Mr. John Schlaefli Mr.

John Stewart

Clackamas High School

2015-2016

Course Description
Welcome to AP English Language and Composition, a course designed to be the equivalent in
rigor in rhetoric, language studies, and composition to Writing 121 at the college level. The focus
of AP Language and Composition is intensive analysis of rhetoricfiction, drama, and nonfiction.
AP Language will acquaint students with the styles, modes, and techniques evident in various
periods of American writing. The literature open to study, however, includes not only American
Literature, but any prose of sufficient merit to serve both as a subject for advanced critical analysis
and as a model for students in their own work as writers. Students will write in a variety of modes
and genres, concentrating on exposition and argumentation / persuasion. A focus on nonfiction
modes will require students to recognize rhetorical, stylistic, and literary devices and strategies
that can be used to enhance their own writing. They will learn that advanced composition does not
magically happen, nor does it happen according to pre-ordained formula; rather, the advanced
writer makes decisions regarding persona, tone, diction, syntax, and all other considerations only
after giving careful thought to his/her audience, rhetorical context, and purpose. Special attention
in this course will be devoted to preparing students for the AP Language and Composition
examination in May, which directly tests the student's reading and writing abilities by asking him or
her to recognize and analyze how an author shapes a piece of writing to serve the overall purpose
or themes.

Summer Reading Assignment

To prepare students to engage successfully in such a rigorous course, the following summer
reading assignment is mandatory, and will count as a grade on their first semester transcript, no
matter which teacher they have. We strongly encourage the student not to wait until August to
complete this assignment. It should be reasonably paced over the duration of the summer.

For the summer, you will need to read two books: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, and parts of How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

1. Assignment
Read The Scarlet Letter. You can find this book at any local library, bookstore, for less
than a dollar on the Kindle store and most e-book stores, or the full-text online for free.
Feel free to consult outside sources to help understand the background of the author and
the novel. We will discuss the novel when you return from the summer. How to Read
Literature Like a Professor can be found online, at any bookstore, and some copies can
be purchased cheaply from the CHS bookkeeper while supplies last.
2. Then, read the following chapters from How to Read Literature like a Professor:
Chapters 1-7
Chapter 14- Yes, Shes a Christ Symbol Too
Chapter 21- Marked for Greatness

3. Write an essay (minimum 750 words) based on the following prompt:

In Thomas C. Fosters book, he offers many different ways to interpret a work of
literature. In a well-developed essay, discuss an idea from Fosters chapters that
is also present in The Scarlet Letter. Your analysis can include only references to
Fosters book and to The Scarlet Letter, and may not draw upon any outside sources
(that means no SparkNotes, for example). Use of outside sources as references, or
even as starting points for your essay, will not be rewarded with points. This isnt an
essay about The Scarlet Letter; its an essay about how Fosters ideas are present in
The Scarlet Letter.

Your essay should start with a clear claim that is supported by evidence from both The
Scarlet Letter and How to Read Literature. Be sure to avoid plot summary, which will
detract from the analysis. The best analysis will examine the relationship between the
novel and Fosters ideas about literature.

4. Sample Ideas to think about as you read and write:

The character of Roger Chillingworth and his relationship to Fosters ideas in chapter 3.
The character of Arthur Dimmesdale and his relationship to Fosters ideas in chapter
14.
The characters and the conflict/climax/resolution in The Scarlet Letter, and how those
relate to Fosters ideas in chapter 7.
A main character and his/her relationship to Fosters ideas in chapter 21.

John Stewart and John Schlaefli

AP Language and Composition Teachers
stewartjoh@nclack.k12.or.us
schlaeflijo@nclack.k12.or.us