AP English Language and Composition Course Syllabus 2013-2014
Ms. Sarah Cice
[email protected]
Course Overview:
The goal and purpose of AP English Language and Composition is to help students “write effectively and
confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their profession and personal lives.” The course is
organized according to the requirements and guidelines of the current AP Language and Composition Course
Description.
Course Objectives:
In the course of the academic year, students will
 Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical
strategies and techniques;
 Apply effective rhetorical strategies and techniques in their own writing;
 Create and sustain arguments based on readings, visual texts, research, and/or personal experience;
 Demonstrate mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings, using a
variety of sentence structures and effective vocabulary;
 Produce compositions that introduce a thesis supported with appropriate evidence, cogent commentary, and
clear transitions;
 Synthesize various sources to craft an informed argument, properly documenting and citing those sources
using MLA standards;
 Demonstrate understanding of the components of citations, endnotes, and footnotes;
 Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their
own writing;
 Improve meta-cognitive thinking skills so as to respond to reading through thoughtful inquiry, articulate
discussion, better test performance, and incisive writing;
 Participate fully in all phases of the writing process including prewriting, drafting, peer and student-teacher
conferencing, revising, and editing.
Assessment
 75% Major Assessments
 25% Minor Assessments
Attendance
 A student who wishes to be successful in AP English must be present. Please do not schedule
appointments, vacations, field trips, school events or other activities during English class time.
Absenteeism:
 If a student was present on the day an assignment was given, but absent when the assignment was due, the
student must submit the assignment on the day he or she returns.
 Students will receive two days for each day they were absent to hand in any makeup work.
 Students who are absent due to a doctor’s appointment, field trip, musical performance, or athletic event are
required to get their homework the day before they miss class. Athletics, extracurricular activities, and
planned absences require submission of assignments prior to the scheduled absence.
Policy for late work:
 Late work is not accepted
Required Materials
 Three ring binder and dividers
 College-ruled loose leaf paper
 Highlighter, pens and pencils
Course Requirements
 Successful students will demonstrate skills indicative of quality workers by bringing required materials,
completing assignments, participating in class discussions, and respecting the opinions of others.
 All students enrolled in AP Language and Composition will be required to
o write a variety of essays in different contexts for different purposes and audiences;
o work through the various stages of the writing process and be both prompt and diligent in revision;
o be both helpful and honest in peer reading sessions, making an effort to provide thoughtful
feedback to classmates;
o do the assigned readings from the texts and other handouts as specified by the instructor;
o be able to recognize, analyze and use various rhetorical devices;
o take periodic quizzes on the various readings and concepts covered;
o work through numerous practice items from past AP exams in preparation for the exam;
o take the AP Language and Composition Exam as scheduled;
o actively participate in class discussion
Writing Assignments
Students will be assigned a variety of writing assignments, to be done both inside and outside of class, in both
formal and informal contexts. There are a minimum of 10 major papers described in the course outline; these
assignments will focus on moving through the writing process and will include multiple revisions. In addition to
these papers, frequent timed in-class essays will be assigned, requiring students to analyze, explain and/or take a
position in the composition. Some of these essays will be responses to released AP exam prompts, others will be
related to certain readings.
All final drafts of major written assignments must be typed and must adhere to MLA guidelines. All papers must be
printed as I am not your secretary. There will be times that I ask you to print and email me your assignments.
Cheating and plagiarism on schoolwork will result in a zero on the assignment and additional disciplinary
actions may follow.
Unit 1: Intro to AP Language and Composition
Readings
 “The Dog At My Disk, and Other Tales of Woe” Carolyn Foster Segal
 “Summer Bummer” Joe Queenan
 “Education” Ralph Waldo Emerson—Rhetorical Analysis
 In Cold Blood Truman Capote
 The Elements of Style William Strunk and E.B. White
Major Writing Assignments
 Rhetorical Analysis—“Education” by Ralph Waldo Emerson: What is Emerson’s main purpose in
writing this essay and what rhetorical techniques does he use to convey that purpose?
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
o Rhetorical Analysis
o Argumentative
o Synthesis
Multiple choice practice
Unit 2: Exemplification
Readings
 “In and Of Ourselves We Trust” Andy Rooney
 “Why Don’t We Complain” William Buckley
 “Westminster Abbey” Joseph Addison
 “What I’ve Learned from Men” Barbara Ehrenreich
 “The Human cost of an Illiterate Society” Jonathon Kozol
 Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” Brent Staples
Major Writing Assignments
 Exemplification Essay—Choose a central theme and develop it into a unified composition, using
examples from history, current events, or personal experience to illustrate your ideas.
 Rhetorical Analysis—“Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White: What is White’s purpose is
writing “Once More to the Lake” and what rhetorical techniques does he use to convey that
purpose?
