English 10H (Period 3-5)

"I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually" - from Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year at Rowland High School! It will be wonderful getting to know each and every one of you. I'm positive that each of you will add to the enjoyment of our year together and do your best to succeed. The study of American Literature is my favorite course and I personally feel that it is the most important English class you will ever have. We will learn a great deal from the writings of numerous authors, essayists, and poets. There will be a great deal of reading in this class because I feel that it is the most important aspect of an English class. In order to succeed in this course you must read each text thoroughly and completely. The lessons of this class will be aligned to both the California Content Standards and the three R's of Rowland High (Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor). Some of the major topics and concepts will be the relationship between religion and state, the American Frontier, the American Indian, the American hero, and what makes an "American". In addition we will examine such aspects of American literature as race, gender, class, individualism, war, and multiculturalism.