AP Literature and Composition Syllabus and Course Outline Approved by the College Board #1249303V1

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

AP Literature and Composition Syllabus and Course Outline Approved by The College Board #1249303v1

Introduction (from The College Board’s Course Description) An AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in careful reading and critical analysis of literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students 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.

Course Summary The AP English Literature and Composition course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit. The majority of texts and reading material are based on the representative authors’ list found within the AP® English Literature and Composition Course Description published by The College Board. One of the goals of the course is to teach students to derive meaning from a text’s structure and style, in addition to analyzing figurative language, theme, diction, and other literary devices. This course engages students in a thorough, intensive study of several genres and literary criticism such as psychoanalytic theory, feminist theory, formalism, and reader-response theory.

Class Expectations AP English Literature students are expected to be mature and have the motivation level equivalent to those in collegiate classrooms. Students are expected to work hard, and the hope is that the reward received in preparing for future coursework will make the expended effort well worth the prize. • Preparedness: Students are expected to read and complete all assignments before coming to class. There will be interaction, discussion, and/or group work every day. • In-class writing, discussions, and workshops: AP English Literature is not a lecture course. Students are expected to be prepared for discussion, group activities, and writing each day. In-class group work cannot be recovered if it is missed. Because of the workshop atmosphere of the AP English Literature classroom, student interaction is required. Talking that disrupts or hampers the learning of the class will not be tolerated. • Class Participation: Student participation is required. Students are expected to bring individual thoughts, considerations, and opinions to a discussion. There is no wrong answer or thought. Diversity of thought offers perspectives that can inform conversation, offer insightful dialogue, and present potentially new avenues of discourse. • Format for Papers: All papers must be formatted using 12-point Times New Roman font only and must be double-spaced with 1” margins on all sides. Always follow the style guidelines of the Modern Language Association (MLA), particularly with regard to parenthetical and reference citations. • Late Work: Present all work in class, in person, and on time. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. • Absences: It is the student’s responsibility to request make-up work. If students attend school at any time during the day an assignment is due, students are required to submit their assignments. • Fieldtrips: School sports, events, activities, and/or excursions are not valid reasons for not submitting work on time. • Make-up Exams: Any student that is absent on the day of a test is expected to make up the test during tutorials upon their return to campus. If the student does not report to make up the exam within the stated time frame, no credit (0%, zero) will be given for that exam. Tests may not be made up during class or another class period. Be advised that make-up exams are more rigorous as students have more time to prepare. It is in the student’s best interest to be present on all exam days.

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Course Goals and Objectives This course provides students with the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a typical undergraduate college English literature/humanities course, at the completion of which, the student should be able to: • critically read and analyze both American and British literatures in several genres from the 16th century to contemporary times (SC1) • write, revise, and edit an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style, and themes; the social and historical values it reflects and embodies; and such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone (SC2, SC3, SC4) • write, revise, and edit formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses (SC5) • write, revise, and edit formal, extended analyses outside of class (SC6) • write to understand through informal, exploratory writing activities that enable the student to reflect upon their reading and their thinking, within the process of writing (SC7) • write to explain through expository or analytical essays in which the student draws upon textual details to develop an extended explanation/interpretation of the meanings of a literary text (SC8) • write to evaluate through analytical or argumentative essays in which the student draws upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s artistry and quality and its social and cultural values (SC9, SC10) • draft, revise, and edit essays reflecting a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively (SC11) • draft, revise, and edit essays employing a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination (SC12) • draft, revise, and edit essays using a logical organization scheme, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis (SC13) • draft, revise, and edit essays which balance between generalization and specific, illustrative detail (SC14) • draft, revise, and edit essays that effectively utilize rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure in essay construction (SC15)

The Exam The exam takes three and one-half hours to complete and is divided into two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. The multiple-choice section consists of four to five short literary passages and approximately 50 multiple-choice questions assessing student analysis of those passages. Points are not deducted for incorrect or unanswered multiple-choice questions; credit is earned solely for correct answers. This section accounts for 45% of the complete score. The free-response section consists of three prompts: prose, poetry, and an open question. Each prompt requires the student understand and analyze the techniques and devices the author uses to achieve his or her purpose. This section accounts for 55% of the complete score.

Plagiarism, Collusion, and Cheating Plagiarized papers or projects will receive a grade of “0” (zero)–no exceptions. Cheating or collusion— defined as unauthorized collaboration—will also result in a grade of “0” (zero) on that paper, project or test. Plagiarism or collusion on a second major assignment will result in a zero for the course. This includes assigned, in-class or discussion questions.

