work, our department and school programs offer opportunities for students to publish pieces in our literary magazine, newspaper, or community blogs, and we also create forums for public readings, allowing students to engage even more deeply with the words they choose and the sentences they construct. Along with metacognitive writing assignments, where students reflect on their process and growth as writers, all of our reading and writing opportunities encourage the habits of caring about and paying attention to language, with an overarching goal of attempting to understand and express what is “true” about the human experience.
ENGLISH 2200 (9) YEARLONG COURSE
This foundational course focuses on building analytical skills to help students learn how to read carefully, to ask important questions of the texts they study, and to write in response to those works. Personal essay assignments allow students to gain confidence in discovering their voices, and creative projects allow students to discover the joys and challenges of manipulating language to craft imaginative scenes. Storytelling is a main focus in English 2200, and texts in the course also address questions of the self in relation to community and family, such as The Odyssey, The House on Mango Street, The Catcher in the Rye, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.
ENGLISH 2300 (10)
creative writing as well as dramatic exercises. The spring prepares students for the demands of junior year analysis with explorations of British and American poetry and novels such as Frankenstein and Never Let Me Go. The course continues the exploration of human nature, studying identity in texts where the self is cast into the role of misfit or outsider.
ENGLISH 2400 (11) YEARLONG COURSE
This course explores a rich array of American literature, complementing students’ study of U.S. History in the junior year. The focus of the writing is largely analytical, and teachers challenge students to provide much greater depth and sophistication in their essay content and presentation as they build on the solid foundation students gain in English 2300. Creative and personal essays continue to complement analytical assignments, while literary criticism figures more prominently as an aid to understanding texts from a variety of perspectives; this study of criticism also adds to students’ own analytical writing skills. To explore American-themed questions related to freedom and individuality, conformity, or the American Dream, texts may include works by authors such as Coates, Fitzgerald, Miller, Chopin, O’Connor, Faulkner, Morrison, Dickinson, Whitman, Kesey, and Whitehead.
YEARLONG COURSE
2490 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE (11) YEARLONG COURSE
This course builds on the skills gained in English 2200, beginning with an in-depth study of short fiction and the analytical essay that culminates in students’ completion of the Sophomore Writing Project. In the winter trimester, students study the challenging language and themes of Shakespeare and Sophocles, complemented by personal and
• Application required This course is an advanced-level study of American Literature for juniors who have the analytical skills and intellectual curiosity necessary for a sophisticated examination of literature and language. Students should be passionate about reading and discussing challenging texts, and they should be 2021-22 COURSE OF STUDIES 9
