Suggested Age

15-17

Prerequisites

English 3 or equivalent, or upon instructor’s approval of writing sample

Purpose

This course parallels One Day Academy’s American History course, with the first semester emphasizing the literature of time period surrounding the Civil War; the second semester, the inherent strength and eventual decline of traditional Christian morality, along with its unwelcome consequences.
Class lectures, discussions, and assignments on the selected works will include:

     •   An overview of the history of the time period and its predominant worldviews
     •   An explanation of the authors, their backgrounds, and personal worldviews
     •   An analysis of the work itself: theme, conflict, literary devices, vocabulary, and impact
     •   An interactive forum relating themes to modern culture, including drama, debates & film
     •   Creative narratives, literary analysis, and short-essay exams

Curriculum & Texts

Available at www.pahlowsenglish.com

     •   American Literature Course Workbook, by Debra Pahlow
     •   The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
     •   Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
     •   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
     •   Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
     •   My Antonía, by Willa Cather
     •   To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
     •   The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
     •   The Giver, by Lois Lowry