The instructor will utilize plagiarism software and internet sources to check student work for potential plagiarism. This will be discussed in more detail during class the class introduction.

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Course Grading Scale Essays/Tests/Projects 50% Quizzes/Classwork 30% Homework/Participation 20%

Course Outline Skills introduced in each cycle should be reinforced throughout the school year with AP practice. Reading and writing are integral parts of every lesson.

Continuous Class Writing and On-Going Activities: • Multiple-choice practice based upon readings (SC1) • Poetry explication and analysis (SC2) • Timed writings from released AP Literature free-response questions (SC5, SC8) • Independent-reading book projects (SC6) • Socratic seminars with reflective writing (SC7) • Literary criticism (using rhetorical précis) (SC9), (SC10) • Individual conferences with students to identify areas needing improvement (SC11) • Vocabulary practice (SC11) • Grammar, syntax, mechanics (SC12)

1st Cycle: Impact of the Hero’s Journey Students delve into the archetypal journey and the hero through this unit. Through an examination of their own journeys thus far in life, students reflect upon the knowledge they have gained from the experience and how that new knowledge impacts the choices and decisions they make in the future.

Guiding Questions: • Why do characters complete journeys? • How does the journey affect the characters and the setting? • What valuable lesson does the protagonist garner through the journey and how does he apply his new found knowledge in his life? • How can students develop as individuals and be an integral part of society? • What is the relationship between author and place? • What are the implicit problems associated with colonialism? • What role has power historically played in shaping identity and culture? • How does the journey shape the characters? • How do political and spiritual beliefs affect a journey?

Focus: • Review characteristics of an epic (SC1) • Analyze how an author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. contributes to the purpose of, and creates meaning for the piece/selection (SC2) • Identify and discuss various archetypal patterns (SC4) • Practice timed writings (SC5) • Revise and edit essays (SC5, SC14) • Complete independent-reading book project (SC6) • Confer with teacher to identify areas in writing needing improvement, with an emphasis on organization and coherence (SC13) • Write and review diagnostic assessment (SC11, SC12, SC13, SC14, SC15) • Practice multiple-choice strategies

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Novel(s)/Fiction Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad The Secret Sharer, Joseph Conrad The Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain Short Stories “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor Poetry/Poets “The Black Man’s Burden,” Edward Morel “The White Man’s Burden,” Rudyard Kipling excerpts from “The Divine Comedy,” Dante Alighieri “Paradise Lost,” John Milton Media Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, dir. George Lucas Stand By Me, dir. Rob Reiner Rabbit-Proof Fence, dir. Phillip Noyce Apocalypse Now, dir. Francis Ford Coppola Heart of Darkness, dir, Nicholas Roeg

2nd Cycle: The Poetic Nature of Tragedy Within the context of tragedy, the analytical focus for this unit is dramatic structure and contrasting sonnet forms. Through concepts of rivalry, tragic flaws, and decisions; dramatic representation of an “everyman” through characters; and common themes, symbols, and structure in varying sonnets, students explore the nature of the tragic experience.

Guiding Questions: • How do playwrights use the conventions of drama to convey universal themes? • How does culture influence drama? • How does drama reflect culture? • How and why do poets use poetic conventions and poetic forms? • How does Shakespeare’s language and style impact how his writings are read in the modern world? • What instances are there of Shakespeare borrowing themes from earlier writers?

Focus: • Explore Aristotelian concepts of tragedy (SC1) • Identify dramatic devices such as: soliloquy, aside, foil, tragic hero, comic relief, dramatic irony, play-within-a-play (SC2) • Analyze how an author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. contributes to the purpose of, and creates meaning for the piece/selection (SC2) • Compare and contrast sonnet forms (SC3) • Investigate the use of drama to criticize society (SC4) • Explore the evolution of tragedy (SC4) • Revise and edit essays (SC5, SC14) • Discuss outside readings, complete writing assignments, tests, project, etc. (SC6) • Participate in Socratic seminars based on outside readings (SC7) • Compare, contrast, and analyze cross-textual and media sources connections (SC10) • Confer with teacher to identify areas in writing needing improvement (SC12)

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Poetry/Poets “How Do I Love Thee,” Elizabeth Barrett Browning “She Walks In Beauty,” Lord Byron “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer,” John Keats “Death be not Proud,” John Donne “Batter my Heart, Three Person’d God,” John Donne “Leda and the Swan,” W.B. Yeats “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds,” William Shakespeare “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun,” William Shakespeare “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” William Shakespeare “Ozymandias,” Percy Shelley “The World Is Too Much with Us,” William Wordsworth Drama Medea, Euripides Hamlet, William Shakespeare King Lear, William Shakespeare Agamemnon, Aeschylus Macbeth, William Shakespeare Othello, William Shakespeare Media PBS Great Performances: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear

3rd Cycle: Adversity Builds Character Students explore the significance of war in literature through the study of novels, short fiction, poetry, and drama, analyzing the author’s use of literary devices in the setting of war to remove characters from the patterns of everyday life and place them into a world of survival thereby revealing the characters’ authentic selves.

