AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION SYLLABUS
2015-2016
Instructor: Bridget Clark
bclark@usjbruins.org
OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
As the teacher of the Advanced Placement Literature class, I look forward to the prospect
and challenge of instructing students in college-level work, work that focuses on the
analysis of literature. Before we begin this year of hard work, though, I must remind you
that the most critical requirement for being successful in this class is a genuine interest in
and appreciation of good literature and writing. Students who demonstrate discipline in
the area of meeting deadlines with regard to reading and writing prove to be the students
who are most successful on the exam.
The primary objective of AP Literature and Composition is to prepare students for
writing and studying literature at the college level; the secondary objective is to prepare
them for the AP exam, a rigorous exam which tests critical thinking and writing skills.
During this exam, students are required to answer approximately 60 reading
comprehension/reading analysis questions and to write 3 essays.
Since many major colleges and universities now require a 4 or 5 before giving AP credit,
achieving success on the exam is difficult. Success on the exam is most predictable,
though, if, during the preparatory year, students read assigned works to the point of
understanding. Students who do not show evidence of reading and/or meeting deadlines
are more subject to performing below the mean on the exam. These students are also
subject to dismissal from the class.
One other objective of the course is to write the thesis paper. In the spring of last year,
each student chose a topic and completed an Annotated List of Works Cited that supports
his/her topic choice. While the prospect of writing a 30 page paper may seem a bit
daunting, students will write in chapters with several due dates and opportunities for
revision throughout the year. The writing of this paper will make our students even more
attractive to admissions’ boards of colleges and universities. At the end of the writing
process, each student will defend his/her paper, and all of the papers will be bound into
one volume and placed in both libraries for future reference.
With regard to the course work (as well as some of the titles students choose as primary
sources in their theses), it is very demanding and often independent in nature, and the
material in some instances is even quite graphic. I expect students to comprehend
extreme violence, extreme sexual content, and foul language with maturity and
recognition of the fact that the images are representative of how a writer views the world
rather than a writer’s “way of life”. I will approach all adult situations with subtlety and
discretion. Classic literature continues to support the idea that society functions best if a
reasonable, moral code is in place, a premise that I support in my teaching
I look forward to a great year. Please communicate with me at any time if you have
questions or concerns.
Bridget Clark
THE COURSE
Required Texts
Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 8th Edition
Othello: Shakespeare
Frankenstein: M. Shelley
Wuthering Heights: E. Bronte
Idylls of the King: Tennyson
Heart of Darkness: Conrad
The Stranger: Camus
As I Lay Dying: W. Faulkner
Native Son: R. Wright
The Handmaid’s Tale: Atwood
The Things They Carried: O’Brien
The Road: McCarthy
Wit: Edson
Writing in AP Literature (including kinds of writing experiences and opportunities
for revision)
The Thesis, Out of Class Assignments, Timed Writing Essays, and Journal Writing
All formal writing is scored based on origin and development of thought; mastery of
language within the essay, including word choice and actual use of the chosen
vocabulary; synthesis of ideas, and the transition of ideas throughout; the cohesiveness of
ideas throughout the essay; and the profundity of the thesis and how/if it leads to a natural
conclusion.
Informal writing assignments serve a variety of purposes. The primary purpose is to
brainstorm ideas in preparation for a formal essay assignment; the secondary purpose is
to encourage creative thinking.
The Thesis
Advanced Placement English students are expected to complete a 30 page thesis with 4-6
primary and 8-12 secondary sources.
Each student has a committee made up of one other English teacher from the Middle or
Upper School English Dept.; at least one other individual (volunteer) who is willing to
read, meet, and offer support and advice during the writing; and me. The purpose of this
committee is to help the student revise throughout the writing process. As chapters (a
minimum of 5) are turned in, students contact committees, arrange for meetings, and
begin the task of revising, developing further, and adding even more sources. The first
chapter is due in mid-September, the second mid-October, the third after Thanksgiving
break, the fourth after Christmas break, and the fifth in late February or early March.
Students have frequent opportunities to write and rewrite their drafts before turning in the
final draft. They are encouraged to “get it right” as they work through this process.
Often I meet with students individually to review and make suggestions for revision of
their chapters. Upon completion of the first rough draft, students meet again with me
and/or their committees to get feedback and suggestions for revision. It is not unusual for
students to revise the complete rough draft 7 or more times.
I see a remarkable improvement in students’ writing during the writing of this paper. As
they develop relationships with their committee members and revise, they really do begin
to take ownership of the topic and their own style.
Other Out-of-Class Writing Assignments
Apart from the thesis, most of the writing is done in class. I do, however, from time to
time require essays on social issues topics as the issues that apply to literature or other
expository writing assignments—perhaps 2-3 essays per year. There are some novels on
which students actually prefer to write out of class essays. For example, in The Stranger,
topics of discussion often prompt a strong reaction in some students. Should an
individual be judged for his feelings, his religious influences, or his display of apathy?
This assignment, therefore, seems more appropriate as an assignment they can ponder
over an extended period of time.
The one out-of-class essay that is most revisited is the process paper. This paper is
usually the college admissions topic essay. Students write a draft in class; then they type
a rough draft (MLA formatted). The editing steps follow: 1) circling the first word of
each sentence, 2) counting the number of words in each sentence, 3 ) underlining the
subjects and verbs, and 4 ) eliminating with 2-3 exceptions the words “there”, “thing”,
“this”, “a lot”, and “it”. (I find that #’s 1 and 2 are shortcuts to sentence variety and the
elimination of “the” as the first word of so many sentences.) After making corrections in
the editing steps, each student gives his/her paper to another student for peer editing.
Then after completing a first final draft, I begin to edit. Students are allowed to turn in as
many drafts as they choose. Each draft is graded on its own merits. This assignment
offers students as many opportunities for rewriting as they choose.
At the beginning of the year, I prepare a packet of AP prompts for students. We look at
samples, the range of scores, and what distinguishes a mediocre essay from a strong one.
We look specifically at voice. I am finding, though, that going through the thesis-writing
process helps my students understand voice more than any other exercises we work on.
At least once every 2 weeks, students write an AP prompted, timed essay. I require from
the beginning that they write at least 2 pages. The second page of fluff slowly turns to
one of substance. The AP prompted essays are scored on a 9-point rubric. After the first
AP essay is written, I score it, listing suggestions for improvement; then I return the essay
to the students and ask them to rewrite. Students have several opportunities to rewrite
with input from me.
Each week students write or verbalize poetry analyses. These informal documents
represent the students’ interpretations of poems based on their own thoughts, style,
literary devices, and critical essays.
At the end of each unit of study, which usually consists of several short pieces of
literature and at least one long one, students write a unit essay. Some essays are content
or social issues driven, and some focus on AP Exam-type topics. Students are
encouraged to use the short pieces from the unit or from other units to develop the main
idea(s) in their unit essay tests. Most of these essays are written during a 50-minute class
period. Throughout the year, students write 12-15 of these essays. I expect these essays
to show the depth of understanding that students have for the literature they study in
units. Recognizing that the skill of writing and the skill of comprehending reading are to
be distinguished, again I read the first essay carefully, making very specific suggestions
for improvement. Then the students usually rewrite the first essay. Throughout the year,
I often meet with students individually to edit and revise. Students are encouraged to
rewrite as often as they have time for.
Portfolios
Students keep their writing samples in a writing portfolio. The portfolio consists of
essays that can be as personal or critical in thought as students choose. For example, one
topic suggests that students analyze why the family pet is so important or not; another
asks students to argue against something they actually do support. I call these essays
“Friday Essays.” While most of these essays count as daily or quiz grades, occasionally,
a Friday Essay will be developed later into a more formal essay or even a paragraph in
the student’s thesis.
This portfolio also includes reading responses (such as the poetry analyses), group
responses to a piece of literature, and any other personal journal entries or creativewriting exercises they have written. Students specifically write responses after viewing
videos. After reading and analyzing “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” they write a
parody. Students are also asked to look for and journalize specific images in some
reading assignments. For example, they may be asked to catalog nature images, images
of red or another color, or religious images.
These informal writing samples are helpful in that they provide students with a pool of
information for more formal writing situations
UNITS OF STUDY
Unit studies begin with a lecture on Archetypes, Motif, Literary Periods in Western
Literature, the Heroic Tradition, Nature, Images of God, Beauty, Stereotypes of Men and
Women, and any other avenues of thought that I expect them to pursue as they read.
Included in this introduction is a study of style in poetry and literary theory.
Also included in this lecture is a review of major periods in western literature, stressing
the style that is most reflective of each of those periods. I quiz students on this material
and require that they keep this information on hand so that we can practice
where/how/when different styles of writing are placed in the history of classic western
literature.
Within each unit, we study short pieces of literature which offer ideas that compare or
contrast those formulated in the longer ones. In studying the poems and short stories, I
also review structure and style for each as well as where each is placed in the chronology
of World Literature.
While the short pieces within each unit come from differing literary periods, the long
pieces are (for the most part) in chronological order. This order makes it easier to work
through particular skills needed in reading comprehension and critical thinking.
I assign due dates for students to have completed reading the long pieces. On that date,
students take a reading check quiz, a quiz designed to check reading comprehension as
well as completion of the assignment.
Summer Reading Unit-The Heroic Journey
The Inferno: Dante
Siddhartha: H. Hesse
Grendel: J. Gardner
In this unit, we discuss Cultural Identity as a theme, focusing on the balance between
myth and culture. Students take notes on traits found in Traditional, Chivalric, Tragic,
Noble-Savage, Melancholy, and Anti-Heroic figures. Again, these notes stay in students’
notebooks to be referenced throughout the year.
Unit I – Othello– Finding a Place
This unit begins with a discussion of the influences of classical literature and its place in
a progressive/post-modern setting, a discussion which serves as the cornerstone for so
many discussions to come during the year. Topics in the lecture notes on archetypes, etc.
are found in this play. We discuss how this story displays life (the human heart) in
conflict with the physical—God, fear, belief, men, women, men and women, fate,
eternity, existentialism, beauty, nature. This unit builds the foundation for the study of
theme, motif, and character development (particularly character as revealed in heroic
figures). Upon completion of this unit, students have a really good idea of what I expect
them to accomplish as they read throughout the year.
Secondary Readings: Little Blue Ball, Home, Babylon Revisited, A Prayer For My
Daughter, Frost at Midnight,Dover Beach, The Second Coming
Unit II-Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights- Identity
Part I: Conflict: This unit focuses more on Romanticism and the individual journey,
particularly with regard to one’s conflict with other men and women. This unit also
focuses on women’s issues.
Secondary Readings: The Chrysanthemums, I’m Nobody…, Sailing To Byzantium, Her
Kind…
Part II: Traditional World View, Humanism, and Existentialism (Relationships and How
They Shape Us)
Secondary Readings : One Art, She Walks in Beauty, True Love…, Young Goodman
Brown, Good Country People
Unit III- Idylls of the King, Heart of Darkness- Rebellion and Loss
This unit introduces Victorian thinking and looks at the conflict between conforming or
not and the cost of both.
Secondary Readings: The Amanda Knox Story (various), Daddy, Disillusionment of
10:00, Bartleby the Scrivener, Dover Beach, The Dream of the Ridiculous Man…, What
Redburn Saw in Launcelott’s Hey
Unit IV- The Stranger, As I Lay Dying- Murder, Sex, Pride, Power, Family, and Making
Sense of Life (Art and the Artist, Post-Modernism, Stoicism, and Existentialism)
This unit is a study of the shift from Victorianism to Existentialism and post-modern
thinking.
Secondary Readings: 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird…, Dover Beach, Lucifer in
Starlight
Unit V-Native Son, The Handmaid’s Tale – Tradition, Progress, Racism, Feminism, The
Broken Spirit (What is what???)
This unit focuses on science fiction, fantasy as an art form, and views of progress.
Secondary Readings: A Good Man Is Hard To Find, The Second Coming, The Book of
Ruth…
Unit VI-The Things They Carried, The Road- The right to be free, literature as a
backdrop for social change, WAR…TRUTH!
This unit draws from the previous ones to focus on the ultimate conflict, our inhumanity.
Secondary Readings: The Hour and What Is Dead, Russia 1812, The Man He Killed,
Dover Beach (again), readings from MLK’s Autobiography…, The Ones Who Walk
Away From Omelas, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Unit VII-Wit-The beauty of life, science, truth, and the emotional tug!
PREPARATION FOR THE EXAM
One day each week is reserved for exercises that prepare students for the AP exam. I
begin with the essay; we look at scoring guides and practice scoring essays. Then
students begin writing 20-40 minute timed essays. In preparation for the multiple choice
section, students review kinds of questions and question stems and work on individual
short pieces (with 8-10 questions at a time), looking at and discussing each question and
answer. In October, students take a practice test; afterward, we look at questions that
seem to be the most difficult and why. Then students practice the most difficult sections
(usually the ones that deal with tone). In March, students take another practice test; we
repeat review as needed.
Upon completion of the last unit, we review all parts of the exam. Also, using poems and
short stories we have studied in the 7 units of study and throughout the year, we look at
style (literary devices, language, denotation, connotation, irony, tone, rhythmical
influences, etc.) according to literary periods. The notes students take during this review
serve as study guides for preparation for the exam.
In groups of 2-3, students list 5-10 pieces of literature they have studied since eighth
grade that they should know in detail. Then they proceed to refresh their memories.
EVALUATION
In this class, tests count for 60%, quizzes count for 30%, and daily work counts for 10%.
Practice essays count as daily work or quizzes. All other essays count as test grades.
Thesis committee members evaluate students as part of the thesis grade, each chapter
counts as a test grade, and the final draft counts as an exam grade. We have a sort of
“gentlemen’s agreement” that the thesis will become an A or a B if all requirements are
met with regard to the writing and organizing of the paper. Some students require a few
extra final drafts to get to this point.
OTHER BUSINESS
PARENT AND STUDENT NOTES
This class requires a great effort on the part of participating students and the instructor. I
expect everyone to work cooperatively and in a timely manner, and I expect all work to
be completed and turned in on time.
I also expect to have the undivided attention of students during class. This means there is
no time for checking cell phones or playing video games. I will not hesitate to take up a
cell phone or computer if either is prohibitive to the professional atmosphere of the class.
I may add to, change, or delete portions of this syllabus as needed.
Please contact me at bclark@usjbruins.org if you have a question or concern.