AP English Language and Composition
Syllabus
Beaumont High School
Instructor: Charity Shuman
Email: cshuman@beaumontusd.k12.ca.us
Phone: 951-845-3171
Course Overview:
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to give students multiple
opportunities to work with the rhetorical situation, examining the authors’ purposes as well as the
audiences and the subjects in texts. Students write in a variety of modes for a variety of
audiences, developing a sense of personal style and an ability to analyze and articulate how the
resources of language operate in any given text. Because our students are constantly confronted
with visual images, we also study the rhetoric of visual media such as photographs, films,
advertisements, comic strips and music videos. In accordance with the College Board’s AP
English Course Description, our course teaches “students to read primary and secondary sources
carefully, to synthesize material from these texts in their own compositions, and to cite sources
using conventions recommended by professional organization such as the Modern Language
Association (MLA).” CR 1
Course Objectives: In addition to being prepared for the National AP English Language and
Composition examination in May, students should be able to
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read extensively and master a wide
range of works of non-fiction and
fiction, with an emphasis on works by
American writers. CR 6
understand and employ the classical
appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos in
any communication, recognizing the
rhetorical modes, structure, and
strategies used by writers.
become better informed citizens,
capable of framing and effectively
writing cogent arguments that analyze,
synthesize, and evaluate various
viewpoints on a wide variety of
contemporary social, economic, and
political issues.
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develop a stronger and more confident
voice in their writing that reflects an
excellent command of diction and
syntax. CR 4, 10
write insightfully, intelligently, and
critically in a variety of genres, with an
emphasis on expository, analytical and
argumentative writing. CR 5
improve meta-cognitive thinking skills
so as to respond to reading through
thoughtful inquiry, articulate
discussion, better test performance,
and incisive writing.
develop an enriched vocabulary, which
is reflected in both oral and written
communication.
Please note that the information which follows is an approximate plan for the year. Readings,
writing assignments, activities, and assessments are subject to change!
First Nine Weeks: "The American Dream -- A Multitude of Perspectives"
Focus:
 Summer Reading Assessment
 The Canons of Rhetoric, Rhetorical Modes and Strategies (Bedford Reader and Elements
of Argument) CR 6
 Writing précis CR 2
 Introduction of Rhetorical Analysis CR 10
 Introduction of MLA format CR 9
 Research skills in evaluating and citing primary and secondary sources
 Grammar Review (Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar) CR 10
 Vocabulary (Lessons 1-5); vocabulary from readings; vocabulary needed for rhetorical
analysis CR10
 Genres in non-fiction: letters, biography and autobiography, essays, speeches CR 6
 Genres in fiction: novel, play
Reading:
 Major Works
 Henry David Thoreau, Walden (non-fiction)
 Arthur Miller, The Crucible (play)
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Selections (may include, but not be limited to) CR 6:
 Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream”
 Sherman Alexie, “ Indian Education”
 Brent Staples, "Black Men and Public Space"
 Jamaica Kincaid, "Girl"
 Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address”
 Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”
 Judy Brady, "I Want a Wife"
 Emily Prager, "Our Barbies, Ourselves
 Arthur Miller, The Crucible
 contemporary op-ed. pieces (think Time, The Nation, The National Review,
Newsweek, The New Yorker)
Writing:
 Précis on summer readings CR 4
 Analysis questions, journal entries, in-class group responses on assigned readings CR 2,
CR 4
 In-class timed writing using a 2007 AP exam test question
 1 short essay (2-3 pages) approximately every two weeks for a total of three essays,
focusing on the modes of narration, description, and example. CR 2, 5, 8, 10
These essays will incorporate a minimum of two outside sources, cited in MLA format,
and proceed through the writing stages of draft, teacher editing, revision and publication.
