American Studies-Literature
Photo courtesy of cliff1066 and Creative Commons
This course coordinates the historical events occurring in America from 1812-2001 with the literary movements and texts from or about those times.
A major goal of this course is to make you more careful readers and more thoughtful and articulate writers. We will read short stories, poems, novels, essays and speeches, and we will also "read" films, cartoons, and advertisements in order to practice these close reading skills. You will write frequently about what you read, both formally and informally.
Each quarter, students will be assigned to groups in order to research a major controversial issue in American history. The groups will participate in a debate about their topic, and then each student will write a persuasive essay in support of his or her side. These quarter project essays are a major component of the course and count towards both your English and history grade.
A major goal of this course is to make you more careful readers and more thoughtful and articulate writers. We will read short stories, poems, novels, essays and speeches, and we will also "read" films, cartoons, and advertisements in order to practice these close reading skills. You will write frequently about what you read, both formally and informally.
Each quarter, students will be assigned to groups in order to research a major controversial issue in American history. The groups will participate in a debate about their topic, and then each student will write a persuasive essay in support of his or her side. These quarter project essays are a major component of the course and count towards both your English and history grade.