AP English Literature and Composition and University of Washington in the High School
(UWHS) – English 111 -- Course Syllabus - 2015-2016
Stadium High School – Mr. Chandler (Room 317) /253-571- 3062/schandl@tacoma.k12.wa.us
Welcome to the blended AP/UW course! This year, you will have the opportunity to earn actual
college level credit and/or an Advanced Placement score. Below is a brief description of both courses.
The first section addresses AP and the second section addresses the UWHS.
Section One: AP Course Description
The Advanced Placement English course in Literature and Composition engages students in the
careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected
texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide meaning for
their readers. As they read, students will consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as
smaller scale elements such as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. The
course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating
on works of recognized literary merit.
Course Objectives:
 Students will read a variety of classical and contemporary literature with care and deliberation,
taking time to understand a work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to
understand how that meaning is embodied in literary form.
 Students will develop their ability to discuss important ideas based on their reading of
challenging literature.
 Students will generate writing that meets the demands of the Advanced Placement Exam and
reflects an ordered argument with clarity and precision.
 Students will prepare for the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and
Composition.
Section Two: UWHS English 111 Composition: Literature Course Description
In this course, we will consider the many choices writers make in various contexts, particularly in
response to the variables of genre and audience. We will develop the skills necessary to write
successfully at the college level through continual engagement with the writing process. This process
requires careful reading, complex argumentation based on solid evidence, and thoughtful revision
and proofreading of your work. We will read literature and focus our writing on analysis and
interpretation of texts. In doing so, we will critically assess and become experts in the ways of
knowing that define college discourse.
You will produce six (6) short writing assignments of 2-3 pages and two (2) major papers of 5-7 pages;
you will also engage in a drafting process that will culminate in a final portfolio. I expect you to
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prepare for and participate in class sessions and conferences, complete all assignments, and reflect
upon how your writing exemplifies course outcomes. These outcomes include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
To demonstrate an awareness of the strategies that writers use in different writing contexts.
To read, analyze, and synthesize complex text and incorporate multiple kinds of evidence
purposefully in order to generate and support writing.
To produce complex, analytic, persuasive arguments that matter in academic contexts.
To develop flexible strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading writing.
These four outcomes will guide our discussions and focus our writing practice. Achieving proficiency
in these outcomes will give you a strong foundation for writing across disciplines in your academic
work at the university level.
Required Texts
Contexts for Inquiry; The Bedford Introduction to Literature; various novels, and various selected
essays.
Summary of Major Essay Assignments for the UWHS – English 111
Sequence 1
Short Assignment #1 – “Who is Hamlet?” Defend a claim on the characterization of Prince Hamlet.
Short Assignment #2 – Précis - Review two seminal essays on Hamlet. “Death in Hamlet by C.S.
Lewis, and “Hamlet (1920)” by T.S. Eliot
Short Assignment #3 – Summary of Maynard Mack’s essay, “The World of Hamlet.”
Major Paper #1 - draft and revision - An intertextual argumentative essay on the world of Hamlet.
Sequence 2
Short Assignment – A Proposal of Marriage - Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Short Assignment – Blurbs and Analysis – Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried
Short Assignment – Research Question and Bibliography
Major Paper #2 draft and revision – Interpretive Researched Argument
Sequence 3
Portfolio development - Your portfolio will be due during the first half of the second semester.
