Contemporary Literature & Composition - EN432A/B

Contemporary Literature & Composition - EN432A/B

Learning Recommendations: None

General Description: This year-long course is designed for 12th-grade students to cultivate competence and confidence in self-expression and literary analysis through the study of contemporary (post-WWII) literature. The curriculum emphasizes the examination of authorial style, theme interpretation, and viewpoint importance, exposing students to diverse perspectives from global authors. The course prepares students for post-secondary options by enhancing their critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. 

Content:

• Reading comprehension of informational and complex narratives.
• Analysis of story elements and literary devices.
• Making predictions, inferences, and evaluating text for organizational structures.
• Writing multi-paragraph essays, and critical and comparative analyses.
• Use of multiple drafts, editing, and collaboration.
• Writing for varied audiences, voices, forms, and genres.
• Texts relate to contemporary topics/subjects which may include race, gender equality, socioeconomics, mental health/illness, and inclusivity.
• Study of novels and authors including The Handmaid’s Tale, Proof, The Things They Carried, Julia Alvarez, Alice Walker, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joan Didion, George Saunders, Kurt Vonnegut, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Supplemental films for analysis include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Minari. 

Homework: Students should dedicate 20 to 30 minutes each day to homework or 100-150 minutes per week, including reviewing notes, studying for quizzes, and reading. Extended composition and presentation projects may require additional time outside of class.