British Literature and Western Civilization

Class Descriptions

These courses, taken together, are a beautiful meshing of a Western Civilization History course with a British Literature ELA course. While studying the history of a region is as important as studying the literature of a country, both when studied together paint a more complete picture of the growth of the nation, the people, and the time. 

This year's High School ELA course will be based on a traditional literature survey model spanning the British cannon chronologically from Beowulf to the Modern movement of the 21st century. Examining literature as a piece of the larger study of humanity, allows students to see not only the various texts as single works, but to see the growth and development of a nation and a culture through the written word. Studying the complications of translation, exploring works through different critical perspectives, debate, discussion, and examination were all part of the in-depth study. Course work is reading intensive; using the textbook as a launching point for excerpts, essays, poems, and short stories, the class will also study a number of independent novels. Work includes understanding and using literary terms, comprehension and analysis questions, group work, projects, essays, and two exams, one given mid-year and the other as a final. 

This year's full year Western Civilization course covered the 800s through the current conflict in Ukraine. Examining the human constructs of nation building, cultural conflict, and the role of religion, students read, research, discuss, and debate over a 1000 years of history. Studying the complications of recorded history, exploring works through different critical perspectives, debate, discussion, and examination are all part of the in-depth study. Course work is reading intensive; using the textbook as a launching point, the class also included a number of additional resources as well as keeping up with current news. Work included understanding and using historical terms, timelines, historical figures, mapping, comprehension and analysis questions, group work, projects, essays, and two exams, one given mid-year and the other as a final.

Both classes will involve film clips from movies, documentaries, watching debates and news clips, as well as traditional textbook reading, online textbook access, novel reading, discussion, debate, and most importantly dialogue. 

Homework will be reading intensive with comprehension questions, essays, and group projects. For many students coming into our program, workload modifications can be made to meet these students where they are at in regards to current skills and time management experience. Please plan on about 3 hours of homework per week on average.

For each course at the end of the year, a summary of the class as well as a personalized note and a final grade will be written up for each student.

Grading Scale: Test and Projects will be 60 % of the grade; Homework will be 30%; Class participation will be 10% 

Materials

Students will need to have access to google classroom

A note taking system (paper/pen; computer; etc)

*Remote students need to have a working camera and microphone/headset