ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
INTRODUCTION
The graduation requirements at St. Ignatius College Preparatory include eight semesters of English. The English Department attempts to accomplish two major changes in the students before graduation. Our first goal is to enable the students to express themselves in clear and precise prose. The second is to give them the critical thinking skills necessary to understand and interpret works of literature in narrative, poetic, and dramatic form. Our belief is that with these two skills the graduates can present themselves for their college education able to learn from the people and texts that they will encounter in college. Toward this end, we present reading assignments which are of lasting human value and which are predicated on the ultimate judgment that the human is of inexpressible worth. This worth is specifically perceived in the quality of hope that underlies the human imagination. Our department, therefore, is at once concerned with both technical and transcendent values because we believe the human being is given the responsibility for immediate and eternal relationships: relationships with the human and the divine.
CRITERIA FOR HONORS ENROLLMENT
Students wishing to enroll in Honors or Advanced Placement courses in the English Department must apply for admission. This process asks students to complete an application indicating the student's overall interest and aptitude for honors work and a report of the student's semester grades in his/her current English course. Students must earn a minimum score on the honors application and have a recommendation by the current English teacher. In addition, the student should have maintained a 3.3 GPA in his/her English courses and in the over-all course of study at St. Ignatius. These latter, however, can be supplemented by a high recommendation from the current teacher and/or a particularly good application. Forms to apply for the desired course are made available to the student well in advance of the course registration sheet in order to allow ample time to complete the application and submit it to the teacher for a recommendation. Final selection into the Honors and Advance Placement Program is made by the Department Chair. Students who have not been preselected for Honors and AP courses by March 1, 2010, may not list that course on their course request sheet.
COURSES
ENGLISH 100 (1100)
- Grade Level - 9
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core lower division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - None
- Criteria for Enrollment - All freshmen students must enroll
- Course Description - The purpose of freshman English is three-fold: 1) to master certain grammatical material that will aid in the discussion of composition, 2) to begin a systematic approach to writing, and 3) to identify certain literary concepts in a variety of literary genres. To achieve these goals, English 100 presents the incoming students with a course of study that exposes them to the forms of literature: the short story, non-fiction essay, poem, drama, and novel. Freshman English also presents the students with various writing assignments that will start them on the process of building a personal writing style. The subjects for these assignments move from the students’ own experiences to topics related to their reading, and the movement during the course of the year is from narrative and descriptive writing to writing that is more expository in nature. Writing assignments generally will progress from one-page papers at the beginning of the year to longer essays at the end of the year. By the end of the course, the student will have written approximately 16-20 papers in a variety of rhetorical modes including creative, descriptive, narrative, expository, and literary analysis writing. The student will also have completed at least one multi-paragraph expository essay.
ENGLISH 103H (1103)
- Grade Level - 9
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core lower division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - None
- Criteria for Enrollment - High performance on entrance examination.
- Course Description - The major difference between English 100 and English 103H is in the number of books that are read and their inherent difficulty, in the mode of instruction in the classroom, in the student initiative required, and in the number of writing assignments (generally 24-30) and their increasing and various difficulty.
ENGLISH 200 (1200)
- Grade Level - 10
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core lower division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H
- Criteria for Enrollment - All sophomore students must enroll
- Course Description - English 200 continues the course of study begun in the freshman year. Skills learned the previous year are refined, expanded, and enhanced. Basic grammar is reviewed and new material introduced throughout the year. The lower division writing sequence continues with a review of paragraph writing, which leads into the year's emphasis on descriptive, narrative, and expository essay writing. Students will write approximately 12-16 papers in a variety of rhetorical modes. The writing becomes not only more formal, but increased in length as well with students writing multi-paragraph expository essays by the end of the first quarter. The reading of literature includes all the major genres: novel, drama, poetry, short story, and essay; however, the study of literature shifts from an organization by form to an organization by themes that reveal an insight into the human condition.
ENGLISH 203H (1203)
- Grade Level - 10
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core lower division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H
- Criteria for Enrollment - See Criteria for Honors Enrollment
- Course Description - The major difference between this honors course and the regular sophomore course is in the number of books that are read and their inherent difficulty, in the mode of instruction in the classroom, in the student initiative required, and in the number of writing assignments (generally 4-6 additional essays per year) along with their increasing and various difficulty.
