Contact Me: @contog (twitter) + contog@gmail.com (email)Schoology Course Code: S8CTH-GPJR4Turnitin Class ID: 8465414 Turnitin Password: ibenglish

course quick start

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CLOSE(D)READINGS:EXPERIMENTSINLITERARYLANGUAGE

Course DescriptionEach moment of utterance is the true one; likewise none is true. — John Ashbery

Behind the hieroglyphic streets there would either be a transcendent meaning, or only the earth. Another mode of meaning behind the obvious, or none. — Thomas Pynchon

Our heads are round so thought can change direction — Allen Ginsberg

IB English I is part of a multi-year, internationally focused and intellectually challenging adventure.

While each section of this course will prepare students to excel within both the IB Diploma Program and the Advanced Placement curriculum — each section will likewise differ from others in their particular textual choices and assessment design.

Our section: Close(d) Readings: Experiments in Literary Language poses a foundational question for all writers, readers, and participants in the contemporary world: how do we begin to interpret and act upon the complex and often confusing culture that surrounds us? Further: what does it mean to move from passive reader/writer to one actively in control of their rhetorical power and analytical prowess? Together we will explore

how literary knowledge is created through the unrelenting practices of close reading — in order to preclude closed ones.

objectives• Develop an understanding of the

techniques involved in literary criticism and interpretation.

• Develop a shared ability to form independent literary and rhetorical judgements and to support these ideas with evidence.

• Develop the skills and confidence to analyze and employ complex structures and techniques in a shared language.

• Demonstrate a command or oral and written arguments within a safe and supportive academic environment.

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text. Please contact me in the case of financial difficultly.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers. Most will be available at local bookstores including used via Chamblin’s Uptown

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Please obtain the first two texts by the following dates:

crying of lot 49 by 9/27

white noise by 10/27

the crying of lot 49 white noise

city of glass: the graphic novel

rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text. Please contact me in the case of financial difficultly.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers. Most will be available at local bookstores including used via Chamblin’s Uptown

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Please obtain the first two texts by the following dates:

crying of lot 49 by 9/27

white noise by 10/27

required textsAll students will be required to obtain a hard copy of each assigned text. Please contact me in the case of financial difficultly.

Used copies are available for deep discounts online via Amazon and other booksellers. Most will be available at local bookstores including used via Chamblin’s Uptown

Please do not purchase electronic copies of texts -- these will be provided to all students.

Please obtain the first two texts by the following dates:

crying of lot 49 by 9/27

white noise by 10/27

By Thomas Pynchon

Paperback Perennial Fiction Edition (2006)

Sample Used Price: $4.05

By Don DeLillo

Paperback Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition (2009)

Sample Used Price: $4.32

By Paul Auster et. al.

Paperback Picador Press Graphic Novel Edition Only (2004)

Sample Used Price:$2.33

By Tom Stoppard

Paperback Grove Press Edition (1994)

Sample Used Price:$0.01

Our course is designed with four (4) core components

Poetry + Poetic ExperimentsCharting the evolution of the modern and contemporary literary voice through a shared study of three key American poets (chosen from the IB Prescribed Author List): Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, and John Ashbery. Poems and materials will be provided in-class and online Students will also be asked to research and present on other key poets of their choosing.

Contemporary Fictional ProseExamining three innovative embodiments of the contemporary American novel through an in-depth study of The Crying of Lot 49, White Noise and City of Glass: The Graphic Novel. These novels will allow us

to collectively approach methods and techniques of literary analysis, criticism and interpretation. The latter two authors are chosen directly from IB Prescribed Lists.

Contemporary Nonfictional ProseAn ongoing study of the nonfictional prose of American writer and critic Joan Didion (among others) whose use of rhetorical strategies for dissecting and diagnosing contemporary culture will be analyzed and critiqued.

Postmodern TheaterA concluding look to one of the icons of postmodern literature: Tom Stoppard and his first major attempt at presenting inventive philosophical themes within the innovative form of contemporary theater.

