11th grade requirement unless enrolled in AP English Language and Composition
During Gould Academy’s eleventh grade year of English, students are exposed to a variety of poems, essays, stories and novels that illuminate the intricacy of American Literature. As a body of work produced by a diversity of peoples, regions, philosophies and cultures, the central themes of this course are: identity, belonging, voice, freedom, justice, and decision-making. Students focus on the five realms of English (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking) to understand literature and language through critical thinking and analytical skill development. Each textual analysis starts with essential questions based on each trimester’s themes. Students will consider texts in relation to themselves, the world, and other texts. Students will use the essential questions from the course to construct their own essential questions for each assigned project. In addition to a teacher-edited anthology of poems, short stories, and essays, texts may include Invisible Man, Recitatif, and the Great Gatsby among others.

American Literature Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors program. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work.

11th Grade Requirement Unless Enrolled in AP English Language & Composition – Year Long
During Gould Academy’s eleventh grade year of English, students read, discuss, and write about novels, short stories, essays, drama, and poems that illuminate diverse perspectives on America and being an American. Readings include pre-Colonial through Postmodern American texts produced by a diversity of peoples, regions, philosophies and cultures. As students consider texts in relation to themselves, the world, and other texts, they will focus on the five realms of English (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking) to understand literature and language through critical thinking and analytical skill development.

American Literature Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. Students who complete the required Honors assignments will need to finish the course with a grade of 86% or higher to earn the designation. The Honors Designation is a prerequisite for recommendation for Advanced Placement courses the following school year.

11th Grade Offering Requires Departmental Approval – Year Long Course
This introductory college-level course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of both fiction and nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in fiction and nonfiction –including images and film as forms of text– from a range of disciples, time periods, cultures and nations. Students conference on their writing in class and in the Writing Center. Students enrolled in this course will be expected to take the AP English Language and Composition exam.

12th Grade Offering Requires Departmental Approval – Year Long Course
Advanced Placement Literature and Composition is a yearlong challenging course which approaches literature and its themes from a global perspective. We will develop the tools to close read works across the literary canon, including drama, epic, novels, graphic novels, lyric poetry, and the graphic novel. Our goal will be to read, discuss, and write about these works with precision, sensitivity, clarity, and imagination. We will think about how literary themes and forms change in different times and places by reading stories as told by authors from around the world and from the ancient world to the present day, pairing older texts with more recent adaptations. Students enrolled in this course will be expected to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam.

11th grade offering by departmental recommendation
This introductory college-level course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of both fiction and nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in fiction and nonfiction –including images and film as forms of text– from a range of disciples, time periods, cultures and nations. Students conference on their writing in class and in the Writing Center. Students enrolled in this course will be expected to take the AP English Language and Composition exam.

12th grade offering by departmental recommendation
Advanced Placement Literature and Composition is a yearlong challenging course which approaches literature and its themes from a global perspective. We will delve into some of the universal themes of humanity through close readings of a variety of works within the evolving literary canon. The goal will be to read, discuss, and write about these works with precision, sensitivity, clarity, and imagination. The overarching questions will include: How does our past shape our vision of ourselves and our world, our hopes, or our future? What is the nature of evil and its punishment? What does love teach us about life and ourselves? What is literature, and why are we driven to create it? Possible reading selections may include Oedipus, The Awakening, Othello, M. Butterfly, Pride and Prejudice, and  Purple Hibiscus. Students enrolled in this course will be expected to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam.

One of the most common responses from students to the question “what is fiction?” is this: it is not true. They mean that the author's brain created the plot, characters, conflict, and many other elements, but this is incorrect.  It is essential to make clear that fiction is nothing BUT truth. Truth about life, people, the human condition, the good and bad of the world, the possibilities that life on Earth has to offer. In this elective, students will investigate short texts to learn about the elements of fiction writing: genre, plot, conflict, character development, point of view, world-building, and descriptive and figurative language. They will engage in the writing process to develop multiple pieces of short, original work. Creative Writing I is not a prerequisite for Creative Writing II.

