Course Syllabus

SOPHOMORE ENGLISH: Myths and Legends- Tracking Good and Evil through Genres and Time 10 (½ credit)Prerequisite: Introduction to Literature, Freshman English Foundations, or Introduction to Literature Honors

This is a semster long- hands on, reading-intensive course in which students sharpen their critical and analytical reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills, as well as their creative skills through an exploration of the epic tradition of heroes and villains, primarily in the Western world, as they appear in various genres (mystery, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, satire, etc.). Students will learn/review a variety of literary elements, while also discovering modern ties to ancient characters and the social changes/viewpoints that created them. At the core of the course is an exploration of what purposes Myths serve for us and  what we do as individuals in society to show what we truly honor and fear . In turn,we look at how can the stories we tell & how we choose tell them shape/challenge those beliefs for ourselves and others others? Texts will vary from year to year but may include excerpts from or whole texts of The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Richard III, The Giver, Beowulf, The Iliad, King Arthur, The Greek Myths, The Graveyard Book, The Canterbury Tales, Anansi Boys,The Hobbit,  Dracula,Anthem, "The Lottery" , The Masque of Red Death" "The Open Window"The Lightning Thief , Suddenly the Cider Didn't Taste So Good, Hatchet, Animal Farm etc. and the films Wall-E, Inception, The Quiet Place :Day One and Cool Hand Luke...

This course is highly collaborative, as it is an examination of group myth-making. Students will have many opportunities to work together as partners and on group projects.

Grades will be based on a point system, with assignments be assigned 50, 100,200, 300, or 400 points based on the difficulty of and amount of time required for each assignment.

There is no final exam in this class, though we will likely end the course with a larger personal myth project that will count as at least a 400 points grade.

Late policy: students may turn in one HW assignment  for the course one class late without penalty for any reason.

After that, an assignment is -5 pts off a class for one week of classes (3 class periods). Late work turned more than one week late will not receive credit, unless there is a significant reason that has been approved by the teacher.

Plagiarism/AI Policy: Submitting someone else’s work as your own, including work found on the web or created with AI tools, without giving proper citation /credit and without getting prior permission from Miss McCormick will NEVER be acceptable and will result in strong consequences. More details on this policy will be shared in class on and on our class website.