AP Language

Grade:  12   Prerequisites:  “B” average in LA 9, LA 10, LA 11 & Instructor Approval     {holm}     Links:   AP Language Moodle Page AP Wiki AP Central     Required Texts (available in the classroom): Cohen, ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology.Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2004. The essays contained within cover the spectrum of rhetorical modes used in the course. I've chosen ahead of time essays to read for each section of the course (see calendar), but this could change depending on class makeup and desires, later on. Holm, Bill. The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth.Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2000. Holm's book of personal essays will be used for two main reasons: He's a local author, and well-known to the students, and his essays are rich and varied and offer many opportunities for rhetorical analysis. Lunsford, Andrea, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument with Readings, Third Edition.Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2004. This will be used as the structural framework of much of the course. Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, and Dave Kemper. Writers Inc: Write for College: A Student Handbook. Wilmington, MA: Great Source Education Group, Inc., 1997. This is our course stylebook and writing handbook. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet and Related Readings.Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell Inc., 1997. As this course is a year-long study, we will also be studying some fiction and poetry. To this end, Hamlet is chosen for its complexity and opportunities to study the use of language in different contexts. The students will be reading additional supplements for the study of Hamlet (literary criticism) and also writing an essay of their own in this genre. {forum} Supplemental Resources used in Course: Series of Media Literacy masters and assignments (advertising, television, film, music) Political cartoons (for use with teaching tone, satire) Public Speaking tips and graphic organizers culled from various classroom sets Magazine and photographic ads from various sources (some the students will find on their own); newspapers and other current media. Literary criticism essays on Hamlet (some found in their versions of Hamlet, some they will be finding using library resources on their own) Non-verbal communication exercises (to analyze body language, etc.) found in Speech textbooks. Electronic sources of current information, such as blogs and electronic bulletin boards.

{southwark}       AP Language and Composition is designed to advance student skills in critically reading a wide variety of texts and effectively writing responses and arguments. The course is designed to be equivalent to an entry-level college English course, and it is therefore more rigorous, both in quantity and quality of readings and writings, than other high school Language Arts courses. As delineated by the College Board, AP Language will acquaint students with readings and writings that are expository, argumentative, evaluative, and narrative. Texts will be predominantly non-fiction, and in essay form, but there will also be some fiction and poetry assigned to meet our local standards.   {effect} The study of logic, both Aristotelean and Toulmin-styled, will be learned and used, as well as applying logic and evaluation to arguments, sources, and messages. In addition, students will pay particular attention to the relationship between writer and audience, as well as how each relates to the material, by studying and applying the Aristotelean Triad and use of tone, satire, diction, and more. As analyzing others' rhetoric and applying these skills to writing is preparation for a successful college education, so is being able to orally present argument and information, and therefore, this course will also integrate speaking skills and information presentation in its scope. Socratic seminars will be an ongoing process, as will formal speeches and multi-media presentations. Students will also be expected to learn better research methods and discernment, and apply the MLA guidelines to their formal writing. Furthermore, visual literacy in discerning visual arguments is another necessary skill, and part of the course is designed to meet this need. As successfully passing the AP Language and Composition Exam is often considered the equivalent of a first-year College English course, the objectives of this course are to meet those same standards. Students will, upon successful completion of the course, be prepared for further college-level thinking, writing, reading, and information processing.   {Bacon} In order to receive college credit for this course, students would be required to take the AP examination at a cost to the students of approximately $85. Students are required to pass the test at a score of 3 or higher in order to receive college credit from most universities.