Course Description:
This course is designed as a follow-up to AP Language and is in effect a second-year college literature course; however, AP Language is not a prerequisite, as the two courses cover divergent content. AP Literature focuses on literary analysis in three genres: short fiction, long fiction, and poetry. Like a mechanic who must understand how parts of the car function together to propel it, students in this course learn to dissect a story for its parts and analyze how those parts function to impact meaning in a text.
Though the content is limited to literature, the analytical and compositional skills learned will have immeasurable impacts on student achievement in virtually every college class they will take. Moreover, many students come away from the course with a newfound confidence and sense of belonging in rigorous academic discourse—a gift that they will enjoy and take pride in for the rest of their lives.
Prerequisite:
Teacher recommendation from an AP/Honors Human Geography, an AP/Honors World History, or an Honors/Regular 9th/10th grade English teacher is recommended. Students should be able to read a college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences. Successful students tend to be critical thinkers, fans of fiction and storytelling, strong readers and writers, and curious about the motivations behind human behavior.
Relevant Careers:
Relevant careers for this course are:
- Lawyer.
- Digital copywriter.
- Editorial assistant.
- English as a foreign language teacher.
- Journalist.