English

English 1 students engage in an exploration of the self. Inspired by our Kent School motto — Self-Reliance, Directness of Purpose, and Simplicity of Life — we will probe essential questions such as Who am I? What are the components of my identity? What is my purpose? What does it mean to be self-reliant? Students will hone their reading and writing skills in a collaborative classroom environment, exploring poetry, plays, novels, short stories, and essays. Through both critical and creative written responses, as well as instruction in grammar and mechanics, students learn to share their ideas in writing that is effective, persuasive, and engaging.

English 2 builds on the work of English 1 and expands our exploration of the self to consider the relationship between the individual and society. Students will deepen their exploration of the Kent motto — Self-Reliance, Directness of Purpose, and Simplicity of Life — by considering essential questions such as How does society affect an individual’s sense of self? How does one engage with and contribute to society? How do storytelling and memory preserve personal and collective histories? By carefully analyzing a wide variety of literature from a diversity of voices, English II students discover what literature reveals about our humanity and the contemporary age. Through critical and creative written responses, as well as continued instruction in grammar and mechanics, students learn to share their ideas in writing that is effective, persuasive, and engaging. Prerequisite: departmental approval for enrollment in Honors level.

Across their Fifth and Sixth Form years, students will need to take a total of six (6) term courses, including at least one writing-focused course and at least one literature-focused course. Students must take English every term. All new Fifth and Sixth Form students will take Writing Seminar in the fall term of their first year.  We invite students who are interested in advanced coursework in English to consider Advanced Studies electives.

 

Film Analysis 

In this course, students will develop their competencies in the analysis of non-literary bodies of work, specifically films. Students will develop an appreciation of filmmaking techniques, such as camera shots, angles, and movement, as well as editing, lighting, and sound, through the viewing and reviewing of select films. In our media-saturated culture, a better understanding of the language of cinema is crucial. Culminating in an analysis project of a filmmaker’s body of work, students will be able to discern how the medium successfully (or unsuccessfully) communicates ideas and shapes the way we see the world. 

Personal Narratives 

In this course, students will refine their skills as personal storytellers outside of the context of the college essay. Students will explore exemplary autobiographical pieces of writing that weave personal experiences into compelling narratives. Particular emphasis will be placed on students reflecting on their own experiences, developing a written voice, and crafting thematically compelling stories. Students will also analyze different works, experiment with storytelling techniques, and engage in peer writing workshops. At the end of the term, students will put together a portfolio of their written work.

Poetry Workshop 

Students will read a mix of contemporary and historical poets: Christian Wiman and John Donne, Ocean Vuong and Sappho, Mary Oliver and John Clare, among many, many others. Each week students will share a poem of their own with the class for feedback and discussion. By the end of the term, students will have a small portfolio of poems. 

Playwriting 

Experience the excitement of seeing your written work come to life! Students in this class will write short original plays after spending the first portion of the term studying selected great plays and following a development process created by one of America’s most produced writers. Students will build their work in class through weekly presentations of their newest scenes and will revise their plays based on both peer and instructor criticism. All students will seek to finish the semester with polished, dramatically sound works. We will end the term with in-class readings of the completed plays. This course will fulfill the English Department elective requirement or the Performing Arts Department elective requirement (but not both.)

Public Speaking 

Speaking in public can be a daunting and nerve-wracking experience. In fact, most people go their whole lives trying to avoid situations in which they have to speak in front of a crowd. In this course, you will learn about the public speaking through both written and recorded speeches as well as a collection of resources on best practices. Then, you will be tasked with writing and giving your own speeches, honing your ability to express yourself in front of others and, ideally, coming to a realization that public speaking can be a powerful and rewarding exercise.

Screenwriting 

When we write a story, it's our responsibility to think about the reader. They will use their imagination to build the world we have created, and our words will serve as the instructions for them to follow. Things work very differently, though, when the final product will already have a visual component. Screenwriting — the writing process for film and television — requires a unique approach and a slightly different set of skills. In this class, we will begin with the basics of story structure, character development, and writing dialogue while analyzing short films. Students will work in a collaborative "writing room" environment as they work towards writing their own short film screenplay. Later, we will turn our attention to writing for television, specifically focusing on sitcoms. Students will watch several episodes of the same sitcom before writing their own episode. Students are highly encouraged to download a screenwriting software (like KIT Scenarist) as proper script formatting will be expected. 