ENGLISH 300 (1300)
- Grade Level - 11
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core upper division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; English 200 or 203H
- Criteria for Enrollment - All junior students must enroll
- Course Description - English 300 covers the literature of the United States from the Puritan Era to the present. All the forms of literature which have been studied specifically in themselves during the first two years are now studied as they emerge historically through the imaginative lives of major U.S. authors. This course complements the study of American History, which is also taken during the junior year. The students' writing aims at greater and greater control over the expository essay and specifically at developing analytical theses on literature. Students will write at least twelve papers during the year in various rhetorical modes including the personal narrative (at least 1), the expository essay (at least 8), the synthesis essay, the timed quick-write, and the creative composition. After consulting with their teachers, students taking this course may opt to take the AP Language and Composition examination. Both this course and the honors course prepare students to pass the Junior Writing Exam taken in the second semester. Students who do not pass this exam with an acceptable score must take Literature and Composition: Non-fiction during the senior year.
ENGLISH 303H (1303)
- Grade Level - 11
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Core upper division course required for graduation
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; English 200 or 203H
- Criteria for Enrollment - See Criteria for Honors Enrollment
- Course Description - English 303H fulfills all the goals of English 300 but requires the students to read several more books and to write longer and more (approximately 20) papers. These papers require a good understanding of the forms of literature in order that the students will be able to formulate and support accurate, interpretative theses about the literature under study. At end of 303H, students usually take the AP English Language and Composition examination.
SENIOR ENGLISH COURSES 2010-2011
Entrance to the Advanced Placement course is by the same application as for honors classes. Interested and qualified students may apply for the Advanced Placement course even though they are not currently enrolled in the junior honors course. Students who have not been preselected into the Advanced Placement course by March 1, 2010, may not list that course on their course request sheet.
AREA I - ADVANCED PLACEMENT
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH 403AP (1403)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Year
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - See Criteria for Honors Enrollment. Students selected and enrolled in English 403AP are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.
- Course Description - This full-year course is intended for the seniors who qualify in two ways; First, they must have the desire to sustain a high degree of effort throughout their senior year; second, they must have the proven ability to do accelerated work. The course itself has two goals: 1) to prepare the students to pass the AP exam administered in May of the senior year, and 2) to prepare them to take their place in a sophomore English class at whatever college they attend. The content of the course is divided into two major parts. The first is the study of literature required by the AP exam. Here the students become familiar with the novel, short story, poem, drama, and essay, particularly in their historical development. In the second part, the students work at perfecting their writing skills. Here they do two separate kinds of practice: 1) that aimed at proficiency for the exam itself, and 2) that aimed at proficiency in written expression for college level audiences. Admission to this course is by application, recommendation of the junior year teacher, and approval of the Chair. English 403AP is the only senior English course in which the 1.00 increment is awarded by the UC system.
STUDENTS WISHING TO STRUCTURE THEIR SENIOR YEAR WITH TWO SINGLE SEMESTER CLASSES MAY CHOOSE FROM AMONG AREAS II, III, OR IV. STUDENTS MAY CHOOSE THEIR TWO COURSES FROM THE SAME AREA.
AREA II - FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS
ENGLISH 430: MODERN AMERICAN AUTHORS (1430)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - This single-semester course offers no survey of American literature of this century; rather, it will read selected authors more thoroughly instead of reading many authors slightly. The class will share an in-depth study of the chronological discovery of the author’s basic style and themes, the relishing of unforgettable characters and quotable lines, the sense of how biography relates to fiction, the value of reading the good (and the bad?) of the author. Through reading, writing critical analyses of a number of works by a single author, and discussion, the class will make contact with such classic modern American writers as Flannery O’Connor, Ralph Ellison, Michael Chabon, Sharon Olds, Richard Russo.
ENGLISH 440: SHAKESPEARE (1440)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - This single-semester course will try to demonstrate why so many people think Shakespeare is "the greatest writer in the English language." The course will study selections chosen to represent the major groupings of his work: tragedy, history, and comedy as well as the sonnets. The class will explore the nature of tragedy and the Shakespearean tragic hero; the concepts of action, character, and catharsis that underlie tragedy; the characteristics of the tragic hero and the tragic flaw; and the death of the hero as a component of tragedy in such plays as Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. The realm of comedy will include the happy ending and spiritual self-recognition in A Midsummer Night's Dream. History and tragedy will meet in Richard III. The method of the class will include reading, acting, viewing, discussing, and writing about Shakespeare's works and words.
AREA III - GENRE
ENGLISH 410: WORLD LITERATURE (1410)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - In order to better understand why we are what we are, this semester-long ccourse enters on the cultural heritage and great sweep of not only Western civilization, but also the expanse of Asian, African, and Latin American literature. The class work integrates literature (short stories, drama, and poetry) with the discipline of philosophy in an attempt to see how the human imagination has reacted to events in history. The semester’s study moves historically and geographically through classic and contemporary literature from around the globe — the Mediterranean, Continental Europe, Africa, the Far East, Latin America, North America, and Great Britain. Composition in the course allows the students the opportunity to analyze a broad scope of poetry, fiction, and drama from classic and contemporary works and to develop their skills of expository writing.
