Overview

(12) 1 Credit; Very Selective * Offered 1st/2nd trimester of senior year.

Prerequisite: A in Honors English 11, teacher approval and summer reading assignment.

This two-trimester advanced placement course engages college-bound seniors in the careful reading and critical analysis of classic and contemporary British, American, and European literature. Through the active reading of a rigorous selection of texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature, including expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Toward that end, writing instruction focuses on developing coherence, unity, precision, structure, and stylistic maturity.

By the end of this course, students will be able to analyze various elements of Greek, Elizabethan, and Modern drama; analyze various elements of other literary genre, such as epic and lyric poetry, short fiction and non-fiction, Horatian and Juvenalian satire, novels, and essays; completion of research projects with an annotated bibliography of the work; employ a variety of test-taking skills and techniques that will enable them to satisfactorily complete both the multiple-choice and essay portions of the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Exam in the Spring.

Course Goals

Core Curriculum