Sports Writing 

The best sports writing is more than a box score and trying to make something out of the cryptic and evasive comments of a paranoid coach. The best sports writing includes all the elements of the human condition: ego, ambition, disappointment, personal sacrifice, virtue, and vice. It also employs some of the devices of great literary fiction and non-fiction — strong characters, conflict, and suspense. In this course, we will read classic and contemporary sports writing to be entertained and to learn about the craft of effective writing. Students will argue and debate. They will also read, write, explain, analyze, and describe. Students will be asked to write in a variety of sports-related modes from the game recap to the sports profile to the opinion piece.

Write On! 

Writing fiction is fun, especially when you have the freedom to write about things that interest you. Writing fiction is exhilarating when you write not only for yourself but for an audience who appreciates your work. This course is a short story writing workshop designed to help students produce three short stories in the term; students will then choose one of their stories to submit to The Cauldron for consideration. For inspiration, we will read stories from various authors with diverse backgrounds and styles. For guidance, we will use Browne and King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print. Drafting and sharing our work is fundamental to the course’s design. 

Writing Seminar 

In this course, students will develop strong analytical writing skills, focusing on crafting clear, well-structured, and persuasive arguments. Through workshops, peer reviews, and personalized feedback, students will strengthen their writing process from brainstorming to final revisions. They will learn to organize ideas effectively, develop thoughtful thesis statements, and integrate textual evidence with precision. Students will also explore rhetorical strategies to adapt their writing for different audiences and purposes. This seminar is required for all new juniors and seniors and may also be recommended for returning students who would benefit from additional support in writing.

 

21st Century Drama: America’s Most-Produced Playwright 

American Theatre magazine, following their most recent poll of production companies, named Lauren Gunderson the most-produced playwright in our nation… for the third time in the last decade. Why is her work seen everywhere, in theatres large and small? Is it because of the way she brings women’s history to life in plays such as Silent Sky, the story of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt? Is it her riffs on the life and work of Shakespeare, such as Book of Will? Is it the heartbreaking story of teenage love and mortality (with Walt Whitman content) seen in I and You? Or her one-man show about her husband, the virologist who predicted the coming pandemic? (The Catastrophist.) She’s not only one of our best writers, but a brilliant literary scholar, equally adept when working with compelling source material as she is when exploring her own inventions. Come and discover some of her best works in this term elective. 

21st Century Short Stories

Short works dating from 2001 through today will be on the table for our class! Through discussion and close-readings, our class will discover the key distinctive literary features of short story writing in the 21st Century through close textual analysis of writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Haruki Murakami, Claire Keegan, and Jennifer Egan. We will analyze the authors’ exploration of themes such as identity, place and trauma in the personal and social context. We will spend time discussing and reflecting and writing about what you learn with other students, and even write a story of your own.

Art in Anxious Times

In the face of uncertainty and danger, can art and creativity save us from ourselves? Pairing William Shakespeare’s celebrated play Hamlet (originally performed in 1601) with Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel Station Eleven, we will explore two approaches to that question. Students will dig through Shakespeare’s complex and beautiful language, and marvel at the eerie pandemic parallels of St. John Mandel’s work and our own Covid-19 experience. 

Asian American Literature 

This course introduces students to some major contemporary works of Asian American literature. We’ll examine the intersection of aesthetics and politics, exploring how Asian American texts reflect and respond to the social and historical forces that have shaped Asian American experiences and identities. This course develops students' critical and interpretive skills necessary for meaningful written and verbal responses to literature in the context of Asian American history and experience. 

Black American Horror 

What scares you the most? Is it something physical like bats? Spiders? Needles? Darkness? Maybe it’s something supernatural like ghosts, vampires, aliens, or Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones. Or perhaps, it’s something a bit more abstract. Heights. Isolation. Death. Writers within the horror genre play with all of these themes and countless more to make our skin crawl, our heart rate surge, and our minds conjure evil all around us. African American authors have used the genre not only to scare, but to comment on what it means to be Black in America. This class will examine how Black authors have partnered essentials of horror writing with the real life horror of racial persecution.

