Advanced Placement Literature

  • AP English Literature is a Two Semester course organized thematically into four quarters. Adapted from AP English Literature and Composition Description, "The course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure."  Students will learn to read deeply, to write critically, and to discuss effectively.

    Reading: Students read works from assorted genres [fiction, drama, poetry, essay] and from various periods of Brittish and American literature [16th to 21st century]. Students read to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze a work's literary artistry [while reflecting] on the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Close reading involves the following elements: the "experience of literature" [one's personal response]; the "interpretation" of a work's multiple meanings; and the "evaluation" of literature [an assessment of the quality and artistic achievement of literary works and a consideration of their social and cultural values.]

    Writing: Writing is an integral part of this course, designed to "focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays." Students will learn to "develop and organize their ideas in clear, coherent, and persusaive language, study elements of style, and develop stylistic maturity" that has the following elements: a wide range of vocabulary; a variety of sentence structures; a logical organization, enhanced by techniques of coherence such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis; a balance of generalization with specific illustrative details from a text; an effectuve use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, maintaining a consistent voice, and achieving emphasis through parallelism and antithesis.

    Discussion: Students will understand thier reading better through discussion of passages and style elements. Students in an AP Literature class are expected to read their texts before a class discussion or seminar, to complete their reading journals which include Reader Response and primary literary analysis, and to share their interpretations and questions in class discussions. Students will maintain a Notebook that reflects those ideas shared. 

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