The course overview and objectives are based on practices described in the AP English Language and Composition Course Description published by the College Board. The basic principles of rhetoric are explored as well as the degree to which mechanics and literary devices enhance the effectiveness of a text. Through the study of mainly nonfiction, students will develop the skills to effectively identify, explain, and utilize rhetorical techniques. Exposure to both classic and contemporary writers will provide frameworks and models for students’ writing experiences. Students will be able to recognize and appreciate a variety of prose styles and genres, critically analyze both the rhetorical and stylistic elements of complex texts, and apply these techniques to their own writing. To this end, students write in several forms about a variety of subjects, both informal and formal assignments. AP English Language and Composition is designed for all students who have demonstrated deep interest in the study of language and literature, and a mature approach to their studies. Students are expected to read and complete a summer reading assignment. Since this is a seminar class, all students are expected to participate on a daily basis. Students are also expected to confer with their instructor on a regular basis, as part of the revision process. The level of course work is intense; the material is concentrated and demanding. Students are required to write expository, analytical, and argumentative pieces, and complete a research paper in appropriate MLA format.
Texts are read as thematic and stylistic units to expose the students to a variety of narrative voices and to examine how authors depict similar subjects through disparate rhetorical techniques. It is suggested that students learn to use post-it notes effectively as they read in preparation for testing, essay writing, and class discussion. Texts may include: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Black Elk Speaks, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Black Boy, and Moby Dick.
The students examine the relationship among theme, narrative voice, and structure dealing with the concept of the journey and expanding into the exploration of the American Dream. Students read a selection of essays including: "Home to the Hills," "Don’t Forget the Motor City," "Electro Boy," "The Catbird Seat," and "Yellow Ribbon Patriotism." These essays are supplemented by outside reading which may include: On the Road, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Great Gatsby.
In this unit, students will study the impact of rhetorical devices and the relationship among those devices and theme, purpose, and audience.
Readings may include: For the Time Being, Silent Spring, The Secret Knowledge of Water, selections from The White Album, selections from The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and selections from Walden and Other Writings. A Handbook to Literature will be used to present specific rhetorical devices.
Students analyze graphic and visual images as forms of text and relate those images to written texts in evaluations and interpretations in a variety of contexts. Students read select reviews from Rave Reviews: American Art and Its Critics.
In this unit the students examine the cultural ramifications of oppression and its aftermath in works of both fiction and nonfiction. Works examining slavery and gender experiences may include The Classic Slave Narratives, Native Son, Slaves in the Family, and The Fire Next Time as nonfiction selections and Passing, The Color Purple, Beloved, and The Confessions of Nat Turner as fiction selections.
In this unit, the students will examine the craft of the memoir focusing on the narrative voice and its affect on a reader’s understanding and perception of the author’s purpose.
Readings may include Angela’s Ashes, Wait ’til Next Year, An American Childhood, and a selection of essays from "The Lives They Led" from The New York Times’s year end retrospective of obituaries.
In the research unit, students will be exposed to social history, literary history, biography, and literary criticism in their examinations of an American author. Students will select an author and read three works.
Skills taught include:
This is an ongoing unit taught throughout the year which utilizes Writing About Literature, The MLA Handbook, The Elements of Style, and A Handbook to Literature. In addition, these texts will be supplemented by articles from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and Harper’s. Depending of the assignment, proper attribution and citation as well as original thought will be emphasized.