Dystopian Literature 

From The Hunger Games to the Divergent series, artists and audiences alike are finding grim delight in imagining nightmarish worlds that are not far off in the future. These fictional worlds underline the very real fears of current society by extending current issues—like authoritarian governments, over- reliance on technology, lack of privacy—to a foreseeable doom. Although these stories rarely have happy endings, the vivid details of these dystopian worlds present a nuanced perspective on what makes us human. This course will begin with selections from Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, and then we will turn our attention to more contemporary texts, George Orwell’s 1984 and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Fly Fishing in Literature 

Fly Fishing in Literature is a course that blends great writing, hands-on learning, and real adventure. We’ll read powerful stories, essays, and poems where fly fishing becomes a way to explore nature, memory, family, and the flow of life itself. This class doesn’t stay in the classroom. We’ll learn the basics of fly fishing, from casting to tying flies, and we’ll have a chance to visit the beautiful Housatonic River to fish and reflect. Whether you're a seasoned angler or have never held a rod, you'll find something to love in this course, leave with new skills, stories, and maybe even a fish or two. 

Great New Books 

Looking for your next favorite read? Great New Books is where you’ll dive into some of the best and most talked-about books published in the last few years. This course introduces you to fresh voices and bold ideas that reflect today’s world. We’ll explore stories that make you think, laugh, feel, and see things differently, and all while building reading, writing, and discussion skills. If you're looking for a course that feels current, meaningful, and full of great reads, Great New Books is the perfect choice. Expect lively conversations, creative projects, and the chance to discover what makes a great story and why it matters. You’ll leave with a list of amazing books you’ll want to pass on to your friends. 

Hamilton, the Elective

The musical Hamilton took the world by storm when it opened back in 2015. Why? How did a young writer take a fat historical biography and turn it into the most successful theatrical production the world has seen in a generation? How could hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and a dash of musical theatre standard flavor be mixed to create a concoction that has not only topped bestseller charts, but also told the story of a dead white guy from two centuries ago? Our study of the poetry Lin-Manuel Miranda creates for this musical will be compared to the source material, and the many dramatic, literary, and musical techniques employed by the creative team will be explored, revealing the many reasons why Miranda has been recognized as a new Shakespeare for our time.

Hamlet

A Kent School tradition for seniors: exploring the elusive and allusive world of Hamlet. In this course, students will refine their understanding of Shakespearean language, learn about the political, religious, and social influences on the play, and pay attention to the ebbs and flows of Hamlet’s “words, words, words”. Reading and examining the play will, of course, be accompanied by viewing various film and filmed stage adaptations. The final project will be a research project on some element of the play or Shakespearean England, accompanied by a presentation. 

Horror and Madness 

Emily Dickinson writes, ”Much Madness is divinest Sense - To a discerning Eye -” This course tests the validity of her poetic statement by examining gothic horror stories whose narrators relate spine-chilling accounts of supernatural events. Before examining these stories, we will ground our understanding of madness by reading Ernest Becker’s chapter in The Denial of Death, “A General View of Mental Illness.” Course texts include selected Poe short stories, Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, and Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves. We will seek answers to the following questions: What is truth and how can we tell if something is true? What truths do these stories offer regarding what it means to be human? What does our attraction to this genre suggest about us? Would Becker agree with Dickinson’s assertion, and after reading these stories, do we? 

Magical Realism 

Magical realism with its interest in the fantastic, the surreal, and even the supernatural is a genre that pushes boundaries while entrancing readers. Fantastic premises and stories are told “straight” or as Gabriel Garcia Marquez says: “with a brick face.” In this course, we’ll consider questions like: Why magical realism? How is the genre especially well-suited for exploring truths that realistic fiction is less capable of describing? How does the genre allow marginalized peoples a creative way to speak to their experiences? How might magical realism be especially relevant to the modern moment? Students will write creatively and analytically and will be expected to contribute regularly to class discussions. Representative authors may include: Kafka, Garcia Marquez, Ionesco, Gogol, and Link.