Course Structure

Assessments TasksOur shared assessments for this year’s course.

Reading NotesFor many assigned shared readings students will be asked to complete a set of notes in response to provided prompts and questions. These notes should be collected and organized in a notebook by each student and will be collaboratively assessed.

Reading QuizzesFor many assigned shared readings students will be asked to complete a series of online quizzes (via Schoology). Students may collaborate on these quizzes. Only the highest scores will be assessed and counted.

Student Twitter + MediumEach student will become a public writer in this course -- sharing their ideas and words with others through a student twitter and medium. Each term we will share a set of common prompts and provocations. This writing will be collaboratively assessed.

Cadre PresentationsIn small student chosen teams, students will develop and construct public presentations based on readings and topics. These presentations will often be recorded and submitted online.

AP English Lang MC + WritingAll students will complete formative and summative exam prep for the AP English Language test -- including extensive MC/Objective section work and writing in response to recent AP English Lang prompts.

IB Oral Commentary + PresentationAs part of our course each student will complete both the required IB English Literature Oral Commentary (based on studied poetry and prose) and the Presentation (based on studied prose and dramatic text). These assessments will be internally assessed and submitted for moderation in April 2016.

All texts have been chosen to prepare students for both IB and AP success.

The following will be vital to your success in this course:• Portable USB flash drive (@ least 2gb)• Internet access• Twitter and Medium account• A binder to organize and store student notes and creations

Materials

This is a participation heavy course.To succeed you must assume an active, alert and engaged role in course discussions and activities.

Readings, presentations and writing assignments are to be completed by the date of the associated discussion and/or activity. Additionally, most course tasks will be assessed collaboratively by your peers.

Course Participation

Be a conscious and active reader and writer.In this course we learn to analyze a wide array of texts as complexcommercial, artistic, and social artifacts. The majority of all class meetings will consist of discussions, group project work, shared readings, group and individual writing sessions and online activities.

As a college level course your success largely depends on your ability to authentically engage with our shared readings, writing, and activities with care and diligence.

A Note on Reading + Writing

Getting Started + First Steps1) Find and obtain your first text and materials!2) Establish a twitter and medium account that you will want to share with your fellow

students and peers!3) Sign on to our Schoology and Turnitin,4) Complete the opening course discussion/introduction, questionnaire, and have

your parents/guardian sign the syllabus release!

The Case Against GradesA pedagogical discussion of how student learning, thinking and grades.

Grades Diminish Student InterestA “grading orientation” and a “learning orientation” have been shown to be inversely related. Every major educational study that has investigated the impact on intrinsic motivation of receiving grades (or instruction that emphasize the importance of getting good grades) has found a negative drag on sustained student interest in the subject being studied..

Grades Create a Preference for the Easiest Possible TaskImpress upon students that what they’re doing will count toward their grade, and their response will likely be to avoid taking any unnecessary intellectual risks.  They’ll choose a shorter book, or a project on a familiar topic, in order to minimize the chance of doing poorly -- not because they’re “unmotivated” but because they’re rational agents.  They’re responding to adults who, by telling them the goal is to get a good mark, have sent the message that success matters more than learning.

Grades Reduce the Quality of Student ThinkingThey may skim books for what they’ll “need to know.” They’re less likely to wonder, say, “How can we be sure that’s true?” than to ask “Is this going to be on the test?”

Recent research have found that a grade-oriented environment is associated with increased levels of cheating, grades promote a fear of failure even in high-achieving students, and the elimination of grades (in favor of a pass/fail system) produces substantial benefits with no apparent disadvantages.

Aiming higher than the lowest level.An assigned grade is not the goal of this course. It is a required side-effect of our shared exploration of rhetoric, literature, and literary analysis.

You should complete readings, writings, presentations, and online activities and blog posts not because of an external weak incentive (i.e., a score) but because you are deeply committed to linking our studies to your own ideas -- and their public circulation. This is college-level education at it finest. Embrace these expectations and you will have a great time!

