Honors Literature and Academic Writing I (Formerly ELA-3)
 2019-2020 Course Outline 
 This syllabus is subject to revision
Literature
Murder at the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Simon Armitage translation
Don Quixote, Walter Starkie abridgment/translation
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
The Aeneid, by Virgil (Fagles translation)
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
A selection of poetry highlighting relevant themes and literary/poetic devices.

Other required texts: 
Advanced Academic Writing 1, Michael Clay Thompson, Royal Fireworks Press
MLA Handbook, 8th Edition, Modern Language Association

Partial List of Skills Taught
Building on skills taught in L&C 3, students will:

Literature:
  • continue a study of the classics of Western Civilization
  • encounter the chivalric romance as a genre
  • encounter the genre of the detective novel
  • encounter the beginnings of the modern novel as genre 
  • intelligently discuss and identify parody in literature and its uses 
  • grapple with thematic ideas probing what it means to be human
  • demonstrate understanding of the importance of context in understanding literature
  • deepen their ability to recognize contextual elements in search of authorial intention (The Aeneid) 
  • deepen understanding of the interrelationship of setting, character, and theme 
  • continue their personal reading journals 
  • interact in classroom discussion around elements of story and thematic ideas 
  • begin to compare author ideas with own (i.e. “Is the author telling the truth as he/she understands it to be? Do I agree with the author?”)
Composition:
  • recognize a variety of rhetorical modes
  • expand familiarity with standard proofreader's marks in editing 
  • become familiar with more elaborate MLA rules
  • continue working on unity, coherence and cohesion throughout a composition  
  • practice modeling well-written pieces and generating original compositions
  • write more complex research papers using multiple sources
Grammar:
  • use knowledge of grammar to develop style and improve clarity.
  • use knowledge of grammar to correctly punctuate compositions.
  • use knowledge of grammar to edit compositions.

Focus of Work
In class:  
-A balance of direct instruction and group discussion focusing on literary analysis and literary appreciation. 
-Focused lessons on grammar and composition.
-Guided practice in composition.
-Review of weekly grammar homework.

Homework:
-Read assigned literature and prepare for discussion.  
-Complete weekly composition assignments. 
-Complete weekly grammar practice. 
-Compose several short MLA literary essays throughout the year
-Compose 3-4 MLA research papers throughout the year
                          
                                                                       This syllabus is subject to revision.