Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Course Syllabus 2014-2015 Mrs. Pierce
[email protected] Course Description The major goal in any Advanced Placement class is to hone students’ skills in a way to prepare for success in the college environment and, ultimately, in life. AP Language and Composition will introduce students to rhetoric in a variety of texts with the purpose of training those students’ eyes to recognize effective argument as well as logical fallacies. This is an invaluable life skill in a society where truth can be diluted and opinions can be forced upon individuals. This class will also serve the student in equipping the student with the skills to think and write critically. Composition will serve as a method for articulating mature thought. In all of our efforts, we will be working toward succeeding on the final AP exam in May. Students will be required to read multiple texts and write often. Composition will be a large portion of this class. Not all compositions will receive a formal grade; however, each assignment will serve to exercise a student’s skills. This class can be divided into two parts: theory and practice. In the former, we will learn how to analyze a text for its rhetorical purposes. We will focus on rhetorical strategies and how to effectively form an argument. In the latter part, we will put into practice what we learned in the first part of the class. This part can be broken into subparts based on themes: Freedom, Ethics, and Identity. Upon completing this course, students should be able to do the following: • analyze and interpret examples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques; • apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing; • create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience; • write for a variety of purposes; • produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions; • demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings; • demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources; • move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing and review; • write thoughtfully about their own process of composition; • revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience; • analyze image as text; and • evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers. (The College Board, AP English Course Description, May 2010, p. 11). A note on AP classes: AP classes are not mandatory. You could have elected to take honors English 11, or even regular English 11. You chose to take AP Language and Composition instead. Understand that this class is harder and more demanding than an honors class because it is not an honors class. You will be required to 1
read more, think more, and work more. You will be required to do homework. This class will infringe on your free time. If this is not something you are willing to do, please leave the class. If you stay in the class and do poorly, your grade will reflect your actions and lower your GPA, hurting your chance for scholarships or even college admission. However, if you are willing to put in the effort, you will be rewarded, not only extrinsically with grades and an AP score, but intrinsically, as we will be expanding your mind. For many students, this will be the first class in which you will be treated as if you have an adult mind capable of your own original thoughts and opinions. This class will likely be different from any other you have ever taken. Please thoughtfully evaluate the amount of effort you are willing to exercise and consider your decision to be in this class. MLA Format As this is a college preparation class, you will be required to use MLA (Modern Language Association) format on every assignment. If you fail to use correct MLA format on an assignment, I will hand that assignment back to be corrected and resubmitted. This will result in your work being late. There will be a sample heading on the board every day. On practice exams and timed writings, you will NOT be required to do MLA format. Classroom Rules 1. Bring your own materials to class EVERY day. 2. Follow directions when they are given. 3. Work diligently with the expectation to learn. 4. Behave in a way that does not inhibit your own learning or the learning of your classmates. 5. Be respectful of yourself, your classmates, this classroom, and me. Required Materials • 1 ½ - 2” three-ring binder • Labeled notebook dividers: Notes, Readings, Practice Exams, Vocabulary, Journals • College ruled loose leaf paper (keep this in your binder) • Blue or black ink pens (assignments must be completed in blue or black ink) • White-out • Highlighters • Collegiate dictionary/thesaurus Plagiarism Policy The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person.” Some common examples of classroom plagiarism include copying a classmate’s homework or class work, cheating on a test or copying and pasting entire written assignments from the internet. The Student Code of Conduct lists cheating as a disciplinary offense, and this behavior will not be tolerated on any assignment regardless of the point value. Any student found to be plagiarizing any assignment will immediately be given a zero for that assignment. This should never happen in this class. Attendance Do not miss class. Attendance is key to your success. We will have many classroom discussions that cannot be recreated, causing you to miss important information. Discussion and analysis is central to our curriculum. Missing class days, whether due to sickness or extracurricular activities, could be detrimental to your learning the material. I strongly urge you to attend class every day and be on time. 2
Make-Up Work If you are absent, you are responsible for getting your make-up work. In order to receive full credit, it must be turned in within three days of your return, unless I approve a different date. Any make-up work received three days after the absence will be worth half credit at most. Make-up tests will be scheduled with me. To get your make-up work, check the notebook labeled “Make-Up Work & Handouts.” You will find a journal outlining the events that took place in the class that day, along with directions for assignments. If I handed any papers out, you will also be able to find them in the make-up notebook. Course Grading Formal tests, quizzes, and major compositions are worth 60% of your grade. Class work, informal, and in-class compositions are worth 30% of your grade. Homework is worth 10% of your grade. The EQT, mid-term, or final exam is worth 20% of your final grade. Grading Scale: A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 E=0-59 Contacting the Teacher Please feel free to contact me concerning your grades or an assignment. It is my goal that your experience in this class is successful. If your parent/guardian wishes to have a conference with me, please make an appointment. Refer to my e-mail in the heading of this syllabus. Contact me with any questions you have, but do not wait until the last minute. This will only cause frustration for you. Rhetorical Précis For each text we read, you will be required to complete a rhetorical précis. This is part of your homework for each assignment and is due the same day which you are required to have read the text. I prefer that you type these, but it is not required. You will receive instruction about how to write a rhetorical précis within the first week of class.