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 3—Classification
Readings
 “What, Me, Showing Off?” Judith Viorst
 “Hints Toward an Essay on Conversation” Jonathon Swift
 “Five Ways to Kill a Man” Edwin Brock
 “College Pressures” William Zinsser
 “Women’s Brain” Stephen Jay Gould
 “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson
Major Writing Assignments
 Classification Essay—Use division and classification (into at least three categories) as your basic
method of analyzing one subject from an interesting point of view. Narrow the topic as necessary
to enable you to do a thorough job.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 4—Comparison and Contrast
Readings
 “Two Ways of Seeing a River” Mark Twain
 “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” Bruce Catton
 “Am I Blue?” Alice Walker
 “It’s Not that I Don’t Like Men” Anna Quindlen
 “That Lean and Hungry Look” Suzanne Jordan
Major Writing Assignments
 Comparison and Contrast Essay—Choose a central theme and develop a composition primarily by
use of comparison and/or contrast. Use examples liberally for clarity and concreteness.
 Rhetorical Analysis—“I Am a Cripple” Nancy Mairs: What is Mairs’s purpose in writing this
essay and how does she use rhetorical devices to articulate her message?
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 5—Analogy and Satire
Readings
 “O Rotten Gotham—Sliding Down into the Behavioral Sink” Thomas Wolfe
 “The Ephemera” Ben Franklin
 “Allegory of the Cave” Plato
 “A Modest Proposal” Jonathon Swift
Major Writing Assignments
 Analogy Essay—Develop an appropriate analogy for a theme of your choosing. Write a
composition that expands this analogy and articulates your purpose.
 Satire Essay--Satirical essays are often written about controversial topics to try to persuade the
reader to agree with the writer's point of view. However, satirical essays are written sarcastically
in order to mock and point out flaws in the opposing point of view. Choose a topic and write an
essay in which you satirize your issue through one of the ways discussed in class.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 6—Process Analysis
Readings
 “To Dispel Fears of Live Burial” Jessica Mitford
 “On Keeping a Notebook” Joan Didion
 “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson
 “The Mowing of a Field” Hillaire Belloc
 “How to Escape from a Bad Date” Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, and Jennifer Worick
Major Writing Assignments
 Process Analysis Essay—Choose a topic and develop it into an informational process analysis
essay.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 7—Cause and Effect
Readings
 “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun” Linda Hasselstrom
 “Who Killed Benny Paret?”Norman Cousins
 “Suicide Note” Janice Miriktani
 “Kids in the Mall: Growing Up Controlled by William Severani Kowinski
 “Ambition” Edmund Burke
Major Writing Assignments
 Cause and Effect Essay—analyze the immediate and ultimate causes and/or effects of a top a topic
of your choice. Be careful that your analysis does not develop into a mere listing of superficial
reasons.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 8—Definition
Readings
 “Of Cunning” Francis Bacon
 “Phony Culture” James Combs
 “A Word for Autumn” A.A. Milne
 “I Want a Wife” Judy Syfers
 “Daddy” Sylvia Plath
 “The Wife-Beater” Gayle Rosenwald Smith
 “When is it Rape?” Nancy Gibbs
Major Writing Assignments
 Definition Essay—Develop a composition for a specified purpose and audience, using whatever
methods and expository techniques will help convey a clear understanding of your meaning of a
certain phrase, word, or idea
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 9—Description and Narration
Readings
Description
 “The War Room at Bellevue” George Simpson
 “The Yellow Door House” Joyce Maynard
 “On Lying Awake at Night” Steward Edward White
 “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell
Narration
 “38 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” Martin Gansberg
 “A Hanging” George Orwell
 “My First Life Line” Maya Angelou
 “The Hills of Zion” H.L. Mencken
 “On Being Chased” Annie Dillard
 “The Death of a Moth” Virginia Woolf
Major Writing Assignments
 Description Essay—Primarily by way of impressionistic description that focuses on a single
dominant impression, show and explain the mood or atmosphere of a topic of your choice.
 Narration Essay—Use narration as a primary or partial pattern for an expository theme of your
choosing. Avoid the isolated personal account that has little broader significance.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Unit 10—Induction and Deduction/Argument
Readings
 “A Civic Duty to Annoy” Wendy Kaminer
 “The Age of Beauty” Nancy Friday
 “Of Love” Francis Bacon
 “Love is a Fallacy” Max Shulman
 “How the Lawyers Stole Winter” Christopher D. Daly
 “Could You Live With Les” Stephanie Mills
 “Four Letter Words Can Hurt You” Barbara Lawrence
 “Why Johnny Can’t Read But Yoshio Can” Richard Lynn
 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Martin Luther Kind, Jr.
Major Writing Assignments
 Choose a topic area, identify an issue within it, and prepare an essay that tries to convince readers
to share your opinion about the issue and take any appropriate action. Use a variety of evidence in
your essay, and choose any pattern of development you consider proper for the topic, for your
thesis, and for the intended audience.
 AP Lang Exam Timed Essays
Multiple choice practice
Supplemental Units of Study
Angela’s Ashes—Frank McCourt
The Color of Water—James McBride
Life of Pi—Yann Martel
Conditions may change at any given time. I reserve the right to make changes, additions or subtractions, to this
syllabus without prior notice.