Senior Seminars follow a literature curriculum consistent with their title with the exception that all students will read a Shakespeare selection. In making their course selection, students should choose the appropriate level, and should identify and rank order at least two courses of interest to them.
Creative Writing, 5.00 cr.
140 – honors
142 – college prep
Imagination is a powerful tool, a vehicle for innovation, and the foundation of Creative Writing. Conducted in a workshop-based setting, this course provides opportunities for students to develop their literary talents and artistic voices in different genres--fiction, poetry, memoir, and drama--by studying great writers and their techniques. These skills are explored in daily activities, weekly journals, and student-generated prompts. Students will learn to critique their own writing and that of their peers, and will create a final portfolio demonstrating their growth and performance as writers. Narrative skills are emphasized in contrast to the essay techniques of expository writing. Daily participation is required.
Advanced Placement English Literature, 5.00 cr.
145
There is a college board exam fee associated with this course.
In AP English, students are engaged in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature, including novels, poetry, drama, and short stories. They develop critical standards for interpreting the effects writers create by means of the artful manipulation of language. Writing is an integral part of the course and serves to increase the students’ ability to understand what they read and explain clearly, cogently, even elegantly, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as they do. AP students do a year-long enrichment project in which they answer a question of interest-based either on academic pursuits, world events, or personal experiences-using literature and research read throughout the year. At the end of the third term, before the AP exam, students will present their projects orally to the public in a TED Talk exhibition.
The Sea in Literature, 5.00 cr.
144 - college prep
141 - honors
The Sea in Literature is based on the sea voyage narrative. Voyages have changed individuals, societies, and the course of history, and the stories of others’ journeys enlighten our own lives. The ocean is an integral part of life, and most of us are much happier when we are near the water. Our various interactions and connections to the sea are evident in the course reading selections which include narratives, poems, and novels. Students will be able to explore their own interdisciplinary interests in the ocean through an independent research project. Narrative, argumentative, and creative writing are assigned.
Semantics, Grade 12, 5.00 cr.
146 – honors
147 – college prep
Language is a powerful force, a gift that humans can use (or abuse) with powerful implications. Through fiction and nonfiction readings, essays, and films, this course examines the force of language in the shaping of human behavior. Students will explore the abuse of language in areas such as propaganda, media, classism, racism, and sexism. Accelerated assignments will be given to those students requesting honors credit.
Literature of the Utopias, Grade 12, 5.00 cr.
148, honors
149, college prep
This course will examine the idea of building a perfect society in works of fiction and nonfiction. Students will trace the themes and ideas behind “perfection” and personal responsibility, freedom and safety, individualism and compromise in a society as it is presented in Plato’s The Republic, More’s Utopia and the corresponding criticism of those ideas from scholarly articles and from works like Orwell’s 1984, Huxley’s Brave New World, and Lennon’s “Imagine.” The course will also consider how utopian/dystopian ideas reflect historical contexts, including the explosion of dystopian novels, film and other media aimed at a teen audience (Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze, etc.). Students will increase their ability to read critically, write effectively in a variety of modes (persuasive, narrative, informational, etc.), analyze, and synthesize information by applying the ideas found in the works of literature, philosophy and criticism to works of fiction, select films, and current events.
Literature & the Journey of Self-Discovery Grade 12, 5.00 cr.
156, honors
157, college prep
The stories we read and hear shape our understanding of the world. This course explores literary works that follow characters on a journey of self-discovery. The characters’ successes and struggles allow students to reflect on the forces they encounter. These texts also examine the complex relationship between literature and life, between storytelling and reality, and between self-perception and how others see us. Through close readings, literary criticism, and an exploration of cultural, historical, and artistic contexts, students will develop their skills as analytical readers, critical thinkers, persuasive writers, and eloquent speakers. Most importantly, these works will serve as a lens for reflecting on our own growth and the paths we forge as we move toward adulthood.
The Epic Journey, from Achilles to Aeneas to Whitman and Skywalker
152, honors
153, college prep
Not offered in 2025-26
This course studies and explores, from multiple disciplinary approaches, Epics from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern era. Students will consider thematic characteristics, formal conventions of the genre, and the cultural context in which the readings occur. Students will comparatively analyze how all epics, regardless of the varied times and cultures from which they draw, still explore the same essential question: What does it mean to be a whole person? Part of this exploration will derive from the ways Epic heroes reflect a society’s values, and how they examine the individual’s place in that social context. Students will study the ways that the epic tradition has evolved and has more recently informed the idea of the modern superhero. Part of this process will include an analysis and comparison of textual and visual media and the ways that the two both intersect and diverge. Students will produce various written products, including a research paper as well as their own personal narrative epic.
A Reader’s Life
154 - honors
155 - college prep
This course gives each student the opportunity to create a personalized reading plan relevant to his or her interests, strengths, and weaknesses and to read both widely and deeply while honing critical literacy skills. All students’ reading lists will span fiction and nonfiction and represent a variety of genres, cultures, and time periods. Independence will be important for student success, but this course is not an independent study, meaningful participation in group discussions, presentation of ongoing work, and consultation with the teacher are essential parts of the course. This course is designed both for an avid, enthusiastic reader looking to widen his/her range and for the hesitant, struggling reader looking to find his/her niche.