Course Planner First Semester: • Unit One: Introduction to Rhetoric (5 weeks) • Readings: o Orwell, George. “Politics in the English Language” (essay) o Nunberg, Geoffrey. “If It’s Orwellian, It’s Probably Not” (essay) o Zinsser, William. “Simplicity” (essay) o Nye, Naomi Shihab “Why I Could Not Accept Your Invitation” (poem) o Pitts, Leonard. “Euphemisms Common Sense Challenged” (journalism) o Shulman, Max. “Love is a Fallacy” (short story) o Kralovec, Etta and John Buell. “End Homework Now” (journalism) o Kennedy, John F. Inaugural Speech (political speech) o Literary Nonfiction: Choose one from the following list: 3
• Major Concepts o o o o o o
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Rhetorical Fallacies Rhetorical Purposes Rhetorical Strategies Rhetorical Appeals Aristotelian Triangle Précis
Stasis Visual Arguments SOAPSTone Close Reading
• Formal Writing Assignments o Synthesis Essay: Synthesize ideas from the readings in this unit and develop an argument regarding the nature and power of language in modern life. Cite Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” as well as two other sources. o Literary Nonfiction Assignment: This assignment is two-fold. First, you will write an essay in which you address the following areas: stylistic/rhetorical authorial choices, the author’s purpose, central argument, etc. Include a passage of your choosing from the novel on which to perform a rhetorical analysis. Secondly, you will work with a small group to prepare a presentation for the class on the work. You will address many of the same topics, though there will be different requirements for this portion. o Timed Writing: Respond to a prompt from a past AP Language Exam. • Informal Writing Assignments o Rhetorical Précis for each reading assignment. o Students will be asked to defend or challenge different arguments from their summer reading novel, In Cold Blood. o Brief response to “If It’s Orwellian, It’s Probably Not.” o Brief response to “Love is a Fallacy” o SOAPSTone for “Why I Could Not Accept Your Invitation” o Weekly assertion journal writing • Assignments or Assessments other than Writing Assignments o Multiple choice quizzes from previous AP exams o Rhetorical strategy quiz o Textbook reading assignment quizzes o Bell-ringers o Peer-evaluations of timed writing assignments o Outline of Chapter 1 of Everything’s an Argument, “Everything is an Argument” o Outline of Chapter 17 of Everything’s an Argument, “Fallacies of Argument” o Outline of Chapter 7 of Everything’s an Argument, “Structuring Arguments” o “Politics and the English Language” vocabulary work • Unit Two: Freedom (4 weeks) • Readings: 4
o Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (autobiography) o Jefferson, Thomas. Declaration of Independence (political writing) o Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience” (political writing) o Seneca Falls Convention. The Declaration of Sentiments (political writing) o Gandhi, Mohandas K. from “On Nonviolent Resistance” (speech) o King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (political writing) o Bok, Derek. “Protecting Freedom of Expression at Harvard.” (essay) • Formal Writing Assignments o Synthesis Essay: Synthesize ideas from the readings in this unit and develop an argument regarding the aspects of freedom and the role it plays in humanity. Cite Frederick Douglass as well as two other sources. o Rhetorical Analysis: Analyze a passage of Douglass’s narrative in terms of its rhetorical value and discuss how he serves his purpose through his language. o Visual Argument: Select a visual argument with a theme corresponding to a topic from this unit on which to perform a rhetorical analysis. o Timed Writing: Respond to a prompt from a past AP Language Exam. • Informal Writing Assignments o Rhetorical Précis for each reading assignment. o SOAPSTone for “On Nonviolent Resistance.” o Comparison essay on King’s letter and Thoreau’s essay. o Outline of “The Declaration of Sentiments” o Brief response to “Protecting Freedom of Expression at Harvard” o Weekly assertion journals • Assignments or Assessments other than Writing Assignments o Multiple choice quizzes from