Eric C

Good Books

Throughout this course, you will learn about and discuss literature through the study of contemporary works. As in any other twelfth-grade Language Arts class, writing well will be emphasized. Expect to write formal essays on a regular basis throughout the semester. The semester exam will involve writing thoughtful, mechanically sound paragraphs and essays about literature. You may be required to submit essays electronically, either on disc or through e-mail, in a windows-compatible format.

I spent the summer reading the books we’ll explore this semester. They are EXCELLENT works of literature. If you enjoy reading challenging, innovative and controversial literature, you’ll probably enjoy this course. That said, I must note that the books for this course are written for an adult audience. Each of them contains material that is not appropriate for a younger audience. Were they movies, they would most likely be rated “R” by the Motion Picture Association of America. Violence, profanity and sexual content appear in some portions of each work. If you or your parents feel uncomfortable about having you read literature meant for an adult audience, please contact your counselor and switch to a different English class.

Key works for the semester may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

This book was selected as the 2007 “One Book, One Community” read by the Marquette County and Northern Michigan University community. The "One Book, One Community" program encourages the community to read the same book and to come together to discuss it in a variety of settings. Although dozens of similar programs have been sponsored nationwide, this is one that brings together a county and a university.

Most events surrounding the “One Book, One Community” program will take place beginning in fall 2007. Students will be encouraged to attend these community events.

· The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle

· The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

· Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

E-mail is the best way to reach me if you have questions or concerns. I check e-mail throughout the school day and before I leave school. I check my voice-mail periodically, but not as regularly as my e-mail. If time permits, I will update my teacher web-site for the benefit of students and parents. Please understand that updating a web-site can be time consuming; as a result, there may be times when the web-site is not updated on a daily basis.