Students are required to complete four credits of English.
Department Philosophy
-
Westtown’s English Department offers courses—required, elective, and advanced—that are both content-rich and rigorous in their expectations of students. English classes emphasize a close reading of literature, and composition, especially forming and supporting thesis statements. Department faculty provide students with specific feedback on their writing designed to facilitate improvement of skills for each individual.
Additionally, Westtown’s English Department believes that the study of literature and composition fosters empathy. Texts incorporating a variety of perspectives promote class discussions exemplifying the Friends’ concept of a corporate search for truth. The English Department challenges students to explore critically their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs; to become aware of the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of others; and to extend their awareness to broader social issues. Further, English faculty members push students to reject simplistic answers for the sake of resolution, and encourage them to pursue the complexity of ideas through close reading and critical thinking.
Ninth and tenth grade English classes are year-long, giving teachers the opportunity to know well each individual's strengths and weaknesses as a reader and writer, and to focus attention on each student's growth through the year. Eleventh and twelfth grade English classes meet by grade for the first two terms of the year so students can work intensively on literature and composition. In the spring, students enroll in elective courses designed by the department to widen and vary the voices to which students are exposed. The elective options showcase the faculty’s scholarly interests and allow students to pursue areas of special interest.
Based on the experience of Westtown’s graduates in their freshman year of college, students who have gone through Westtown’s English program are consistently far ahead of their peers in terms of preparation for advanced reading and writing assignments.
Distinguishing Features:
- Advanced offerings-Reading and Writing Seminars-for students who desire a more intensive exposure to more challenging texts and writing assignments
- Seminar-style classes which demand engagement with the material, the ability to listen and be influenced by differing perspectives, and active participation in discussion
- An emphasis on persuasive writing-with guidance and support in preparing the college essay in 12th grade-that serves students beyond the English classroom
- Literature chosen from many traditions, giving students an awareness and appreciation of human experience and exposing them to moral/ethical problems and their possible solutions
- Deliberate heterogeneous grouping of students (including international students) which allows people with a variety of strengths to come together and recognize the value of each other's contributions
- A rich choice of elective offerings, sometimes team-taught, which expose students to areas of faculty expertise and research
For specific course information, go to the Curriculum Guide.