Course Syllabus
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Crescenta Valley High School
Mrs. Jennifer Waters
Overview and course objectives
AP English Language and Composition is an enriched, college-level course that
introduces students to the elements of argument, rhetoric and style. Much of the current
course content is taken from the canon of American Literature in fulfillment of the
California state standards in eleventh grade English/Language Arts and the University of
California A through G requirements.
This course will help the student to:
 skillfully read prose written in a variety of disciplines and rhetorical contexts
 write for a variety of purposes, aware of the interactions among a writer's
purposes, audience expectations, and subjects.
 analyze and evaluate rhetoric constructively and independently, relying on
primary and secondary sources.
 apply learned research skills to independent study.
 develop the art and craft of revision through multiple drafts.
 pursue precision of thought through precision of language.
 gain a greater awareness and appreciation of the process of constructing an
argument.
 become more aware of the essential role played by a variety of types of texts, both
literary and visual, in creating our understanding of the world.
Texts:
 Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's
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Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Additionally, several short nonfiction readings from a variety of sources
In accordance with the College Board expectations, the course includes lessons, activities
and projects which meet the AP Language and Composition Curricular Requirements,
listed on the following page:
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Curricular Requirements
C-1•
The teacher has read the most recent AP English Course Description, available as a free download
on the AP English Language and Composition Course Home Page.
AP English Language and Composition Course Home Page
C-2•
The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture,
personal experiences).
C-3•
The course requires students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with
revision aided by teacher and peers.
C-4•
The course requires students to write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal
keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware
of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read.
C-5•
The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based
on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
C-6•
The course requires nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing,
nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students
opportunities to identify and explain an author's use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. If fiction and
poetry are also assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects
are achieved by writers' linguistic and rhetorical choices. (Note: The College Board does not mandate
any particular authors or reading list, but representative authors are cited in the AP English
Course Description.)
C-7•
The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts
and serve as alternative forms of text themselves.
C-8•
The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary
and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes
beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their
own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
C-9•
The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern
Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style, etc.).
C-10• The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students' writing assignments, both before
and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
◦ A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
◦ A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
◦ Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
◦ A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
◦ An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/51049.html
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Organization of this syllabus: The major rhetorical skills, literature and writing
assignments for each section of the course, cross-referenced to the curricular
requirements are enumerated below. First, components of the course that span the entire
year are listed here:
 Rhetorical terms
 Vocabulary, both in context and by feature, such as Latin roots and synonym
families
 Preparation for the AP Language exam
 Grammar, as related to an understanding of writing instruction
 Close reading and annotating text
 Review of documentation and citation skills in research
Rubric : The rubric used for all writing assignments is a modified version of the AP
rubric below (Thanks to Carol Jago)
A 9-Point Rubric for writing about literature
An 8-9 essay responds to the prompt clearly, directly, and fully. This paper
approaches the text analytically, supports a coherent thesis with evidence from the text,
and explains how the evidence illustrates and reinforces its thesis. The essay employs
subtlety in its use of the text and the writer’s style is fluent and flexible. It is also free of
mechanical and grammatical errors.
A 6-7 essay responds to the assignment clearly and directly but with less
development than an 8-9 paper. It demonstrates a good understanding of the text and
supports its thesis with appropriate textual evidence. While its approach is analytical, the
analysis is less precise than in the 8-9 essay, and its use of the text is competent but not
subtle. The writing in this paper is forceful and clear with few if any grammatical and
mechanical errors.
A 5 essay addresses the assigned topic intelligently but does not answer it fully
and specifically. It is characterized by a good but general grasp of the text using the text
to frame an apt response to the prompt. It may employ textual evidence sparingly or offer
evidence without attaching it to the thesis. The essay is clear and organized but may be
somewhat mechanical. The paper may also be marred by grammatical and mechanical
errors.
A 3-4 essay fails in some important way to fulfill the demands of the prompt. It
may not address part of the assignment, fail to provide minimal textual support for its
thesis, or base its analysis on a misreading of some part of the text. This essay may
present one or more incisive insights among others of less value. The writing may be
similarly uneven in development with lapses in organization, clarity, grammar, and
mechanics.
A 1-2 essay commonly combines two or more serious failures. It may not address
the actual assignment; it may indicate a serious misreading of the text; it may not offer
textual evidence or may use it in a way that suggests a failure to understand the text; it
may be unclear, badly written, or unacceptably brief. The style of this paper is usually
marked by egregious errors. Occasionally a paper in this range is smoothly written but
devoid of content.
Grade conversion:
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9 = A+, 8 = A , 7 = A-, 6 = B +, 5 = B, 4 = B-, 3 = C, 2 = D, 1 = F
Quarter I – (September- Mid-November)
Rhetoric and Style Component (C6, C2, C5, C4, C8, C9)
 An Introduction to Rhetoric from A World of Ideas and selected essays, including:
 Machiavelli, "The Qualities of The Prince"
 Jefferson, "The Declaration of Independence"
 King, "Letter From Birmingham Jail"
 Bacon, "The Four Idols"
 Gould, "Nonmoral Nature"
 Plato, "The Allegory of the Cave"
 Rhetorical appeals and devices
 Begin research project on a controversial issue, continuing throughout the year:
gather and analyze information from a wide range of sources, reporting weekly.
