English Language and Literature

Tris: 3 | Open to: Juniors | Prerequisites:

AP Lang is a three-session course that focuses on language as a persuasive tool and is designed to develop students’ ability to utilize and analyze rhetorical appeals, techniques, and devices in various media. While students will primarily read non-fiction texts, we will also include some fiction. An AP exam is offered at the end of the year, but is not required to participate in the course.

AP English Literature and Composition

Tris: 3 | Open to: Seniors | Prerequisites: AP English Language and Composition, Critical Writing

This is a college-level literature course which explores a variety of the world’s great literature. It prepares students to take the AP Literature exam which, if passed, counts for college credit. The course involves intensive reading, writing, and discussion.

Composition 9

Tris: 2 | Open to: Freshmen | Prerequisites:

In this course, we will spend time reading about and discussing various themes and essential questions that relate to us as individuals. This class will help you sharpen your reading and writing skills as we dive in and examine literary works and texts. While studying long and short works of fiction and nonfiction, poetry, and drama, students will think and discuss critically while becoming familiar with literary elements and techniques. As a composition course, much of what we discuss and analyze will also lead to putting those thoughts and ideas on paper. Students will write creative pieces of fiction and poetry in addition to expository and argumentative papers using the writing process. These writings will show knowledge of standard grammar and usage as well as a sense of audience. Lastly, listening and speaking skills will also be developed throughout the course.

Crash Course Dummies

Tris: 1 | Open to: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

This class is a survey of topics oftentimes not taken seriously by people in order to investigate and find out if, maybe, they are not actually “dumb” but important forms of culture. Such topics include (but not limited to):

professional wrestling
memes and the internet
comics and cartoons
stand-up comedy

Critical Communication

Dillon Hawkins

Tris: 2 | Open to: Seniors | Prerequisites:

As the culmination of their language studies, students read challenging and diverse material and are also given freedom to choose their own topics of inquiry. Students will write essays and other short works, both fiction and non-fiction, for each section with the goal of creating arguments that synthesize their readings, discussions, and research and clarify their individual ideas about each theme/topic.

Critical Writing

Tris: 2 | Open to: Juniors | Prerequisites:

Critical Writing is a two-session 11th grade English course designed to help students understand practical approaches to critical analysis, research, and the application of those skills to reading and writing. Students will be engaging with two novels each trimester and will seek to show mastery of narrative, informative, and argumentative writing.

Dystopian Realities

Tris: 1 | Open to: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

A high school reading elective course (no prerequisites required!) In this class, we will read dystopian novels together like The Giver, Uglies, Internment, Scythe, The Grace Year, and The Hunger Games. By using our own knowledge of historical and current events, we will evaluate each book against the essential question: Fiction or the future? This course will require weekly reading requirements outside of class time and weekly participation in whole class discussions. Students will also develop and strengthen their academic research skills, essay writing, and creative project skills

English Lit 10

Jeffery Donaldson

Tris: 2 | Open to: Sophomores | Prerequisites: Composition 9

In English Literature, students read contemporary and classic works of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction to identify the elements of Literature. Lectures and student research help students read texts in historical context. Throughout the course, students participate in and lead discussions, conduct original research, and develop both analytical and creative writing projects.

Experimental Literature and Writing

Tris: 1 | Open to: Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

Students will learn about “experimental” or “non-traditional” reading and writing practices. Topics discussed will include writing under strict rules to explore creativity and critical thinking, in addition to choose-your-own adventures and blackout poetry. In addition to reading select works of experimental writing, students will have opportunities to create their own experimental writing and develop a zine of original experimental writing. This is an advanced class reserved for 11th and 12th grade students. However, 9th and 10th grade students can petition for admission. Ask Dr. Hawkins for more information.

Film & Media Studies

Tris: 1 | Open to: Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

This class asks students to watch and seriously study movies. Students will learn about movie narratives, camera work, set and sound design, costumes and make-up, and editing, among other concepts. In addition to watching and studying movies, students will have opportunities to develop and practice movie-making through weekly labs. Other assignments include quizzes, exams, short writing assignments, and a final project. This is an advanced class reserved for 11th and 12th grade students. However, 9th and 10th grade students can petition for admission. Ask Dr. Hawkins for more information.

Finding a Voice of Our Own

Jeffery Donaldson

Tris: 1 | Open to: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites: Composition 9

Focusing on the literature of E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolfe, and the storied members of the Bloomsbury Group, students will explore how a small, eclectic group of writers and thinkers discovered their voices. Students will choose one of the members of the loosely knit group to research and give voice to in a dynamic, multimedia presentation.

Introduction to Religious Studies

Jennifer Lamkin
Jesse Stallings

Tris: 1 | Open to: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

In Introduction to Religious Studies, students will be exposed to an array of sacred texts from the five major world religions and will read selections from several novels and short stories with religious themes and allusions. Students will gain an appreciation for the influence of religion on cultures, will begin to learn the basics of the field of religious studies, and will practice researching religions. Each student will write a research paper on a religious topic/theme and will give a presentation on an independent reading book.

Library Aide

Tris: 1 | Open to: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

Students will pursue a number of projects intended to expand, improve, and maintain the library at TSAS. These projects will offer students the opportunity to draw on their knowledge of our culture and values while applying newly-acquired skills in library science and construction. Students will be expected to work collaboratively, incorporating surveys and community feedback as they tackle the design challenges of a fully-functioning library.

Once Upon a Time

Tris: 1 | Open to: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

Welcome to the wonderful world of children’s literature! This is a high school elective course (no prerequisites required!) In this course, we will take a walk down memory lane as we re-read and analyze the books from our own childhoods. Students will strengthen their literary analysis skills as well as evaluate the ways in which childhood literature shapes foundational belief systems for children and families. From learning to share to welcoming new siblings to tackling anxiety, children’s books are often used when adults don’t quite have the words themselves. These powerful tools are works of art, and students will complete the course by writing and printing their own children’s book!

Post-apocalyptic Lit

Tris: 1 | Open to: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

This course will focus on themes common to the genre, reflect on how people (real and fictional) respond to crises, and investigate how these stories can uniquely critique the present. We will read and analyze novels, short stories, and other forms of post-apocalyptic media. Students will practice writing their own stories in this genre and will demonstrate their learning through other projects as well.

Seeking Shakespeare

Jeffery Donaldson

Tris: 1 | Open to: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites: Composition 9

Who was William Shakespeare and why aren’t the questions of authorship more widely known and discussed? After looking at recent research and scholarship on the playwright, students will watch several comedies, tragedies, and a couple of the history plays—all attributed to William Shakespeare, the man from Stratford Upon Avon.

The 1990s

Korie Johnson

Tris: 1 | Open to: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors | Prerequisites:

The 1990s: grunge, pop-star icons, Oklahoma City Bombing, Boy Bands, the rise of hip-hop to the mainstream, Y2K, the OJ Simpson trial, the impeachment of President Clinton, and so much more. This interdisciplinary course blends elements of Literature, American History, Political Science, and American Studies to explore the decade of the 1990s. We will use film, television, music, theory, literature, advertisements, and more to understand the culture-changing decade. Students will complete reflective in-class writing, whole-class and independent reading, discussions, and an independent research project.

Worlds of Wonder