CR 8, 9
 1 narrative, personal experience essay (4-5 pages), possibly in imitation of selected
author’s style, which will proceed through the writing stages of draft, peer editing,
teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 3, 10
Activities:
 Analysis of the following visual images CR 7: “ How Joe’s Body Brought Him Fame
Instead of Shame”, advertisement for Charles Atlas; “Doug and Mizan’s House, East
River, 1993”, photograph; “Cellular Phones of the Future”, cartoon by Barry Blitt
 Vocabulary and grammar assessments CR 10
 Tests on assigned reading (e.g., summer reading, essays)
 Practice multiple choice SAT and AP type exams
Second Nine Weeks: "Private Rights and Public Welfare"
Focus:
 Research paper (documented essay) in MLA style, on an American writer (Prentice Hall Writing
and Grammar, Chapters 12-13), including selection of appropriate primary and secondary sources
and proper citation CR 8, 9, 10
 Rhetorical Analysis (Emphasis: classical argument, argument models, appeals to logos, ethos, and
pathos) CR 4, 7
 Analysis of argument in advertising (print and television) CR 7
 Analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating various perspectives; comparing and evaluating
arguments CR 5
 Sentence structure analysis and improvement exercises (Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar,
Chapters 18-20) CR 4, 10
 Vocabulary (Lessons 6-10); vocabulary from readings; vocabulary needed for rhetorical analysis
CR 10
 Genres in non-fiction: letter and essays CR 6
 Genres in fiction: play, short stories, and novel
Reading:
 Major Works
 Kate Chopin, The Awakening (novel)
 Sampling of work by writer selected for research topic CR 6, 8
 Selections (may include, but not be limited to) CR 6 :
 Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery”
 Excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson's “Self-Reliance” [¶11-20]
 Herman Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener
 Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience"
 Martin Luther King, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
 William F. Buckley, Jr. "Why Don't We Complain?"
 Bruce Catton, "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts"
 Dave Barry, " Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out"
 Linnea Saukko, "How to Poison the Earth"
 Stephanie Ericsson, "The Ways We Lie"
 David Sedaris, “Remembering My childhood on the Continent of Africa”
 Fatema Mernissi, “Size 6: The Western Women’s Harem”
 “Going for the Look” Non-fiction Expository Writing unit from the California State
University Early Assessment Program (includes analysis of op-ed pieces and analysis of
visual arguments made by advertisements)
Writing:
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Group analytical comparative essay (2-3 pages) on "Civil Disobedience" and "Letter from a
Birmingham Jail". CR 2, 4
 Documented research paper (5-7 pages), using a minimum of 7 primary and secondary sources,
cited in MLA format, proceeding through the writing stages of draft, peer editing, teacher editing,
revision and publication. CR 8, 9, 10
 Journal entries of (1-2 pages) approximately every three weeks for a total of two essays, focusing
on the modes of comparison and contrast and process analysis. CR 4, 5
 2 in-class timed writing using previously released AP exam test questions CR 4
 Analysis questions, in-class responses on assigned reading CR 4
Activities:
 Analysis of the following visual images: “American Gothic”, painting; and “Rural
Rehabilitation”, photograph CR 7
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“Going for the Look” unit CR 4, 6, 7, 9
 Rhetorical terms glossary CR 10
 Vocabulary and rhetorical terms tests CR10
 Tests on assigned reading (The Awakening)
 Practice multiple choice SAT and AP type exams
Third Nine Weeks: "The Responsibility of the Individual to Society"
Focus:
 Analyzing, Synthesizing and Evaluating Argument CR 4, 5, 6
 Writing an Effective Argument CR 2
 Grammar review of common usage problems (Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar, Chapters 2124) CR10
 Vocabulary (Units 11-15); vocabulary from readings; vocabulary needed for argument CR 2, 5,
10
 Genres in non-fiction: editorials, documents, essays and speeches CR 2, 6
 Genres in fiction: novel
Reading:
 Major Works
 Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels (novel)
 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (novel) (to be concluded during fourth nine weeks)
 Selections (may include, but not be limited to) CR 6:
 Jonathan Swift, "A Modest Proposal"
 Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"
 Russell Baker, “The Plot Against People”
 Declaration of Independence
 Patrick Henry, "Speech before the Virginia Convention"
 Abraham Lincoln, “Second Inaugural Address"
 Samuel Huntington, “The Crisis of National Identity”
 Laura Fraser, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian”
 Peter Singer, “ A Vegetarian Philosophy”
 “Fast Food: Who’s to Blame?” Non-fiction Expository Writing unit from the California
State University Early Assessment Program (includes reading and analysis of five op-ed
pieces and viewing and analysis of movie Fast Food Nation)
 President John F. Kennedy, "Inaugural Address"
 contemporary op-ed. pieces (think Time, The Nation, The National Review, Newsweek,
The New Yorker)
Writing:
 Students cited in MLA format, proceeding through the writing stages of draft, teacher editing,
revision and publication. cited in MLA format, proceeding through the writing stages of draft,
