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.

Freshman English                                           610 English 9; 611 English 9H               1 Credit

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           1 Credit

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           1 Credit

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                                      1 Credit

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                                       642 English 12                                      1 Credit

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.         

Advanced Placement English                            647Advanced Placement                       1 Credit

Introduction to World Literature            

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 Operation Step-Up.

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 5^th year elective in English must meet the requirements and register for one of the following courses:

Electives

Shakespeare, Drama                                       644 English 12                                               1 Credit and Theater Arts

The purpose of this course is to encourage 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 including 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.

Creative Writing Workshop                           649  English Honors                                  1 Credit

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.  Students enrolled in this course will develop a portfolio of original work suitable for college submission or publication. 

Departmental approval is required for this course.  Interested students should submit a sample of original fiction and/or poetry, one to four pages in length, typed and double-spaced.  This sample need not be a complete work, but should represent the student’s best work.

            REQUIREMENTS:   Minimum average of  90%

                                            Recommendation of present English teacher

                                            Score of not lower than 65^th percentile on PSAT