Download Course Syllabus

English 4, honors – 2011-2012 Syllabus
Course Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to help students “write effectively and confidently in
their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal
lives.” (The College Board, AP® English Course Description, May 2009, May 2010,
p. 8) The course is organized according to the requirements and guidelines of the
current AP English Course Description, and, therefore, students are expected to read
critically, think analytically, and communicate clearly both in writing and speech.
Course Organization:
The course is organized by themes. (See Syllabus.)
Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use standard
English grammar, and to understand the importance of diction and syntax in an
author’s style. Therefore, students are expected to develop the following through
reading, discussion, and writing assignments:
• a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
• a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
• logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
• a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and
• an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate
emphasis through diction and sentence structure.
Unit 1 – Introduction to Narration/ College Planning – Sept. 7 – Sept. 23

Thank You for Arguing – Preface and Chapter 1 – “Open Your Eyes”

The Allegory of the Cave – Plato

“On Self-Respect” from Slouching Toward Bethlehem – Joan Didion

“The Stranger in the Photo is Me” by Donald M. Murray
Major Essay 1 – College Admissions Personal Statement
Unit 2 – Introduction to Argumentation and Call to Action – Sept. 26 – Sept. 30

Introduction to Rhetoric (Aristotle, Cicero)

Famous Orators

Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Fast Food Nation Readings
Major Essay 2 – Argumentation Essay – Fast Food Nation
Unit 3 - Introduction to Satire (Gender and Culture) - October 3 – October 21

The Canterbury Tales (General Prologue, The Wife of Bath’s Tale, and The Knight’s Tale) by Geoffrey Chaucer

“Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society” by Mary
Wollstonecraft

“The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill

“Shakespeare’s Sister” by Virginia Woolf

“Men, Women, and Chiefs” by Levi-Strauss, Claude
Major Essay 3 – Rhetorical Analysis Wife of Bath’s Tale and/or Supplementary Prose Piece – Focus on Rhetorical
Purpose
Unit 4 – Introduction to Speech Analysis and Appeals – October 24 – November 18

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Major Essay 4 – Speech Analysis Act I, Scene 7 – Focus on Persuasive Appeals
Unit 5 – Introduction to Prose Analysis (Justice) – Nov. 28 – Jan. 13

“The Defense of Injustice” by Marcus Tullius Cicero

“The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“A Theory of Justice” by John Rawls

The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Major Essay 5 – Argumentation Essay – Bullying in School
End of Semester One Exam:
Objective questions similar to the Multiple Choice portion of the AP Exam
Essay Question styled after the Argument Essay of the AP Exam