The English Department maintains that the proper use of the written word is the cornerstone of a strong liberal arts education. Graduates are expected to read with insight and sensitivity and to express themselves with clarity and cogency. Our program is intended to develop and encourage individual creativity and proficiency through the refinement of basic skill, the study of classic and contemporary literature, and the provision for personal experience in the creative process.

A solid foundation in freshman and sophomore years is augmented by a well-integrated writing and literature program during junior and senior years. The English Department pays particular attention to the many facets of our diverse and varied human experience. Underlying this program is the firm belief that the study of literature in all its forms enables the individual to move toward personal dignity and compassion for others as well as to develop an appreciation of the values and ideas in the body of our literary heritage.

ENGLISH 1 HONORS WEIGHT: 5 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: Administrative Approval

Honors English 1 offers an in-depth study of literature combined with a values-oriented composition program. Emphasis is placed on developing the students’ ability to analyze literature, as well as developing written and oral expression. Vocabulary building, grammar study, and writing process complete the program.

ENGLISH 1 COLLEGE 1 WEIGHT: 4 1 CREDIT
COLLEGE 2 WEIGHT: 3 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: Administrative Approval

This course emphasizes the basic elements of literature and written composition including values instruction. Students read and analyze various genres: short story, novel, play, poetry, biography and autobiography. The process of composition, vocabulary building, grammar study, reading skills development, and oral communication are included.

ENGLISH 2 HONORS WEIGHT: 5 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: B in Honors English 1 (A- in English 1) and/or Administrative Approval

Honors English 2 focuses upon an in-depth analysis of style and characterization in literature. The composition and grammar program stresses the importance and the uses of Standard English, especially in the writing of a formal composition, the research paper. SAT preparation involves the students in vocabulary study stressing word elements and word families along with their meaning.

ENGLISH 2 COLLEGE 1 WEIGHT: 4 1 CREDIT
COLLEGE 2 WEIGHT: 3 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: English 1

The objective of this course is to awaken the students’ interest in quality literature, to develop an understanding of the elements of style, and to acquire a fuller vocabulary of literary terms. Analysis of literature, vocabulary study, and preparation for the SAT are emphasized. Students will be introduced to research paper format. Students will become familiar with a number of different genres and will read a minimum of one Shakespearean play.

WRITING WORKSHOP WEIGHT: 3 ¼ CREDIT
GRADE 10
Required of All Sophomores

This course will be offered to Sophomores daily for one quarter. The class will work in both small writing groups and individually to foster ideas and discuss pre and post written pieces. Included in the styles of writing will be the following: personal, expository, persuasive, descriptive, and creative prose.

ENGLISH 3 A. P. WEIGHT: 6 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: B+ in Honors English 2 (A- in English 2) and/or Administrative Approval

This is a very accelerated English language course, the equivalent of a college freshman course. Intensive reading, classroom discussion, and written essays and tests help students to develop the ability to derive a mastery of the various modes of rhetoric independently. The course is based in the American Literature (taught to all juniors) but uses a large number of outside readings to enable the student to recognize such devices as tone, audience, diction, parallelism, and other devices used in expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive prose. Students must demonstrate perceptive thought and analysis of assigned works. Equal emphasis is given to reading and writing skills in preparation for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition Examination in May. All students in the course must take the AP Exam.

ENGLISH 3 HONORS WEIGHT: 5 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: B in Honors English 2 (A- in English 2) and/or Administrative Approval

Honors English 3 offers an in-depth study of American literature. It covers material from colonial writings to the present. The selections are organized chronologically to present the literature of the United States in a historical context. The course explores the genres of the essay, poetry, drama, short stories, and the novel. The course covers major works by selected writers in each of these forms. To prepare for the SAT and SAT II tests, vocabulary study and in-depth composition work is covered, including narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive essays. The research paper is developed accessing books and computerized data with assistance from the classroom teacher and the librarian.

ENGLISH 3 COLLEGE 1 WEIGHT: 4 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: English 2

This course is focused on the literature from the American Colonial period up until contemporary times. Authors range from Cotton Mather and Nathaniel Hawthorne to Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. Students write several types of essays including expository and persuasive. They will also write a formal research paper. Grammar review goes along with effective writing techniques; and vocabulary study is done in conjunction with literature and is a preparation for the SAT’s.

ENGLISH 4 A.P. WEIGHT: 6 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: B+ in AP English 3 (A- in Honors English 3) and/or Administrative Approval
This is a very accelerated English literature course, the equivalent of a college freshman course. Intensive reading, classroom discussion, and written essays and tests help students to develop the ability to derive mature insights independently. The course is based in English Literature (taught to all seniors) tracing poetry historically from the development of alliterative verse through formal poetic structures (epic, sonnet, and villanelle) to nineteenth century metrical experimentation and twentieth century eclecticism. Additionally, prosody, scansion, metrical devices, and poetic figures of speech are all emphasized. Novels and plays are taught in a historical and thematic context, emphasizing such themes as the following: duality, alienation, moral turpitude, etc. Students must demonstrate reading and writing skills in preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Examination in May. All students in the course must take the AP Exam.

ENGLISH 4 HONORS WEIGHT: 5 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: B in AP English 3 (A- in English 3) and/or Administrative Approval

This course is an intensive study of British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon Period to the Modern Age. Poems, plays, short stories, and novels are read, analyzed and discussed for their social, historical, and literary value. In addition, readings are studied in the context of the historical period in which they were
produced. Students are encouraged to become critical readers and to analyze the historical and thematic context of the readings, going beyond the literal level of the texts. Critical essays, tests, and in-class discussions are used to develop the students’ critical voice and understanding. In addition, this course furthers the students’ study of grammar and usage through written exercises and essays. Vocabulary instruction is geared towards preparation for the SAT exam.

ENGLISH 4 COLLEGE 1 WEIGHT: 4 1 CREDIT
Pre-requisite: English 3
English 4 emphasizes the chronological study of British Literature from Beowulf to the present. Representative poems and plays are studied for their social, cultural, and historical relevance to their own age and the age in which we find ourselves. Modes of critical discourse are explored as avenues through which students may develop a critical voice of their own. Students are taught and encouraged to develop and refine an understanding of the subtextual ideas and issues and to search for relevance beyond the literal level of the works studied. Critical papers and in-class discussions foster growth of critical perspectives and encourage the student to think individually. Composition and vocabulary are emphasized as tools to broaden perspective, to enrich the literary experience, and to prepare for the college classroom.

FILM & LITERATURE WEIGHT: 4 ½ CREDIT
GRADE 12 – ELECTIVE
Pre-requisite: Administrative Approval

This course will study and analyze literature portrayed in film – examining its purpose and development. Emphasis will be placed on comparing and contrasting film with original writing, and discussing how movies themselves are works of literature. Students will be evaluated through written examination, critical and creative writing, projects, and class discussion.

JOURNALISM WEIGHT: 4 ½ CREDIT
GRADE 12 – ELECTIVE
Pre-requisite: Teacher and Administrative Approval

Students enrolled in this course will comprise the editorial staff of the school newspaper. The course teaches students all facets of journalism, including the following: news writing, feature writing, sports writing, interviewing, headline writing, computer layout and design, and photography. Students will learn about the history of journalism in America and study important topics in censorship, bias, and the rights of the student journalist. Students are expected to follow the news and to keep current on writing and style through reading of daily newspapers and/or online news services.