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With the new millennium in mind, the English Department began four years ago to re-examine its curriculum in light of two cultural developments: the increased importance of both burgeoning technology and communication skills in American society, and the proliferation of new works of literature during the second half of the twentieth century. With regard to the first issue, the department will continue to dedicate itself to the teaching of written and spoken language arts. However, the department clearly recognizes, as well, the explosion of computer resources in both word processing and research, and is working to include those resources in a classroom setting. Though the success of this endeavor depends to a large extent on funding, the department has already developed an English Center equipped with general computer, cinema, and intemet capabilities that we continually upgrade. In terms of the second issue, the department realizes that its literature program in the twenty-first century must reflect developments not just in "classic" eras but also in both the early and later phases of the twentieth century that most traditional high school courses frequently neglect. To that end, the department has revised its literature program in the freshman and senior years. Specifically, students in Grade 9 will continue to study the typical introduction to literary genres, but instead of applying concepts to arbitrary readings, students will examine genres in conjunction with a world literature curriculum similar to the diocesan guidelines for 12th grade. A program of twentieth-century American and British literature now comprises the reading component of their senior year. This revision in the literary segment of the English Department's curriculum accomplishes several things. It maintains the arc of American-British-world literary study, yet it frees sophomore and junior teachers from the pressures of cramming twentieth-century American and British literature respectively into an already full program of study. Most importantly, it creates a new program that recognizes literary contributions from a century recently concluded. |
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