Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition
Mrs. Greer
tgreer@acsamman.edu.jo
www.mrsgreer.net
http://moodle.acsamman.edu.jo
2010-2011 Course Syllabus
Course Description
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a college level course for those who love to read or
who possess a high school proficiency in literary skills. The course engages students in the careful reading and
critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through a close reading of selected texts, students deepen their
understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers.
AP English Literature and Composition is designed to be a college/university level course, thus the designation of
‘AP’ on the transcript and the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a typical undergraduate
university English literature/Humanities course. As a culmination to the course, you will take the Advanced
Placement English Literature and Composition Exam given in May (required). A score of a ‘4’ or ‘5’ on this exam is
considered equivalent to a 3.3-4.0 for comparable courses at the college or university level. A student who earns a
score of ‘3’ or above on the exam will be granted college credit at most colleges and universities throughout the
United States.
Course Goals:
1. To carefully read and critically analyze imaginative literature.
2. To understand the way writers use language to provide meaning and pleasure.
3. To consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as smaller scale elements as the use
of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
4. To study representative works from various genres and periods—from the Sixteenth to the
Twentieth century but know a few works extremely well.
5. To understand a work’s complexity, absorb richness of meaning, and analyze how meaning is
embodied in literary form.
6. To consider the social and historical values a work reflects and embodies.
7. To write focusing on critical analysis of literature, including expository, analytical and
argumentative essays as well as creative writing to sharpen understanding of writers’
accomplishments and deepen appreciation of literary artistry.
8. To become aware through speaking, listening, reading, and chiefly writing of the resources of
language: connotation, metaphor, irony, syntax, and tone.
Exam:
AP Literature & Composition Exam: Thursday, May 5th, 8AM
All students enrolled in this course are required to take the exam
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Required Texts and Materials
In the AP course, the student should consider obtaining a personal copy of the various novels,
plays, poems and short fiction used in the course. You may purchase copies of the reading
selections from your local new or used book store, or from an online book source. However,
the majority of the reading selections can be issued through the high school English
Department and accessed online in our class website: www.mrsgreer.net. If you choose to
write in the school issued text, you will pay for the cost of the book.
Required Texts
 Oedipus the King, Sophocles
 The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare
 Death of a Salesman, Miller
 Wuthering Heights, Brontë
 The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare
 Heart of Darkness, Conrad
 Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut
 Fences, Wilson
 Short Fiction and Essays—as selected
 Poetry—as selected
Additional Student Texts
 Perrine’s Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (11 ed.)-by Arp & Johnson
 Dictionary of Literary Terms & Literary Theory (Penguin Books)
 How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster (Harper)
 Writing With Style, Trimble (Prentice Hall)
Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
Two or Three-ringed binder w/ dividers (at least 1 ½ in)
College-ruled spiral note book. Must be A4 size and have perforated edges.
Blue and Black pens
Removable drive
Writing Expectations
Writing is an integral part of the AP English and Literature and composition course and exam.
Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays. Composition assignments will include: statements,
developed paragraphs and comprehensive journaling, timed writes (essay tests), and formal
essays. No matter the kind of writing assigned, your best composition skills should be
practiced.
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Grammar & Usage
As upper classmen in an AP English course, you should have a good command of standard
written English. Occasionally you may need some help with this beyond what we review in
class using John Trimble’s Writing With Style. There are many good on-line guides to grammar.
The link below is one such. Please consult this guide, a writing handbook such as Patterns for
College Writing (Bedford/St. Martin), or ask for further clarification in the senior writing class.
http://grammar.ccc.comnet.edu/grammar/index.htm
Journaling (Reader’s Response Notebook)
Your literary journal is not a diary; rather, it is an important means by which you will develop
your writing and a better understanding of the texts we read in class. It is the place where you
will incorporate the ideas we discuss in class, your own ideas about literature and the specific
texts we study, and your personal relationship with those texts. It will be invaluable to you
when you prepare for examinations, papers, informal class discussions, and seminars. You
should use your journal for AP English only. You must have your journal in class every day. They
will be collected, assessed, and evaluated.
Discussion Board
Many times you will be asked for your opinion or idea about an aspect of a work of literature.