The Moral Life: Ethics & Literature 

In this course, students will join the study of literature and philosophy in the service of greater ethical understanding. What is the nature of morality? How do different moral theories compare? What are the key moral issues of life? How can morality be applied? By analyzing and reflecting on key texts in literature from Golding, Dostoyevsky, and Vonnegut (among others), students will gain a deep grasp of the key ethical questions posed and cultivate skills in resolving the moral tensions therein. 

Page to Screen 

Some people say that Hollywood has run out of ideas, focusing instead on remakes and sequels. However, the film industry has long relied on pre-existing works to inspire its productions, with plays, novels, and short stories being a frequent well from which screenwriters draw. There’s even an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay just for this purpose! However, lovers of the written word frequently say that no film adaptation can ever live up to the original novel. Why is that? In this course, students will read and analyze first, then watch the movie adaptations. They will compare the two, exploring similarities and differences, editorial choices, and how faithful the adaptations were to both the source material and their own mental representations of the story. The class will show how the film industry benefits from great works of literature but still must remain true to itself. 

Pride and Prejudice 

Together we will travel back in time to Regency England (c.1810-1820) and delve into Jane Austen’s classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. Over the course of three months, we will engage deeply with the novel’s themes, characters, and social commentary. One of the most iconic texts of the British literature canon, this novel has been scrutinized and adapted in countless forms after its publication in 1813. We will not only examine Austen's witty narrative style and keen insight into human relationships, but we’ll also explore the enduring relevance of Pride and Prejudice in today’s world through several different adaptations, mostly of the screen variety.

Scandinavian Literature 

Step into the world of icy landscapes, deep forests, and unforgettable stories in Scandinavian Literature. We’ll read powerful works from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, ranging from dark mysteries and poetic memoirs to quirky tales and bold dramas. Along the way, we’ll meet fascinating characters, explore big questions about life, and discover what makes Nordic storytelling so unique. To deepen our experience, we’ll also take part in Scandinavian traditions, such as enjoying fika, the Swedish ritual of slowing down with coffee, pastries, and good conversation. We’ll also spend time learning about the history of the region and the current state of this important area's role on the world stage. Come read, discuss, and get inspired by a region where literature is as striking as the scenery. 

Weird Stories 

This course focuses on mind-bending short stories and novellas that explore modern angst and philosophical dilemmas. Course texts include Kafka’s The Castle, Camus’ The Stranger, and a variety of short stories from authors including Nabokov, Chiang, Borges, and Saunders. We will examine how these authors’ fantastical storytelling compels us to explore what Kant describes as philosophy’s central questions — What can I know? What should I do? What may I hope? The course will conclude with a culminating essay in which students will articulate their philosophy of life, answering Kant’s questions while referring to course texts for inspiration and comparison.

What is Water?: Finding Meaning and the Power of Conscious Choice 

Whether it be mindlessly scrolling on our phones or going through the motions of a school day, we are constantly making choices without even realizing it. In fact, we make thousands of unconscious decisions every day. In this elective course, we will explore what it means to make a conscious choice — to intentionally consider your own ideas in relation to others. To think about your own thinking. In doing so, we will consider whether making conscious decisions and overriding our “default settings” can improve our well-being and, in the long run, help us find meaning in our lives. Course materials include the essays “This is Water” and “Self-Reliance,” the novels Fahrenheit 451 and Siddhartha, and the film Good Will Hunting.

What the Dickens? 

This course offers an in-depth study of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, set against the French Revolution. Students explore themes of sacrifice, justice, resurrection, and the moral consequences of oppression and revenge, examining how Dickens blends personal stories with sweeping historical events to reveal the human cost of social inequality and political violence. Through close reading, discussion, and writing, students develop skills in literary analysis, historical context, and critical thinking. The course emphasizes symbolism, narrative structure, and language, as well as Dickens’s portrayals of London and Paris and the novel’s relevance to questions of power, empathy, and social responsibility. If time allows, A Christmas Carol may be read as a complementary text, allowing for a comparison of Dickens’s treatment of redemption, morality, and social responsibility across genres. 