This is not to say that there are no grades in this course. There are. But here they will be largely assigned and debated via as a community of peers. At scheduled times during each term your fellow students (and yourself) will assess the completion and success of course activities and assessments. If you do not agree with a peer score you will be encouraged to argue your case.

Stressed? Don’t worry! Do your best. Complete your readings. Write with verve, intellectual courage, honesty and originality! Authentically engage with the course and you will be OK. ;)

Collaborative Grading System

The combined multi-year course content fulfills IB requirements for textual diversity.

GenrePoetry, fictional prose, nonfictional prose, and dramatic texts are all studied -- as well as the Graphic Novel form.

PeriodTaken together with Senior year texts the following three periods are studied: 19th Century (C19:

including Heart of Darkness and The Awakening), 20th Century (C20: including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Mrs. Dalloway) and 21st Century (C21: including White Noise and selected nonfictional prose of Joan Didion).

PlaceTexts from a diversity of places will be studied over the duration of the course including: Europe, Africa, and Canada, the USA, and the Caribbean.

Genre + Period + Place

IB Assessment(Not Including Paper One

20% / Senior Year)Studied Text/Author

Part 1: World Literature in Translation

World Literature Essay(25% / Senior Year)

Poems by Szymborska, Milosz, and Akhmatova

(Senior Year)

Part 2: Detailed

Study

IB Oral Commentary(15% / Junior Year)

Poems by Whitman, Ginsberg, or Ashbery

White Noise and Selected Essays of Joan Didion

(Junior Year)

Part 3:Genre Study

IB HL Paper 2(25% / Senior Year)

Novels Mrs. Dalloway, The Awakening, Things Fall

Apart, and Heart of Darkness

(Senior Year)

Part 4:Free Choice

IB Oral Presentation(15% / Junior Year)

City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, Crying of Lot 49, and Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern Are Dead(Junior Year)

IB Syllabus Content

AP English Language Syllabus Content (via College Board + Wikipedia)

AP Assessment Format Practiced Skill

Section I:Multiple Choice(45% of Score)

Approximately 55 questions.

Typically 5 passages divided between Pre-20th century non-fiction prose, and 20th and 21st century non-fiction

prose.

Questions typically focus on identifying rhetorical devices and structures from the passage, as well as their general function, purpose in a passage, and/or the relationships

between them. Questions on passage text features (including citations) are now included.

Students have exactly 60 minutes to answer all 55 questions.

Study of complex prose passages from the past two centuries with an emphasis on student analysis, rhetorical dissection/

deconstruction and critical interpretation.

Section I:Multiple Choice(45% of Score)

Approximately 55 questions.

Typically 5 passages divided between Pre-20th century non-fiction prose, and 20th and 21st century non-fiction

prose.

Questions typically focus on identifying rhetorical devices and structures from the passage, as well as their general function, purpose in a passage, and/or the relationships

between them. Questions on passage text features (including citations) are now included.

Students have exactly 60 minutes to answer all 55 questions.

Formative and summative exposure and analysis of past exams, including timed sessions and question strategy

development.

Section II:Free Response(55% of Score)

3 prompts each of a different type, including: synthesis, passage analysis, and argument.

The synthesis prompt typically requires students to consider a scenario, then formulate a response to a

specific element of the scenario using at least three of the accompanying sources for support. The essay is scored

on the 1-9 scale.

The analysis prompt typically asks students to read a short (less than 1 page) passage, which may be from any

point in time, as long as it was originally written in modern English. After reading the passage, students are

asked to write an essay in which they analyze and discuss various techniques the author uses in the

passage. The techniques differ from prompt to prompt, but may ask about strategies, argumentative techniques, motivations, or other rhetorical elements of the passage,

and how such techniques effectively contribute to the overall purpose of the passage. The prompt may mention

specific techniques or purposes, but some leeway of discussion is left to the student. The essay is scored on

the 1-9 scale.

