Academics

A.P. ENGLISH

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION, 1 & 2 (#405/406)

Mr Ryan Asmussen
English/Fine Arts, Elk Grove High School
E-mail: ryan.asmussen@d214.org
Course Blog: grenglish.blogspot.com

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

PURPOSE

A.P. English, as I teach it here at Elk Grove High School, is a
college-level inquiry into the nature of literature. Fundmentally, it is
an investigation of language itself. You will be asked to ‘close read’
passages from English prose and poetry, and tease out meaning on the
basis of such literary elements as tone, diction, structure, syntax,
imagery, and poetic elements, among others. When we read, when we study
this language that gives utterance to our conceptions of reality, we are
enagaged in the great activity of understanding ourselves as human beings.
Literature allows us to think deeply about our thinking, in addition to
exposing us to lives and worlds we need to realize in order to define our
own.

The major feature of the course is the writing of short essays known as
‘impromptus’. This regular activity offers you three important advantages:
first, an opportunity to improve your ability to transfer your thoughts
into good English prose (effective writers are sorely needed by society);
second, the opportunity for the emergence of these thoughts from the realm
of simple opinion to carefully considered understanding; and, third, the
opportunity to prepare yourself in your written communication for the A.P.
English Literature exam in May . It should also be noted that Socratic
Seminar participation is understood as essential in this course. Twenty
percent of your grade depends upon it.

GRADING

40% - Impromptus/papers/quizzes
20% - Socratic Seminar participation
20% - Final
20% - Homework

SYLLABUS FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION, 1 & 2 (#405/406)
2006-2007

“We read deeply for varied reasons, most of them familar: that we cannot
know enough people profoundly enough;
that we need to know ourselves better; that we require knowledge, not just
of self and others, but of the way things are.”
-- Harold Bloom

FIRST SEMESTER

First Quarter: “Literary Elements and the Impromptu Essay”

* On Writing by Stephen King
* The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Short stories by O’Connor, Cheever, and Nabokov
“A Modest Proposal” by Alexander Pope
* The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Avon, ISBN: 0380012774)
* Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Oxford University Press, ISBN:
0192802380)
FIRST QUARTER PRESENTATION: “Committed to Memory”

Second Quarter: “The Poetry of the English Language”

A History of Poetry in English
* Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Washington Square Press, ISBN:
074347712X)
FIRST SEMESTER FINAL PAPER: “On Poetry”

SECOND SEMESTER

Third Quarter: “The British Novel”

* Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Signet, ISBN: 0451526716)
* Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Oxford University Press, ISBN:
0192801724)
* A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (Harvest, ISBN: 0156711427)
* Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (Harvest, ISBN: 0156628708)
THIRD QUARTER PAPER: “On Prose”

Fourth Quarter: “AP English Literature and Composition Exam”

AP English Literature and Composition Exam Preparation and Testing
* Franney and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (Little, Brown, ISBN: 0316769495)
Graduation Speech
SECOND SEMESTER FINAL: “Philosophical Residue” Paper & Presentation

* Indicates that the student’s copy of the work must be obtained by the
student

Note: Should you or your parents find the content of a required text
objectionable, see your teacher to discuss your concerns.