World Food Literature 

Let me ask you a question: You know that bread that Aladdin stole from the market — what did it taste like? Did Lao Tzu eat warm, steamy egg cakes? Did Gilgamesh enjoy a fermented beverage? Hmmm. Let’s find out. Make no mistake, this is a typical World Literature class. You will study ancient literature from its earliest recorded writings including fables, myths, folktales, and parables, as well as sacred texts of ancient cultures. You will dabble in the Epic study of heroes from different cultures learning the elements that make up epic literature. There will be poetry study which will include the poetry of ancient Greece and Rome, poetry from Egypt, Japan, China, the Middle East, and the European sonnet. We will read excerpts from the books of Michael Pollan who wrote The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World, and Mark Kurlansky who wrote Salt: A World History. And, of course, we will cook. We will eat.

 

AS-level Writing Electives are available to all Fifth and Sixth Form students dependent upon departmental approval and availability. AS Writing Electives are intellectually demanding, designed to foster a rigorous and sustained writing practice. Students will engage in extensive writing, refining their craft toward mastery of their chosen genre. Each elective culminates in a final product—whether a portfolio, collection, or revised body of work—that reflects their intellectual growth. Active participation in workshop-style discussions is essential, allowing students to present their work, engage in critique, and refine their writing through constructive feedback. Reading will be central to the course, with students analyzing works that exemplify the genre, deepening their understanding of form and technique. By the course’s end, students will have a polished body of work and a deeper command of the genre. Students should anticipate approximately one hour of homework per class. 

AS Memoir Workshop 

In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about memoir (both long-format and short-) with the goal of becoming memoir writers ourselves. Our analysis will focus on the craft choices made by the author in constructing the story (i.e., trying to figure out why the memoir is the way it is) with the ultimate goal of learning to incorporate these craft elements into our own work. Classmates will construct their own memoirs, rely on peers for constructive suggestions for improvement through regular workshop classes; the term will conclude with each student crafting and revising a long-format memoir of their own. 

AS Memoir Workshop 

In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about memoir (both long-format and short-) with the goal of becoming memoir writers ourselves. Our analysis will focus on the craft choices made by the author in constructing the story (i.e., trying to figure out why the memoir is the way it is) with the ultimate goal of learning to incorporate these craft elements into our own work. Classmates will construct their own memoirs, rely on peers for constructive suggestions for improvement through regular workshop classes; the term will conclude with each student crafting and revising a long-format memoir of their own. 

AS The New Yorker: Contemporary Culture, Arts and Politics 

What will we read in this class? We won’t know until each week’s issue of The New Yorker, “a magazine offering a signature mix of reporting and commentary on politics, international affairs, popular culture and the arts, science and technology, and business, along with fiction, poetry, humor, and cartoons,” comes out! Over the course of the term, you will create pieces in similar genres (from long-format non-fiction to creating cartoons), and the term will culminate with your creation of your very own version of the magazine. The only text is a 12-week subscription to the magazine. If you’d like to check out the kinds of things we’ll be reading and writing, head to www.newyorker.com/magazine. 

AS Short Fiction Workshop 

In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about a series of contemporary short stories with the goal of becoming better short fiction writers ourselves. Our analysis of the stories will focus on the craft choices made by the author in constructing the story (i.e., trying to figure out why the story is the way it is) with the ultimate goal of learning to incorporate these craft elements into our own creative work. One class each week will be devoted to workshopping short stories written by class members, and the course will conclude with students revising their own short fiction in a curated portfolio. This will be a discussion-driven class that will demand your creativity and commitment to improving your craft.

 

AS-level Literature Electives are available to all Fifth and Sixth Form students dependent upon departmental approval and availability. AS-level Literature courses offer an intensive exploration of advanced literary study, challenging students to cultivate insight and precision as readers and writers. Students will develop confident, critical voices, producing work that reflects originality and clarity. Writing assignments will often require students to generate their own prompts, encouraging intellectual curiosity and a sense of ownership over their ideas. Active participation in discussion is essential. By the end of each term, students will demonstrate a growing capacity for independent thought and sophisticated analysis. Students should anticipate approximately one hour of homework per class.