The argument prompt typically gives a position in the form of an assertion from a documented source. Students

are asked to consider the assertion, and then form an argument that defends, challenges, or qualifies the assertion using supporting evidence from their own

knowledge or reading. The essay is scored on the 1-9 scale.

Students have a 15 minute reading period and 120 minutes for writing.

Formative and summative exposure and analysis of past exams, including timed sessions and writing strategy

development.

Section II:Free Response(55% of Score)

3 prompts each of a different type, including: synthesis, passage analysis, and argument.

The synthesis prompt typically requires students to consider a scenario, then formulate a response to a

specific element of the scenario using at least three of the accompanying sources for support. The essay is scored

on the 1-9 scale.

The analysis prompt typically asks students to read a short (less than 1 page) passage, which may be from any

point in time, as long as it was originally written in modern English. After reading the passage, students are

asked to write an essay in which they analyze and discuss various techniques the author uses in the

passage. The techniques differ from prompt to prompt, but may ask about strategies, argumentative techniques, motivations, or other rhetorical elements of the passage,

and how such techniques effectively contribute to the overall purpose of the passage. The prompt may mention

specific techniques or purposes, but some leeway of discussion is left to the student. The essay is scored on

the 1-9 scale.

The argument prompt typically gives a position in the form of an assertion from a documented source. Students

are asked to consider the assertion, and then form an argument that defends, challenges, or qualifies the assertion using supporting evidence from their own

knowledge or reading. The essay is scored on the 1-9 scale.

Students have a 15 minute reading period and 120 minutes for writing.

In class and out of class writing sessions with peer and instructor feedback. Drafting and process writing to focus on

skill development and use.

Section II:Free Response(55% of Score)

3 prompts each of a different type, including: synthesis, passage analysis, and argument.

The synthesis prompt typically requires students to consider a scenario, then formulate a response to a

specific element of the scenario using at least three of the accompanying sources for support. The essay is scored

on the 1-9 scale.

The analysis prompt typically asks students to read a short (less than 1 page) passage, which may be from any

point in time, as long as it was originally written in modern English. After reading the passage, students are

asked to write an essay in which they analyze and discuss various techniques the author uses in the

passage. The techniques differ from prompt to prompt, but may ask about strategies, argumentative techniques, motivations, or other rhetorical elements of the passage,

and how such techniques effectively contribute to the overall purpose of the passage. The prompt may mention

specific techniques or purposes, but some leeway of discussion is left to the student. The essay is scored on

the 1-9 scale.

The argument prompt typically gives a position in the form of an assertion from a documented source. Students

are asked to consider the assertion, and then form an argument that defends, challenges, or qualifies the assertion using supporting evidence from their own

knowledge or reading. The essay is scored on the 1-9 scale.

Students have a 15 minute reading period and 120 minutes for writing.

Review of rhetorical strategies and structures for successful essay planning and execution.

Section II:Free Response(55% of Score)

3 prompts each of a different type, including: synthesis, passage analysis, and argument.

The synthesis prompt typically requires students to consider a scenario, then formulate a response to a

specific element of the scenario using at least three of the accompanying sources for support. The essay is scored

on the 1-9 scale.

The analysis prompt typically asks students to read a short (less than 1 page) passage, which may be from any

point in time, as long as it was originally written in modern English. After reading the passage, students are

asked to write an essay in which they analyze and discuss various techniques the author uses in the

passage. The techniques differ from prompt to prompt, but may ask about strategies, argumentative techniques, motivations, or other rhetorical elements of the passage,

and how such techniques effectively contribute to the overall purpose of the passage. The prompt may mention

specific techniques or purposes, but some leeway of discussion is left to the student. The essay is scored on

the 1-9 scale.

The argument prompt typically gives a position in the form of an assertion from a documented source. Students

are asked to consider the assertion, and then form an argument that defends, challenges, or qualifies the assertion using supporting evidence from their own

knowledge or reading. The essay is scored on the 1-9 scale.

Students have a 15 minute reading period and 120 minutes for writing.

Formative and summative exposure to scoring systems and rubrics.