You will post these to a discussion board on Moodle. Please use complete sentences with clear
support for your ideas and when you reply to others. The grading rubric for the discussion
board is on our class website.
On-Demand Paragraphs & Smaller Essays
Several times you will be asked to write on-demand in class and they will be informally and
formally assessed. The expectation is that you spend 5-7 minutes outlining your work, then
constructing a complete, longer piece of work--a paragraph or essay. This written work should
still reflect your best composition skills and meet the evaluation criteria outlined:
Idea
Development
Organization
Fluency & Style
Tone
Word Choice
Conventions
-Well-focused and persuasive essay which addresses the prompt
directly and in a convincing manner
-Shows exceptional insight and language facility
-Excellent organization: Relevant, accurate details—quotes, citations,
and explication
-Clearly understands the essential components of an effective essay
-Demonstrates exceptional insight and language facility
-Avoids: first-person pronouns, passive constructions, antecedent
errors
-sophisticated, complex, specific, consistent
-Word choice and literary devices/and or techniques are not merely
listed, but the effect of those devices and/or techniques is addressed
in the context of the passage, poem, or novel as a whole
-Mastery of mechanics
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Formal Essays
All assignments for formal papers will include guidelines, a model, and a specific
assessment/grading rubric based on the AP Writing Expectations. Please consult each before
submitting your work.
-You will be expected to submit an outline for each paper PRIOR to drafting
-You will rewrite larger papers and literary analysis after you receive feedback
-All final drafts must be submitted to www.turnitin.com.
Timed Writes
Timed writes, or Essay Tests, are modeled after the AP English Literature and Composition
exam questions 1, 2, and 3 in the free response section of the test. All your work will be
handwritten in class during the prescribed 40 minute time limit. You must write in blue or black
ink, and your handwriting must be legible if the essay is to be scored. The timed writes will be
assessed/scored based on the prompt and the AP holistic scoring guide/rubric—this includes
your literary knowledge as well as your skill as a writer (including grammar).
Portfolio
Throughout the course of AP English and Composition, we will keep a writing portfolio of all
your essays, formal essays, timed writes, and practice tests/exams. This “portfolio” is a
standards-based compilation to help you measure your writing growth as expected at the AP
level. Students will have a chance to rewrite certain assignments and resubmit then for
additional feedback. To earn back points, the student will also have to meet with the teacher to
discuss the revision process and new outcome.
Written reflection is a component of your portfolio and will be evaluated. Below is a table
outlining the AP writing standards as they are aligned with the 6+1 Traits of Good Writing. The
Portfolio Reflection is included.
Course Grading
Assignments in AP English and Composition fall into the following weighted categories:
15% Participation, Discussion (online, in class) & Group Work
20% Homework & Reader’s Response
30% Timed Writes, Presentations, & Novel Seminar
35% Quizzes, Tests & Essays
-Each semester is weighted 40%
-Each semester exam (includes mock exam) is weighted 20%
*The score on your AP English and Composition Exam does not impact your course grade
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Homework
Attendance and completed homework assignments are important for success in AP Literature &
Composition. Homework is designed to reinforce material covered in class or to prepare for the
next day’s work. Most college professors do not accept late work, so our late work policy is
rigid. Under extenuating circumstances you may arrange for an extension at the teacher’s
discretion. See ‘Classroom Policies’ for further clarification.
Discussion
Class participation is an important part of any course. You are expected to actively participate
in all class discussions, online discussions, seminars, and performances. Additionally, absences
and tardies will be reflected in the participation grade as well as other off-task behaviors
(talking, working on other class work, writing notes, playing with cell phones/iPods, not
participating etc.)
Quizzes & Unit Tests
Quizzes and tests will be given throughout the year to ensure you are doing close readings of
the texts. Quizzes will be announced and unannounced. Unit tests will contain multiple choice
questions and essays formatted like the AP exam. Unannounced quizzes cannot be made up if
you are absent.
Journal, On-demand Writes, & Timed Writes
See description listed under ‘Writing Expectations’. Grammar instruction and reflection are
considered as part of your score in these areas.
