Biography

Designed as an inclusive survey course that covers literature ranging from Shakespeare to poetry written in the 2020s, AP Lit is a playspace for students who are excited about vivid works of fiction that represent diverse voices, styles, and eras. We write frequent, short response papers of typically 1-2 pages in order to gain comfort with shorter-form writing and draw meaning from complex poems, plays, short stories, and novels that speak to the human condition. Beyond those noted above, authors will traditionally include Margaret Atwood, Flannery O’Connor, Nella Larsen, Seamus Heaney, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Toni Morrison, Mary Oliver, Olive Senior, Joyce Carol Oates, Octavia Butler, Karen Russell, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson, to name just a few. We also integrate film, music, and art study into our work in order to consider narrative structure, tone, setting, characterization, and symbolism from new and unusual angles. AP Lit is ideal for students who love reading and enjoy robust discussion, literary analysis, and deep philosophical inquiry.

Prerequisite: To be eligible, a student has to have earned an A- or above in the first semester of English 2.