400 ENGLISH

Students are required to complete four years of English. 

The main tasks of the English department will be:

(1) to make the study of language a vital part of the complete education of each student 

(2) to introduce students to the study of the art of literature 

(3) to communicate through various forms of writing

Crucial to the curriculum will be an extensive course of study in literature as an expression of individual thought, and a reflector of cultural change through writing. 

410 Grammar and Composition

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Freshmen level course

Prerequisite: Departmental approval

This course will consist of extensive study in the areas of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Students will be taught to analyze, interpret, and write logically by developing the basic writing skills of sentence structure, development and organization of paragraphs, and revision using the MLA guidelines. Students will be introduced to the areas of analytical and critical writing. In addition, students will use critical thinking, reasoning, and inference skills during class discussions of various works of literature.

4140H Adv English Honors

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Freshman level course 

Prerequisite: Departmental approval

In Advanced English Honors students will develop their ability to think critically and creatively, to research and explore, to pose solutions and develop arguments, and to collaborate and communicate using a range of media. Real-world issues are seen through a cross-curricular lens from multiple points of view, for the understanding of complex issues and the students’ place in them. The course will focus on reading, and written and spoken communication. Students study foundational texts of philosophy and literature, contemporary research and articles; listen to and watch speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; view and understand art.

4150H Global Literature (Honors) (Capstone Suggested)

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Freshman students only

Prerequisite: Approval of both English and AP Capstone Department Heads - Summer reading is required

This world literature and writing class is loosely aligned with AP Art History. Students will read a variety of world literature texts that track with the cultures they will study in AP Art History or Geography/Ancient Civilizations Honors. Students will practice close reading skills and work on synthesizing literary and critical sources into coherent essays. The class will place a heavy emphasis on the grammar skills of writing, including the construction of coherent sentences, paragraphs, and essays. This course is highly recommended for students hoping to pursue an AP Capstone diploma.

4220 English 9  

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Freshman level course

Prerequisite: Department Approval 

This course focuses on college and career readiness through reading, writing, and critical thinking. Students will participate in a variety of class activities that help build independence and proficiency in reading at grade level and develop analytical skills. Students explore a variety of nonfiction and fiction selections including biographies, short stories, novels, drama, and poetry. Students write essays based on the selections as well as analyses of literature and are introduced to the research process.

4221 Elements of Literature 

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Freshman and Sophomore level course

This class is a language and literature-based course designed to reinforce students’ skills in writing through the study of grammar, usage, and mechanics, along with the development of critical thinking skills through writing, class discussions, thesis paragraphs, essays, and a formal research paper, In the study of literature, students will be exposed to many different cultures through various readings of poetry, drama, fiction, folklore, and essays. 

4230 English 10  

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Sophomore level course

Prerequisite: Department Approval 

This course is organized around the study of various genres of literature, including novels, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Students will write essays with emphasis on the development of clear argumentation, persuasive speech, literary analysis, and academic research.   Students will be challenged to grow in their practical and academic language skills through class discussions, creative projects, and oral presentations. Students will continue to develop grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary skills. 

3720AP AP Seminar (Advanced Placement) $ (Capstone Core)

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Sophomore level course

*Dual credit: student receives both English and elective credit (1.0 each). 

Prerequisite: Application process based on PreACT test scores, teacher recommendations, and fully submitted application. Students must be concurrently enrolled in AP World History.

$ AP Exam Fee

Initial course in the AP Capstone diploma program and the highest level Sophomore English class. AP Seminar is the first of two required courses in the AP Capstone sequence. In AP Seminar students tackle a wide variety of literary, philosophical, historical and current events readings, and write multiple essays analyzing the argumentation in these readings and synthesizing sources into original argumentative essays. Students also write three research papers and make three videotaped oral presentations; the last two of each are uploaded to the College Board and serve as part of the student’s AP score. This demanding course requires students to complete long-term projects and meet multiple deadlines.

431 American Literature 

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Sophomore and Junior level course

Prerequisite: Departmental approval

The critical analysis of literature will be further developed in this literature-based course through the continued study of vocabulary and grammar skills as well as class discussion and various composition formats. This survey course encompasses the poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction of the United States from the Native American period through the Contemporary Era. Students will also be required to compile and prepare a formal resumé.

445 Survey of British Literature 

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Junior and Senior level course

British Literature is a course in the reading and critical analysis of literature. It encompasses the poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction of Great Britain from the Anglo-Saxon Period through the Modern Era. The critical analysis of literature takes the form of class discussion and composition, primarily through in-class essays, examinations, and formal essays. Grammar, usage, and mechanics will be reviewed as applied to the writing. Students will also be required to compile and/or update a formal resumé.

4430AP AP English Language and Composition (Advanced Placement) $

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Prerequisite: Departmental approval, summer reading required

Students are encouraged to take AP English Language and Composition and  AP English Literature in consecutive years as the courses complement each other.

$ AP Exam Fee

An AP course in English Language and Composition engages 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. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. Summer work is required.

441AP AP English Literature and Composition (Advanced Placement) $

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Prerequisite: Departmental approval, summer reading required

Students are encouraged to take AP English Language and Composition and  AP English Literature in consecutive years as the courses complement each other.

