English
The English Department strives to foster an awareness of the many forms of communication. Classes are conducted in an atmosphere which encourages independent and creative thinking. Courses focus on various aspects of literature, writing development, reading comprehension, critical evaluation of the mass media and advanced skills needed in composition and speech.
Each of the following courses earns one credit.
Freshman English
610 English 9; 611 English 9H
This course includes the study of grammatical correctness and usage as well as the skills needed to excel on the PSAT/SAT. Emphasis is placed on the development of reading and writing skills in conjunction with an introduction to the elements of poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. Selected poems, short stories, essays, novels and plays are studied both for comprehension and for the authors’ use of language.
Sophomore English
620 English 10; 621 English 10H
This course continues the development of the students’ writing and thinking skills. An integral part of this course will be mastery of PSAT, SAT and SAT II skills. Students will also study major American authors including Hawthorne, Poe, Whitman, Dickinson, Twain, Frost, Oates, Steinbeck, Porter and Miller. All literary genres will be represented in the works of the various writers.
Junior English
630 English 11; 631 English 11H
This course introduces students to major British authors, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Browning and Bronte. The focus of the course is an analysis of the writers and their works. One trimester will be devoted to selected modern authors. Skills necessary to excel on the SAT and SAT II will be an integral part of the course. Particular emphasis will be placed on those skills needed in preparation for the Comprehensive English Regents Examination.
Honors Courses
Any student who wishes to be considered for an honors course must submit the appropriate application form. Acceptance in an Honors course requires Departmental Approval.
The following criteria are used:
A. Freshmen and Sophomores -- Co-Op scores not lower than 75th Percentile.
B. Juniors - - PSAT scores not lower than 75th Percentile.
C. A minimum grade of 90 is required for consideration.
D. Recommendation of present English teacher based on writing skills, motivation and class participation.
The status of each student will be re-evaluated annually.
Senior English
Science Fiction and Utopian Literature
640 English 12
One trimester consists of COMPOSITION FOR COLLEGE. This course prepares students to write a research paper and to use advanced methods of composition.
Two trimesters will explore how various authors express their philosophies of life through the art form of the science fiction novel. Topics to be discussed will include social planning, utopias, capitalism vs. communism, freedom of speech and the morality of choices. Authors to be read include Vonnegut, Bradbury, Rand, Shelley.
In addition, a section on the critical evaluation of mass media will be studied.
Themes In Literature: Heroes and Antiheroes
642 English 12
One trimester consists of COMPOSITION FOR COLLEGE. This course prepares students to write a research paper and to use advanced methods of composition.
Two trimesters consist of the study of selections from literature on such themes as Women in Literature, Minority Voices, Search for Identity, American Dream, Society vs. The Individual. Novels, plays, short stories and biographies are studied.
In addition, a section on the critical evaluation of mass media will be included.
British and American Literature
643 English 12
One trimester consists of COMPOSITION FOR COLLEGE. This course prepares students to write a research paper and to use advanced methods of composition.
Two trimesters will examine British and American fiction, poetry, and drama written during a period of time punctuated by two world wars. It was an era of major change in the way that people lived. Selected novelists and playwrights may include Wharton, Dreiser, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, White, Shaw, etc. Poets may include Frost, Millay, the Lowells, Sandburg, Brooke, and others. In addition, a section on the critical evaluation of mass media will be included.
Shakespeare, Drama and Theater Arts
644 English 12
One trimester consists of COMPOSITION FOR COLLEGE. This course prepares students to write a research paper and to use advanced methods of composition.
Two trimesters will concentrate on encouraging the students’ creative impulse. Dramatic texts and activities are explored as students move towards an understanding of drama as an interdisciplinary experience. The students gain insights not only as performers and playwrights, but also as managers, directors, critics, audience members and characters in plays. Major playwrights include Sophocles, Wilde, Ibsen, Williams, Hansberry, Miller and Wilson are examined for content as well as for context in society.
In addition to the major playwrights, a special emphasis is placed on the Shakespearean canon. This includes a critical evaluation of texts as well as an emphasis on the female characterizations in Shakespeare’s plays.
Advanced Placement English - Introduction to World Literature
647 Advanced Placement
This is a college level introductory course in English, aimed at preparing students to take the Advanced Placement Examination in English. Students will develop skills in advanced composition and rhetoric including grammar and usage and the structure of contemporary English. They learn to use advanced methods of research and composition and write a research paper. Students also develop skills in critical reading as they pursue works which deal with ideas and values that have confronted people throughout the ages.
The focus of this course is outstanding writers from ancient to modern times. Novels, essays, poetry, drama and short stories are covered. (Writers will include Sophocles, Ibsen, Hemingway, Plath, Miller, O’Neill and Joyce.) Literary papers, discussion and class work will center on the literary techniques used and the universal questions that arise from a consideration of such works.
Students taking the course are required to take the Advanced Placement Examination.(The cost of the examination is assumed by the student.)
Open to Seniors who qualify and have Departmental Approval.
This course may be taken for college credit through College Advantage Program.
To take this course, a student must receive Departmental Approval.
REQUIREMENTS:
A minimum grade of 90% is required for consideration.
Recommendation of present English teacher
Score of not lower than 80th percentile on PSAT
To receive college credit -- minimum of 1000 on SAT
FIFTH YEAR IN ENGLISH: A student who wishes a 5th year elective in English must meet the requirements and register for the following course:
Fundamentals of Creative Writing
641 English Honors
This is an honors-level Creative Writing class intended for students with an advanced command of English and some background in Creative Writing. Students will develop a sound foundation in the craft of Fiction Writing and Poetry, through self-generated projects and consideration of others’ styles and techniques.
The core curriculum of this course will consist of weekly writing labs and conferences toward the development of student portfolios. Writing labs will be supplemented with weekly lessons in the craft of fiction writing and poetry, as well as the study of major works of literature with an emphasis on the author’s craft and technique. Students will attend field readings of working authors in and around New York City and complete a craft analysis of a major author during Trimester II. Departmental approval is required for this course.
Supplementary Program For Incoming Freshmen
Summer Refresher Course
Based on standardized test scores, some students will be invited to attend a 2-week refresher course of basic skills in Reading and Composition. The benefits of attending this course include strengthening basic skills and increasing comprehension and overall scholastic ability.