safe

2. Be Respectful

3. Be Responsible

Helpful Websites/On-line Tutorial

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) website is an excellent source for style guides such as the MLA Guide; grammar and mechanics; avoiding plagiarism guidelines; English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) assistance; and job search/professional writing tips. MLA is the preferred style form for English and the OWL “reflects the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7^th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3^rd ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited Page.”

The web address is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ .

The AP Central website may be accessed at: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/ .

Contact Information

Dr. Ashley Busse

Phone: 882-3401 and leave a message.

Email: ashley.busse@palmbeachschools.org (Email is the best way to reach me; I check it daily.)

Overview of Major Assignments

1. Reading Journals

I don’t believe in busywork and am sure you don’t either; keeping a reading journal is a requirement for this course for several reasons:

• Having to respond in writing to what you’re reading forces you to pay attention and stay more actively engaged (rather than reading passively or letting your mind wander).
• We write to learn – we often don’t know what we think about something until we are forced to write through/into it. Writing about something makes you think more deeply and to put into words thoughts, images, and ideas that otherwise would remain foggy or unexamined.
• Writing helps you remember – studies show that people remember information and ideas much better and more clearly once they’ve written about them, rather than simply passively listening to or reading about them.
• Writing prepares you for discussion.
• The more (and more often) you write, the better a writer you become.

Reading journals may include:

- Questions

- Reflections & thoughts

- Reactions

- Analysis

- Speculations

- Further thinking

- Connections to other texts or aspects of life

- Attempts at making/finding meaning in a text

- Attention to the whys/hows/so whats of an author’s words

Reading journals should not include:

- Summary

- Unexplained/unjustified claims or shallow emotional reactions (“I hate this book”) without some attempt to get to the bottom of them

We will talk more about Reading Journals in class – the different types of writing that can be done in them and why, etc.

2. Vocabulary Quizzes

Throughout the year, we’ll be learning both general (think: SAT) words as well as literary devices and vocabulary words that appear in our texts (as they might also appear on the AP exam or in college classes). Expect a vocab quiz once every 2 weeks; all past vocab words are “fair game” for future quizzes!

3. Reading Pop Quizzes, Tests, and Journal Checks

To hold you accountable for your reading!

4. Literary Analysis Essays

At the end of each text we study, we’ll have a practice AP Lit-style essay prompt. This will help prepare you for the timed essays in the actual AP exam. We’ll also compose two longer literary analysis essays during the year, which you will be expected to revise for a separate grade.

5. Practice AP Lit Multiple Choice Exams

We’ll practice small chunks of the multiple choice section of the AP Lit exam throughout the year, as well as occasionally tackling an entire 1-hour multiple choice exam.

6. Passage Memorization

You’ll memorize a passage from Hamlet and either recite it or write it down on the spot. We’ll do this twice during our study of the play.

7. Final Poetry Project

You’ll select a poet of your choice, research him/her and his/her work, teach the class about your poet and 1 or 2 representative poems, and compose some poetry in his/her style.