
AP English Language & Composition
The Fine Print
Course Goals
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To focus on three modes of essay writing: synthesis, argument, and rhetorical analysis
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To engage in formal and informal writing to practice and develop your writer's voice
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To craft compositions that introduce a complex central idea, develop it with sufficient and appropriate evidence drawn from personal knowledge and experience, and utilize secondary sources
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To identify and communicates a writer's target and purpose in an active, arguable manner, offering evidence of rhetorical tools and strategies
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To successfully synthesize sources, while ensuring your voice stays in the lead as you develop an interweaving of experts and evidence
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To correctly and consistently apply MLA 8th edition conventions, including page-formatting, parenthetical citation, and works cited constructions
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To move beyond competent in essay construction, with compelling and original openings, succinct, arguable thesis statements and topic sentences, and robust, well-supported body paragraphs
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To collaborate in pre-writing argument development
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To revise and improve all essays following detailed writing feedback provided by the instructor
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To develop and refine vocabulary, syntax, and mechanics
Course Resources
Core Materials:
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The Language of Composition, 2nd Ed., Shea, Scanlon & Aufses
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EasyBib or BibMe (free online)
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MLA Handbook, NEW 9th Ed., (hard copy or ebook--avail April 2021)
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The New York Times (free digital classroom subscription)
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They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 2016 MLA Update, 3rd Edition, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
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Princeton Review Essential SAT Vocabulary Flashcards, 2nd Ed.
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A test prep book will not be assigned until the second semester due to changes in the exam.
Reading (any edition):
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David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell
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Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing
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The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
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Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
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The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr
Summer Reading (choose one; any edition) & Writing Assignment:
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The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown
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The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
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Grit, Angela Duckworth
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
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The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
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Quiet, Susan Cain