previous AP exams o Bell-ringers o Vocabulary development o Rhetorical strategies quiz o Reading questions for The Declaration of Independence and Declaration of Sentiments. o Reading questions for “Civil Disobedience” • Unit Three: Ethics (4 weeks) • Readings: o McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes o Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant” (essay) o King, Jr., Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream” (speech) o Orwell, George. “A Hanging” (essay) o Shaw, George Bernard. “Why Law is Indispensible” (essay) o Plato. “The Allegory of the Cave” (essay) o Woolf, Virginia. “The Death of the Moth” (essay) o Sontag, Susan. “Regarding the Pain of Others” (essay) 5
o Didion, Joan. “On Morality” (essay) • Formal Writing Assignments o Argument: Create an argument defining the responsibility one has to mankind. Consider what is considered right and wrong in order to defend your position. Use the texts we have covered in this unit to inform your thinking. o Timed Writing: Respond to a prompt from a past AP Language Exam. • Informal Writing Assignments o Rhetorical Précis for each reading assignment. o Brief response to “Why Law is Indispensible.” o Brief response to “Shooting an Elephant” o Dialectical journal of Angela’s Ashes o Comparison essay on “Shooting an Elephant” and “A Hanging” o Weekly assertion journals • Assignments or Assessments other than Writing Assignments o Multiple choice quizzes from previous AP exams o Bell-ringers o Close reading/rhetorical analysis of “I Have a Dream” o Small group presentation of the message of “The Allegory of the Cave” o Vocabulary development o Rhetorical strategies quiz o Angela’s Ashes test • Unit Four: Identity (5 weeks) • Readings: o Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby (novel) ❖ Personal Identity • Readings: o Murray, Donald M. “The Stranger in the Photo is Me” (essay) o Hurston, Zora Neale. “How it Feels to be Colored Me” (essay) o Cullen, Countee. “Incident” (poem) o McCullough, David. “You Are Not Special” (speech) ❖ Cultural Identity • Readings: o Winn, Marie. “Television, the Plug-In Drug” (essay) o Twain, Mark. “Corn-Pone Opinions” (essay) o Mairs, Nancy. “On Being a Cripple” (essay) ❖ Gender • Readings: o Tannen, Deborah. “There is No Unmarked Woman” (essay) 6
o o o o o
Gould, Stephen Jay. “Women’s Brains” (essay) Theroux, Paul. “Being a Man” (essay) Ehrlich, Gretel. “About Men” (essay) Woolf, Virginia. “Professions for Women” (essay) Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I a Woman?” (essay)
❖ Education • Readings: o Prose, Francine. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Doesn’t Read” (essay) o Baldwin, James. “A Talk to Teachers” (essay) o Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “From Education” (essay) o Douglass, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write” (essay) • Formal Writing Assignments o Argument: Create an argument defining the role external factors play in determining one’s identity. Discuss the relationship between one’s “true” identity and one’s prescribed identity. Use the texts we have covered in this unit to inform your thinking. o Personal Identity Essay: Write a personal narrative modeling Donald M. Murray’s “The Stranger in the Photo is Me.” Analyze a personal photograph and describe the changes one experiences as time passes. Treat this photograph as a sort of visual argument with a specific message about one’s personal history as well as one’s present identity. o Timed Writing: Respond to a prompt from a past AP Language Exam. • Informal Writing Assignments o Rhetorical Précis for each reading assignment. o Rhetorical analysis of “On Being a Cripple.” o Brief response to “You Are Not Special.” o Brief response to “Women’s Brains.” o Weekly assertion journals • Assignments or Assessments other than Writing Assignments o Multiple choice quizzes from previous AP exams o Bell-ringers o Within a small group, create a visual representation of the multiple identities a person can have by studying a character from The Great Gatsby. o Vocabulary development o Rhetorical strategies quiz
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