Presentations & Seminars
Presentations and seminars are conducted throughout the course; you will sign up for a variety
of presentations as well as a novel seminar. Once you are signed up, you may NOT remove or
change your selection. Please review the calendar of dates and consult your activities calendar
prior to signing up.
Presentations and seminars are an integral way of synthesizing your response to literature,
demonstrating your analysis of a work, and conveying your creative, insightful thoughts. This is
the ultimate level of performance in our class; therefore, it requires forethought, detailed
planning, taking initiative, and development. All presentations are to be well-prepared
according to teacher guidelines and scoring rubrics, include audio/visual sources, as well as
incorporate technology and creativity. The presentations and seminars will become an integral
component of your creative and informal writings. These writing responses can then further be
used for your argumentative essays.
Essay & Formal Essays
See ‘Writing Guidelines’ for further description.
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Exams
The fall semester exam is modeled closely after the AP English Literature and Composition
exam. It is comprised of multiple choice questions and one to two essay questions reflecting
the material covered. It will be taken in the gym on the designated exam date. The exam is 8090 minutes in length. The exam will be scored according to the AP scoring guide and will count
as 20% of your semester average.
The spring semester exam is a mock exam. This means it is a simulated AP English Literature
and Composition Exam. The exam will consist of multiple choice questions—limited to 60
minutes—and three free response questions pertaining to 1) prose 2) poetry 3) novel
selections. Performance on the essay section of the exam is limited to 120 minutes. The exam
will be scored according to the AP scoring guide and will count as 20% of your second semester
average. The AP Literature and Composition exam is Thursday, May 5th at 8:00 AM.
We will review a week to two weeks before the AP exam. We will use the mock exam, previous
test/quizzes, and your writing portfolio to prepare.
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Classroom Expectations & Policies
Classroom Expectations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be on time with all materials
Participate with the intention of learning
Follow all directions with academic honesty/integrity
Positively contribute to our class community
Be respectful
Rewards For Your Success!
Praise, Personal Recognition, Classroom Leadership Roles, Positive Notes Home, Certificates, Class or
School Nominated Awards…

Consequences:
1st time: Student redirected or cautioned by the teacher

2nd time: Student-teacher conference is held. Parent(s) may be contacted about the situation if needed.

3rd time: Student will receive a detention.

4th time: Parent will be contacted about the situation &/or a parent meeting will be held.

Severe clause: Further insubordination will result in an office referral and/or a parent-teacher-student
meeting with the Principal
Classroom Policies
A. Attendance
Absences & Tardy
1. Attendance will be taken daily by the teacher and office. Excused absences require proper
documentation and acceptance by the HS office.
2. Three or more unexcused absences and/or tardies will result in detention, homework
penalties, and possibly no credit for this course.
(Please refer to the pages of your 2010-2011 ACS Student Handbook regarding attendance)
B. Assignments
Late Work & Unexcused absences
1. Work is due at the beginning of class, otherwise it is considered late. Work is also considered late if
you have it but can’t find it, you have it on your flash drive, you had printer issues, “you swear you did it,
but”…etc.
2. Late work must be turned in by the beginning of the next consecutive calendar day for partial
credit. It will receive a 10% reduction for “same day late”, 25% reduction for one calendar day and 50%
for 2 or more days late. Turn all late work in directly to the teacher.
3. Unexcused absences will result in a 0% on any work due that day.
Excused Absences
1. Students who are officially excused by the office for absence may turn in the assignment or complete
the missed assignment the next time class is scheduled to meet. You are responsible for checking our
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class website for any missed work, handouts, notes etc. www.mrsgreer.net or on MOODLE. Please
turn in all absent work directly to the teacher. If you have questions regarding an assignment, please
email the teacher: tgreer@acsamman.edu.jo
2. EMAC ACTIVITIES: If you miss an assignment that was assigned while away on an EMAC event, you shall
have one week from the day you are supposed to return to school to make up the missed assignment(s).
Assignments given PRIOR to travel are due on previously assigned due dates or teacher arranged due
dates. (Please refer to page 2010-2011 ACS Student Handbook for make-up work)
C. Academic Honesty
All students are expected to follow the ACS Student Code of Ethics. All written work will
be submitted to turnitin.com for plagiarism prevention. Please refer to your 2010-2011
ACS Student Handbook for guidelines and/or consequences.