10th grade requirement
Students in this course experience a shared curriculum with The West and The World history course and develop an understanding of the history of western culture through a literary analysis. Developing the analytical vocabulary to reason, to write about, and to competently discuss the underpinnings of western culture and society, as it is reflected in literature, is the foundation of the curriculum. Students will journey through the history of western literature by reading drama and poems from Ancient Greece, the Medieval period, the Renaissance, and the 20th Century, as well as more modern genres of literature such as mythological retellings. A variety of creative, analytic, and reflective assignments will assist students’ development of analytical thinking skills, the writing process, academic organization, and an understanding of themselves as learners. Discussion is focused around the evolution of humanity and the voices and perspectives that have been left out. Texts may include The Odyssey, The Penelopiad, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Frankenstein, Maus, and The Sunflower. 

European Literature Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the honors designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding of the concepts of the course, may involve continuation of the regularly assigned work, or could be another project created by teacher and student.

Year Long
Global Insights: Comparative Literature and Composition is designed to support non-native English speaking students. The course is built to give students an opportunity to learn and improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills as well as critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare them for success in the mainstream classroom and as lifelong learners. Literature and Composition parallels our mainstream literature courses.

Year Long
Global Insights: World Literature and Composition is tailored for non-native English speakers, fostering development in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Emphasizing critical thinking and analysis, it equips students for mainstream academic success and lifelong learning. Through diverse texts by diverse authors, students explore global perspectives and cultural richness. Parallel to mainstream literature courses, this curriculum offers a supportive environment for honing language skills while engaging with profound literary works. By cultivating linguistic proficiency and literary appreciation, students gain confidence to navigate academic challenges and contribute meaningfully to diverse cultural dialogues. Texts include the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Jack London, Mark Twain, W.E.B. Du Bois, Kate Chopin, and Sarah Orne Jewett, among others.

11th Grade Requirement Unless Enrolled in AP English Language & Composition – Year Long

The 11th grade American literature course explores political and social change in U.S. history and culture through the lens of literature, including novels, short stories, poetry, essays, memoir, film, and music. Aligned with the American history courses, this course engages with important moments in American history and culture including slavery and its abolition; the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance; the Civil Rights movement; WWII and the Holocaust; and the Vietnam War. Course themes will include American identity; racial justice; immigration and migration; and literary and cultural responses to war.

ENG 301: Literature of Social and Political Change Honors Designation

Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. Students who complete the required Honors assignments will need to finish the course with a grade of 86% or higher to earn the designation. The Honors Designation is a prerequisite for recommendation for Advanced Placement courses the following school year. 

 

10th Grade Requirement – Year Long
Students in this course experience a collaborative curriculum with the tenth grade history course and develop an understanding of human culture and structures through literary analysis. Developing the analytical skills to reason, to write about, and to competently discuss the underpinnings of different cultures and societies, as it is reflected in literature, is the foundation of the curriculum. Students will journey through the history of literature by reading drama and poems from Ancient Civilizations, Shakespeare, the 20th Century, as well as more modern pieces of literature. Students will also discuss the impacts of colonization and systems of oppression that have shaped our current global climate. A variety of creative, analytic, and reflective assignments will assist students’ development of analytical thinking skills, the writing process, academic organization, and an understanding of themselves as learners. Discussion is focused around the evolution of humanity, empathy, and the voices and perspectives that have been left out.

Perspectives in Global Literature Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. Students who complete the required Honors assignments will need to finish the course with a grade of 86% or higher to earn the designation. The Honors Designation is a prerequisite for recommendation for Advanced Placement courses the following school year.

Open to Seniors; Juniors with Departmental Approval – Offered 1st Semester

Literature of War takes you on a journey through war’s impact upon humanity through non-fiction and historical fiction. You’ll see how war shapes both the individual and societal soul, binding and breaking us all at once. You’ll see humankind at its best and worse, from benevolence to butchery. You’ll explore and juxtapose the cross-cultural themes surrounding war such as bonding and sorrow, loss and survivorship, victim and perpetrator, myth and reality. You’ll engage the topic from various viewpoints in order to see the physical, psychological, and cultural factors that mark the drive and retreat of the psyche to and from war, ultimately gaining a more informed and empathetic lens to better understand war’s inevitable hold upon humankind and how to dislodge that hold.

