Enhance your ability to read and write about great literature in preparation for the AP® English Literature & Composition exam.
About this course
This course prepares you to read more deeply and write more clearly about works of literature. Through an engaging collection of videos, authentic readings, and support material from a variety of sources, you will learn to appreciate literature from different genres. This course will focus on reading, interpreting and writing about fiction and gothic literature.
You will broaden your vocabulary while you sharpen your academic and creative writing skills. Interaction with other students will help you to refine your thinking about the reading and writing as well. You will learn to write under time pressure, and have the opportunity to complete practice assignments that are similar to those you will find on the AP examination.
There are no prerequisites; you don’t have to take the AP exam to join the course. If you want to learn about literature and writing, this course is for you.
| Length: | 7 Weeks |
| Effort: | 4–5 hours per week |
| Price: | FREE Add a Verified Certificate for $49 USD |
| Institution | BerkeleyX |
| Subject: | Humanities |
| Level: | Introductory |
| Language: | English |
| Video Transcript: | English |
| Course Type: | Self-paced on your time |
Institution:
Free online courses from University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley was chartered in 1868, and its flagship campus — envisioned as a “City of Learning” — was established at Berkeley, on San Francisco Bay. Berkeley faculty consists of 1,582 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members dispersed among more than 130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units. Berkeley alumni have received 28 Nobel prizes, and there are eight Nobel Laureates, 32 MacArthur Fellows, and four Pulitzer Prize winners among the current faculty.
In September 2012, to mark Berkeley’s commitment to innovation in teaching and learning, The Berkeley Resource Center for Online Education (BRCOE) was formed. The Center is a resource hub and an operational catalyst for all internal campus-wide and external resources to advise, coordinate, and facilitate the University’s online education initiatives, ranging from credit and non-credit courses, to online degree programs and MOOC projects, including the MOOCLab initiative.
BRCOE’s new MOOCLab is a three-year research initiative to fund and develop Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as vehicles for pedagogical research in online education.
Berkeley is also working with edX to develop and foster adoption of Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) on campuses around the world. SPOCs are designed to supplement and enhance the learning experience of on-campus students, while providing local faculty an opportunity for more interactive activities and more time for “high-touch” pedagogy.
What you’ll learn
In this part of the course, you’ll learn:
- How to read and interpret great works of fiction
- Cultural and historical background of gothic literature
- Academic writing skills
- Test-taking strategies
Syllabus
Part 1. Stories
_ Monsters and Ghosts _
Week 1: Introduction to Fiction, Shelley Part 1
Overview of form and vocabulary
Goals of AP courses
What is Gothic horror?
Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Monster
Week 2: Shelley 2
What is close reading?
Frankenstein: Then and Now
Practice Test 1: Multiple Choice
Week 3: Stoker 1
Why write about literature?
The Real Dracula: Vlad the Impaler
Week 4: Stoker 2
What is literary evidence?
Vampires: Not just for breakfast
How can you plan your writing?
Practice Test 2: Essay/Free Response
Week 5: Beloved 1
Practice Test 3: Multiple Choice
Toni Morrison and Beloved
Writing: Introductions are Hard!
Week 6: Writing about Fiction & Beloved 2
What are editing and revising?
Practice Text 4: Essay/Free Response
Week 7: Final Exam, part 1
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For More Courses
AP® English Literature & Composition – Part 2: Poems
AP® English Literature & Composition – Part 3: Plays
