Department: English Course: AP Language and Composition: American Social Justice

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1 Department: English Course: AP Language and Composition: American Social Justice Course Description and Objectives: American Social Justice English is the third year in the Social Justice Program, an English and History interdisciplinary program with a strong emphasis on the impact that social movements have had on the development of history, humanities and the arts. Students will actively engage in curriculum that expands upon the themes of social justice that they have studied in their sophomore and junior years. Its focus is on exploring and responding to quality non- fiction from a variety of perspectives. There is emphasis on helping students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses, across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives (College Board, AP English Course Description, 2010, p.7). Students will examine memoir/biography/autobiography, essays, criticism, speeches and other forms of expository writing. Students will respond to texts by writing in a variety of ways that include literary analysis, compare/contrast, argument/persuasion, and synthesis. Extension projects are assigned to permit students to demonstrate advanced understanding, the application of new knowledge, or immersion in a particular area of special interest. Collaborative learning, and attention to the writing process are critical components of the course. Student progress is measured through a variety of traditional and alternative means of assessment. Computer technology is used in research and writing development. The course is designed according to the requirements and guidelines of the current AP English Course Description, therefore students are expected to read critically, analytically, and communicate clearly through verbal and written expression. Course Organization: The course is organized by concept. Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use the Conventions of Standard English, and to understand the importance of syntax and diction in an author s style. Students are expected to develop and use: a wide- ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination logical, fluid organization enhanced by techniques such as repetition, transitions and emphasis a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure (College Board, AP English Course Description, 2010, p.9) For each reading assignment students must identify the following: thesis or claim tone or attitude purpose audience occasion evidence Logos, Pathos, Ethos assumptions or warrants author s style structure use of detail 1

2 Course Introduction: AP English Course Description, Class Rules and Expectations, Responsibilities, Grading, Rhetorical Terms, Rhetorical Modes, Rhetorical Devices Unit 1: Personal Narratives, Autobiography, Biography and Memoir Moore, Wes, The Other Wes Moore: One Name Two Fates O Brien, Tim, The Things They Carried Ramirez, Robert, The Barrio Engelhardt, Karen, A Tale of Two Gravies Brandt, Anthony, My Grandmother: A Rite of Passage Supplementary Texts: (One to two teacher- selected texts) White, E.B., Once More to the Lake Jen, Gish, Who s Irish? Marmon Silko, Leslie, Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination Tuan, Yi- Fu, American Space, Chinese Place Viewing: A Beautiful Mind, starring Russell Crowe (film clip) National Veterans Art Museum: Permanent Exhibit The Things They Carried ( exhibit- the- things- they- carried/) Quizzes: Reading content and vocabulary, grammar Test: Rhetorical Devices, Rhetorical Terms, Rhetorical Modes Composition: Personal Narrative Prompt: Robert Ramirez frames his essay with the image of the train rumbling past the sleeping residents. In addition, he uses Spanish phrases throughout the essay. Using Ramirez s essay, write a descriptive essay about where you currently live. Use a metaphorical image to frame your essay. Incorporate phrases that are unique to your home, neighborhood or town (dialect). Consider what image is both part of where you live and an effective metaphor for the life you lead there. Composition: Personal Narrative/Memoir Prompt: In a well- developed, descriptive essay, write about a pivotal moment in your life. Composition: Compare and Contrast: Prompt: Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Engelhardt s essay with Brandt s on the way we come to know our grandparents and the ways that they are remembered and change over time. Composition: Analysis: Prompt: In a well- developed essay, explain the importance of structure and how it reveals a major theme in Tim O Brien s The Things They Carried. 2

3 Unit 2: Persuasion and Methods of Rhetoric Weber, Karl, ed., Food, Inc. Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring King, Martin Luther, Letter from Birmingham Jail Lincoln, Abraham, The Gettysburg Address Morrison, Toni, When Language Dies: 1993 Nobel Prize for Literature Lecture Supplementary Texts: (Two to three teacher- selected texts) Pace Nilsen, Aileen, Sexism in English Orwell, George, Politics and the English Language Lincoln s Second Inaugural Speech Obama, Barack, 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Speech Allport, Gordon, The Language of Prejudice Swift, Jonathan, A Modest Proposal Obama, Barack, Speech on Race Naylor, Gloria, The Meanings of a Word The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington Viewing: (clips) Food, Inc., Forks Over Knives Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington Quizzes: Reading content and vocabulary, grammar, reflective/analytical journal entries Test: Food, Inc. Composition: Argument/Persuasive Essay Prompt: The text and documentary, Food, Inc. mainly focus upon the corporate role in the food production industry and how it affects humans, animals and the environment. Forks Over Knives focuses more upon the dietary choices we make, the health effects of those choices, and the reasons behind why we make those choices. What changes, if any, should Americans make to their diets? Using your own critical understanding of the American food system, write a carefully argued essay that explains your position. Be sure that your essay is well organized, moves fluidly from one idea to the next, has a clear thesis statement and a sensible conclusion that supports the points you have made. Refer to the texts and the documentaries to validate your views. Composition: Synthesis Prompt: According to Hannah Arendt in her essay, What is Freedom?, in order to achieve freedom, underlying principles of freedom must first inspire action. These principles can be anything from equality to justice to solidarity. Then, freedom appears in the world whenever such principles are actualized; the appearance of freedom, like the manifestation of principles, coincides with the performing act. In other words, once the action is started, freedom emerges. What is the duty of an individual to act as an agent of change? In an essay that synthesizes and uses for support at least three of the readings from this unit, discuss the obligations of individuals within a society. You must also find and use one additional source in support of the topic. That source should be credible. Include both direct and indirect citations. Refer to sources by author s last names or by titles. 3