D. Acceptable Use Policy
All students are required to read and follow the school’s technology policy.
Use my email: tgreer@acsamman.edu.jo , our class website: www.mrsgreer.net , or
http://moodle.acsamman.edu.jo to keep on top of your work! Remember that this is a college
level course and the expectations for communication are now much more your responsibility!
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Course of Study
Unit 1-Short Fiction
Essential Questions
1. How does a writer of poetry and prose craft a work of literary merit? What makes their work noteworthy?
2. What is style and form? How does this differ from plot?
3. How are the various writers we read a “technician” of their form? Consider grammar/conventions as well.
4. How does point of view shape/influence the rest of the story elements? How does POV impact time, action,
and relationships?
5. Does the knowledge that a particular short fiction piece was written in the past or present or by a man,
woman, or particular racial/ethnic group influence your reaction to the story? To its validity as a
piece of art?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
“A & P” (John Updike)
How the short fiction pieces open—connect to the chapters “Launching”
and “Openers” in Trimble’s Writing
With Style
“The Yellow Wallpaper” (C. P. Gillman)
“Everyday Use” (By Alice Walker)
“Greasy Lake” (T. Coraghessan)
“Barn Burning” (William Faulkner)
“Harrison Bergeron” (Kurt Vonnegut)
“Where Are You Going, Where Have you Been?” (Joyce C. Oates)
Unit 2-Satire & Comedy
Essential Questions:
1. Why is satire difficult for students to identify?
2. Can satire accurately be categorized as realism?
3. ‘Whatever is, is right?’ (Pope) Is satire and/or comedy the ultimate truth?
4. Does the diction/syntax change if irony is constructed for humor or serious purposes?
5. Shakespeare and Wilde are masters of syntax in developing their characters. What implications does this
have on their works as a whole?
6. What are the social implications Shakespeare is making by crafting A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a Green
World Comedy? Is he commenting on society during his time? The institution of marriage?
Are Shakespeare and Wilde, although from different time periods and writing styles making the same
comments on marriage and society?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
The New Yorker-political cartoons and sources from www.cagle.com
Extending writing from an explication to an analysis
Quotes from: Dave Barry,
Scott Witt, Jon Stewart, Mark Twain
from Mambo Mouth: Pepe (John Leguizamo)
“Rodeo” (Jane Martin)
“A Modest Proposal” (Jonathan Swift)
-on line version
Excerpts from The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare)
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Unit 3-Classic & Modern Tragedy
Essential Questions:
1. Consider the endings of Oedipus the King, Hamlet, and Death of a Salesman. Are the characters
irredeemable?
2. Is the tragic mode archaic? Is it archetypal to the point that it is a paradox to have a ‘modern’ tragedy?
3. To what extent is the male figure foolish, heroic, or fated in these plays? Is it more tragic that the father
figure suffers or is the real tragedy what the women/mothers must endure?
3. To what extent does personal dignity drive us and blind us? Has this desire changed over time in society?
4. Do we have a strong desire for order because we fear the unknown, or do we desire order for a higher moral
purpose?
5. Are the sacrifices one endures/suffers truly a measure of man and how he lived?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
Oedipus the King (Sophocles)
Critical Analysis
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (William Shakespeare)
Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller)
Unit 4-Women in Literature
Essential Questions:
1. How does gender impact the political, religious, ethical, and social influences a character has on the plot of a
novel/play?
2. A woman in the family system is essential, yet is often the source of triangulation, scapegoating, and transgenerational
repetition. To what extent do Catherine and Nora’s characters change this perception of women and women in
literature?
3. Ghosts are both literal and figurative in Wuthering Heights and A Doll’s House. To what extent does the psychological,
economic, and social ‘ghosts’ for these characters add to the realism of the characters/novel?
4. In the time periods of Brontë and Ibsen, acceptable literary form followed established patterns. How do Brontë and Ibsen
break free of these conventions to create a novel for all times or a truly modern play (not well-made).
