12th Grade English Syllabus 2014-2015

Instructor: Erin Walsh

E-mail: [email protected]
Classroom: Hunter East, Library Room 1!
Class Website: ewalshenglish.weebly.com
Course Description:
" selection o# high-interest te$ts that s%an i&eas, time %erio&s, an& genres' are
rea& outsi&e the classroom an& use& as a s%ringboar& #or class acti(ities an&
&iscussion #ocuse& on emulation an& analysis. "n e$%loration o# %erce%tions on a
range o# broa& to%ics, inclu&ing i&entity, a&olescence, &esire, gen&er, guilt,
esca%e, social class, an& belie# systems emerges as stu&ents unco(er biases,
stereoty%es, an& %erce%tions that are seemingly una(oi&able in writing. )tu&ents
are intro&uce& to a range o# su%%lemental rea&ing material, inclu&ing case
stu&ies, literary theory, %sychoanalytic theory, an& scholarly articles, which
%ro(i&e new lenses through which to un&erstan& the te$ts we rea&. *(er the
course o# the school year, stu&ents %ro&uce a range o# writing, inclu&ing %ersonal
narrati(es, creati(e +ction, res%onse to literature %a%ers, &escri%ti(e narrati(es,
&ata collection , research, an& close-rea&ing analysis %a%ers that are organi-e&
in an online %ort#olio (ia .oogle /ocs. 0he course is &i(i&e& into #our sections: #all
semester, winter intersession, s%ring semester, an& summer intersession.
Outline o Se!esters:
i. 1all )emester: Creati(e Writing, 2emoirs, 3ersonal 4arrati(es, , )hort-
)tories
ii. Winter Intersession: /ata Collection, /escri%ti(e 4arrati(e, *ral History,
Re%ortage
iii. )%ring )emester: "nalytical Writing, Literary 0heory, Close-Rea&ing "nalysis,
/ysto%ian )cience 1iction, E%istolary te$ts, /rama, Historical 1iction
i(. )ummer Intersession: 3artici%ation in senior-le& acti(ities, such as college
essay wor5sho%s with the 6uniors, senior re7ection a&(isory (isits with the
un&erclassmen, class tri%, senior %rom, count&own &ay, an& +el& &ay.
"a#or $e%ts:
Fall Semester
Brain On Fire, by )usannah Cahalan
8*nly /aughter,9 by )an&ra Cisneros
8)i$ty-4ine Cents,9 by .ary )hteyngart
81inishing )chool,9 by 2aya "ngelou
82y 2other 4e(er Wor5e&,9 by :onnie )mith-;ac5el
8In&ian E&ucation,9 by )herman "le$ie
8Lamb to the )laughter,9 by Roal& /ahl
80he )tory o# an Hour,9 by <ate Cho%in
8"ll o# )ummer in a /ay,9 by Ray :ra&bury
80he )em%lica .irl /iaries,9 by .eorge )aun&ers
8:ig 2e,9 by /an Chaon
81alling :ac5war&s,9 by /an Chaon
8Where "re ;ou .oing, Where Ha(e ;ou :een,9 by =oyce Carol *ates
80he Lottery,9 by )hirley =ac5son
Jesusland, by =ulia )cheeres
Winter Intersession
0:/
Spring Semester
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray :ra&bury
Brave New World, by "l&ous Hu$ley
The Sorrows o !oung Werther, by =ohann Wol#gang .oethe
"amlet, by William )ha5es%eare
The #ite $unner, by <hale& Housseini
Course Ob#ecti&es:
&el(e &ee%er into the cra#t o# writing by in(estigating the a%%aratus o# well-
written wor5s across genres, inclu&ing memoir, %ersonal narrati(e, short-
story, oral history, an& close-rea&ing analysis
analy-e te$ts through the lens o# author cra#t, #ocusing on setting, imagery,
moo&, tone, (oice, conte$t, %ace, sub6ecti(ity, ob6ecti(ity, irony, sentence
structure, wor& choice, characteri-ation, &ialogue, narration, e$%osition,
re7ection, in&ications o# time, %oint o# (iew, com%arison, sensory
&escri%tion, reliability, an& the arc o# a story
stu&y techni>ues use& by %ublishe& authors an& then try them in our own
writing
con&uct &ata-collection research that inclu&es inter(iews, oral history re%ort,
&escri%ti(e analysis, an& synthesis o# &ata collecte&
a%%ly 5nowle&ge o# theoretical %ara&igms to enrich un&erstan&ing an&
&iscussion o# te$ts we rea&
e$%lore the (arious ways in which the uni(ersality o# human e$%erience can
be re%resente&, inter%rete&, an& (alue&
%ractice techni>ues that strengthen analytical writing (oices an& styles,
such as re(iewing scholarshi% to unco(er ga%s, #ormulating thought-
%ro(o5ing an& arguable thesis statements, writing arguable to%ic sentences
that connect to the thesis, wor5ing with e(i&ence ?stretching, cho%%ing,
wea(ing, s%anning, summari-ing, an& elaborating on@, com%osing
%ro(ocati(e an& eAecti(e intro&uction an& conclusion sections o# %a%ers,
ac5nowle&ging logos, %athos, an& ethos a%%eals, an& %er#orming a close
rea&ing o# a te$t, wor&-by-wor&, image-by-image
