The elective program in English offers a wide variety of courses for student selection. These offerings range from thematically organized courses, to special seminars on specific authors, with each course covering relevant short and long works that fit the course’s focus. The typical composition students write at this level continues to build on student’s mastery of the five-paragraph essay. Students are expected to write three such essays each semester. They also study topics such as outlining, introductions and conclusions, transitions, and parallel structure designed to develop specific skills necessary for the writing of effective essays.
August Wilson is one of the great American playwrights of the twentieth century. This African American literature elective for seniors will explore four plays from Wilson's Century Cycle which chronicles the experiences of African Americans in each decade of the twentieth century. Students will examine the historical context of each play, blues music, family relations and the American Dream, African ritual, African American Legacy, poetry, and art; in Wilson's hands, these elements come alive to celebrate Black culture through American dramatic literature. We will study four of Wilson's works: Gem of the Ocean (1904), Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1911), Fences (1957), Radio Golf (1997). We may also attend a performance by one of the Bay Area's African American theater companies.