Αγγλικά Α (Λογοτεχνία)

LANGUAGE A: LITERATURE (English & Modern Greek )

The course is built on the assumption that literature is concerned with our conceptions, interpretations and experiences of the world. The study of literature can therefore be seen as an exploration of the way it represents the complex pursuits, anxieties, joys and fears to which human beings are exposed in the daily business of living. It enables an exploration of one of the more enduring fields of human creativity, and provides opportunities for encouraging independent, original, critical and clear thinking. It also promotes respect for the imagination and a perceptive approach to the understanding and interpretation of literary works.

Language A: literature guide – IBO, 2011

Course Description

The focus of Language A: Literature (English and Modern Greek) is the study, critical evaluation and appreciation of literature as a creative form. Over the two years of the course students read selected literary works representing different genres (drama, poetry, novels, short stories, non-fiction and new textualities), times (from pre-1500 to the present) and places (the course includes texts from a variety of countries). Through the study and discussion of these works, students become acquainted with the concepts and critical approaches associated with literary analysis and their practical application. Activities such as oral presentations, various kinds of essay writing and creative assignments both in the classroom and for homework, afford students opportunities to examine, critically evaluate and develop independent opinions about the way in which writers use language to create meaning in different contexts.

Course Aims

The course is designed to introduce students to a wide range of literature from different times, places, styles and genres, and to promote an understanding of literary criticism and the techniques that it is based upon. One of the most important aims of the course is to cultivate each student’s distinctive style of written and verbal expression and develop the skills needed to communicate and support their critical responses to works in a coherent and compelling manner. Students are encouraged to consider not only what makes each writer unique in terms of ideas and style, but to reflect upon the connections between different literary works and the significance of the contexts within which they are fashioned. The works in translation component of the course further expands students’ awareness of viewpoints grounded in cultural contexts other than their own and how what they encounter in their reading relates to their understanding of the world.

Course Outline

The four-part Language A: Literature syllabus is composed of thirteen works at Higher Level and ten works at Standard Level. Part One and Part Four of the syllabus are usually (but not always) studied in the first year of the course and Part Two and Part Three in the second.

By the completion of the first year of the course, students should be able to recognize and work with concepts and terminology particular to the analysis of different kinds of literature; to close read and evaluate the ideas and features of a text in detail; to formulate a well-supported personal opinion about a text; to structure responses to a text into coherent written or spoken form; to support points about a text with appropriate references; and to cite primary and secondary sources correctly. The first year of the course is intended to provide students with the grounding necessary for the second year, where they will be working in a more intensive, sophisticated and in depth manner upon their texts, adding to and refining the skills developed in the first year.

The ability to examine any kind of text in detail is assessed in Paper One of the Language A: Literature final IBO exams, where students are given a piece of previously unseen text to analyze and to which they must compose a response in the form of a coherent essay. This paper counts for 20% of the final IBO grade for both Higher and Standard Level.

Part One – Works in Translation

In this section students engage in the close reading (in translation) of works written in a language other than English or Modern Greek (three at Higher Level and two at Standard Level), and are encouraged to reflect upon the relationship between culture and literature. Students are externally assessed by the IBO on this section of the course through a two part written assignment consisting of a 300-400 word reflective statement (evolving out of structured class discussions) and a 1200-1500 literary essay based upon one of the works studied. The assignment counts for 25% of the final mark at Higher and Standard Level.

Part Two – Detailed Study

In this section of the course focus is upon the detailed analysis of literary works, with Higher Level students studying three works from different genres and Standard Level two. Students are internally assessed on this section (the work is graded by the instructor but moderated by the IBO) through a recorded piece of oral work, which counts for 15% of the final mark at both Higher and Standard Level.

Part Three – Literary Genres

This section of the course is concerned with the in depth comparative study of works of the same genre and their features. Students are assessed on this section through Paper Two of the final IBO exams, which counts for 25% of their grade at both Higher and Standard Level. Students are asked to respond to an essay question using the texts that they have studied in this section as support for their answer. Higher Level students work with four texts and Standard Level three.

Part Four – Options

In this section of the course students may be asked to study a variety of works and approaches such as prose other than fiction (travel writing, autobiography, letters, essays and speeches), new textualities (graphic novels, hypertext narratives and fan fiction), or the relationship between literary works and film adaptations. Both Higher and Standard Level students must study three works. Students complete an internally assessed oral presentation based upon any combination of the works studied. The presentation is an individual piece of work and is delivered in-class in front of an audience. The presentation counts for 15% of the final IBO grade at both Higher and Standard Level.