9th grade requirement - Year Long
Students in this course experience a collaborative curriculum with their Human Geography course from Gould’s History department. They work to develop a geographic imagination, so the students can better understand their presence and role in the world. Students begin deliberate development of the skills they need for success in high school, and beyond: reading, listening, thinking, and then writing and speaking. Reading and annotating texts, the writing process, the Harkness discussion method, group work, project management, academic organization, and media presentation skills are built into the curriculum. The course covers a wide range of genres and places through poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels in order to expose students to a rich variety of texts and build a solid foundation for their future English classes.

World Literature Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors program. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work.

This course explores the First Amendment and its relation to, and impression on, our country and culture. We will consider why books and films are challenged, who does the challenging, and why some books and films are ultimately banned. Through reading, discussion, and writing, students will reflect on themes and ideas found in the text and on the screen and then delve into what makes them feel “dangerous” or “inappropriate” or receive harsh criticism from those who object them. Texts may include The Virgin Suicides, The Bluest Eye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Maus. Films may include Brokeback Mountain, The Color Purple, and Inglorious Bastards.

Semester Course
The control of information and censorship has existed as long as the written word. Historically, books have been banned by those in power in an attempt to control politics, social expectations, and the narrative of historical events. In this course we will consider why books have been banned in the past, and why there is a significant increase in the amount of literature that is being challenged today. We will read books and stories that have been banned and challenged in different states, countries, and classrooms due to LGBTQIA+ content; discussions on mental health; historical accounts of social and racial injustice; and sexual content. A large part of our class discussions will evolve around the question of the true purpose of these bans: what don’t they want us to know?

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

This course offers an introduction to the study of literature by focusing on the emerging genre of climate change fiction (popularly known as “cli-fi”). Course readings invite students to think of climate change in new ways--through fiction. The essential question is: how and why does fiction, and specifically literary fiction, matter in the context of climate change?  Specifically, we will read a range of short stories and novels, analyzing how features like point of view, characterization, and figurative language enhance the effects that those stories produce on their readers. We will also compare these literary texts to understand and relate to the world.

E.B White famously said ““Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.” Nevertheless, we will endeavor to develop a greater understanding of British and American written humor in this course. What makes people laugh? How has comedy evolved in the 21st century? What does it mean to ‘punch up’ instead of ‘punch down?’ We will consider written and performed humor in a diverse range of mediums from sketch comedy to satirical writing to stand-up. Among others, works by Hannah Gadsby, BJ Novak, and Jonathan Swift will be considered.

Semester Course
E.B White famously said “Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.” Nevertheless, we will endeavor to develop a greater understanding of British and American written humor in this course. What makes people laugh? How has comedy evolved in the 21st century? What does it mean to ‘punch up’ instead of ‘punch down?’ We will consider written and performed humor in a diverse range of mediums from sketch comedy to satirical writing to stand-up. Among others, works by Hannah Gadsby, BJ Novak, and Jonathan Swift will be considered.

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

Semester Course
In this elective, students will learn how to write short fiction and memoir. They will investigate short texts to learn about elements of creative writing: genre, plot, conflict, character development, point of view, world-building, and descriptive and figurative language. They will engage in the writing process (drafting, sharing/workshopping, revising, editing) to develop multiple pieces of short, original work. Most classes will follow a writers workshop model, which consists of a mini lesson focusing on a particular skill or technique, usually using a mentor text as a model, then time to explore and practice the skill in a low stakes way. After trying out a few different styles of writing, students will be able to spend most of their time creating a lengthier piece or a collection of shorter pieces as their final project.

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

Semester Course
In this semester-long English elective course, students will explore themes of identity, power, government, social hierarchy, justice/injustice, and human rights by reading, discussing, and writing about Dystopian texts. What are the consequences of a society where only a certain few maintain power? What tactics do those in power use to maintain power? Who is excluded and why? Wrestling with these topics and questions allows students to analyze the world around them through a new lens that could lead them on a path toward social justice work in the future. Texts may include Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Parable of the Sower.

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

The aim of “Go West” is to use novels, film, and relevant historical sources to understand and challenge the conventional mythology of the American West. What is “the West?” Why have so many fixated on this diverse and enormous landscape (and why do so many continue to do so)? Who has been historically excluded from the West and what could the future of Western stories look like? We will strive to answer these questions in our readings, writings, and screenings this term.