teacher editing, revision and publication.’ "Modest Proposal" (2-3 pages) essays, incorporating a
minimum of 2 outside sources, cited in MLA format, proceeding through the writing stages of
draft, peer editing, teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 4, 8, 9, 10
 Formal essay analyzing rhetorical elements of one of the above speeches (2-3 pages),
incorporating a minimum of three references to the text, cited in MLA format, proceeding through
the writing stages of draft, teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
OR:
 Documented argumentative essay involving “Fast Food: Who’s to Blame?” materials, using a
minimum of five credible sources, cited in MLA format, proceeding through the writing stages of
draft, teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
 2 in-class timed writing using previously released AP exam test questions, or prompts from
readings CR 4
 Analyses of speeches and assertions, editorials, and other persuasive writing CR 6, 10
Activities:
 Analysis of the following visual images: “Workers Making Dolls”, photograph; “Mounted Nazi
Troops on the Lookout for Likely Polish Children”, photograph; “Corporate America Flag” image
from Adbusters Media Foundation CR 7
 Rhetorical terms glossary CR10
 Vocabulary and grammar tests CR10
 Tests on assigned reading (e.g., The Killer Angels, The Great Gatsby)
 Practice multiple choice AP type exams
Fourth Nine Weeks: Shaping Your American Dream in the context of National and Global Concerns
Focus:
 Writing an Effective Argument and Rhetorical Analysis of Argument (Emphasis: review for AP
exam) CR 2, 5, 10
 Grammar review of common usage problems (Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar, Chapters 2527) CR 10
 Vocabulary (Units 16-20); vocabulary from readings; final review of vocabulary needed for AP
exam CR 10
 Genres in non-fiction: editorials, essays, speeches, and book of student choice (from designated
list) CR 6
 Genres in fiction: novel
Reading:
 Major Works
 F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (novel; conclude)
 Student's choice of: The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to
Get Ahead by David Callahan, Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against
Imperialism by Cornel West, Mountains Beyond Mountains : The Quest of Dr. Paul
Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder, Can't Buy My Love: How
Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel by Jean Kilbourne, The Gatekeepers:
Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg (additional
selections possible) CR 6
 Selections (may include, but not be limited to) CR 6 :
 Adnan Khan, “Close Encounters with US Immigration”
 Linda Chavez, “Everything Isn’t Racial Profiling”
 Zara Gelsey, “The FBI Is Reading over Your Shoulder”
 Viet Dinh, “How the USA Patriot Act Defends Democracy”
 Sandra Cisneros, “Only Daughter”
 Barbara Ehrenreich, “The Roots of War”
 Maxine Hong Kingston, “No Name Woman”
 Edward Said, “Clashing Civilizations?”
 contemporary op-ed. pieces (think Time, The Nation, The National Review, Newsweek,
The New Yorker)
Writing:
 Letter to character in Great Gatsby CR 4, 10
 Two in-class essays using prompts from the readings CR 2, 4, 5
 Documented argumentative essay based on student's "Dream", in style of Martin Luther King's "I
Have a Dream" (2-3 pages), using a minimum of five credible sources, cited in MLA format,
proceeding through the writing stages of draft, teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 4,
5, 6, 8, 9, 10
OR:
 Documented argumentative essay based on book of choice (2-3 pages) using a minimum of four
credible sources in addition to non-fiction book, cited in MLA format, proceeding through the
writing stages of draft, teacher editing, revision and publication. CR 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
 Review for AP test
 Editorials and other persuasive writing CR 6
 College application essays CR 2, 10 (after AP Exam- tentative)
Activities:
 Analysis of the following visual images: “Need is a Very Subjective Word”, advertisement;
“Mickey’s Evolution During fifty Years”, drawing. CR 7
 Practice multiple choice AP type exams
 Vocabulary tests CR10
 Tests on assigned readings
Books and Materials:
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Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane Aaron, eds. The Bedford Reader. 9th ed.
Carroll, Joyce, Edward E. Wilson, and Gary Forlini. Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar:
Communication in Action, Ruby Level.
Rottenberg, Annette and Donna Haisty Winchell. Elements of Argument: A Text and Reader, 8th
ed.
Paperback books include, but are not limited to, those listed above under each unit (Where
possible, these will be provided or available by downloading from the Internet; however, students
may be required to obtain copies of books or essays from the public library or otherwise.)
Levine, Harold. Vocabulary for the College-Bound Student
Course Notebook (3 ring binder with a minimum of 4 dividers)
Pens, pencils, notebook paper, highlighters
Other book and/or materials as requested by the instructor
Similarly, it is recommended that students purchase copies of paperback books to annotate them. If a book
is furnished to a student for his or her use, the student is responsible for returning the book to me at the
designated time in the same condition in which it was furnished to him or her.
Students are definitely encouraged to purchase their own copy of the MLA Handbook: Seventh Edition. It
is an essential reference book for any serious English student.