English Course Descriptions

ENG71 – English 7
1 year

The emphasis of this course is on giving the student firm foundations on which to base her later work. The course work covers the basic principles of grammar, mechanics, spelling, punctuation, and composition. Students read a variety of literary selections and study the basic elements of fiction. Composition assignments include writing paragraphs and vocabulary lessons are an integral part of the course. During each semester, the student works individually with her English teacher to edit and revise the student's compositions.

ENG81 – English 8
1 year

This course continues the basic study of grammar, composition, and literature begun in the seventh grade. Students expand their composition writing from single paragraph essays to five-paragraph compositions while they incorporate the new information they are mastering in grammar. For the most part, the writing assignments come from the literature studied in class and the students conference with their teacher to praise, edit, and revise their written work. Other writing includes creative approaches to express thoughts, ideas, and emotions discussed in class. Vocabulary continues to be studied as an integral part of the course.

ENG101 – English 9: Classics in Translation
1 year
1 credit

After delving into Greek and Roman mythology, this course immerses students in translated selections of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Sophocles' Antigone, Euripides' Trojan Women, and Virgil's Aeneid. Other selections studied include Shakespearean plays, portions of Dante's Inferno, and Ibsen's A Doll's House. In addition to discussing and writing about literature, students also progress in their expository writing skills from single-paragraph essays to the five-paragraph composition. The student and teacher conference this expository writing and revise the essay after the conference to help the student appreciate her efforts and learn from her mistakes. In class as well as during the writing conference, student and teacher focus on building vocabulary, improving grammar, and learning MLA documentation and format. Leisure reading and the importance of reading as a life-long skill are also major components of the course work incorporated into this class.

ENG 102 – Classics in Translation Honors
1 year
1 credit

(Prerequisites: Minimum of A- in eighth-grade English work, 90% on reading and cognitive ability sections of standardized tests, recommendation by eighth-grade English teacher, and satisfactory completion of two short pieces of writing assigned by instructor)

This course focuses on classical literature and works with classical characters or allusions. For the most part, students will be reading primary texts. These include Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Homer’s Iliad (excerpts) and Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid (excerpts), Aeschylus’ Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides), Sophocles’ Oedipus cycle (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone), Euripedes’ Medea and Hippolytus, and William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students will also be reading a number of contemporary poems containing classical allusions. Students will use Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Pierre Grimal’s Dictionary of Classical Mythology as reference works.

Students will write and conference a number of short and long expository essays using MLA style, learn to write both comparison and contrast papers, and focus on the following in their writing: organization, thesis statements and topic sentences, the use of specific support, parenthetical citations, voice, tense, and conciseness. Students will also write parodies and dialogues to ensure their learning the stories and characters of the Greek and Roman myths. Finally, students will learn vocabulary words derived from Greek and Latin roots.

ENG201 – World Literature
1 year
1 credit

This course surveys major selections of the world’s literature in translation. The students will read and analyze the various novels, stories, plays, and poetry as individual works of literature but also consider them as cultural artifacts.

First semester will focus on ancient and modern Egyptian literature including short stories by the Nobel Prize-winning Naguib Mahfouz, selections from the Bible, stories from Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s Out of India, Chinese and Japanese poetry, Pang-Mei Chang’s Bound Feet and Western Dress, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, poetry by Rumi, and African short stories. Second semester, the students will read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the writing of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda’s poetry, Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, Voltaire’s Candide, selections of Spanish poetry, Chekhov’s “Gooseberries,” Rilke’s poetry, and Boris Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago. Students will learn vocabulary from the texts and a vocabulary book.

Students will write a number of short and long expository essays using MLA style and focus on the following in their writing: organization, thesis statements and topic sentences, the use of specific support, parenthetical citations, voice, tense, and conciseness. Students will also keep journals to record their reactions to the readings.

ENG202 – World Literature Honors (10)
1 year
1 credit

(Prerequisite: B+ in English 9; recommendation of ninth-grade English instructor; letter of intent; portfolio of student's writing)

This course should be viewed, along with Honors British Literature (11), as a preparation for the Advanced Placement Examination in grade twelve. Students gain a thorough knowledge of genres, literary terms and techniques, literary history and the exchange of themes and ideas between cultures, through such diverse texts as Job, the poets of China's T'ang Dynasty, plays by Shakespeare and Moliere, and novels as diverse as Balzac's Pere Goriot and Ignzio Silone's Bread and Wine, as well as poets and writers of prose from the sixteenth century to the present. Student essays are conferenced and revised; vocabulary study remains important.

