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Course Description:
American Civilization is a fully accredited option for juniors.
It is the equivalent of the full-year American Literature Honors and
the US History and Government Honors requirement. It prepares students for the New York State Regents Exam in US History and Government as well as English.
The English part of the class attempts to move chronologically and thematically through the American experience in tandem with the American history class. The major literary units will be as follows: The Scarlet Letter, The Autobiography of
Frederick Douglass, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Ragtime, Our Town,
and The Great Gatsby. In addition, students will examine the works of famous American poets such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and others.
The AmCiv class is based on a seminar structure, which requires constant verbal participation
from all students. Students will compose group presentations on ancillary readings, view films, hear from guest speakers, and take project-oriented trips to enhance the understanding
of the core issues presented by the instructors. Students will
create journals that reflect the themes central to the class.
Grades will be based on papers, projects, group seminar presentations, and homework.
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