Reading skills are developed through the use of literature and various mass media resources. The organization of the expository paper is taught, in addition to theme development and the mechanics of writing. Writing is done on a regular basis, focusing primarily on the literature being read in class. A media unit on newspaper study and a television workshop also are elements of the course. This demanding course asks students to examine American literature by reading and discussing classic and contemporary American writers who in their distinctive ways have defined the American character.
Writing receives considerable attention.
Students write weekly themes to develop critical thinking skills as well as frequent shorter, in-class papers on assigned books. They also are required to complete a spring research project on an American theme pertinent to their education. In the junior English course students read American literature, learning to define a developing national personality. They examine American culture in light of what Americans did and thought as rendered by representative writers in the different genres. Students also write papers on a broad range of human interactions and their communication in writing, both literary and personal.