4 Composition: Analysis Prompt: It has often been said that what separates humans from other creatures is our ability to express ourselves. Humans use language in a highly sophisticated manner to convey emotions and knowledge, feelings and ideas. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of language, however, is the ability to imagine, to envision what might be, what could be achieved in short, language gives us the power to imagine a different world. Write an essay in which you analyze further this extraordinary power and the special demands it places on us as humans. Unit 3: Compare and Contrast DeRosnay, Tatiana, Sarah s Key Richardson, Anna, The Ethical Limitations of Holocaust Literary Representation United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Children During the Holocaust Gregory, Dick, Shame Hurston, Zora Neale, How It Feels to Be Colored Me Hartocollis, Anemona, City Unveils Campaign to Improve Girls Self- Esteem Supplementary Texts: (two to three teacher selected) Morrison, Toni, The Bluest Eye (excerpt) O Connor, Flannery, Good Country People Grealey, Lucy, Autobiography of a Face (excerpt) Wiesel, Elie, Art and the Holocaust: Trivializing Memory Walls, Jeannette, The Glass Castle (excerpt) Viewing: Holocaust photographs Video interviews: Holocaust survivors Nicky s Family (clips) Menemsha films La Rafle starring Jean Reno and Melanie Laurent Yad Veshem, The Holocaust in France: The Vel d Hiv Roundup Quizzes: Reading content and vocabulary, grammar Test: Sarah s Key Composition: Compare/Contrast Prompt: Write an essay in which you discuss the ways Dick Gregory s attitude toward being different contrasts with Hurston s. Note how the two authors use word choice and tone to convey their self- image. Include both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the texts to support the points you have made. Composition: Synthesis Prompt: Is it ethical to portray the Holocaust through literature, media and film? In an essay that synthesizes and uses for support Sarah s Key, The Ethical Limitations of Holocaust Literary Representation, and three additional sources, inclusive of a visual source, discuss your point of view. The sources should be credible and represent both primary and secondary sources. Include both direct and indirect citations. Refer to sources by author s last names or by titles. 4

5 Composition: Journal entry Prompt: Do the video interviews of the Vel d Hiver survivors deepen your understanding of the events? Does Sarah s Key contribute to that understanding? Composition: Analysis Prompt: Remembering and never forgetting Zakhor. Al Tichkah is perhaps the underlying lesson of Sarah s Key. Against a tapestry of secrets that are finally revealed there exists a rivalry between those who would prefer to forget and those who would prefer to remember. Which characters are the ones who want to forget and which ones want to remember? Which ones do you have the most sympathy for as the story unfolds? Why? Composition: Argument/Persuasive Prompt: A recent New York City public health campaign, I m A Girl. I m Beautiful the Way I Am, addressed unattainable notions of female beauty promoted by advertisers. What do you think of a campaign like this? Do you think it is needed? How much pressure do you think girls feel to have perfect looks? What effects of that pressure have you seen on girls you know? What about boys? Do they face similar pressures? Unit 4: Methods of Research Ethnography Duneier, Mitchell, Sidewalk Oldenburg, Ray, ed., Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories about the Great Good Places at the Heart of Our Communities (excerpts) Spradley, James P., The Ethnographic Interview (excerpts) Quizzes: Reading content and vocabulary, grammar, reflective/analytical journal entries Ethnography research paper Supplementary Materials: Content related articles, current events, websites and films that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unit, submissions from students with teacher s Task and Prompt: As defined by the Anti- Defamation League, An ethnography seeks to describe all or part of the culture or life of a person, or a community, by identifying and describing the practices or beliefs of that person or community. With that definition in mind, and using Sidewalk as a model, craft your own ethnography. Select a place within the community (a neighborhood, business, museum, historical site, etc.). Why did you select this place? What cultural/historical significance does it have to the community? To you? Traditional Research: Research your selected place through different types of traditional resources (newspapers, magazines, news stories, online sources, visuals, photographs, etc.) Microfilm/microfiche are recommended. Fieldwork: Direct observations, interviews and photographs. Observations and interviews must be conducted over a period of time (different times of day, different days of the week). Due to the nature of the project, make use of local resources such as the Historical Society. Take careful notes. Keep a field notebook for your observations and interviews. Cite all of your sources correctly using MLA format. Integrate all of your sources, from both your traditional research and fieldwork, into a well- written study. Include direct and indirect citations. Integrate interviews into your study Include Works Cited following correct MLA format. Submit your draft electronically. Your final ethnography must be a hard copy and put together as a book. Use Duneier s work as a model. You must follow MLA format, and adhere to the Conventions of Standard English. Percentages of Overall Grade for the Course: Tests/Essays/Projects: 60%; Quizzes: 25%; Classwork/Homework: 15% 5