$ AP Exam Fee

This is a college-level, literature-based course in the reading, critical analysis, and evaluation of literature from a variety of genres and eras. This course is designed to improve students’ critical thinking, interpretive skills, and writing skills while preparing them for the AP English Literature and Composition exam in May. Students will study significant works of literature, complete timed in-class essays, out-of-class essays, a research paper, study literary terms and techniques, and participate in whole-class and small-group discussions. Students will also be required to compile and/or update a formal resumé.

446 Latin America Literature

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Senior course

Latin American Literature is a course any senior can choose to take to earn English credit. This course is designed to enhance students’ writing competency, reading comprehension, speaking and listening skills, and researching experience using various texts written by Latino authors. We will be focusing on a range of Latin American literature texts including biographies/memoirs, poetry, fiction, and film. In the reading of these texts, emphasis will be placed on increasing vocabulary and comprehension skills. Through multiple modes of writing, students will focus on improving the content and clarity of their subject matter, as well as the mechanics of their writing (punctuation, usage, and sentence structure). This literature seminar and writing course will be delivered through assignments that will develop and reinforce three particular skills: Research Methods, Critical Thinking and Interpretation, Academic Writing. This course is standards-based and follows current English standards for the 12th grade. Throughout the course, we will be reading, writing, and discussing themes centered around identity, family, loyalty, language, culture, class, and activism through art.

451C Introduction to College Writing (Concurrent) $

Fall Semester Course 

Course should be taken in conjunction with Intermediate Writing/Academic Writing and Research (Concurrent)

Senior Course

$ Concurrent fee

College Writing is a college-level reading and writing course. The course emphasizes rhetoric and rhetorical strategies used in different genres of writing. During the semester, students will learn to think analytically about a topic. Students will learn to develop their own “voice,” and communicate effectively in well-developed writing. Students will learn to write effectively using invention, drafting, revision, editing, peer-feedback, and self-assessment, to be better prepared for college. Concurrent ENGL 1010 through UVU, please see COURSE REQUIREMENTS & DISCLOSURES page for details. 

455C Intermediate Writing/College Writing (Concurrent) $

Spring Semester Course 

Prerequisite: A minimum Semester grade of a C- in Introduction to College Writing (Concurrent) and Department Approval

Senior Course

$ Concurrent fee

The intermediate college writing course emphasizes academic inquiry and research in the humanities and social sciences. The course explores issues from multiple perspectives and teaches careful reasoning, argumentation, and rhetorical awareness of purpose, audience, and genre. The focus is on critically evaluating, effectively integrating, and properly documenting sources. This course is constructed around the idea that students will write an in-depth research paper due at the end of the semester. The other assignments in the course are meant to help build your skills and take you through the process of conducting research, drafting, and revising to create a strong piece of academic writing.   Concurrent ENGL 2010 through UVU, please see COURSE REQUIREMENTS & DISCLOSURES page for details. 

English Electives

4530 Creative Writing

Semester Course, Fall or Spring

Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

Do you write poems, short stories, or creative nonfiction essays in your spare time? This is a semester-long elective class in which we will study how to write, read, and critique like creative writers. We will study three genres in creative writing: poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Within each genre, we will look at how the literary elements of image, voice, character, setting, and story are used. This will be a course to help establish a foundation for the long writing career ahead of you!

4533 Film as Literature

Semester Course, Fall or Spring 

Open to Juniors and Seniors

This class explores the complex interplay between film and literature. Film as Literature covers the influence of literature on film, the history of film, and narrative devices common to both genres. Students will read short stories, plays, and novels and analyze their transition to film. This course will also include nonfiction in examining essays, reviews, and documentaries.

4500 Intro to Journalism

Semester Course, Fall or Spring 

Open to all grade levels 

*Elective credit only, is not an English or Computer Science credit 

Intro to Journalism’s goal is to provide students with a background in modern journalism, and prepare them for continued work in TV Production, Multimedia Newspaper, and Multimedia Yearbook classes. In one semester, students will learn the basics of journalism, how to write newspaper articles, create broadcast clips, photojournalism, as well as fundamentals of design and layout. They will work extensively with Adobe products, including InDesign and Photoshop, as well as an array of other journalism-oriented software, including Google and website design software. This class is a prerequisite for upper-level journalism classes (TV Production, Multimedia Newspaper, Multimedia Yearbook) and satisfies an English Elective credit.

460 Yearbook I 

4610 Multimedia Yearbook II 

4611 Multimedia Yearbook III 

4612 Multimedia Yearbook IV

*Yearbook courses count as Elective Credit only 

Fall and Spring, year-long course

Prerequisite: Intro to Journalism or Digital Video/Photography, and departmental approval

Multimedia Yearbook is tasked with producing Juan Diego’s yearbook, “Tilma.” Student work will be focused on photography, graphics, layout design, as well as interviewing and headline writing. Students will plan, produce, and edit all aspects of the yearbook. Students enrolled in Multimedia Yearbook will need a keen photographic eye, a strong work ethic, and a desire to have their efforts form the legacy of Juan Diego through its yearbook for years to come. Students will work extensively with Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. The class will also enter publications in local and national competitions.