Review and practice MLA citation format.
Thematic Component – American literature (C6, C4, C5, C7, C2)
Puritan Roots and Later Reflections
 Assorted Puritan readings
 Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
 Miller, The Crucible
 Accompanying nonfiction articles and visual texts on social ostracism, excerpt
from Ehrenreich, "Witches, Midwives and Nurses, " and historical analyses of
McCarthy era events and politics to explore the concept of the "witch hunt" and
its implications
Writing Component (C2, C3, C4, C5, C10)
 Short responses to readings and class discussion topics
 Longer in-class essays, both in response to sample AP prompts, SAT prompts and
on student-generated theses related to the literature
 Journals as part of reading assignments
 Summaries of articles researched for controversial issue
 Rhetorical précis of readings
 Multiple draft, take-home essay on an injustice, based on "Letter From
Birmingham Jail"
 Multiple draft, synthesis essay combining two or more of our class readings to
explore issues raised
Quarter II (mid-November – January)
Rhetoric and Style Component (C6, C2, C5, C4, C8, C9)
 Understanding tone: connotation and denotation
 Grammatical structures in service of author's purpose
 Logical fallacies
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Symbolic language
Rhetorical forms: description, narration, analogy
Use of imagery
Continue controversial issue project – Presentation #1: a persuasive infomercial
addressed to a hostile audience advocating one side of the issue and utilizing
strategies we have studied. Includes MLA citations.
Thematic Component – American literature (C6, C4, C5, C7, C2)
The search for self and freedom; Tragedy
 Melville, Moby Dick
 Aristotle, "Tragedy" from The Poetics
 Readings by Lao Tzu, Buddha from A World of Ideas
 Melville's letters to Hawthorne
 Selected essays by Annie Dillard
 Wharton, Ethan Frome
 Chopin, The Awakening
 Shelley, "A Vindication of the Rights of Women"
 Margaret Mead, "Women, Sex and Sin"
 Horney, "The Distrust of the Sexes"
Writing Component (C2, C3, C4, C5, C10)
 Short responses to readings and class discussion topics
 Longer in-class essays, both in response to sample AP prompts and on studentgenerated theses related to the literature
 Journals as part of reading assignments
 Rhetorical précis of readings
 Style analysis of passages from Moby Dick, Ethan Frome, and The Awakening,
 Multiple draft essay in imitation of Melville's style, describing an object in detail,
developing into a metaphor which expresses a reflection on an ethical or
philosophical concept
 Theme/Motif project on The Awakening and Ethan Frome: students research,
utilize and create images reflecting motifs in the two works and write in a variety
of styles to reflect their understanding of themes in the novels. Includes MLA
citations.
Quarter III – (February – mid-April)
Rhetoric and Style Component (C6, C2, C5, C4, C8, C9)
 Satire
 Visual rhetoric; propaganda
 Effect of point of view (narrator) on argument: persona, naïve and unreliable
narrator
 Use of vernacular
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Continue controversial issue project – Presentation #2: a persuasive infomercial
addressed to a hostile audience advocating the other side. Must include visual
rhetoric. Includes MLA citations.
Thematic Component – American literature (C6, C4, C5, C7, C2)
Controversy and social change in America; satire
 Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
 Jane Smiley, "Say It Ain't So, Huck"
 Various researched readings on America in the Antebellum and Reconstruction
periods
 Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
 Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
 Veblen "Pecuniary Emulation"
 Fromm, "Love Essay"
 Various researched readings on the 1920s
Writing Component (C2, C3, C4, C5, C10)
 Short responses to readings and class discussion topics
 Longer in-class essays, both in response to sample AP prompts
 Journals as part of reading assignments
 Rhetorical précis of readings
 Journalistic articles on historical background of novels in various styles: news,
feature and editorial
 Synthesis essay on the controversy surrounding the teaching of Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
 Comparison/contrast synthesis essay on The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also
Rises, considering the historical context of both novels and including one
additional text (ie, Veblen or Fromm)
Quarter IV – (mid-April -- June)
Rhetoric and Style Component (C6, C2, C5, C4, C8, C9)
 Review for AP Language exam
 Creation of a synthesis essay sample question based on the controversial issue
project
 Style exercises in imitation
Thematic Component – American literature (C6, C4, C5, C7, C2)
The Human Journey
 Faulkner, As I Lay Dying
 Faulkner, Nobel prize acceptance speech
 Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God
 Literature Circles using other works of American Literature including Catcher in
The Rye, Beloved, Death of A Salesman, Walden, The Glass Menagerie and The
Grapes of Wrath
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Writing Component (C2, C3, C4, C5, C10)
 Stream of Consciousness narrative
 Personal reflection essay in the style of "This I Believe"
 Synthesis essay using two or more works we have studied this year (Lit Circle
book and one other) and reflecting on the meaning of America
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