Advanced Placement Literature and Composition
2012-2013 Syllabus and Course Expectations
AP English Literature is a course in which students will regularly
practice close literary analysis of selected British and American works from
the sixteenth century through the present day. In addition to participating
regularly in seminar-style discussion, students will be expected to write both
formally and informally. Students will work to improve the analytical content,
the style, and the grammar of their writing as they develop the skill of
literary analysis. This course follows the curricular requirements described
in the AP English Course Description provided by the College Board.
Grading: All grades will be calculated based on percentage of total points
earned. Points for each assignment will be announced as the assignment is
given. Typical point values and descriptions for routine assignments are
listed below.
Description of routine class activities
Seminar-style discussions (At least one per week – 20 points): Every
student is expected to participate in seminar discussion. Students will be
graded on their contribution of original comments and questions. Students
will receive points for comments and questions that refer directly to the
text and encourage analysis from the group. Though the teacher will not
participate in these seminars directly, questions posed for writing
assignments, both formal and informal, will provide some direction for the
conversation. Direct quotes from the text are expected.
Informal writing (Twice per week – 10 points): Students will be expected to
write brief responses to questions that serve to focus the class for
discussion. Students should use these opportunities to explore the
literature and generate ideas and questions that could be shared in seminar.
Again, specific reference to the text and close analysis are expected. The
topics of these prompts vary widely to address specific literary techniques,
artistry of the work, or social/historical context.
Sample informal writing prompt for Dracula by Bram Stoker:
Re-read the scene beginning on page 283, in which Mina stands over Dracula
drinking his blood. Consider the importance of gender role reversal and Christian
symbolism in this scene. How does the imagery in this passage relate to Victorian
conceptions of gender roles and ideas about Christianity?
Short, timed essays (Approximately one every two weeks – 27 points):
Students will have 40 minutes to complete these analytical, expository
essays. Frequently, the prompts for these essays will be prose and poetry
prompts that have appeared on previous AP literature examinations.
Additionally, students may be asked to respond to an excerpt of prose or
poetry that is closely related to the current unit of study. These essays will
require students to analyze the application of a wide range of literary
devices including, but not limited to, diction, detail, syntax, imagery, and
tone. The essays will be graded according to the nine-point, AP rubric, and
the rubric score will be multiplied by three in order to compute the class
work grade. At least two times every quarter, students will participate in
writing workshops in order to analyze and reflect upon their own syntax,
grammar, organization, balance, and voice in writing. Specific writing
workshop assignments throughout the year will ask students to provide
critique for their peers on each of the following elements:
- quality of thesis statement,
- clarity of organization,
- balance of broad statements and specific evidence to support
claims,
- sophistication and appropriateness of vocabulary,
- sentence variety and syntactical maturity, and
- development of voice.
Dialectical journals (One for each major work in the course):
For every novel and play studied in the course, students will keep dialectical
journals to focus their reading and prepare them for discussions. These
journals will use specific quotations from the text as the basis for brief
analysis of the literary techniques employed by the author.
Course discussion forum (Approximately one post per week – 15 points):
During the first week of the class, students will register for the course
website. Using the discussion forum and the paper submission functions of
this site, students will post both their ideas about the course readings and
their feedback for their peers’ writing. Literary posts to the discussion
forum will either present ideas for or follow up on seminar discussions, using
specific references to the text. Once again, these posts will consider the
foundational aspects of literary analysis including issues such as figurative
language, theme, tone, character development, historical context, diction,
and syntax. Writing critique comments will address the same elements
listed for writing workshops for the short, timed essays.
Developed essays (Approximately one per week – 30 to 100 points): As
students read each literary work, they will be expected to complete writing
assignments outside of class. The length and depth of these assignments
will vary. In some cases, the students will respond to a prompt. For other
essays, the students will need to develop and support their own thesis
statements. For short essays, students may post ideas, outlines, or drafts
to the course website in order to gain feedback from other students or
from the teacher. For essays over five pages (at least one per semester),
students will submit an outline and a draft to the teacher for feedback.
Sample essay assignments for A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway:
Directions: Respond to two of the following prompts in well-developed essays of
approximately three pages in length (750 words, typed). Support your analysis with
specific examples from the text. Please use seminar and the online discussion forum
to develop your ideas in response to the prompts before preparing your draft. The first
essay is due this Friday. The second essay will be due next Thursday.
1. Describe the setting and historical background for the novel (World War I, The
Lost Generation). How is the setting important to your reading of the work as
a whole?
2. Hemingway’s distinctive style is marked by simple vocabulary and syntax, an
abundance of sensory details, stream-of-consciousness writing, and the use of
understatement. Analyze how he uses these elements of style to develop
meaning in the work as a whole.
3. Consider one of the following thematic concepts and explain how it is
developed throughout the novel:
a. The growth of love in difficult situations and the limitations of love
b. The justification or condemnation of war and the limits of loyalty
c. The impact of stressful situations on human values and ideals
d. Loss of innocence and disillusionment
4. The Hemingway hero is defined as a character with unspoken, but firm
commitment to a code of behavior, a staunch stoicism, and a willingness to
work hard and do a job well. Analyze how one or more characters in this
novel fit this definition.
Literary terms and paradigms of criticism notes (Maintained online –
point values vary for assignments): Working collaboratively, students will
compile an online database of literary terms with definitions and examples.
Likewise, they will prepare descriptions of various paradigms of literary
criticism and summaries of common biblical and mythological literary
references. Students will use this database of terminology, strategies, and
common allusions to inform their reading and analysis.
Diction and tone vocabulary tests (One per quarter – 100 points):
Students will generate a class list of vocabulary words that they could use in
their own analyses of diction and tone in literature. These words may be
gathered from multiple choice questions, readings, or research. The purpose
of this list is not only to enrich vocabulary, but also to improve the students’
writing by building a rich repertoire of words with which to describe an
author’s diction and tone. The tests will require students to demonstrate
their command of the vocabulary words.