Students discuss plays in terms of theme, historical perspective and relevance. Discussions of stage conventions and the technical aspects of productions are included. Whenever possible students will also see and critique plays in the Capital District and New York City. Historical and gender issues will also be explored. In this course, students practice close reading of poems and prose passages and write the particular types of essays that the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature demands.
Reading includes several short novels and one longer novel, two plays, and a wide range of poems.
The course teaches strategies for reading and writing efficiently that are applicable to many disciplines in college and beyond. This creative writing course is open to approximately six seniors, each of whom writes a novella or a collection of short stories during the semester. Weekly conferences with Mrs. Carroll, periodic meetings with a visiting artist, and monthly seminars with the class are required. Outside reading is also assigned. The School provides an English as a Second Language program for international students whose English is not yet strong enough to allow them to enroll in language-intensive courses such as history and literature.