UWHS Assessment
In this course, you will complete two major assignment sequences, each of which is designed to help
you fulfill the course outcomes. Each assignment sequence requires you to complete a variety of
shorter assignments leading up to a major paper. These shorter assignments will each target one or
more of the course outcomes at a time, help you practice these outcomes, and allow you to build
toward a major paper at the end of each sequence. You will have a chance to revise significantly each
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of the major papers using feedback generated by your instructor, peer review sessions, and writing
conferences. Toward the end of the course, having completed the two sequences, you will be asked to
compile and submit a portfolio of your work along with a critical reflection. The portfolio will include
the following: one of the two major papers, three to five of the shorter assignments, and a critical
reflection that explains how the selected portfolio demonstrates the four outcomes for the course. In
addition to the materials you select as the basis for your portfolio grade, your portfolio must include all
of the sequence-related writing you were assigned in the course (both major papers and all the shorter
assignments from both sequences). A portfolio that does not include all of the above will be considered
"Incomplete" and will earn a grade of 0.0-0.9. The grade for complete portfolios will be based on the
extent to which the pieces you select demonstrate the course outcomes. The portfolio will be worth
70% of your final grade. See the evaluation rubric below. Class participation makes up the other 30%
of your grade.
Evaluation Rubric
Outstanding: Offers a very highly proficient, even memorable demonstration of the trait(s) associated
with the course outcome(s), including some appropriate risk-taking and/or creativity.
Strong: Offers a proficient demonstration of the trait(s) associated with the course outcome(s), which
could be further enhanced with revision.
Good: Effectively demonstrates the trait(s) associate with the course outcome(s), but less proficiently;
could use revision to demonstrate more skillful and nuanced command of trait(s).
Acceptable: Minimally meets the basic outcome(s) requirement, but the demonstrated trait(s) are not
fully realized or well-controlled and would benefit from significant revision.
Inadequate: Does not meet the outcome(s) requirement; the trait(s) are not adequately demonstrated
and require substantial revision on multiple levels.
UWHS Policies: Complaints/Accommodations
If you have any concerns about the course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these
concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with
the response that you receive, you may contact the following Expository Writing Program staff in
Padelford A-11: Director Candice Rai, (206) 543-2190 or crai@uw.edu or Assistant Directors AJ
Burgin, aburgin@uw.edu; Yasmine Romero, yromer@uw.edu; Ann Shivers-McNair,
asmcnair@uw.edu. If, after speaking with the Director or Assistant Directors of the EWP, you are still
not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact English Department Chair Juan Guerra,
(206) 543-2690.
If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability
Resources for Students Office (DRS) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large
print, as are other class materials. More information about accommodation may be found at
http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/.
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Section Three: Focused Units of Study
Writing the College Admission Essay – Semester I
Analyzing Fiction – Semester I
- Short story unit with selected writings from the following authors:
William Faulkner, Herman Melville, Fay Weldon, Anton Chekhov, Alice Munro, and
John Updike
The Nature of Tragedy – Semester I
- Selections from Poetics (Aristotle)
- Oedipus the King (Sophocles)
- Antigone (Sophocles)
- Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Shakespeare)
Style Analysis – Semester II
This is a very specific and intensive focus on the elements of style. Students will examine and
explicate specific selections and passages (both prose and poetry). Special attention will be paid to
dramatic devices, elements of style and fiction, figures of speech, poetic devices, and syntax.
Close Reading and Analysis of the Novel
- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) – Semester I
- Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) – Semester II
- The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien) – Semester II
- Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) – Semester II
Poetry – Semesters I and II
- Text: The Bedford Introduction to Literature
- Selected poetry from a variety of writers:
Robert Herrick, Andrew Marvell, William Wordsworth, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Percy
Bysshe Shelley, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, Langston
Hughes, Julia Alvarez, and others.
Vocabulary Enrichment – Semesters I and II
Required Texts and Materials:
 Contexts for Inquiry: A Guide to Research and Writing at the University of Washington
 The Bedford Introduction to Literature
 All assigned novels
 Three-ring binder and loose leaf paper
 Spiral notebook
 Pens/Pencils
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Throughout the course we will focus on careful, close reading of the assigned literature as well as
clear, concise writing. Our class discussions will center on the meaning, style, structure and other
essential elements of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Your course grade will depend on your
preparation for and participation in class discussions as well as your writings, both in and out of class.