ENGLISH 450 - MYTHOLOGY (1450)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - What do Luke Skywalker of George Lucas' Star Wars and Shakespeare's Hamlet have in common? They are both prototypical grail myth heroes. This course will examine timeless myths -- like the grail myth -- that serve as the foundation for humankind's cultural and spiritual heritage. Using a broad and representative selection of myths from around the world, the course aims to provide great enjoyment as well as insight into the origin, function, and truth of myths. Toward these goals, the class will read and write about myths that range from ancient Greek drama to 20th century myths and stories of American culture. The course will focus on the structure of mythology and the recurring themes of adventure, challenge, death, and resurrection. Each myth studied will be approached from a literary point of view and a second, non-literary genre (such as film, opera, and art). The end result should show that myths still live and breathe in contemporary art and literature -- as well as within each student in the course. Toward that end, the students will write extensively about the literature and art forms they have studied, as well as create an original myth of their own.
NATURE/NEXUS: ENGLISH 456 (1456)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling one of eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - Students will read texts that examine the literary quest for meaning through nature. Tentatively, such works include poems by Hopkins, Eisley, Roethke, Kiethley, Bly, Olds, Oliver and Snyder; and longer works such as Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, Farley Mowatt's Never Cry Wolf, Peter Matthiessen's Snow Leopard, and Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer. Students will write poetry, short stories and essays and keep a journal based on their own experience of nature as experienced through the interior landscape of the mind and the exterior landscape of the natural environment.
ENGLISH 460 - FICTION INTO FILM (1460)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - Photographer Laszlo Moholy-Nagy writes: "The illiterate of the 20th century will be as ignorant of the camera as of the pen." This single-semester course tries to create conscious and knowledgeable readers and viewers of film and adds a proper balance to the study of fiction and film through the act of writing. Fiction into Film seeks to help the student see that literature and film go hand in hand by the nature of their common narrative elements despite the differences in their delivery. As you have learned to apply reading strategies and analytical skills to the printed text in your traditional English classes, in English 460 you will also learn to “read” a film, to “read in the dark.” In the course of the semester, we will study works of cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance, among them, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Godfather, The Graduate, and Rear Window. The writing component of the course will be largely expository and in the form of critical papers discussing aspects of literary analysis and film technique as found in the particular works.
ENGLISH 473: BURNING ILLUSIONS: EXPLORATION IN AMERICAN CULTURE (1473)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - Designed as a critical thinking and writing course for seniors, this course investigates the evolution of the United States through social, cultural, economic, and ideological lenses. Examination of the growth of American society and myths through a diverse set of readings enables students to grasp the connections and struggles between the powerful and the disenfranchised throughout American history. The readings illuminate and deconstruct American cultural myths through a broad range of topics (family, education, power, race -- and mediums such as fiction, nonfiction, music (jazz, folk, rock, hip-hop) and film. By fostering intellectual independence essential to not only critical thinking, but to becoming "men and women with and for others," this course benefits and welcomes students of all backgrounds. Featured authors include Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Cornel West, Tomas Rivera, and Malcolm X. Students will engage in expository, creative, and autobiographical writing.
ENGLISH 492: DRAMATIC LITERATURE & POETRY (1492)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - None
- Course Description - Offers students a journey through major innovative poetic and dramatic works while asking students to create their own poetic and dramatic works on contemporary themes as related to the works studied in class. Using Aristotle's Poetics as the basis for form and structure, works will be chosen from Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night to the lyric drama of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Contemporary playwrights will include Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Henry David Hwang's M. Butterfly. Students prepare a final project including a portfolio and/or a dramatic presentation of their own works.
AREA IV - THE ACT AND ART OF WRITING
ENGLISH 482: LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION: NONFICTION (1482)
- Grade Level - 12
- Length - One Semester
- Type of Course - Elective fulfilling eight-semester graduation requirement and required for graduation for those who do not pass the Junior Writing Exam
- Prerequisite - English 100 or 103H; 200 or 203H; 300 or 303H
- Criteria for Enrollment - Open to all seniors but required for all who do not pass the Junior Writing Exam with an acceptable grade
- Course Description - This single semester course aims at developing the essentials of good expository and persuasive writing ¡X the ability to generate, develop, and organize ideas. The course will address and work through specific writing problems that stand in the way of effective written expression. Students will be given ample opportunity to improve and refine techniques of composition that will aid them in producing effective college-level papers. This course is open to all seniors intent upon actively strengthening their writing skills and is required for all seniors who did not pass the Junior Writing Exam.