Course Syllabus

                                                                                                            Mr. Brazier

                                                                                                            Room 227

                                                                                                            braziera@wellesleyps.org

AP Language and Composition Syllabus

Course Description:

Students in this college-level English course read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of nonfiction and fiction prose selections, deepening their awareness of how language works in effectively communicating an idea. Through close reading and frequent formal and informal writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own writing abilities. The purpose of this course is to promote critical thinking and writing. Multiple modes of instruction and informational materials ranging from film clips to speech writing will be incorporated to enrich student recognition, comprehension, and execution of rhetorical analysis. The expectation and rigor of this course will therefore be high and the workload challenging. Discipline, focus, self-advocacy, and mature behavior in and out of class are expected. According to the College Board, “upon completing the AP English Language and Composition course, then, students should be able to

• analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;
• apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;
• create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;
• demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writing
• write for a variety of purposes;
• produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources material, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;
• demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary material;
• move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing, and review;
• write thoughtfully about the writing process of composition; revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience
• analyze image as text; evaluate/incorporate reference documents into researched papers.

Texts:

1. 50 Essays. A Portable Anthology. Seventh Edition
2. The Language of Composition. Fourth Edition