Required Course Outline Format
SEMESTER_____ YEAR__x___
COXSACKIE-ATHENS CENTRAL SCHOOLS
COURSE TITLE: __AP Literature and Composition_____________________
INSTRUCTOR_____M. Seekamp_______________________________
I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Please see High School Guide to Program Planning.
Course Overview

While this syllabus offers a fairly complete view of this course, I often vary the specific titles and works
we cover. As the course is broken down into thematic units, additions and substitutions are easily made
without detracting from either the depth or complexity of the works, each of which yields multiple
meanings.

With each of the major pieces we investigate, the students will complete at least one
analytical/interpretive essay. We will also be using class time to complete many timed essays to help
prepare the students for the AP exam.

As the ideal outcome of this course is a score on the AP exam which gains the student college credit, I
plan for and instruct this course in such a manner as to prepare the students (high school seniors) for a
college level literature class. Complexity and maturity in both discussions and written works is expected
and nurtured throughout the year. The course meets daily during a 42-minute class period.

This course is designed to comply with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course
Description.
Course Narrative
Unit 1: Hamlet (summer)
Readings: Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike.
Essential Questions: What truly motivates the characters in this tragedy? What makes for a successful drama?
What does it take to “revise” my writing?
This unit begins over the summer, as students are assigned to read the two pieces. Although a challenging
piece, I use Hamlet over the summer to help gauge the ability level of the incoming AP students. For both
Hamlet and Gertrude and Claudius, the student must complete a formal analysis of Gertrude, Claudius, and
Polonius. To complete an analysis, students are asked to consider the character’s actions/motivations, the
framework of the literature, and the author’s craft, including elements such as the work’s structure, style, and
themes. For each analysis, the student must also properly incorporate textual support. These 6 pieces are due at
two checkpoints over the summer. I then provide feedback to the students prior to their revision of their choice
of one of the essays. In class, we discuss the process of writing and revising. Students then revise one essay,
and I again provide feedback, both individual and group, and we again discuss, in class, the process. Students
then produce one further revision.
I feel it is imperative to set a framework of writing as a continuing process from the first day of school. For
every writing assignment over the year, I stress developing a strong argument, consciously considering voice
and purpose, incorporating varied sentence structure, and utilizing artistry in one’s writing.
Unit 2: The Power of Sin and Vengeance (Sept. to Nov.)
Readings: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; The Scarlet Letter and “Young Goodman Brown” by
Nathaniel Hawthorne; varied selections from past AP exams; varied poetry of a level consistent with the AP
exam
Essential Questions: What motivates people to exact revenge? Can one be forgiven for one’s sins? Is revenge
evil? How does one gain redemption? What major motifs flow through much literature? How do we study the
author’s craft?
Before beginning Tale, we investigate some samples of Dickens’ writing in order to gain a familiarity with his
style, which students often find challenging. Throughout Tale, we focus on Dickens’ craft and character/plot
development as we ponder the Essential Questions above, especially focusing on Dickens’ artistry and quality,
as well as the social and cultural aspects of the work, specifically as it relates to the French Revolution and the
motif of revenge. Upon completing the novel, students will write and revise a formal, analytical essay based on
their choice of 3 previous AP essay prompts. I find that it is especially important for the students to revise their
timed, in-class essays as this allows them to develop strategies to help them on future timed essays.
Additionally, students are given a test that assesses their ability to answer AP style multiple choice questions
based on short reading selections from the novel.
Moving on to Hawthorne, we again focus on the author’s craft in our investigation of the novel. A full study of
the novel is completed. An expository, interpretive essay with revisions is required, and students focus on
themes of the novel as they relate to repeated symbolism and imagery employed by Hawthorne. Additionally,
an AP styled multiple-choice test is administered.
After completing The Scarlet Letter, we begin our Hawthorne position paper, whereby students must evaluate
The Scarlet Letter, “Young Goodman Brown” and a second short story of their choice. We work on
“Goodman” together, and then I prepare the students for the evaluative paper, which requires the use of support
from sources of literary analysis as well as textual support from the three works. Again, the writing process is
stressed through revisions. For this paper, the creation of a unique and argumentative thesis is required and is
another aspect of writing we study closely. Students must maintain a focus in the essay that is relative to all
three titles, and as such, the focus must incorporate an observation of the works’ textual details linked with an
investigation of the works’ social and historical values. This expository essay assignment fulfills the
requirement of writing to explain, as it focuses on the development of an extended explanation and
interpretation of the meanings of multiple literary texts and their relation to each other.
