Honors
Early American Literature
(Course of
Study by Dr. Sharon Bridwell)
Dr.
Bridwell has written a high school literature course that will help prepare the
college-bound student for most 200 to 300 series college-level literature
classes. Students wanting to take this class must have some experience writing
essays and must have the discipline to read both interesting and dry material.
Students are expected to work at a sophomore college level in their
assignments, exams, oral presentations, and critical analyses. Students will
weekly complete three written assignments that include responding critically,
analytically, and objectively to Early American Literature of the 1600s to 1865
(this means 90 essays of 500+ words each for the year).
These assignments will run 4+ typed pages weekly. On
average, students may take 8+ hours a week to read material and prepare for the
assignments. Dr. Bridwell will
provide handouts to add to the text. Students will weekly face critical
thinking issues and write essays on their reading. Students should already have
a general understanding of such literary devices as author point of view,
author focus, tone, mood, and poetic tools. The course allows students to
enhance their general knowledge of such devices and expand their ability to
express specific understanding of various literary genres within a college
format.
The Honors Early American Literature course is taught as a
part of Bridwell’s Tutorials associated with Potter’s School. It is presented
as a “live” video- conference class, meeting once a week online for 1.5 hours.
Bridwell’s Tutorials uses the latest version of Web End Point software. You can
see this software in use via video clip at www.pottersschool.org. Students submit
all assignments directly to Dr. Bridwell for grading, critiquing, and comment.
To excel in this particular class, students must meet a tough grading standard
and produce all work on time. Students cannot fall behind in this class and
remain in it; we move along too quickly. If questions arise, students contact
Dr. Bridwell by email, phone, or fax. Dr. Bridwell keeps in constant touch with
her students and their parents.
Once students have learned how, they will write up to three
timed weekly essay questions in college format covering their daily reading
assignments. Midterms will appear in complete multiple-choice format with a
timed essay. Midterms don’t count on the cumulative record and appears as
Pass/Fail on the Report card. Semester finals will cover class notes, author
information, literary devices, and key ideas found within the context of the
class material within a full essay format at the college level and take 2.15
hours to complete.
Goals:
Dr. Bridwell has the following goals for this class—students
will:
1.
Examine 130+ written works to include essays, short
stories, poems, and novels (in part).
2.
Saturate themselves in literary devices and written
expression used at the college level.
3.
Discover cultural, political, literary, economic, and
worldview thinking propagated by early American writers.
4.
Gain critical thinking and presentation skills for
objective discussion of literary variations within the college essay and style-analysis
formats.
Objectives:
Dr. Bridwell has the following objectives for this class—for
students to:
1.
Enhance college level vocabulary skills.
2.
Test and deepen reading comprehension skills.
3.
Polish college-level writing skills.
4.
Critically analyze author point of view, focus, tone, mood, diction,
organization, syntax, and use of figurative language.
5.
Critically analyze the poetic devices of meter,
scansion, sound, and form.
6.
Write without hesitation on any literary topic given.
We will use the college text entitled The Norton
Anthology of American Literature, Package 1 with Volumes A and B (ISBN 0-393-97793-5).
First Semester:
Introduction to
AP-Style Writing Expectations
1620 to 1840 Authors
Native
American Stories
Harriot
Smith
Bradford
Morton
Winthrop
Williams
Bradstreet
Wigglesworth
Rowlandson
Taylor
Sewall
Mather
Knight
Byrd
Edwards
Woolman
Bartram
St. John De
Crevecoeur
Second Semester:
1841 to
1865 Authors
Freneau
Wheatley
Irving
Cooper
Apess
Bryant
Emerson
Hawthorne
Longfellow
Whittier
Poe
Stowe
Thoreau
Douglass
Whitman
Melville
Dickinson
NOTE: To maintain the Honors' standing, a student can't earn less than
a B+ in the class.