AP American Studies Syllabus
AP U.S. History and AP English Language and Composition AP AMERICAN STUDIES
Course description: This course examines the development of the American character and culture through the study of history, literature, art, music, and film. This integrated approach to the literary, political, social, and economic patterns of our past and present develops in the students the capacity to work critically, independently, and collaboratively.
This course satisfies the requirements of AP U.S. History and AP English Language and Composition. Students enrolled in this course are expected to take both the AP U.S. history exam and the AP English Language and
Composition exam. This course is truly interdisciplinary in that students are enriched by an analysis of the American experience from the perspective of both literature and history. They learn to appreciate the dimensions of historical events through the lens of literature and to recognize the cultural and historical roots in which literary texts are situated as well as the societal impact of those texts. Students grow in their knowledge of the fundamentals of two disciplines as they develop a sophisticated and critical understanding of American history and culture and also learn how to use written language in effective and powerful ways. American Studies provides an integrated study of the American experience and the ideas that form its foundation. Class structure: This is a double period class in which the ideas are explored through literary and historical texts. It is taught by both an English teacher and a history teacher who carefully plan together so that the course is not two separate courses, taught side by side, but rather a truly integrated study of the American experience. Each class period will provide opportunities for reading, writing, and discussion. At times, there may be parallel reading assignments. Therefore, students must learn to manage their
Course description: This course examines the development of the American character and culture through the study of history, literature, art, music, and film. This integrated approach to the literary, political, social, and economic patterns of our past and present develops in the students the capacity to work critically, independently, and collaboratively.
This course satisfies the requirements of AP U.S. History and AP English Language and Composition. Students enrolled in this course are expected to take both the AP U.S. history exam and the AP English Language and
Composition exam. This course is truly interdisciplinary in that students are enriched by an analysis of the American experience from the perspective of both literature and history. They learn to appreciate the dimensions of historical events through the lens of literature and to recognize the cultural and historical roots in which literary texts are situated as well as the societal impact of those texts. Students grow in their knowledge of the fundamentals of two disciplines as they develop a sophisticated and critical understanding of American history and culture and also learn how to use written language in effective and powerful ways. American Studies provides an integrated study of the American experience and the ideas that form its foundation. Class structure: This is a double period class in which the ideas are explored through literary and historical texts. It is taught by both an English teacher and a history teacher who carefully plan together so that the course is not two separate courses, taught side by side, but rather a truly integrated study of the American experience. Each class period will provide opportunities for reading, writing, and discussion. At times, there may be parallel reading assignments. Therefore, students must learn to manage their