For this reason you will want to use an organizational system, such as a three-ring binder, in which you
can keep all of your materials. In addition, you will need a spiral notebook for your daily notes. These
will be important as a basis for class discussion as well as support for your writing assignments and
exam preparation.
To help you keep track of reading and writing assignments, daily/weekly assignments are posted on
my Swift website. My email address is schandl@tacoma.k12.wa.us . As always, I am available for
help before or after school. My direct line is (253) 571-3062.
Stadium Grading Scale:
Your grade will be based on the total points you have earned. The grading scale is as follows:
A
=
100-93
C+
=
79-77
A=
92-90
C
=
76-73
B+
=
89-87
C=
72-70
B
=
86-83
D+
=
69-68
B=
82-80
D
=
67-63
E
=
62-0
Formative Assignments:
These will comprise 30% of your grade. They include daily readings and assignments, notebook
checks, quizzes, etc.
Summative Assignments:
These will comprise 70% of your grade. They include major essays (such as final drafts), timed
writings, and tests.
Grades and assignments are posted on-line.
Attendance/Absences/Tardies
Regular attendance directly impacts learning. For this reason, you are expected to be in class every
day. All absences are unexcused until you bring a re-entry slip from the attendance office. Tardies
impact your learning and are disruptive to the class. You need to be seated in class before the tardy
bell. According to the SHS tardy policy, you will be assigned classroom detention for the first three
tardies. Additional tardies will result in an office referral.
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Make-up Work:
When returning from an excused absence, work which was assigned before the absence is due on the
day of the return. Assignments missed during an absence must be made up within three days of the
return. It is your responsibility to check on work you may have missed. Check my Swift website or
ask me.
Assignments/Late Work Policy:
All assignments are due on the specified date. Unless you have spoken with me ahead of time, late
work is due by the next class meeting and you will lose participation points. If you have trouble with
your computer or printer, turn in a hand-written final draft (not the rough draft) on the due date. Turn
in the typed copy of the paper on the following day for full credit.
All essays must be typed. The expectation is that your paper is ready to turn in at the beginning of
class on the day it is due. Do not expect to print out your paper at the beginning of class. Anticipate
computer/printer problems by completing your work the day BEFORE it is due. PLAN AHEAD!
Student Progress:
I will post grades on-line. Parents are welcome to call or email and are encouraged to check the
website for assignments, handouts, etc. Please let me know if you are having difficulty and would like
extra help. You are always welcome to come in before or after school – just let me know. Use your
time in English class to work on English assignments.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is not acceptable in any form. This includes work that has been taken directly from ANY
other source, including a friend’s paper, or work that you have given to a friend. Work that has been
plagiarized will receive no credit. This includes daily work as well as tests. A ZERO score will be
recorded in the grade book, and parents will be notified.
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Acknowledgement of Class Expectations:
AP English Literature and Composition and UWHS – English 111
Please sign and return this page to me tomorrow. This is the first assignment of the fall
semester.
My student and I have read the syllabus for AP Literature and Composition/UWHS- English 111 at
Stadium High School. We understand and agree to support the expectations for this class.
Date: _________________
Student Name: ______________________________________ Signature: _______________________
Parent/Guardian Name: __________________________________ Signature: ____________________
I can be reached by email at ___________________________________________________________
I can be reached during the day at ______________________________________________________
I can be reached in the evening at ______________________________________________________
Stadium High School English Department Book Use Policy
In order to maintain the school’s textbooks in the best possible condition, the following policies will
apply:
1. All literature anthologies and novels provided for student use must have protective covers.
2. Any marking with pencil, pen, or other marker will cause fines from $5.00 to $35.00 to be
levied. Books affected by water damage will also cause a fine equal to the full cost of the
book to be levied.
3. All books must be returned and /or fines paid before report cards will be issued.
Please sign below indicating that you have been informed of the textbook policy.
Student: __________________________________Parent/Guardian: ___________________________
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