ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AP COURSE APPLICATION POLICY

APPLYING FOR SENIOR YEAR AP ENGLISH
You must consult with your advisor and current English teacher to be considered for AP English in your senior year. This discussion should explore whether AP English aligns with your overall academic plan and whether your past performance in English suggests you're a strong candidate. A key factor is a consistent record of success in English 11, ideally with an A- average or higher. Furthermore, strong analytical writing skills are crucial for success in AP English.

To formally apply, you must submit a letter to the English department by March 5 to Mr. Grossman. This letter should articulate your motivation for taking AP English, explaining how it will contribute to your academic and personal goals. You should also discuss your plan for managing the demanding workload of AP English alongside other commitments. The English department will carefully review your application, considering your past performance in English classes, including your level of achievement, participation, work ethic, and intellectual curiosity.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Success in AP English hinges on a genuine love for literature, reading, and writing. Active participation in class discussions, learning independently, and collaborating effectively with peers is essential. The course demands a high level of independent work, including timed writing assignments that require focused attention and the ability to write effectively under pressure without teacher guidance.

As a college-level course, AP English presents a significant workload, a faster pace, and rigorous grading standards. All students enrolled in AP English are required to take the AP English Literature exam in May.

INFORMATIONAL MEETING
An informational meeting about AP English will be held on February 27 during the 9:30 block with Mr. Grossman.

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION

COURSE DESCRIPTION
AP English Literature and Composition is a world literature course in which we study authors spanning a wide range of cultures and periods, from Homer in ancient Greece to modern authors who do not name just one culture as their own. Students read works by authors such as Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Brontë, Damon Galgut, Seamus Heaney, Homer, Franz Kafka, John Keats, Gabriel García Márquez, Cynthia Ozick, William Shakespeare, and Sophocles. Our central theme is the search for truth. Essential questions of the course include: Why read? Why write? What role do stories play in our lives? What is universal in literature and human experience? How do cross-cultural encounters shape and affect stories? How does the past shape our identity as individuals and as citizens of the nation and the world? What is the relationship of language to identity, memory, history, and community? What is the relationship between literature and politics? How do texts speak to each other? How does perspective shape the reading and the writing of a text? In our discussions, written work, and readings, we focus on developing the ability to carry out close, critical readings; characterize the stylistic and thematic patterns in an author's work; possess facility in reading nonlinear and/or modernist texts; analyze and imitate prose styles; understand rhetorical devices and strategies; recognize the uses and impact of a range of genres and the effects of a multi-genre piece; construct and evaluate multiple interpretations of a text; explore the impact of narrative structure, and understand how the meanings of a text are embodied in its form and style. Students write frequently and explore many different types of writing.

Available to students in grade(s): 12
Prerequisite(s): Department recommendation
Course length: Full-year