AP English Language & Composition

Semester One: 2006-2007

Ms. Beyer

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                  Language is a labyrinth of paths. You approach from one side and

             know your way about; you approach the same place from another side

             and no longer know your way about. ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein

 

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is a year-long college-level course in which you learn to read complex texts with greater understanding and develop richness, clarity, and complexity in your own writing. Language is a powerful tool, providing you with the means to understand your world, define your life, and help you influence the lives of others in a positive way. 

 

We will explore this “labyrinth of paths” together; strategically building on the skills you have already learned to help you master the art of close reading and persuasive writing. Your active participation and engagement will enable you to better negotiate language, and you will gain the confidence to “know your way about” as you approach written and visual texts from different vantage points.

 

All students in this course are expected to take the AP Language and Composition Examination given in May, 2007. With this in mind, timed AP writings as well as AP multiple choice tests will be interspersed throughout the semester. As in first-year college composition classes, this course highlights research skills, supporting the informed use of sources and the ability to synthesize; you will need to thoughtfully evaluate, select, cite, and utilize materials in written and oral projects. This practice, combined with your personal commitment, will enhance your ability to do well in the course, to perform ably on the exam, and to move forward in your personal and academic lives with confidence.

 

 

Department Objective

 

The English department supports an environment that fosters inquiry. We work to provide opportunities designed to help you learn the skills of questioning and annotating—skills that are a critical part of the process of reading and responding to texts.

 

 

 

 

Unit 1: Language & Identity

 

Summer Reading Texts:

§         The Road from Coorain, Jill Ker Conway

§         Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, Richard Rodriguez

§         A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind

 

Essays, Excerpts, and a Poem:

§        “Key to Identity,” James Baldwin

• “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood,” Richard Rodriguez
• “Finding Myself Through Language,” Andrea Lo
•  “English,” Marjorie Agosín

 

Focus:

• What is meant by the term “rhetoric”?
• How does knowing the rhetorical situation contribute to our understanding of texts?
• How does language contribute to our sense of identity?
• How do authors use the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos to present an argument?

 

 

Unit 2: A Sense of Place 

Essays:

§         “Sacred Places of Navajo Land,” Tony Hillerman

§         “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” N. Scott Momaday

§         “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White

§         Excerpt from The Road from Coorain, Jill Ker Conway

§         “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” Henry David Thoreau

§         Selected visuals for analysis

 

Fictional Novel:

• Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton

 

Focus:

o       How may we use the strategy of “interrupted reading” to enter the world of the writer and better grasp the art of close analysis?

o       How does “place” influence people’s perceptions?

o       What is Transcendentalism and how are nature and the maxim “Simplify, simplify” part of this philosophy?

o       How do writers use elements of language such as imagery, figurative language, and precise, descriptive diction to capture the unique “energy” of a time, place, and/or person?

 

 

Unit 3: Perception & Epiphany

 

Essays & Narratives:

• “The Death of the Moth,” Virginia Woolf
• “A Hanging,” George Orwell
• “Salvation,” Langston Hughes
• “The Chase,” Annie Dillard
• “A Swimming Lesson,” Jewelle Gomez
• “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell

 

Focus:

• How are the literary elements of narrative used effectively to present the writer’s purpose?
• How can you use the models of writing you encounter to improve your ability to create rich imagery, use carefully chosen diction, develop a strong sense of voice, and develop your own forceful and effective writing style?

 

 

 

Unit 4: Advertising & the “Good Life”

 

Essays, Excerpts, Etc.

§         “What is the Good Life?”  David G. Myers

§         Excerpt from Born to Buy, Juliet B. Schor

§         “Why I Hate Britney,” Nisey Williams

§         “Devastating Beauty,” Teal Pfeifer

§         “The Fat Tax: A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Rauch

§         Selected advertisements and images

 

Focus:

o       What is visual rhetoric and how are images used as arguments?

o       How do advertisers use logos, pathos, and ethos effectively?

o       What is “culture” and how may we “read” cultural artifacts?

o       How do you evaluate, select, cite, and utilize source materials (synthesize) as part of a research project?

o       How is satire and humor used to effectively present a claim?

o       What are claims, warrants, and data (the Toulmin approach) and how do we use this to evaluate and write arguments?

o       How can you write and present an effective proposal?

o       What are a few logical fallacies to look out for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unit 5: Selling the American Dream

 

Fictional Text:

• The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Excerpts on the American Dream:

§         “A Model of Christian Charity” (City on a Hill), John Winthrop

§         Letters from an American Farmer, Hector St. John de Crevecoeur

§         “The Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson

§         “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus

§         The Melting Pot, Israel Zangwill

§         Ragged Dick or, Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks, Horatio Alger

§         Commentary on his book The American Dream, Dan Rather

§         Interview with Bill Moyers, Bharati Mukeriee

§         “I Have a Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Texts on what it means to be an American:

• “Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People, September 20,   

       2001,” George W. Bush

•  “A Patriotic Left,” Michael Kazin
• “A Nation Worth Defending,” William J. Bennett
• “Quiescent Objector,” Troy Melhus
• “Between Football an War,” Robert Scheer
•  Selected visuals for rhetorical analysis

 

Focus:

• How does Fitzgerald use language, including the methods of description and narration, to present a critical commentary on American life?
• How has rhetoric shaped our views of what it is to be an American?
• What can we learn from analyzing different sides of an issue?
• How can a writer effectively synthesize information from several sources, including an image, to support a particular argument or position?

