Honors English 12 (H. Adv. Comp./H. World Lit) (Period 1)

The focus of this course is to get you thinking, writing, and reading critically about big ideas that every engaged adult should be thinking about. We will examine questions such as:

•  What is literature and why do we read it?
• What does it mean to be an adult?
• What are the characteristics of a meaningful life?
• What drives our behavior?
• What are the larger societal implications and consequences of our behavior?
• What should society be like and what is our role in it?
• How can we make the future better than the past, and what role does literature play in this?

In an attempt to answer these questions, we will examine some of the major movements in literature and their link to popular philosophies, ideologies, and culture. This course is an overview, and thus the movements are not in chronological order; instead, they are arranged into thematic units that are guided by essential questions that we will explore through discussions and writing. Each unit will incorporate literature written across a span of centuries, and will culminate with either an essay or a creative project, sometimes both.

In addition, this is a course aimed at getting you ready for college and the world beyond. For this reason, we will study grammar conventions and vocabulary, and we will practice writing in multiple modes and styles. While the workload in this course is considerable, you will leave this year as an adept writer and critical reader of the world around you who has thought more deeply about the kind of life you want to lead and the kind of society that you want to be a part of.