Guiding Questions: • How does a writer use war to move characters from the patterns of an everyday world into a stark setting? For what purpose? • How is the search for peace (or truth) an important element throughout this unit? • Why does war figure so prominently in literature? • How are our own lives shaped and influenced by modern warfare? • What is the moral or social responsibility in arms development and deployment?

Focus: • Review mythology (SC1) • Analyze how an author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. contributes to the purpose of, and creates meaning for the piece/selection (SC2) • Compose an in-class literary analysis timed writing (SC5) • Revise and edit essays (SC5, SC14) • Analyze characteristics of epic poetry and the epic hero (SC10) • Confer with teacher to identify areas in writing needing improvement (SC12) • Participate in AP essay calibration process (SC15) • Research parenthetical and reference citation formats according to MLA Style Guide

Novel(s)/Fiction The Quiet American, Grahame Greene Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells Short Stories selections from The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Poetry/Poets “Shield of Achilles,” W.H. Auden The Iliad, Homer “Facing It,” Yusef Komunyakaa “Shiloh: A Requiem (April, 1862),” Herman Melville “Arms and the Boy,” Wilfred Owens “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Wilfred Owens “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young,” Wilfred Owens “Aftermath,” Siegfried Sassoon “Charge of the Light Brigade,” Alfred Lord Tennyson The Aeneid, Virgil “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night,” Walt Whitman Drama Lysistrata, Aristophanes Cromwell, Alfred Bate Richards “Battle on St. Crispian’s Day” from Henry V, William Shakespeare Media Kite Runner, dir. Mark Forster The Book Thief, dir. Brian Percival Saving Private Ryan, dir. Steven Spielberg Dances with Wolves, dir. Kevin Costner War of the Worlds read by Orson Wells

4th Cycle: Gender in the Social Construct Students study the role of gender within society and how man and woman coexist in the world. Furthermore, students begin to apply theory and criticism to their readings and look at authorial context and background. Students define gender roles in society and how society views gender in a literary aspect.

Guiding Questions: • What are the rules of engagement between the genders? • How is gender defined in different cultures and time periods? • How is gender defined by artists, authors, and directors? To what extent do we accept their definition? • How do generations with differing values concerning gender clash? • What is the conflict between religious tradition and modern life? • How has the conservative culture of the past been challenged by the more permissive culture of the present?

Focus: • Explore the author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. as it contributes to the purpose of the piece/selection (SC2) • Discussion and analysis of poetic devices (SC2) Practice the use of TP-CASTT to critically examine a poem (SC2) • Compose an analysis essay examining theme, conflicts, point of view, characterization, symbol, plot, and setting from summer reading (SC3) • Revise and edit essays (SC5, SC14) • Complete independent-reading project (SC6) • Practice writing for the open response question (SC7, SC8, SC9, SC10) • Explore and analyze the expository essay structure and organization (SC8) • Analyze AP scoring guidelines (essay and multiple-choice) (SC13) • Research and practice multiple-choice reading and response strategies • Complete diagnostic writing assessment and review (SC11, SC12, SC13, SC14, SC15)

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

Novel(s)/Fiction Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe The Awakening Kate Chopin Daisy Miller, Henry James Short Stories “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner “Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin Poetry/Poets “My Last Duchess,” Robert Browning “Siren Song,” Margaret Atwood “Daddy,” Sylvia Plath “A Bird, came down the Walk,” Emily Dickinson “Porphyria’s Lover,” Robert Browning “The Laboratory,” Robert Browning Drama Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw Oedipus Rex, Sophocles Antigone, Sophocles A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen Media 10 Things I Hate About You, dir. Gil Junger Mona Lisa Smile, dir. Mike Newell A Doll’s House, dir. Patrick Garland Daisy Miller, dir. Peter Bogdanovich

5th Cycle: Ridiculing Societal Norms through Satire and Humor Students discuss societal expectations and codes of behavior in order to question how, when, and where the rules of humor and social criticism are learned. Students analyze the purpose and expected outcomes of the satirists in ridiculing societal norms.

