SYLLABUS – ENGLISH 1
Course
Instructor
Textbook
AP Literature and Composition – Fall and Spring 2021-2022
Mr Marcus Slease
Telephone
Fax
Email
Webpage
(+34) 93 479 16 16, ext. 242
(+34) 93 479 16 22
mslease@es-school.com
www.edmodo.com
AP Literature and Composition Crash Course (Dawn Hogue)
Norton Introduction to Literature (Portable 13th Edition)
Poetry (online)
Course Description and Objectives
The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, analyzing, and
writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods.
Students engage in close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to
deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both
meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and
themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism. Writing
assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require
students to analyze and interpret literary works. 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, deconstruction, and reader-response theory.
Big Ideas Objectives
Big ideas serve as the foundation of the AP English Literature and Composition
course and enable students to create meaningful connections among course
concepts. They are threads that run throughout the course and revisiting them and
applying them in a variety of contexts helps students to develop deeper conceptual
understanding. Below are the big ideas of the course, along with the enduring
understanding associated with each one:
Character: Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of
values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those
characters.
Setting: Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place,
but also convey values associated with that setting.
Structure: The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the
parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all
structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a
text.
Narration: A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases
that affect how readers experience and interpret a text.
Figurative Language: Comparisons, representations, and associations shift
meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text.
Literary Argumentation: Readers establish and communicate their interpretations
of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence.
Selection of Texts
Issues that might, from a specific cultural viewpoint, be considered controversial,
including depictions of nationalities, religions, ethnicities, dialects, gender, or class, are
often represented artistically in works of literature. AP students are not expected or
asked to subscribe to any one specific set of cultural or political values, but are
expected to have the maturity to analyze perspectives different from their own and to
question the meaning, purpose, or effect of such content within the literary work as a
whole.
Basic 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: While there will be some
teacher-led discussions, and necessary lectures from time to time, the overwhelming
goal for this course is for students to drive prepared discussions, group activities, and
writing each day. Please note that in-class group work cannot be recovered if it is
missed. Because of the forum-like atmosphere of the AP English Literature classroom,
student interaction is required.
▪
Class Participation: Student participation is required. Students are expected to
bring individual thoughts, considerations, and opinions to a discussion. While there are
no wrong answers or thoughts, student preparation allows for in-scope contributions
versus misguided and haphazard responses to essential questions. Diversity of thought
▪
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
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. Please be mindful that content and form matter
with the production of your academic papers.
▪
Homework/Late Work: Present all work in class, in person, and on time. The
homework is designed to prepare students for class discussions, tests, and essays.
Assignments must be turned in typed and on time, fully completed. However, there will
be several opportunities to revise selected essays in order to benefit from the writing
process and earn a more desirable grade on a particular piece of writing. It is
especially important to keep up with the reading; many students have a
challenging schedule, and need to plan their time very carefully. Make-up tests and/or
late assignments will be accepted after the due date only for an excused absence for
the entire day. Please inform me in advance if you have a planned absence so we can
make arrangements.
▪
Grades:Your grades are based on the quality of your work. Hard work is necessary,
but I only grade the results of it. Grades will be based on the percentage of the total
points earned during each semester.
▪
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.
▪
Tournaments: 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 office hours or at an arranged time immediately upon the
student’s return to class. If the student does not report to make up the exam within the
agreed time frame, no credit (0%, zero) will be given for that exam. Tests may not be
made up during class or another class period. It is in the student’s best interest to be
present on all exam days.
▪
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, students should be able to:
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critically read and analyze American, Latin American, and British literatures in
several genres from the 16th century to contemporary times.
▪ 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.
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
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write, revise, and edit formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class
responses.
▪ write, revise, and edit formal, extended analyses outside of class.
▪ write to understand through informal, exploratory writing activities that
enable
students to reflect upon their reading and their thinking, within the process of
writing.
▪ write to explain through expository or analytical essays in which students
draw
upon textual details to develop an extended explanation/interpretation of the
meanings of a literary text.
▪ write to evaluate through analytical or argumentative essays in which
students
draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s
artistry
and quality and its social and cultural values.
▪ draft, revise, and edit essays reflecting a wide-ranging vocabulary used
appropriately and effectively.
▪ draft, revise, and edit essays employing a variety of sentence structures,
including appropriate use of subordination and coordination.
▪ draft, revise, and edit essays using a logical organization scheme, enhanced by
specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and
emphasis.
▪ draft, revise, and edit essays which balance between generalization and
specific, illustrative detail.
▪ 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.
Grading
There are several ways in which each student can achieve successful results in this
course. For many assignments, such as class debates and research papers, grade
analysis rubrics will be provided to guide you through the requirements of each
assignment and to advise you what is required in order to earn the best results.
The Grading Scale below is a school-wide scale used to evaluate work for its accuracy,
completeness, and quality. Grades will be awarded using the following scale:
GRADE
PERCENTAGE
QUALITY POINTS
COMMENT
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
60-69
4.00
3.75
3.25
3.0
2.75
2.25
2.00
1.75
1.00
Excellent
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Satisfactory
Ineligible for NCAA DI (<2.3)
Ineligible for NCAA DI & DII (<2.2)
Below Average/Pass
Minimum Pass
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
F
0-59
0
Fail
The following criteria will be used to calculate your final course grade: (Grade
distribution is within the purview of the instructor, except for attendance which is a
school policy).