Throughout this unit, I also begin the use of an AP Poetry packet that I have assembled. The poetry packet is a
collection of poetry of the complexity seen on the AP exam, and each poem has a series of 10-15 multiplechoice questions similar to those on the AP exam. While we begin the use of this packet in this unit, we
continue to work on it throughout the rest of the year. Additionally, I use actual, released AP exam questions to
help students prepare for both the complexity and time requirements of the AP exam.
Finally, during the early phases of this unit, we investigate the college application and essay process. Using a
bevy of college essay prompts, students will draft and revise an essay, which they will hopefully be able to use
for a formal college application.
Unit 3: The Solitary Hero (Dec.-Feb.)
Works: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad; All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy; The Kite Runner by
Khaled Hosseini
Essential Questions: Can one regain innocence lost? What happens when we attempt to make our dreams a
reality? How does the human psyche work? What happens to a man when he realizes the world is not what he
had thought/hoped?
The unit begins with the study of Heart of Darkness. During this unit, students will analyze the novella through
one of five distinct views: feminist criticism, post-colonial criticism, psychoanalytical criticism, reader
response theory, or deconstruction criticism. After learning the basics of each school of criticism, the student
chooses one, researches the basis of the criticism, and then completes five distinct analyses from specific
passages in the text. Throughout the reading, students will participate in class discussions of the novella, further
enhancing the meaning gleamed from the close readings by collaborating with other students via Google Drive.
Throughout the unit, Marlow’s voyage up the river and subsequent return is a focus for analyzing the changes
occurring within Marlow. After completing the novella, students are given a unit test, again using close reading
passages with multiple-choice questions geared towards familiarization with the AP multiple choice
components. Apocalypse Now is viewed, and students write a comparison/contrast essay. Viewing this film is
a requirement of this course, so consent to view the film is given by the student and/or his/her parent/guardian
by enrolling in the course. The essay requirement for the comparison of Heart of Darkness to Apocalypse Now
is an analytical, argumentative piece in which students must support their opinion as to the success of Coppola’s
artistry and success in modernizing Conrad’s classic. Specific support from each work is required, and students
must clearly argue how the two pieces both reflect the author’s/director’s statement about society.
After Heart of Darkness, we begin our study of the modern Western, All the Pretty Horses. In relation to
Marlow, this novel also shows the voyage of a man whose whole world is ripped from him, and he realizes he
no longer fits in this world. For this novel, our class writings and discussions are based on an analysis of the
Western as a genre, focusing on its motifs and themes. Additionally, as McCarthy’s writing style is
unconventional, we focus on this aspect of the author’s craft. After the unit test, students will complete an AP
essay in class with corresponding debriefing. The essay is based on the student’s interpretation of the work’s
textual details, specifically investigating the setting and the structure and style McCarthy employs in order to
contrast the various settings within the novel.
As a more lighthearted approach to the Western, The Three Amigos is viewed, and an evaluative essay is written
based on a comparison of Amigos to Horses, with a specific focus on each work’s success in maintaining a
“true” presentation of the West and of the cowboy archetype.
Finally, we read Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and investigate the protagonist’s path through sin and
repentance, a journey he must undertake, both physically and mentally, on his own. This piece allows students
to connect to current day world events and is a great tool to show students how an author can successfully use
plot twists, foreshadowing, and irony to a very high degree. Again, throughout the unit, students will reflect
upon the novel in writing and through class discussions. At the conclusion of The Kite Runner, students
complete an interpretive essay focused on Hosseini’s repeated use of symbolism and imagery throughout the
novel. Again, students work through the writing process in order to produce a stronger piece of writing.
Unit 4: The Hero/Christ Figure in Literature (March-May)
Works: John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried
Essential Questions: What makes a “hero”? How and why do authors use Christ figures in literature, and to
what degree do they exist in real life? Through the use of the hero/savior, what is the author trying to convince
us is worth saving or worth dying for?
In both of these novels, the use of characterization is stressed and analyzed, both through writing assignments
and through class discussions. Both pieces are also presented as a first person reflection upon an important
influence in the protagonist’s life, so narrative voice and point of view is also examined.
As this unit leads up to the AP Exam in May, students complete practice AP essays for each piece, followed by
debriefing and strategies for greater success.
