Argumentation in AP Lang
Since the primary difference between AP Literature and AP Language is the study of rhetoric, a great deal of time will be spent on argument and the study of purpose, audience, intent, and effect. Here are some questions that will be asked for each selection:
1. What is the author's purpose?
2. Who's the intended audience?
3. What does the author want?
4. What is the likely outcome?
Analysis~~
In order to determine the author's intentions, students must become
accustomed to determining the message in the argument, and that is
done through an analysis of style with special attention paid to the
tone of the selection.
Since it is imperative to identify the tone, the student must
examine the diction and syntax of the literature, so a lot of time
will be dedicated to perfecting the skills required to accomplish
this task.
Vocabulary~~
Students struggle sometimes when describing the tone and attitude
that exists within a selection, so vocabulary lessons will play an
important role in AP Lang. We will move beyond the simplistic
descriptions such as "bland tone" to the more sophisticated
"pedantic tone." I've attached a sampling of the vocabulary that we
will cover:
Fallacies~~
It should stand to reason that in order to produce an effective
argument, one must understand what makes a fallacious, or flawed,
argument. We will spend some time in the spring discussing
fallacies that are inherent in arguments in an attempt to eradicate
them from our own arguments.
See the web page I created for more information:
My Favorite Textbook~~
Students may go to this website and register as a student to gain
access to materials that are pertinent to our coursework.
There are quizzes on this site, too, that may help students prepare
for class.
Typical Units:
