AP Literature and Composition
Mrs. Horgas / Ms. DeMaio
rmh19@scasd.org / tld16@scasd.org
Room 041
WELCOME!
A.P. Literature and Composition is an elective college-level course for academically talented and motivated students.
Instruction is based on the assumption that students have mastered basic reading, writing, and study skills and are
sufficiently motivated to meet the rigorous demands of the course. To approximate the college experience, A.P. Lit has
relatively few grades per marking period.
The College Board argues “that an Advanced Placement English course in Literature and Composition should engage
students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative (fiction and poetry) literature.” To that end we will study a
variety of literary works from around the world. This will be done largely by genre and will include units on the novel, lyric
and narrative poetry, tragedy, modern drama, and the short story.
The course requires close and deliberate reading. Short works and sections of books should be read at least twice, while
poems may need to be read several times. We expect you to understand or gain an understanding of all words in a given
text, paying careful attention to the subtleties of the language. Close reading demands a sophisticated vocabulary and a
thorough grasp of literary devices. The vocabulary of the exam itself will assume this kind of knowledge. To that end, we
will study vocabulary that will prepare you for the A.P. exam and help to create precision in your discussion of literature.
The goal of the writing you will do in this course will be to increase your ability to explain clearly and cogently what you
understand about literary words and why you interpret them the way you do. Writing instruction will focus on the elements
of style. Matters of precision and correctness will be attended to as needed.
Finally, class participation is a key part of our work this year and will represent an important part of each marking period
grade. The class will be conducted as a seminar. Your primary point of engagement is with the assigned readings. You
are expected to address the questions, issues, and dilemmas that arise naturally from the assigned readings. Please be
prepared to share your insights with the class.
We look forward to a rewarding year for all of us and wish you much success this school year.
LITERARY WORKS
The following is a sampling of works to be studied this year. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list and is subject to slight
variation.
Marking Period One
The Short Story: Hemingway, Marquez, O’Connor, Wharton, Achebe
AP Practice Essay #1 (short prose analysis)
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Writing the College Essay
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Marking Period Two
Finish Crime and Punishment
AP Practice Essay #2 (free response open question)
Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller
Othello – William Shakespeare
Marking Period Three
Finish Othello
The Stranger – Albert Camus
To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
AP Practice Essay #3 (free response open question)
Marking Period Four
Finish To the Lighthouse
Poetry – variety of authors and styles
AP Practice Essay #4 (poetry analysis)
Independent novel
Senior Speech
POLICIES
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Homework assignments that are not handed in on their specified due dates cannot be accepted for credit.
There will be an average of 2-3 major papers per marking period. Five percent of the grade will be deducted for
every day a paper is late. Papers more than three days late will receive a failing grade. Papers not turned in at all
will receive a grade of 0. Please understand that I will count Saturdays and Sundays when calculating lateness.
Papers can be turned in electronically during a weekend, followed by a hard copy when we next meet in class. The
writing you do in this class plays an enormous part in your marking period grade. Be sure to turn in ALL writing
assignments.
You may turn in ONE paper per semester (2 per year) ONE day after the due date (again, counting Saturdays and
Sundays) without penalty; please indicate that this is your “free late” paper near your name. This paper will not be
considered your “free late” unless you indicate so on the paper. The extension of the “free late” is one day. If you
turn a paper in two days late, you will lose 10% (not 5%) of the grade.
Any paper written for peer evaluation may not be late. The paper grade will be failing.
All papers must be typed and double-spaced with the exception of in-class AP practice essays.
THE PORTFOLIO
Your portfolio for each marking period makes up 65% of your marking period grade. Your portfolio is comprised of two
elements: writing and participation. Your writing score will reflect an average of all the writing you were assigned during the
marking period. Patterns of improvement will be taken into consideration when this part of the portfolio is assessed. I will
allow you to revise one paper per marking period (due one week from the paper’s return or on the last day of the marking
period, whichever comes first) in an attempt to earn a higher score. Evidence of significant revision that moves beyond the
mere correction of surface errors and that reflects your individual change of strategy (again, moving beyond teacher
corrections), will be considered for a higher score.
Your participation score is based upon a rubric that takes into account four domains: speaking, listening, preparation, and
conduct. Again, regular participation in this seminar is a critical component of success in this course. I arrive at your
portfolio score by averaging your writing and participation scores together. Again, the portfolio score makes up 65% of your
total marking period grade. NOTE: YOU ARE REPSONSIBLE FOR COMPILING PORTFOLO MATERIALS AT T HE END
OF EACH MARKING PERIOD. YOU MUST TURN IN YORU FOLDER WITH THE ORIGINAL, GRADD PAPERS IN
ORDER FOR ME TO ASSESS YOUR PORTFOLIO. MISSING PAPERS WILL BE AVERAGED AS FAILURES. PAPERS
THAT WERE NEVER TURNED IN ARE AVERAGED AS ZEROES. REPRINTED, UNGRADED PAPERS ARE NOT A
GOOD SUBSTITUTE. PLEASE HOLD ON TO YOUR ORIGINAL, GRADED WORK.
The other 35% of your grade is made up of the quiz, test, and/or project grades assigned during the marking period.
MAKE-UP WORK
Make-up quizzes and tests must be completed within one week of your return to school. Schedule your make-up with me
on the day you return. If you are absent on the day a paper is due, you should be prepared to turn it in the next day you are
in school. If you can submit it electronically, all the better. If you are present in school but leave before English class to
participated in an activity or attend an appointment, you must turn in your assignment before you leave either in person or
electronically. In the case of a prolonged absence, an individual make-up schedule will be created.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Using another’s work as your own is considered plagiarism. Using outside sources and passing them off as original thought
is also considered cheating. If you are unsure of how to use an outside source, ask for help before you do so. Claiming
ignorance is not a defense for plagiarism. Work that is plagiarized will receive a grade of 0. Please practice academic
honesty.
ADVICE FOR SUCCESS FROM LAST YEAR’S STUDENTS:
“The two most important things, of equal importance, are reading and thinking. One must want to read and be able to do so
easily. Next, one must be a devoted critical thinker and be able to manifest thoughts easily in writing and discussion.”
- Ken Brown, Class of 2010
“Actually write rough drafts and revise. Don’t edit your paper on the computer. Create multiple drafts!”
- Emma Gregory, Class of 2010
“This is a class where books and poems are devoured – but then understood on a deeper level because of it. It is a
refreshingly analytic experience and more than worth adding to a senior schedule.”
- Jessica Anderson-Reitz, Class of 2010
“Prepare to encounter new ideas and ways of thinking that challenge yours.”
- Vance Brown, Class of 2010