engage in regular class &iscussion, small grou%-wor5, %eer-re(iew sessions
an& writing con#erences
Su!!ati&e 'ssign!ents: %The lowest&scoring grade will 'e dropped in the (nal
average)
( Due Date 'ssign!ent )ength
1 /ue W5 1 /ay 1 College Essay 1inal /ra#t BC-#wr
D /ue W5 1E /ay 1 Creati(e Writing 2emoir or 1iction 3iece F-1
%gs
G /ue W5 D 2on 4eighborhoo& Wal5 /escri%ti(e 4arrati(e %a%er D-G %gs
E /ue W5 D1 0ues *ral History Inter(iew 0ranscri%tion , "nalysis %a%er G-E %gs
C /ue W5 DD 0ues 4eighborhoo& 3ortrait synthesis %a%er F-1
%gs
B /ue W5 DE /ay 1 The Martian Chronicles close-rea&ing through a lens
%a%er
D-G %gs
! /ue W5 D! /ay D Brave New World close-rea&ing through a lens
%a%er
D-G %gs
F /ue W5 DH /ay 1 Sorrows o !oung Werther close-rea&ing through a
lens %a%er
D-G %gs
H /ue W5 G1 /ay 1 Lit theory analysis %a%er with D outsi&e sources C-! %gs
1 /ue W5 GE /ay D "amlet com%are , contrast through a lens %a%er D-G %gs
11 /ue W5 GE /ay 1 The #ite $unner close-rea&ing through a lens %a%er E-G %gs
E%pectations:
)tu&ents who are the most success#ul in this course an& a%%ly lenses to rea&ings,
contribute to &iscussion an& acti(ities, an& ta5e notes both &uring class an& while
rea&ing. 0he most organi-e& an& well-%re%are& stu&ents chec5 an& res%on& to
emails &aily, chec5 the class website regularly, an& chec5 6u%itergra&es o#ten. 0he
highest-scoring stu&ents ma5e the connection between high atten&ance an& high
le(els o# learning an& achie(ement' they un&erstan& that the (alue o# atten&ing
each class goes beyon& gaining or losing %oints.
Grading *olicy:
Wor5 submitte& a#ter &ue &ate but be#ore ne$t class session I score no higher than
a BCJ
Late to class I score no higher than a BCJ
0urne& in by a #rien& I no higher than a BCJ
Late wor5 submitte& one wee5 late or more I score no higher than a CCJ
Re>uests #or e$tensions I consi&ere& only when re>ueste& at least D &ays be#ore
&ue &ate
E$cuse& "bsence I emaile& to me 'eore class time #or #ull cre&it unless you ha(e
an e$tension
1ormati(e
"ssessmen
ts
0his category inclu&es wee5ly classwor5,
homewor5, an& rea&ing >ui--es other than
summati(e %a%ers.
DCJ
Class
"tten&ance
1or this category, you earn 1 %oints each class
session ?D %oints %er wee5@ #or showing u% on
time. ;ou earn hal#-cre&it #or lateness an& hal#-
cre&it #or a ma5e-u% class.
DJ
)tu&y 0his category re>uires you to be on time an& to 1J
.rou%
acti(ely %artici%ate in your stu&y grou%s. 0he
grou% nee&s to sit together, be %resent an&
wor5ing #or the entire hour, both &ays the grou%
meets.
)ummati(e
"ssignment
s
0his category inclu&es %a%ers that come at the en&
o# our rea&ing o# a %articular boo5 or to%ic. 0hese
%a%ers re>uire more time outsi&e o# class than
routine assignments, an& sometimes re>uire you
to &o outsi&e research.
ECJ
'cade!ic +ntegrity:
Hunter College regar&s acts o# aca&emic &ishonesty ?e.g., %lagiarism, cheating on
e$aminations, obtaining un#air a&(antage, an& #alsi+cation o# recor&s an& oKcial
&ocuments@ as serious oAenses against the (alues o# intellectual honesty. 0he
College is committe& to en#orcing the CL4; 3olicy on "ca&emic Integrity an& will
%ursue cases o# aca&emic &ishonesty accor&ing to the Hunter College "ca&emic
Integrity 3roce&ures. )tu&ents sus%ecte& o# a (iolation o# the college %olicy on
aca&emic integrity ris5 #ailure o# the assignment, #ailure in the course, or e(en
remo(al #rom the %rogram.
3lagiarism inclu&es but is not limite& to: submitting wor5 which has been co%ie&
in whole or in %art #rom someone elseMs wor5 without i&enti#ying that %erson,
#ailing to i&enti#y as a >uotation a &ocumente& i&ea that has not been thoroughly
assimilate& into the stu&entNs language an& style, %ara%hrasing a %assage so
closely that the rea&er coul& be misle& as to the source, submitting the same
written or oral material in &iAerent courses without obtaining authori-ation
an&Oor %ro(i&ing aca&emic wor5 to another when it is 5nown that the other
%erson inten&s to use the wor5 to write hisOher own wor5.
Cheating inclu&es but is not limite& to: obtaining or gi(ing unauthori-e& hel%
&uring an e$amination, getting unauthori-e& in#ormation about the contents o#
an e$amination be#ore it is a&ministere&, using unauthori-e& sources o#
in#ormation &uring an e$amination, an&Oor su%%lying answers a#ter an
e$amination has been submitte&.