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)
Introduction to Compare & Contrast
Introduction to Wuthering Heights-by Pauline Nestor
Editor’s Preface to the New [1850] Edition of Wuthering Heights
A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen)
Unit 5-Classic Poetry
Essential Questions:
1. What is the poem’s central purpose? How does poetic form impact a poem’s purpose (author’s purpose)?
2. What does a poem gain by shifts in meaning? Syntax? Tone?
3. How does meter impact the overall tone of the poem?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
Epigrams-Ben Jonson
Sonnet Study-Sidney, Shakespeare, Spencer
Villanelle-Dylan Thomas
Sestina-E. Bishop
Ode-Keats
Explication & Analysis
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Unit 6-Classic & Modern Novels
Essential Questions:
1. What are the implications of the novel's title phrase, Heart of Darkness/The Poisonwood Bible, particularly in connection
with the main characters' lives and the novel's main themes? How important are the circumstances in which the phrase
comes into being?
2. What were the causes, effects, and moral implications of European colonialism in the late nineteenth century?
3. How does Conrad’s use of mystery, uncertainty, and ambiguity reinforce the themes of the story?
4. Is Conrad’s use of narrative distance and the multiple levels of narrative employed effective? What impact does it have on
the characters? and the audience?
5. How does Kingsolver use voice to distinguish her characters? What does each sister reveal about herself and the other
three, their relationships, their mother and father, and their lives in Africa?
6. What social themes does Conrad assert in Heart of Darkness? To what extent does point of view impact the author’s
message/themes?
7. Is Conrad’s use of imagery effective in reinforcing the themes of the book?
8. The sisters refer repeatedly to balance (and, by implication, imbalance). What kinds of balance--including historical, political,
and social—emerge as important?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
Heart of Darkness
By Joseph Conrad
Compare & Contrast Essay
Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
Imperialism and the Congo-pgs. 193, 194, 197, 205, 207 (Norton)
Unit 7-Metaphysical to Modern Poetry
Essential Questions:
1. What characterizes a literary period?
2. How are our selected poets conscious of the habits of their contemporary world—and of each other as writers (intertextuality)
3. How is poetry a multidimensional language?
4. What is the poem’s central purpose? How does poetic form impact a poem’s purpose (author’s purpose)?
5. What does a poem gain by shifts in meaning? Syntax? Tone?
Required Readings:
METAPHYSICAL
-John Donne
ROMANTICS
-Blake
-Wordsworth
-Coleridge
-Byron
-Shelley
-Keats
AMERICAN POETS
-Robert Frost*
-Walt Whitman
-TS Eliot
-Henry David Thoreau -Langston
Hughes
-Toni Morrison
-Gwendolyn Brooks
-Sylvia Plath
-Emily Dickinson*
(*Perrine’s 770,955)
Writing Focus
Compare & Contrast Essay
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Unit 8-Modern to Post Modern Novels
Essential Questions:
1. In what ways is The Great Gatsby and Slaughterhouse Five autobiographical novels? Does the character of Nick or the
character of Gatsby seem most like Fitzgerald? What other people or events mirror Fitzgerald’s life? And Billy Pilgrim and
Kurt Vonnegut?
2. One of Fitzgerald’s strengths comes from his imagistic style. Vonnegut uses “clumps of images” or scenes as its main
structure. How are these authors’ styles reflective of literature in/of their respective times? (modernism and post-modernism)
3. Compare and contrast the literary elements of The Great Gatsby and Slaughterhouse Five according to Freytag’s Pyramid.
To what extent do the authors either follow or violate this principle and the impact the plot structure has on the overall
meaning of their respective novel?
4. Fitzgerald and Vonnegut clearly draw parallels between geography, social values, and characters. How does this compare to
the short fiction pieces we read by Faulkner and O’Connor in Unit 1?
5. The technique of a first-person narrator presents certain problems of objectivity and reliability for the reader. To what
extent is Nick a reliable narrator, and is his evaluation of Gatsby ultimately just? To what extent is Billy Pilgrim reliable?
Does Vonnegut’s assertion into the narration create intimacy with the audience or does it intrude?
Required Readings:
Writing Focus
The Great Gatsby-F. Scott Fitzgerald
Slaughterhouse Five-Kurt Vonnegut
Explication, Critical Analysis, or Compare/Contrast Essay
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