AP Literature - (12th grade) (Period 4)

AP English Literature and Composition is designed to be a college/university level course, thus the “AP” designation on a transcript rather than “H” (Honors). This course will provide you with the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a typical undergraduate university English literature/Humanities course.

 AP English Literature and Composition prepares students for the College Board’s AP English Literature and Composition Examination.  Concurrently, the course will encompass a survey of English literature, fostering awareness of important works by British and American authors as well texts translated into English.  The purpose of the course is to involve students in the study and practice of writing and in the study of the English language.  Students will acquire an understanding of the resources of the language and an understanding of the writer’s craft.  In the words of College Board’s course description, its purpose is “to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers.”  In additional to reading and interpreting literary pieces, students will work with college-prep vocabulary; hone their grammar, usage, and mechanics; and write rigorously with a number of explored genres.

 As a culmination of the course, you will take the AP English Literature and Composition Exam given in May. A grade of 4 or 5 on this exam is considered equivalent to a 3.3–4.0 for comparable courses at the college or university level. A student who earns a grade of 3 or above on the exam will be granted college credit at most colleges and universities throughout the United States.