English

This course reinforces and extends students’ creative and critical thinking through texts that explore the complicated intersection of individual identity and societal systems–including dystopian worlds, family and community structures, the natural environment, and historic forms of systemic oppression. Students will hone their skills as critical readers, writers, and thinkers, and have ample opportunity to write about their own experiences within societies. In addition to longer core texts, students will read multiple short pieces by writers such as Margaret Atwood, Lucy Tan, Octavia Butler, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Adjei-Brenyah, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

This course offers students opportunities to experience literature of various genres to promote their abilities as readers and writers while engaging them in deep critical thinking about ideas and social practices that shape American culture. The course is divided into thematic units that investigate the experiences and beliefs that have shaped American experiences, such as immigration, the American Dream, and the struggle for freedom and equality. Students will read novels, short stories, poetry, and essays by diverse American voices both past (such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Martin Luther King, Jr.) and present (such as Elizabeth Acevedo, Celeste Ng, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Robin Wall Kimmerer). A daily writing practice offers students a space to think in response to reading, and frequent opportunities for composition deepen students’ capacity for close reading, self-expression, and independent thinking. NOTE: This course has a summer reading assignment due at the beginning of the year.

In this course, students will serve as writers, reporters, and commentators, honing their writing skills through pieces that require nuance, style, and reflection. Students will take the lead on managing and editing assignments for the monthly school paper, periodic podcasts, and multimedia content for a daily updated website. Some students will take on leadership roles such as an Editor in Chief or a Managing Editor for one of the sections of the print and digital editions of the paper. Students will be graded according to editorial leadership, ability to meet deadlines, and the quality and growth of their report writing.

Using and extending skills learned in Journalism 1–photography, page design, and graphic skills–students will collaborate to produce the monthly newspaper, maintain a corresponding news website, and develop content for various social media platforms. Every student contributes to the school’s print publication, The Spectator, while also gaining skills and experience working on the digital publication and podcasting. Students will cover beats around the school, have real input into what goes into print or onto the web each month, and write in a variety of genres, from straight news writing to features and opinion writing. This process will also afford opportunities to explore some concrete and theoretical topics of journalism, based upon the national trends or stories of the day. Due to the team- and deadline-driven nature of publication, students must be willing to communicate proactively and openly with their classmates and the teacher about the status of their ongoing work while meeting deadlines consistently. The class will also help students develop the following skills: time management and ethical decision-making as well as giving and receiving feedback.

This course focuses on the acquisition and application of the English language, with emphasis on diction, syntax, critical reading, and annotating in the service of advancing composition skills. Throughout the course, students will develop their higher-level thinking skills while forming and supporting opinions through various types of writing and speaking. Writing will include exposition and argumentation in addition to research. One day each cycle will be dedicated to workshopping writing assignments from other classes. The course will be reflected on the student’s transcript as an English credit for the year.

The emphasis in this class is on the written preparation for an oral debate rather than the debate itself; however, the debate performance requires students to anticipate and offer rebuttals to the opponent’s argument with poise and confidence. Students will engage in sound research practices to locate credible evidence about current issues and events before writing a claim that is then developed through effective organization and reasoned arguments. This one-semester course can be taken either semester, but not both. Please note that this course is not affiliated with any external debate club, committee, or competition.

As the old saying goes, “if it bleeds, it leads,” and it’s true: fictional mysteries have captivated hearts and minds for centuries. This first semester course will begin by analyzing classic tales of horror and suspense before moving on to contemporary “whodunits” in short stories, novels, and films. Throughout the course students will improve their skills in critical thinking, close reading, argumentative writing, creative writing, and discussion.

In this course, students will explore Asian and Asian American literature from the 20th century into the contemporary period through a range of texts spanning from novels and films to cookbooks and the items stocked in local grocery stores. The class will build upon students’ reading, analytical, and writing skills through a diverse range of texts that center around celebrating the diversity of Asian cultures and cuisines found globally and within our community and examine how the kitchen and dining table serve as places for gathering, reflection, and growth. This course is for any foodie, those who have found themselves drooling over Studio Ghibli food, and anyone who is interested in indulging in rich and delectable texts. 

With the 24-hour news cycle and our immediate and endless access to media, true crime is at our fingertips more so than ever before, and new mediums–such as the hit podcast Serial –have proliferated. This second-semester course will trace changing attitudes about race, gender, mental illness, and morality in relatively new genres of investigative journalism in podcasts and documentaries. Students will continue to hone their critical thinking, close reading, and discussion skills while also practicing sound research, expository, and research writing. Anyone interested in this course should note that we will discuss the nature of these crimes with respect and avoid sensationalizing in order to honor victims’ stories and work to build understanding, awareness, and empathy.

In this course, students will explore Asian and Asian American literature and storytelling beginning with children’s folktales and fairy tales and ending with modern-day depictions of Asian life, literature, and culture in film and television. The class will focus on equipping students with contextual knowledge of the histories of various Asian populations, tracing these histories through to the contemporary period, and building upon students’ reading, analytical, and writing skills through a diverse range of stories told by Asian immigrants and their following generations. 

This class emphasizes the written preparation for an oral debate just as much as the debate itself since the debate performance requires students to anticipate and offer rebuttals to the opponent’s argument with poise and confidence. Students will engage in sound research practices to locate credible evidence about current issues and events before writing a claim that is then developed through effective organization and reasoned arguments. This one-semester course can be taken either semester but not both. Please note that this course is not affiliated with any external debate club, committee, or competition.

This course invites students to examine Drama as a distinct literary genre, which functions both as a poetic performance and a social commentary. The central purpose of the course is to investigate the playtext as a complex literary object that requires a specialized set of analytical tools. We will approach the script not just as a set of instructions for the actor, but as a site of linguistic tension, exploring how playwrights navigate the boundaries of space, time, and human consciousness within the constraints of the page. Throughout the semester, we will explore a diverse range of dramatic forms—from Greek tragedy to post-modernism. By situating select works within their specific historical, geographic, and intellectual contexts, we will investigate how the genre functions as a mirror to power, identity, and the evolution of the human voice and storytelling. Assessments may take the form of critical commentaries and reviews, literary analysis essays, and creative projects.