 

AS Black American Poetry 

For more than three centuries, Black American writers have engaged all levels of American and European culture in verse. This course will focus on the many questions of art that must be answered again by every generation and each poet, but which are complicated in this case by writers in an oppressed community: What should one do with the traditions and forms of English poetry? Discard them as tools of oppression? Or, do poets have an obligation to speak for “the people”? If so, how, and to what ends? The course also aims to develop your understanding of how poetry works, as well as a nuanced appreciation of some of the finest verse in English. We will study poems ranging from the Colonial Period in America to the present day. 

AS Death by Patriarchy: Gothic & Domestic Thrillers 

Enter the haunting world of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and the gripping realm of female domestic thrillers. This course explores how women’s writing delves into fear, power, and psychological tension within domestic spaces. Through close reading, literary analysis, and genre study, you’ll uncover the feminist undercurrents of these suspenseful narratives while engaging with their historical, cultural, and critical contexts. Discover how these stories illuminate women’s resilience in navigating oppressive structures—and prepare to be thrilled along the way. 

AS Irish American History 

The Irish American experience is central to U.S. history. Since 1584, Irish migration has shaped American society, with Irish Americans exerting an influence disproportionate to their numbers while challenging traditional narratives of race, assimilation, and power. This interdisciplinary course uses historical and literary sources to explore themes such as migration, nationalism, religion, labor, and culture, offering a nuanced view of the Irish American story. 

AS Law & Literature

AS Law & Literature explores how writers use stories, drama, and essays to question the meaning of justice, obedience, and moral responsibility. Through plays, short fiction, and nonfiction, students examine moments when laws demand compliance, fail to protect, or cause harm. The course investigates trials, juries, civil disobedience, and systemic injustice, asking when the law deserves obedience and when conscience must prevail. Emphasizing close reading, discussion, and ethical inquiry, the class invites students to consider how literature reveals the human stakes behind legal systems and the enduring tension between justice and power. Possible Texts: 12 Angry Men, The Crucible, “A Jury of Her Peers,” Just Mercy, “Letters from a Birmingham Jail,”Antigone," “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” 

AS Magical Realism

Magical realism with its interest in the fantastic, the surreal, and even the supernatural is a genre that pushes boundaries while entrancing readers. Fantastic premises and stories are told “straight” or as Gabriel Garcia Marquez says: “with a brick face.” In this course, we’ll consider questions like: Why magical realism? How is the genre especially well-suited for exploring truths that realistic fiction is less capable of describing? How does the genre allow marginalized peoples a creative way to speak to their experiences? How might magical realism be especially relevant to the modern moment? Students will write creatively and analytically and will be expected to contribute regularly to class discussions. Representative authors may include: Kafka, Garcia Marquez, Ionesco, Gogol, and Link. 

AS Medieval Literature 

Let’s step back in time to the medieval world, where epic battles, chivalric quests, and legendary creatures reign supreme. In this course, we will be diving into stories of heroism, morality, and the supernatural. Through texts such as Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Canterbury Tales, and Dante’s Divine Comedy, we will examine the central themes of honor, faith, and the human struggle against both internal and external monsters. From dragons and demons to knights in shining armor and noble ladies, we will explore the fascinating intersection of myth, religion, and medieval society, while also considering how these stories continue to influence modern culture. 

AS Mid-Century American Plays: Hey Daddy-O, Let’s Talk Drama

This elective invites students to explore the vibrant world of mid-century American theater. We will delve into the works of iconic playwrights such as Miller, Hansberry, Williams, O'Neill, Inge, Childress, and/or Baldwin. Through in-depth reading and analysis, we will examine how these plays reflect the social, political, and cultural landscapes of the 1940s and 1950s. Students will develop their skills in play analysis and read and discuss key pieces of literary criticism. Expect dynamic discussions, opportunities for performance and close reading, and a deeper appreciation for the powerful role of theater in shaping American culture. 

