Advanced Placement (AP) English Language (1.0 credit)

The academic objectives of this course adhere to those outlined by the College Board in preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam in Language and Composition. AP Language and Composition explores the relationship between what authors say and how they are trying to say it. The literary component of the course provides a range of genres, including nonfiction, fiction, drama and poetry, and in the analysis of these works students are exposed to the analysis of both style and rhetoric. Students will learn how to analyze elements of language and the influence of style in the overall meaning in a text. Students will examine various appeals, aspects of writer's credibility, irony, and the overall use of logic to explore how effectively an author presents her/his position. By understanding the purpose of a piece of writing, students will learn to recognize the elements of language as an integral to an author's development of his/her work. Writing assignments cover both the expository and argumentative aspects of writing. In addition to the exploration of American and global themes of literature, students will discern how styles of writers have evolved over the last several centuries.