Assessments
Assignments
Participation
Attendance
40%
40%
10%
10%
Scheduled Examinations
There will be a final exam examination at the end of the semester. The scheduled
examinations will be worth a cumulative twenty (20) percent of your total course
grade. Please plan and devote sufficient study time and effort to this significant
segment of your course grade. Make-up examinations may only be taken when there
is an excused absence. There will be no re-testing in this course whatsoever.
Writing Assignments
Students will develop skills for literary analysis taking into account the greater social
and political forces of history and culture in literature, using appropriate literary
terminology and a formal writing style. There will also be various times within a
semester when students will write persuasive and/or academic essays on given
topics. Students should hand-in all work on-time with a typed paper copy. Late
papers will be marked down 10% per day. All writing assignments are carefully
evaluated and feedback provided. The feedback is meant to assist students in their
mastery of the material and should be diligently assimilated into the students’ future
work
Presentations:
In order to further a deeper understanding of the text within the context of a literary
tradition or conventions, students will deliver a well-researched, well-prepared and
rehearsed presentation on a contemporary writer with a connection to one of the
writers from the course reading packet. Oral presentations should be informal yet
enlightening.
Class Participation, Attendance and Reading Journals
Students should be aware of the high level of energy and commitment necessary to
be successful at the high-school level. The instructor is committed to provide a course
of the highest quality and commits his time, energy, and talents to the process.
All students are encouraged to participate in classroom discussions in a respectful
manner as participation is an integral part of the course grade. Assigned readings
must be completed prior to class in order to participate constructively in class
discussions, master an understanding of the course material, and achieve excellent
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
results. We will be working on respectfully giving and developing ideas and opinions
about literature in oral form.
Reading Journals must be completed as scheduled and presented in a clear, concise,
and orderly manner. You will write responses to the readings both for homework and
sometimes during class time. Quality reading journals are the students’ best
preparation for class participation, writing assignments, and exams. Students will be
advised of the format and standards required, including a grading rubric and student
examples, of all submitted work, as well as the standards of behavior and respect
required in classroom discussion and debates.
Consistent and prompt attendance is an essential course component to earn an
excellent grade, and prompt class attendance will be strictly enforced. Students will be
penalized one (10) percent for each unexcused absence per class and a half (5) percent
for each tardy per class out of the Attendance portion of their course grade (based on a
total of one hundred (100) percent. Those students with five (5) or more unexcused
absences during the semester will not receive credit for the course.
Students are the sole party responsible to recuperate any work missed due to an
excused absence. Students who are absent without an excuse on the day of an exam
will not be permitted to recuperate the exam. Students who are absent because of
illness on an exam day, must have a parent (if living locally) or a medical professional
notify the school prior to, or on, the day in question. The instructor will not pursue any
student for work missed. Work not recuperated within the prescribed timeline will not
be permitted for submission. Therefore, you will not receive credit for the work. Ten
percent will be deducted for each day an assignment is late. Any assignment more
than five days overdue will not be accepted. When away on tournament, it is the
student’s responsibility to submit work and communicate with the teacher via Edmodo
on a regular basis.
Students must come to class on time and with the appropriate materials (for
example: you are expected to have a textbook, laptop, and homework for each day in
class). This course will require a significant amount of reading; therefore, students
should follow the attached reading assignments carefully.
Microsoft Teams
A Microsoft Team will be created for this class. On the Team page important dates will
be highlighted such as: assignments and homework due dates and upcoming tests and
exams. Students are expected to check for updates on a daily basis. When away on
tournament, it is the student’s responsibility to submit work and communicate with
the teacher via Teams on a regular basis.
Electronic Device Usage
Students are not permitted to use or have on their possession at any time in the
classroom any non-approved electronic devices during the class period. The use or
possession of non-approved electronic devices (iPods, MP3 players, cellular
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
telephones or electronic translators) in the classroom is strictly forbidden. Use of any
of these devices during an examination will result in the student’s automatic failure of
the examination. Additionally, any student who refuses to surrender to any faculty or
staff member prohibited electronic devices will automatically face a Disciplinary
Committee Hearing. No Exceptions!
Academic Integrity
As you know the school learning community has a zero tolerance for cheating,
copying, passing on information about quizzes and exams, and plagiarism. To
maintain a fair and ethical learning environment, you are expected to uphold the zero
tolerance policy and work with academic integrity. Plagiarism is defined as using
another person's writings or ideas as one's own without the appropriate
acknowledgement such as quotation marks or a properly formatted
citation/footnote/endnote. Please be sure to properly format and cite your sources
when writing the research paper.
Ask a teacher, not a friend, when in doubt about whether something is plagiarism or
not. A teacher can help you to adapt something into your own words.
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021
Academic Guidance and Office Hours
This instructor maintains an "Open Door Policy" and encourages ALL students to seek
help or guidance concerning his/her work in this course when he/she feels necessary.
If you have any questions or feel that you need clarification in any particular area,
please feel free to see me. This open exchange of information will permit the
instructor to give you a continuous evaluation of your progress as the course
develops. All students must accept and understand his/her responsibility in the
learning process, and it will be each student’s responsibility to seek assistance as
needed.
AP Literature and Composition Mr. Marcus Slease | Fall 2021