AS Order and Chaos 

In Order and Chaos, we will examine how society’s structures can be both a solution to and a source of chaos. Through a range of stories, we will explore how characters navigate the tension between authority and anarchy, liberty and tyranny, and order and disorder. Guiding questions include: What does literature reveal about the limits of social norms and authority in controlling society? How does order shift in moments of crisis? When does obedience to order conflict with moral responsibility? Course texts include The Crucible, Julius Caesar, “In the Penal Colony,” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” 

AS Postcolonial Literature

AS Postcolonial Literature introduces students to postcolonial literature through close reading of two novels. The course explores how colonial histories continue to shape identity, language, memory, and belonging. Students examine whose stories are told, how the past is carried into the present, and how writers challenge dominant narratives through form and voice. Short supplementary texts support discussion and provide a basic introduction to key postcolonial ideas, with an emphasis on careful reading, discussion, and reflective writing. Possible Texts: Homegoing, Wide Sargasso Sea, Americanah, The God of Small Things, The Namesake, Exit West 

AS Shakespearean Comedies: Ye Olde Romantick Comedies 

Dive into the intricate world of Shakespeare’s comedies in this advanced literature elective, which will focus on The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night. Often regarded as the precursors to modern romantic comedies, these plays use humor, disguise, and romance to interrogate themes of gender, power dynamics, identity, and societal norms. Students will engage in close reading and advanced literary analysis, exploring the plays’ complex structures, genre conventions, and rich historical and cultural contexts. Through critical essays, scholarly discourse, and creative interpretations, you’ll unravel the depth behind Shakespeare’s comedic brilliance and its continued influence on literature and film. 

AS Shakespeare’s “Henriad” as Early Seventeenth-Century Agit-Prop 

The four plays commonly called the Henriad–Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and Henry V–offer distinctly skewed history, high art, low humor, seemingly immortal characters, and possibly subversive political insights. The legitimacy of the royal line will be threatened by spendthrift kings, wayward princes, felonious associates, and France. We will focus on a close reading of the plays (a typical assignment will be 300-400 lines), but excerpts from filmed adaptations will also mark the breadth and depth of what is possible with these plays. 

AS Toni Morrison’s Beloved 

In this class, students will study and discuss the legacy of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison through the close study of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved. In its unflinching portrait of the traumas and lasting, far-reaching effects of slavery, Beloved forces readers to confront how the past haunts the present. Students will consider the ways in which Morrison’s style and technique work to illustrate her themes of race, family and motherhood, and personal agency. Students will engage in close reading assignments and a longer analytical essay. In addition to the novel, students should expect to read critical essays on Morrison and some of Morrison’s own non-fiction. 

AS Underground Railroad 

Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad is a fantasia drawing on deeply researched history, the slave narrative, the hero’s journey, the picaresque, and the more ghastly books of the Bible. The plot stands on its own merits, but allusions expand the significance of practically every aspect of the novel. We will explore some of these allusions to gain a deeper understanding of the novel’s subject: the institution of American slavery and its subsequent forms and harms. 

AS Women and the Literature of Family

AS Women and the Literature of Family explores how women’s lives are shaped through family relationships, especially among sisters and across generations. Students will examine ambition, obligation, cultural expectation, and the power of storytelling. Though separated by time and place, these works reveal shared questions about inheritance, identity, and the ways women support, challenge, and define one another. Emphasis is placed on close reading, discussion, and analytical writing. Possible Texts: Little Women, The Joy Luck Club, Three Sisters 

 

Students are placed in this course following a review of relevant testing (including TOEFL). ELL Literature provides an introduction to works of British and American literature. In this course, students become familiar with the basic elements of critical analysis through readings of, and written responses to novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and plays.

An integrated skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) course for non-native English-speaking students at the advanced level of English proficiency. Students develop active and passive vocabulary through learning word roots. Students do both informal (journals) and formal (paragraphs and essays) writing. We focus on editing strategies to make writing more clear, concrete, and concise. Class discussions and student presentations increase students' confidence using spoken English and listening skills in an academic environment, while students work together on projects, learning to collaborate. In this class, students have the opportunity to help determine course content and activities.