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English 1

9th Grade English
In this course, students will develop a sound foundation in basic descriptive writing, formal essay writing, public speaking, grammar usage, and reading comprehension. Careful attention is given to meanings of roots and prefixes, to speaking clearly individually and as a group, and to writing clearly. Students practice clarifying their observations of the world around them, and expressing these observations in a sequence of ideas. Students encounter the modern world through literature such as J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye and Jacques LUSSEyRan’s And There Was Light, various short stories, and an introduction to poetry.
 
Dramatic Literature Seminar - Comedy and Tragedy
This course explores the development of two aspects of the dramatic form: tragedy and comedy. The course begins the study of Western comedy and tragedy in the life of Ancient Greece by reading Sophocles’ classic Oedipus Rex. The history of the birth of drama in Greece is covered in detail. Students study the life of Aristotle, specifically focusing on the Poetics, using Aristotle’s six elements of drama to analyze the development of drama through history. Students study the historical time periods of Greece, the Renaissance, and the modern world within the context of the development of drama, understanding the relationship between historical developments and the theater. Students read and analyze Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and understand the conventions of Elizabethan theater. The course concludes in the modern theater, specifically focusing upon A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Students perform short scenes from the various time periods to develop an understanding of character, plot, blocking, staging, voice, style, ideology, and other such dramatic elements.
 

English 2

10th Grade English
This course develops the necessary skills for competent reading, writing, and speaking by focusing on the mechanics of language, vocabulary development, and focused reading and writing. Through writing activities, students develop research, organization, and drafting strategies. Writing and analyzing literature is a dominant emphasis for the course. Analysis focuses on the recognition of theme, symbolism, and historical significance. Grammar is incorporated on a regular basis to provide an understanding of language as well as to strengthen writing capacities. The course begins with an analysis of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, focusing on the various paradigms and worldviews that define the modern mindset. By defining the Hebraic worldview, specifically the early stories from the book of Genesis, students develop a historical context to analyze and understand the development of modern paradigms. The second unit within the course covers a detailed analysis of the Old Testament, analyzing the historical context as well as literary interpretations of the Old Testament. Students study Homer’s The Odyssey and through it are introduced to the genre of epic as well as the motif of the hero’s journey. The course concludes with a reading of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The journey of the Joads is contrasted with that of Odysseus, as is the difference between the ancient and modern WORLDVIEWS. As well, students read three novels over the summer; essays on these are assigned at the beginning of the fall term.

Poetry Seminar
This seminar will explore the various facets of poetry. Students study narrative, dramatic, epic, and lyric poetry. Poetic devices such as word choice, tone, imagery, figurative language, sound devices (i.e. alliteration, consonance, assonance) and structure are emphasized. We read and write many forms of poetry. By studying the elements of poetry, students develop a sense for the bones of the poetry: sound, movement, and imagery. The poems we read span the history of poetry from the ancient rhythms and rhymes of the past to the modern expression of the word. To conclude the block students have an in-class poetry reading and an evening poetry reading for the public. Each student is required to read at least one poem. Students also take trips into nature, observing the forms and patterns of the outdoors to find expression through the poetic process.

Evolution of Language Seminar
In this course we trace the development of English from its hypothesized Indo-European root language to the present. We look at the role of breath, rhythm, intonation, enunciation, gestures/body language, and content in human communication; trace the transformations of English and draw connections between language and stages of civilization, and discuss the future development of language on the planet. Key texts are Beowulf, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, excerpts from Shakespeare and the King James Bible, The World of Doublespeak by William Lutz. The focus of this seminar is oral forms of communication. The students practice recitation, including recitations of text excerpts in Old English, Middle English. They also explore various oral forms of communication, such as forms of listening, informal and formal group discussion, and persuasion versus structured explanatory presentation. The students create their own language and present a poem written in that language.
 

English 3

11th Grade English
This course focuses on developing advanced English skills and capacities. Students read works selected from the American literary tradition such as The Awakening by Kate Chopin, “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou using literary analysis to develop an understanding of how authors use literary devices to amplify and enhance thematic content. The course addresses the theme of identity through an examination of the individual’s quest for selfhood in relationship to the external world, particularly the minority quest for identity within a paradigm of dominance. Students review grammar, usage, punctuation, essay writing, paragraph formation, and proper citation. Writing assignments include theme exploration, character studies, expository essays, personal reflection essays, and extended formal literary analysis. Extensive time is devoted to developing the literary skills of analysis and synthesis, through several extended literary essays. Particular attention is paid to tone and style throughout the course.