Guiding Questions: • How do authors use humor to explore sensitive subjects? • What devices does the satirist use to ridicule, expose, and/or denounce some form of vice, folly, indecorum, abuse, or evils of any kind in society? • How effective is satire in shifting and shaping societal views? • In what ways do love and relationships currently define America’s culture? • What are modern rules for dating and courtship? Where do we learn these rules?

Focus: • Examine devices of satire and humor (i.e. parody, hyperbole, sarcasm, and irony) (SC2) • Analyze how an author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. contributes to the purpose of, and creates meaning for the piece/selection (SC2) • Explore narrative perspective and point of view (SC3) • Revise and edit essays (SC5, SC14) • Write and review diagnostic assessment (SC11, SC12, SC13, SC14, SC15) • Confer with teacher to identify areas in writing needing improvement, with an emphasis on organization and coherence (SC13) • Take Mock AP exam

Novel(s)/Fiction The Death of Ivan Ilych, Leo Tolstoy Short Stories “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country,” Mark Twain

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

excerpts from The Onion – America’s Finest News Source

Poetry/Poets “The Rape of the Lock,” Alexander Pope Drama The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde Media Clips from: • The Daily Show • Saturday Night Live • The Simpsons • Family Guy

6th Cycle: Evaluating the Implications of a Dystopia Society Students examine how the literature they have studied thus far reflect utopian ideas and how dystopias differ greatly in comparison. By analyzing factors in which societies are destroyed and what leads them to their futuristic downfall, students critically evaluate how authors portray societies, convey warnings about social issues, and make predictions regarding society’s future.

Guiding Questions: • How do students, as citizens of the world, face the upheaval of social forces? What is the result? • Why is the pursuit of truth and peace an important element in literature? • How does literature reveal inherent truths about society? • What are the ethical implications of universal/absolute truths? • Why/How do dystopian regimes claim moral and religious truths as their doctrine? • What are the dangers of total equality?

Focus: • Take the AP Exam • Examine characteristics and make comparisons of dystopian/utopian literature (SC1) • Analyze how an author’s use of tone, syntax, details, diction, imagery, organization, figurative language, point of view, etc. contributes to the purpose of, and creates meaning for the piece/selection (SC2)

Novel(s)/Fiction Brave New World, Aldous Huxley The Island, Aldous Huxley 1984, George Orwell On the Beach, Nevil Shute The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood Short Stories “Harrison Bergeron,” Kurt Vonnegut “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” Ursula Le Guin Media V for Vendetta, dir. James McTeigue Minority Report, dir. Steven Spielberg Twelve Monkeys, dir. Terry Gilliam Total Recall, dir. Len Wiseman The Wall dir. Alan Parker Hunger Games, dir. Gary Ross

Last Updated: August 13, 2015

2015-2016 HISD SYLLABUS AP English Literature and Composition

AP Literature and Composition: Scoring Components Page(s)

SC1 The course includes an intensive study of representative works such as those by authors cited in 2-5, 8 the AP English Course Description. By the time the student completes English Literature and Composition, he or she will have studied during high school literature from both British and American writers, as well as works written in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.

SC2 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a 2-8 careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.

SC3 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a 2, 4, 6, careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style and themes. 7 SC4 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a 2-4 careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s social, cultural and/or historical values.

SC5 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite timed, in-class 2-5, 7 responses.

SC6 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended 2-4, 6 analyses outside of class.

SC7 The course requires writing to understand: Informal/exploratory writing activities that enable 2-4, 6 students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading (such assignments could include annotation, free writing, keeping a reading journal, reaction/response papers, and/or dialectical notebooks).

SC8 The course requires writing to explain: Expository, analytical essays in which students draw upon 2, 3, 6 textual details to develop an extended interpretation of a literary text.

SC9 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw 2, 3, 6 upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s artistry and quality.

SC10 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw 2-6 upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s social, historical and/or cultural values.

SC11 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before 2, 3, 6, and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a wide-ranging vocabulary 7 used appropriately.

SC12 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before 2-7 and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a variety of sentence structures.

SC13 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before 2, 3, 6, and after the students revise their work that help the students develop logical organization, 7 enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis.

SC14 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before 2-7 and after they revise their work that help the students develop a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.

SC15 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before 2, 3, 5-7 and after they revise their work that help the students establish an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.

Last Updated: August 13, 2015