INTRODUCTION TO IDEOLOGY AND LITERARY THEORY 12 th Grade Honors English

Daily Goals for Students To learn something about yourself To learn something about the way the world works To learn something about how language works

Essential Questions How does ideology manifest itself in the realm of human behavior and social interaction—in how we act with others, in the media we ingest, etc.? How do we acquire ideological perspectives, and in what accounts for changes in these perspectives? Why is it important to understand our own ideologies? How can we better understand the ideologies of others? How can we use literary theories (“critical lenses”) to read literature and nonfiction through various ideological perspectives? How does this practice reveal multiplicities of meaning, and what value does diversity of perspective have for individuals?

“The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” There was an old woman, who lived in a shoe; She had so many children, She didn't know what to do. She gave them some broth, Without any bread; She whipped them all soundly, And sent them to bed. Psychologist’s reaction:Chef’s reaction: Lawyer’s reaction: Architect’s reaction: Teacher’s reaction:

Essential Questions How is media a mirror of our cultural ideology? What can we learn about our cultural ideology by analyzing the “signs” of popular culture? Examples:  What does football’s eclipse of baseball as “America’s national pastime” reveal about our cultural or societal values?  What does the resurgence of 80s fashion reveal about our cultural or societal desires/anxieties?

Reading the World The possibilities are endless… Advertising campaigns Political speeches Current events Sports figures or celebrities TV shows or films Children’s stories Trends or Fads

Authentic Assessment “The Last Lecture” (based on book by Randy Pausch)  Multi-media presentation  Digital portfolio that reflects learning over the previous four years  What do you consider the most important understandings that you’ve gained during your time at CHS? What would you convey to others in terms of the most important ideas/concepts/skills you’ve learned in high school?

Grading Each marking period: 21% of total grade  Writing 35%  Tests 30%  Quizzes 20%  Homework 15% Authentic Assessment: 8% of total grade Final Exam: 8% of total grade Equality vs. Equity

Units of Study Intro to Ideology  Various short memoirs (creative nonfiction) Intro to Cultural Criticism  Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner  Fast Food Nation by Schlosser  Nickel and Dimed by Ehrenreich Intro to Literary Theory (“Critical Lenses”)  The Metamorphosis by Kafka  The Stranger by Camus  Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Garcia Marquez The Impact of Ideological Perspectives -- Applications  Hamlet by Shakespeare  Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Approaches to Writing National Writing Project  Writing is a not only a means to express ideas, but a way to GET ideas. (Writing is thinking!)  Good writing skills are not simply “natural” – they are learned. All students can become more skillful writers if they are taught the processes and techniques of quality writing.  Writing Improvement Logs (students should earn credit for improvement/progress)

Approaches to Writing  Developing writers should regularly be exposed to quality texts.  Writing should be taught as a process.  Developing writers should have diverse and frequent writing experiences.  Narratives  Literary analysis essays  Poetry  Articles/news writing  Multi-media projects

The Importance of Perspective “A man with one theory is lost. He needs several of them, or lots! He should stuff them in his pockets like newspapers.” -Bertolt Brecht “No one person or perspective can give us the answers we need to the problems of today.” - Margaret Wheatley