English Courses

Majors:

Creative Writing
Prep for Advanced Placement English
Reading and Writing
Speech and Debate

Minors:

Etymology and Semantics
Expository Writing
Journalism: Start the Presses*
Reading and Writing
SAT Prep (Reading and Math)*
Speech and Debate

Reading and Writing - Major

(A) Grades 11-12
(B) Grades 9-10
MAJOR

The abilities to read actively and write articulately remain central to any student's education. This critical reading and writing course challenges students to confront a variety of written and visual texts and encourages them to see writing as a valuable tool. This intensive reading and writing workshop pushes students to discover the individual thinker in each of them and teaches them how to give voice to their thoughts through the written word. This course is the English department's core offering.

Reading and Writing - Minor

(A) Grades 11-12
(B) Grades 9-10
MINOR

The minor Reading and Writing course is an adapted version of the major. It has the same objectives as the major course, but less time to confront as many different written and visual texts.

 to the top

Etymology and Semantics

All Grades
MINOR

English is a language with a long and colorful history. It has been shaped by invasions, by migrations, and by the creativity of writers of genius. Systematic study of the development of English, along with Greek and Latin word roots, helps students develop an understanding of how language shapes and is shaped by culture. Students think critically about the power and versatility of language and leave the course with a sense of the role of English in literature and history. Analyzing the components of English words and surveying the evolution of the language provide a fascinating and effective way to increase vocabulary and develop the skills necessary for forming ideas and expressing them clearly.

Creative Writing

All Grades
MAJOR

This course is for the student who thinks of writing as an art, not just a useful skill. Students read and write in several genres - short story, poetry ,and nonfiction memoir— using the readings as models for their own work. In their writing, students are expected to develop mastery of fundamental techniques of good writing, from basic grammar and usage to metaphorical language and plot structure. Required to write daily, revise, and produce polished final drafts, students begin to transform raw talent into true skill.

Prerequisites are a mastery of basic writing skills, some experience with poetry or fiction, and a serious attitude about writing as a discipline and an art.

to the top 

Journalism: Start the Presses

All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR

Students hone their reporting, writing, and editing skills through regular story assignments ranging from hard news and features to reviews and opinion pieces. The class works together as a newsroom team, producing a weekly newspaper. Students also become critical consumers of the mass media and explore the ethical issues facing modern-day journalists.

Prep for Advanced Placement English

Grades 11-12

MAJOR

This course is designed for students who are interested in an intensive preparation for the AP English examination. This course not only helps foster an understanding of challenging fiction and poetry written in a variety of periods, styles, and disciplines, it also helps students develop their expository writing under a timed-essay format. Students learn not only critical vocabulary for discussing poetry, novels, drama, and literary criticism, but also various literary theories through which they may approach the study of literature. Students learn to develop their own writing styles, using complex sentence structure, paragraph organization, vocabulary, and detail. Students examine mainly British and American literature in a variety of literary genres.

to the top 

Speech and Debate - Major

Grades 10-12
MAJOR

In a survey, 3,000 Americans were asked what in the world they dreaded the most. Public speaking came in first - ahead of death! Yet in an encouraging classroom atmosphere, students can overcome this fear as they are taught to improve both the delivery and the content of their public speaking. Students write, revise, and speak extensively for themselves and are introduced to competitive high school speech activities, such as Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu, and Lincoln-Douglas debate.  Close analysis of contemporary American political speeches and research of controversial topics such as the death penalty, abortion, gun control, and AIDS testing provide issues for classroom debate.  Students develop a skill that serves them invaluably for the rest of their lives. This course assumes no prior knowledge of public speaking or debate.

Speech and Debate - Minor

Grades 10-12
MINOR

This course prepares students for important moments in their lives: when they interview, when they are trying to persuade a group to see their point of view, or when they seek a class office. Learning to organize one's thoughts and to present them effectively develops important skills to use in life.

Students deliver different types of speeches and learn how to select a topic, organize the material, control the audience, and make an effective delivery. They learn to offer both praise and constructive criticism as classmates work together to develop and improve each person's speaking abilities.

Armed with the fundamentals of debate theory and argumentation, students integrate current events into their debates of contemporary policy issues. They view and critique each other's presentations.

Written homework assignments and oral presentations are evaluated with an emphasis on assessing strengths and weaknesses and tracking improvement. This course assumes no prior knowledge of public speaking or debate.

to the top 

SAT Prep (English and Math)

Grades 11-12
EXTENDED MINOR

This course prepares students for the math, reading, and writing sections of SAT I, including the student-written essay. Following a preliminary diagnostic SAT, students are placed in classes according to shared strengths and weaknesses. While the class reviews the math concepts, grammar/usage rules, and vocabulary tested on the SAT, we also focus on efficient test-taking strategies and anxiety-reducing techniques that can help each student maximize his or her score. Students take two additional official SATs to chart their score improvements, and they receive detailed, personalized score analyses after each test. This course is primarily intended for rising seniors and juniors.

Expository Writing

All Grades
MINOR

This course, though quite similar to Reading and Writing, places a greater emphasis on student writing.  It is a course designed for writers who want to re-examine everything about their own writing and want to hone their skills in a variety of different forms (such as personal essay, analytical paper, research paper, book, or film review).  Although students read and discuss essays from outside sources, most of the time will be spent examining, discussing, and analyzing their own essays.  By the end of the course, students will have developed an awareness of what choices they make when they write, and why they make them.  This awareness will provide them with the skills to continue refining their writing after the Summer Session has ended.

 to the top