Semester Course
Over the course of our semester in "Go West," we will use literature, film, and relevant historical sources to better understand and, eventually, challenge the conventional myth of the American West. What is “the West?” Why have so many fixated on this diverse and enormous landscape (and why do so many continue to do so)? Who has been historically excluded from the Western myth and what could the future of Western stories look like? We will strive to answer these questions in our readings, writings, and screenings this term. Works by Pam Houston, Alex Meyers, and Tommy Orange will be considered.

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

This course will explore the style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear and horror, as well as Romantic elements such as nature, individuality, and strong emotion of curiosity and suspense. Fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction in this category employs dark and picturesque scenery, startling and melodramatic narrative devices, and an overall atmosphere of exoticism and mystery. Through reading, discussion, and both analytical and creative writing, students will reflect on themes and ideas found in classic and contemporary gothic literature and begin to discuss the question of the human appeal and curiosity to fear and the unexplained. What is it about fear that excites and intrigues us? Texts may include The Haunting of Hill House, Dracula, Carmilla, The Castle of Otranto, The Yellow Wallpaper, Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray, fiction and non-fiction of Stephen King, and short stories and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

Semester Course
This course will explore the style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear and horror, as well as Romantic elements such as nature, individuality, and strong emotion of curiosity and suspense. Fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction in this category employs dark and picturesque scenery, startling and melodramatic narrative devices, and an overall atmosphere of exoticism and mystery. Through reading, discussion, and both analytical and creative writing, students will reflect on themes and ideas found in classic and contemporary gothic literature and begin to discuss the question of the human appeal and curiosity to fear and the unexplained. What is it about fear that excites and intrigues us? How do we come to terms with our own demons and darkness?

English Electives​ Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work. The student must also have a 90% grade average for the year to receive the designation.

The imaginary realm of a fictional tale creates an unrealistic yet satisfying and alluring land which pushes the boundaries of human possibilities through fantasy and detachment from reality. The course “Imaginary Lands” is designed to help students appreciate the formal and historical features of different kinds of stories that take place in lands not of our world, and why we feel drawn to escape by taking a trip down the rabbit hole. We will use the lens of our imagination to discuss metaphor, imagery, nuance, and other literary devices that exist in the critical understanding of fiction. Students will analyze plots, characters, and settings as windows into the themes of the texts and also as a means to discuss how imaginary settings can help us to understand the reality of what it is to be human. Students will explore the cultural purpose of fiction and practice interpreting these texts as complex social mirrors which continue to impact humanity as well as influence the ongoing traditions of contemporary literature. Potential readings may include The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Children of Blood and Bone, and Wicked.

Semester Course
The imaginary realm of a fictional tale creates a seemingly unreal and alluring land which pushes the boundaries of human possibilities through the detachment from reality. Fantasy also provides us a platform to consider and discuss societal structures including bias, racism, and oppression, among other evils lurking in the dark forests. Students will explore the cultural purpose of fiction and practice interpreting these texts as complex social mirrors which continue to impact humanity as well as influence the ongoing traditions of contemporary literature. Students will journey through and discuss the evolution of traditional folk and fairy tales from around the world. Imaginary Lands gives students the opportunity to rekindle (or discover!) joy and entertainment in reading, to practice both creative and analytical writing, and to discover more about themselves and their classmates.

English Electives Honors Designation
Students who are interested in further challenging themselves and earning honors credit can participate in the Honors Designation. Honors assignments demand a deeper academic understanding, while being a continuation of the regularly assigned work.

In this senior elective, students will be introduced to the genre of magical realism. This genre has strong roots in Latin American and Indigenous culture, and oftentimes serves as political and social commentary. By exposing students to realistic texts with an intimation of fantasy, individuals will grapple with what they determine to be reality. The mundane human experience intertwined with traditional myth and folklore serves to excite the mind and enlighten the spirit. Texts may include, So Far from God, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and When We were Birds.

Global Insights: Literature and Composition is designed to support non-native English speaking students. The course is built to give students an opportunity to learn and improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills as well as critical thinking and analytical skills to prepare them for success in the mainstream classroom and as lifelong learners. Literature and Composition parallels our mainstream literature courses.