ENG301-British Literature (11)
1 year
1 credit

Juniors begin their study of the rich literature of the British Isles as they read selections from Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales to Shakespeare and other modern works. Students engage in extensive study of poetry and prose of a variety of genres from a variety of authors. This course is rigorous in scope and encompasses 1500 years of British literary accomplishment.
In addition to the literature, students write analytical essays about particular literature selections and a research-based term paper. Students also learn how to craft literary criticism and persuasive arguments while they acquire a working knowledge of literary terms and techniques. Furthermore, students are expected to produce thoughtful reflections on what they have read and creative interpretations of the literary selections.

Students continue their vocabulary studies and tests, practice test-taking techniques and writing skills for standardized tests.

ENG302 – British Literature Honors (11)
1 year
1 credit

(Prerequisite: B+ in English 10, recommendation of English 10 teacher, and portfolio of student writing)

Honors British Literature is the first half ot he students' preparation for the Advanced Placement Examination in Literature and Composition, which is taken at the end of the senior yea. Students are expected to have above-average motivation as well as strong skills in reading comprehension and composition. The syllabus is organized chronologically, and students learn how social history has influenced the development of British literature from Beowulf to the modern period. Class discussion emphasizes close reading and careful analysis of literary selections such as excerpts from Macbeth, Brave New World, and The Canterbury Tales. Core material is supplemented with readings and exercises designed to prepare students for the multiple choice section of the AP exam. Compositions, which are individually conferenced and revised, are sometimes timed, in-class essays with topics modeled upon the AP essay section. Preparation for the SAT is also a component of the course.

ENG401 – American Literature (12)
1 year
1 credit

Students are presented with the development of American literature from traditional to modern forms within each of the major genres: the novel, drama, poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction prose. Emphasis is on building of skills needed for reading, analyzing, and evaluation literature independently. Expository compositions are conferenced individually with the teacher and revised.

ENG402 – Advanced Placement American Literature (12)
1 year
1 credit

(Prerequisite: B- in Honors British Literature and approval of the instructor and the Principal)

Together with the Honors British literature, the course attempts to challenge the advanced students and prepare her to take the Advanced Placement Examination in Literature and Composition in the spring of her senior year. The course expects from the student above-average interest, motivation, and skill in reading comprehension and composition. It surveys American literature with emphasis on the chronological development of the literature as well as the thorough analysis of each work. The core material is supplemented in the AP class by readings and exercises that are preparatory for the exam. Tests and composition assignments are closely modeled on the AP questions. Compositions, which are individually conferenced with the teacher and revised, are some times timed, in-class essays. This course may be taken for college credit through the 1-8-1-8 program.

ENG258 – Creative Writing (11-12)
1 year
½ credit

(Prerequisite: Interview with instructor, sample of student writing, and recommendation of current English teacher)

Creative Writing (officially, Independent Study Seminar in Creative Writing) offers intensive study of poetry and fiction from a writer's perspective. This course focuses on practical, hands-on work: students attempt various styles, forms, and genres, producing a portfolio of poems and one short story. Each creative effort is followed by a conference with the instructor. Members of the class form the editorial staff of Chanson, Villa Duchesne's literary magazine. Class limit: 12 students. This elective does not fulfill the English requirement for graduation.

Student Publications
1 year
1 credit

Staff members produce both the quarterly student newsmagazine, Tower Talk, and Entre Nous, Villa Duchesne’s yearbook. Members of this staff learn reporting skills, newswriting techniques, page design, digital photography, and photo editing. They learn Adobe PageMaker and Adobe Photoshop and use these programs to produce the issues. In addition to production of the publications, students also become familiar with journalism history, Associated Press newspaper style, editing techniques, and design techniques. They also must demonstrate leadership skills and time management. There are also several opportunities for students to participate in contests and conferences for student journalists.

Editors are appointed at the end of each year. Editors build on their leadership and organizational skills and, if certain requirements are met, can earn Honors grades. Editors work for one publication only, but their skills and creativity effect both staffs as the class meets at one time.

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