Shakespeare Seminar
This course provides an in depth study of the life and works of William Shakespeare. The course begins with an overview of the high Renaissance in England and background information on the transition from the middle ages to the Renaissance. Students analyze the way this transition is reflected through Shakespeare’s characters and themes. The course explores the nature of language, specifically looking at Shakespeare’s impact on the evolution of language. Students read and analyze “The Doctrine of The Humours,” written by Dr. William Harvey, a contemporary of Shakespeare’s. Students examine this Renaissance system of personality types and begin to apply the four temperaments to a deeper analysis of Shakespeare’s characters. The class reads over twenty selected excerpts from Shakespeare’s major works, including sections from The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, As You Like It, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Richard the Second, Antony and Cleopatra, King Lear, Macbeth, and The Tempest. Students read over twenty of Shakespeare’s sonnets, analyzing and discussing the dominant themes, motifs, images, and poetic structure of the poems. Each student is required to memorize and present a dramatic performance of one of these sonnets in front of the class, providing a presentation on the meaning of the sonnet. Students complete a detailed analysis of two major Shakespearean plays, typically Twelfth Night and Hamlet. Students perform scenes from each act as the plays are being read, incorporating the primary aspects of staging a play: voice (inflection, tone, pace, rhythm), the body (gesture, posture, movement, size and shape), costume (texture, design, color), props (weapons, food, feathers), space (size and shape), and set (realistic, symbolic, convention, style, lighting). Students analyze each scene through multiple levels of meaning. The instructor lectures on seven essential levels of meaning: literal, metaphorical, mythical, metaphysical, eschatological, entelechy, and the impact the work has on the audience. The students use their developing capacity for critical analysis to find direct quotes that reflect the various levels of meaning and document them in their workbooks. As well, each student finds a direct quote that reflects each personality type or temperament. Each student then completes a character analysis, finding three personality traits for a central character and three quotes to prove it. Students write a summary of each act of both plays demonstrating its personal significance for them, and including personal thoughts and connections, new vocabulary, and a highly relevant quote. Students do a close reading of central scenes, finding comparisons in metaphorical language, categories of common ideas, the use of dramatic irony, and the style of SELF-CHARACTERIZATION expressed through the speech. Students learn and then apply the five archetypal stages of a play: setting, dramatic question, conflict, resolution, and aftermath. Students write a summary of each stage applied to two plays. The instructor lectures on the different types of love: eros, agape, charity, friendship, and filial. Students develop an understanding of the different types of love by finding examples from the plays that reflect the types of love.

Parzival Seminar
This course uses the concept and technique of literary analysis to explore historical and present-day topical issues found in the Medieval German Romance Parzival. Knowledge of Medieval customs, literary style, and analytical techniques, especially those that rely on textual evidence, are emphasized. Knowledge and application of precise and expository writing as well as narrative retelling are emphasized through a variety of activities, including daily writing assignments and oral presentations. The course curriculum and teaching style prepare the students for HIGHER-LEVEL English, social studies, and history courses.

Ecological Literacy and Sustainability
This course emphasizes the study and analysis of non-fiction and addresses the critical, contemporary issue of the human’s relationship to the earth. The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann and Choices for Our Future by Ocean Robbins and Sol Solomon are used as springboards into an in-depth examination of the ecological impact of human beings on the planet. Students are encouraged to understand how the species as a whole and they, individually, leave a footprint on the life system of the planet and to examine what constitutes right relationship of the individual to the planetary community. Issues discussed include: sustainability, intentional community, globalization, species extinction, consumerism, fossil fuel use, and personal rights and responsibilities.

Writing assignments include: a nightly journal, short explanatory and opinion essays, and creative explorations. Students will also complete two independently conceived artistic projects dealing with the themes of the individual’s relationship to the planet and social and ecological justice.

English 4

This course begins with extensive writing work, especially on the college essay, usually written in the form of personal reflection. There are many units in which seniors have an opportunity to practice all forms of writing, including research, persuasive essays, informational reports, reflective essays, literary interpretation, and character analysis. In the English 4 course, those skills are covered which the students need in order to write and present their Senior Projects, which typically involve a long report as well as a substantial oral presentation to the wider community.

World Literature Seminar 
The students are introduced to poetry, short stories, critical essays, and selected acts from dramatic works by authors around the world. The works are either translations or they are written in English as a second language. They allow students to see and feel the unity and variety of the human condition and its expression by those who are sensitive and fortunate enough to write. Many of the literary works are from cultures foreign to the traditional Western canon, such as Turkish, Urdu, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Aborigine.

Transcendentalists Seminar
A thorough study of this important nineteenth century American school includes works by Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. Attention is paid to modern and contemporary thinkers influenced by the Transcendentalists, such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. The birth of this distinct American literary voice is placed in its historical context. The students practice journaling, participate in a seminar, and are responsible for an oral presentation and a major art project. Readings are taken from several of Emerson’s essays such as “The American Scholar,” “Self-Reliance,” and “Nature,” and the ideas are compared with Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and examples of Whitman’s poetry.

Faust Seminar
An in-depth study of Faust by Goethe, focusing on the theme of good and evil. Part I is read in its entirety and Part II is read in excerpts. Students read and discuss several scholarly essays on Faust. Students work in small groups to prepare dramatic presentations of specific scenes. The primary focus is developing a sophisticated understanding of the multiple layers of meaning and nuances in Faust: its characters and symbolism. The main method used to examine the play is seminar discussion in the form of Socratic dialogue. Reference to historical context and connection to modern societal dilemmas such as the Holocaust are discussed. In the context of these discussions, reference is made to literary works that students have read in their prior years of schooling, from fairy tales and mythology through modern American and World literature. A final project is an extensive literary analysis on a theme from Faust, utilizing at least one major work of literary analysis or criticism as a resource. 

Russian Studies Seminar
The course covers nineteenth and twentieth century Russian literature. In addition to reading from The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, students read other short works by Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, Leskov and Chekov. This course places Russian literature within the context of Russian history, including the Russian Revolution and modern developments.

Summer Reading
Each summer the students are asked to read three or four books and be prepared to give book reports on them when they return to school in the fall.