Welcome to African American Literature and Creative Writing!

The 2013-2014 Amityville Memorial High School English 12 Elective Curriculum consists of 2 quarters of African American Literature, followed by 2 quarters of Creative Writing. We will read, analyze, and respond to examples from multiple genres, authors, and texts in both sections of the course and students must be prepared to discuss published work as well as peer-created material.

AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

This course concentrates on the values and strengths evident in the works of African Americans. Specific focus will be on themes of self and identity, national identity, and gender issues. Students will write critical essays as a form of analysis. This course is a survey of writings by African American authors of the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. We will study a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, and nonfiction, from the earliest published work by African Americans through to the present day. This course will help students to elevate their abilities in critical reading and writing, and to make better arguments both orally and on the page.

CREATIVE WRITING

This is an introductory course for students with an interest in creative writing. No previous experience is required but interest in the subject matter is CRUCIAL! If you are not interested in the art and craft of writing, then this is NOT the course for you! Learning to critically analyze a piece of writing is a key component of the course. Genres of focus will include creative nonfiction, the personal essay, memoir, humor, poetry, fiction, and children’s literature.

SENIORITIS (according to Urban Dictionary) noun.

A crippling disease that strikes high school seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as GRADUATION.

Please report all known (or suspected) cases of this deadly disease as soon as symptoms become apparent.

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I treat ALL of my classes as if they were AP or pre-AP level courses. As such, your attendance is CRUCIAL to your success. Lateness will NOT be tolerated. Missing assignments will receive a ZERO, and extra credit is NOT an option.

An EXTENSIVE RESEARCH PAPER is required for this course, as well as a MAJOR project in the form of a Senior Memory Book. Weekly Read and Respond Articles will also count towards your quarterly average.

Your PARTICIPATION grade consists of your interaction in class AND on the class website: www.keenan12.blogspot.com

If it looks like a lot of work, it is! But RELAX. It’s the last little bit of HS English you’ll ever face. 
Embrace it. Enjoy it!

"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.”
-Franz Kafka

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
-Groucho Marx