Also during this unit, students will work through various selections from released AP exam multiple-choice
questions, both poetry and prose, and class time is dedicated to working out strategies students should employ
in order to perform well on a timed examination.
Additionally, during our study of The Things They Carried, students begin work on their autobiographical
research project. As O’Brien uses narrative voice powerfully in his novel, this is a great example when teaching
students about writing personal narratives and introducing them to the many narrative voices available.
Throughout their autobiography project, students complete “chapters” from their life, work through revisions,
and research important world events, both social and historical, from the various stages of their life so far.
Their final product is usually 30 pages typed, includes properly cited research with accompanying
bibliographical and works cited pages, and involves a vast creative element, both in the writing and the artistic
presentation of their final product.
Unit 5: Lighthearted Wit (May)
Works: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Essential Questions: What is the importance of being earnest? What is Wilde’s social commentary? How can
an author use witty humor to present a very serious question or situation?
As a quick, lighthearted break from some of the more serious literature, we read Earnest together in class. Due
to Wilde’s excellent use of wit and epigrams, a close study of diction and syntax is completed. Students also
analyze Wilde’s social commentary. At the conclusion of this very brief unit, students will complete an AP
essay for which they interpret this piece of literature through a careful examination of textual details, focusing
on Wilde’s social commentary. As with all other AP style essays, we debrief the essays after and consider
revisions or alternate approaches the student could have employed to make the essay more effective.
Unit 6: Post-Exam Literature
After the exam, students have a choice of literature from which to choose for our final unit. The class may
choose from such titles as Frankenstein, Into Thin Air, A Lesson Before Dying, Steppenwolf, Ella Minnow Pea,
and Notes from the Underground and Pygmalion. For this unit, we read and discuss the same book as a class.
As the AP exam is behind us, class discussions and active reading skills are stressed more so than timed essays.
Year-long Items
In addition to all of the above literature units, there are ongoing, weekly vocabulary units. Words are chosen
either from the texts we read or from various other sources. Vocabulary is chosen to challenge the students and
enrich their vocabulary, and students are encouraged to use the new vocabulary in their writing often.
Grammar and writing instruction is ongoing throughout the year, mainly in mini-lessons, as I see fit. Especially
after each AP essay written in class, as part of the debriefing, I will stress different elements of grammar and/or
successful writing techniques from what I see students doing incorrectly or not to their full potential in the
essays. Through this approach, we are able to review any troublesome grammatical issues, and we are able to
discuss powerful writing techniques and strategies successful writers employ to make their writing more
effective.
Students work with 1:1 iPads, using Google Drive to collaborate on work and share with the instructor.
List of Resources and Titles
As students are using district iPads, the texts are mostly pre-loaded on the iPad, and the students use the iBooks
e-reader feature to access the texts. However, I do have paper copies of the texts, as well as additional titles we
may use.
For each of the titles below, students are invited to purchase a copy of the book at the list price. I invite them to
do so, as I also give students instruction in various techniques for marginal notes and annotated note taking as
they work through the literature. For those not purchasing the books, thereby not allowed to write in the text,
we use either notepaper or post-it notes to accommodate this.
Copies of each of the following are available for student use or purchase:
Arp, Thomas and Johnson, Greg, ed. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. New York: Heinle &
Heinle, 2002.
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990.
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1999.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Books, 1986.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: Ballantine Books, 1989.
McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses. New York: Vintage International, 1992.
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Boradway Books, 1990.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Pocket Books, 1992.
Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. New York: Grove Press, 1967.
Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves. New York: Gotham Books, 2003.
Updike, John. Gertrude and Claudius. New York: Ballantine Books, 2000.
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990.
A choice from:
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Notes from the Underground. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1992.
Dunn, Mark. Ella Minnow Pea. New York: Anchor Books, 2001.
Gains, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1993.
Hesse, Herman. Steppenwolf. New York: Picador, 1963.
Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air. New York: Anchor Books, 1997.
Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1994.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Puffin Books, 1994.
Students are also given an extensive Poetry Packet, which includes approximately 30 poems with
accompanying AP style multiple-choice questions. This packet is used, along with other various poetry,
throughout the course of the year. This packet includes poetry from poets such as: Philip Sidney, Robert
Browning, William Shakespeare, John Donne, George Herbert, John Milton, Edmund Spenser, Henry Vaughan,
Richard Lovelace, Andrew Marvell, Richard Crashaw, Ben Jonson, George Wither, William Wordsworth,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and George Gordon, Lord Byron.