12th Grade Honors English
INTRODUCTION TO IDEOLOGY AND
LITERARY THEORY
Daily Goals for Students
 To learn something about
yourself
 To learn something about the way
the world works
 To learn something about how
language works
Essential Questions
 How does ideology manifest itself in the realm of human
behavior and social interaction—in how we act with others, in the
media we ingest, etc.? How do we acquire ideological
perspectives, and in what accounts for changes in these
perspectives?
 Why is it important to understand our own ideologies? How can
we better understand the ideologies of others?
 How can we use literary theories (“critical lenses”) to read
literature and nonfiction through various ideological
perspectives? How does this practice reveal multiplicities of
meaning, and what value does diversity of perspective have for
individuals?
“The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”
There was an old woman,
who lived in a shoe;
She had so many children,
She didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth,
Without any bread;
She whipped them all soundly,
And sent them to bed.
Psychologist’s reaction:
Chef’s reaction:
Lawyer’s reaction:
Architect’s reaction:
Teacher’s reaction:
Essential Questions
 How is media a mirror of our cultural ideology?
What can we learn about our cultural ideology by
analyzing the “signs” of popular culture?
 Examples:


What does football’s eclipse of baseball as “America’s
national pastime” reveal about our cultural or societal
values?
What does the resurgence of 80s fashion reveal about our
cultural or societal desires/anxieties?
Reading the World
 The possibilities are endless…
Advertising campaigns
Political speeches
Current events
Sports figures or
celebrities
• TV shows or films
• Children’s stories
• Trends or Fads
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Authentic Assessment
 “The Last Lecture” (based on book by Randy Pausch)
 Multi-media presentation
 Digital portfolio that reflects learning over the previous four
years

What do you consider the most important understandings that
you’ve gained during your time at CHS? What would you
convey to others in terms of the most important
ideas/concepts/skills you’ve learned in high school?
Grading
 Each marking period: 21% of total grade
 Writing 35%
 Tests 30%
 Quizzes 20%
 Homework 15%
 Authentic Assessment: 8% of total grade
 Final Exam: 8% of total grade
Equality vs. Equity
Units of Study
 Intro to Ideology

Various short memoirs (creative nonfiction)
 Intro to Cultural Criticism

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Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner
Fast Food Nation by Schlosser
Nickel and Dimed by Ehrenreich
 Intro to Literary Theory (“Critical Lenses”)

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The Metamorphosis by Kafka
The Stranger by Camus
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Garcia Marquez
 The Impact of Ideological Perspectives -- Applications


Hamlet by Shakespeare
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Approaches to Writing
 National Writing Project

Writing is a not only a means to express ideas, but a way to
GET ideas. (Writing is thinking!)

Good writing skills are not simply “natural” – they are learned.
All students can become more skillful writers if they are taught
the processes and techniques of quality writing.

Writing Improvement Logs (students should earn credit for
improvement/progress)
Approaches to Writing

Developing writers should regularly be exposed to quality
texts.

Writing should be taught as a process.

Developing writers should have diverse and frequent writing
experiences.
 Narratives
 Literary analysis essays
 Poetry
 Articles/news writing
 Multi-media projects
The Importance of Perspective
“A man with one theory is lost. He needs
several of them, or lots! He should stuff
them in his pockets like newspapers.”
-Bertolt Brecht
“No one person or perspective can give us the
answers we need to the problems of today.”
- Margaret Wheatley