English 12

World Literature
Course Syllabus
English 12: 2016-2017
Instructor: Justin Rollolazo
Classroom Location: Room 214
Instructor Email: jrollolazo@stliz-hs.org

Course Description:
In this course, we will study selected authors who have influenced the world with their writing.
Points of emphasis include concepts such as destiny vs. fate, totalitarianism, censorship, roles
and responsibilities of citizens and overcoming adversity. Students will be required to
demonstrate their understanding of these concepts through class discussion, analytical writing
and various individual and group projects.
While the entire course will focus on the skills necessary for college acceptance and readiness,
there will be a specific unit designed to help students with personal statement essays, scholarship
essays and college placement exams. SAT/ACT skills development will also be a part of this
unit.

Course Objectives:
1. The primary goal of this course is to equip students with the necessary skills and abilities
to not only be accepted into college but to excel in college.
2. Develop critical thinking skills in order to make connections of major literary works to
our own experiences and world views.
3. Recognize and describe the recurring themes (such as social justice and the concept of
fate) that appear in major works of world literature.
4. Students will be able to distinguish between plot and what the book is really about (i.e.
what the author is trying to say to the reader through characters, plot and literary
devices).
5. Students will be able to write and verbalize examples and counterexamples of literary
devices (metaphors, irony, etc.) in order to demonstrate understanding of a text.
6. Students will be able to express their ideas and interpretations about each text through
coherent and well-reasoned writing. Various forms of writing will be used to to allow
students to demonstrate the ability to develop, organize and articulate a complete thought.
7. Students will be prepared to take college entrance exams, write college application essays
and practice for the SAT/ACT exams.

Texts:
1. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
2. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
3. 1984, by George Orwell

Course Materials: (some materials maybe added as needed)

1.
2.
3.
4.

Appropriate textbooks for daily use

Composition/spiral notebook for daily writing
Pens/pencils
Access to a computer at home more than a cell phone (if you dont have computer/
internet access, you must inform me the first day of class)
5. YOUR MIND!

Grading/Assessment:
The following scale will be used to determine your grade for the course:
A: 100%-90% B: 89%-80% C: 79%-70% D: 69%-60% F: 59%-Below

Major Assignments:
1. SMART Goal Project: Create a SMART Goal Action Plan project in which you identify a
personal goal and detail a plan of attack on how best to accomplish this goal. This project
will be the basis of further activities throughout the entire school year.
2. 1984 Group Project: In groups of 4, students will fulfill specific responsibilities to explore
the main themes of the novel 1984. The activities for each group will require individual and
collaborative efforts to complete tasks as we read the novel.
3. 1984 Position Paper: Write a paper taking a position: Are we currently living in a dystopian
society?
4. Fahrenheit 451 Portfolio: This portfolio will be a culminating project in which students
identify and analyze various themes from the book and relate them to various historical and
current events: censorship, book banning, conformity vs individuality.
5. Fahrenheit 451 Paper: Students must write a detailed answer on the question: why was
Fahrenheit 451 banned in America?
6. The Alchemist Portfolio: This project will include several forms of writing submissions
including narrative, analytical and personal topics related to the relevant themes from the
book.

Class Expectations:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Be on time.
Be respectful of yourself, classmates and teachers.
Be present, both physically and mentally.
No cell phones in class (unless explicitly told to use them for academic purposes)

5. Be prepared to speak in every class. When you speak, speak clearly so everyone can hear
you.
6. Be confident. Trying your personal best is an expectation.
7. Never give up-The best learning occurs when the content is just a little too difficult to
understand the first couple of times you try to understand it.
8. Be yourself.
9. Think for yourself.

A Brief Word On Plagiarism:

I want all students to think for themselves. Literature inspires freedom of thought and ideas.
Blatantly copying the ideas and words of another person is unacceptable in any form. Part of the
class will include the use of APA format for quotations and citations (so there will be no excuse
to plagiarize).