Course Description This is a year-long required course that will enable students to become skilled readers of a wide range of literature, including prose, poetry, and short stories. Students are expected to read and respond to a variety of literature, independently, in group discussion and in writing. All facets of language arts – listening, speaking, reading, writing – will be covered. The study of language in use – grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, and usage – will be incorporated in this course, as well.
The course will focus on the theme of "Americana" by exploring a variety of essential questions related to the human condition explored through literature and our life experiences as reflected in what will be read/discussed/presented in class activities and experiences.
Major Literary Works to be Covered Term 1 THEME: Love Found/Lost For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams Term 2 THEME: Male Identity/Social Construct of Males Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Term 3 THEME: Social Construct of Females and American Residents A Room of One's Own - Virginia Wolfe The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry Term 4 THEME: Towards the American Dream In Cold Blood - Truman Capote Beautiful Country - Qian Julie Wang