Things Fall Apart. Major topics include order and disorder in society, irony and satire, imperialism, and the power of language. In addition to frequent papers, students write an essay that incorporates elements of literary criticism. The first quarter of this course offers students a workshop approach to improving their writing. Students take their papers through many drafts, from freewriting to polishing, and focus on clarity of expression as well as audience and purpose.
Assignments emphasize narrative, persuasive, and analytical writing.
The remaining three quarters are devoted to the study of American literature. Tell it on the Mountain, and Song of Solomon. Frequent writing assignments coordinate with the literature. The first quarter of this course is devoted to the study of Hamlet and supplementary texts. Students then choose electives to run through second and third quarter.