 

 

 

Unit 6: Letters and the Art of Persuasion

 

Texts:

• Excerpts from Clarissa: or the History of a Young Lady, Samuel Richardson
• Selected letters from history

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructor’s Resource Texts:

 

§         50 Essays: A Portable Anthology – Samuel Cohen

§         Teaching Nonfiction in AP English: A Guide to Accompany 50 Essays – Renee Shea and  Lawrence Scanlon

§         Discovering Arguments: An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Writing with Readings – Dean Memering and William Palmer

§         Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing – Hephzibah Roskelly and David Jolliffe

§         Everything’s an Argument – Andrea Lunsford, et al.

§         Frames of Mind: A Rhetorical Reader with Occasions for Writing -- Robert DeYanni and Pat C. Hoy

§         A Reader for College Writers -- Santi V. Buscemi

§         Ways of Seeing – John Berger

§         Nature and Its Symbols -- Lucia Impelluso

§         Picturing Texts – Ed. Lester Faigley, et al.

• Media Writer’s Handbook: A Guide to Common Writing and Editing Problems, 3^rd ed. -- George T. Arnold 
• The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed – Karen Elizabeth Gordon
• The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the

            Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed – Karen Elizabeth Gordon

     

 

 

A Note on Academic Integrity

 

As a community of scholars, we are bound together by the bonds of academic integrity. At its most basic level, the principle of academic integrity requires that any work you submit be your own. Your name on a paper signals that you alone completed the assignment. When an assignment requires you to consult outside sources, all such sources must be clearly credited in your work using MLA (Modern Language Association) citation format. Details on what constitutes cheating and the consequences of that act can be found in your student handbook. Please be mindful of maintaining your personal integrity. Make sure that your work is your own.

 

Absences

 

Attendance is mandatory and necessary for success in this class. Please email me if there is an issue. Communication and courtesy are essential in order to avoid any misunderstandings. Be mindful of the fact that I have approximately 140 students to keep track of. Your consideration will be appreciated. If you have been absent or are late, please check the class notebook located at the back of the room for any handouts. Speak to a classmate about what you have missed. If you need further clarification or if you need to schedule a make-up test, in-class assignment, or quiz, then please email or speak to me.

 

 

Course Grading Criteria

Your grade will be based on an assessment of the work that you complete inside and outside of class. Students may be reassessed on assignments as determined by the AP Language team. In order for you to have an assignment reassessed, you must meet the following criteria: 1) the assignment must be turned in by the deadline, 2) you must discuss your intended revision with me and we will determine the due date for your revised writing, 3) you must work one-on-one with me, with one of our composition assistants, or with someone at TAP to actively discuss and revise the paper, and 4) you must attach your original assignment to the back of the revision. No reassessment of assignments will be allowed unless those criteria have been met.

Please refer to the MCPS Grading and Reporting Policy featured on the B-CC web page for more specifics. Your grade for each quarter will be determined based upon the total number of points earned for all assignments divided by the total number of available points. Homework will make up approximately 10% of your grade each marking period and the remaining 90% will include all other assignments.

 

• Papers                                                           
• AP-Style Timed Writings and Tests                  
• Position Papers, Proposals, and Quizzes  
• Presentations and Homework                          

                              

 

 

Class Assignment Policy

 

All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the date that they are due. Late assignments may be turned in for reduced credit during the week of the assigned due date. The deadline for all assignments will be the week after the original due date. No assignments will be accepted after this deadline period.

    

While usually a blessing, technology can also be a curse! Computer and/or printer problems are not an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. If you have a computer problem, you need to locate a working computer or handwrite the assignment. Communication with me is critical. Please do not disrupt the class or end up missing class instruction because you have to go and find a working computer. If your printer is out, email the assignment to a friend and have him/her print it out for you, or email it to yourself or save it and print it out BEFORE you come to class.

 

 

Some Guiding Words of Wisdom, or Why Did I Sign Up for this Course Anyway?

One message should be clear by now: Being skilled at rhetoric is one of the most important abilities you can develop in your quest to lead an active, successful life. If you can read materials with a discerning eye; if you can scope out a situation and understand what is at issue in spoken and written documents and discussions; and if you can speak and write clearly, fluently, and correctly, then you are going to be in a much stronger position to succeed in whatever intellectual task you tackle.      

                                             ~  Everyday Use: Rhetoric at work in Reading and Writing