EN661A/B - IB English: Language and Literature HL 2

Fees: IB Exam fee as appropriate

Learning Recommendations: There are no formal requirements for students undertaking this course. Students who take this course will often have varied language profiles and may be multilingual. While it is recommended that students have had experience of writing critical essays about texts, not having done so should not exclude students from taking this course. Each course offers the opportunity for continued language development and the acquisition of a range of skills including, for example, textual analysis and the expression of literary appreciation. Students must have taken the first year of this course, EN652A/B - IB English: Language & Literature HL 1, to be eligible to sit for the English IB exam.

General Description: This course is designed to support future academic study by developing a high social, aesthetic, and cultural literacy, as well as effective communication skills. The focus of the IB English: Language & Literature HL 2 course is directed towards developing and understanding the constructed nature of meanings generated by language and the function of context in this process. This course is the second in a two-year progression that prepares students for sitting for the Higher-Level exam in May.

The IB English: Language & Literature HL 2 course aims to develop in students skills of textual analysis and the understanding that texts, both literary and non-literary, can be seen as autonomous yet simultaneously related to culturally determined reading practices. An understanding of the ways in which formal elements are used to create meaning in a text is combined with an exploration of how that meaning is affected by reading practices that are culturally defined and by the circumstances of productions and reception.

Strategies:

  • Introduce students to a range of texts from different periods, styles, and genres.
  • Develop in students the ability to engage in close, detailed analysis of individual texts and make relevant connections.
  • Develop the students' powers of expression, both in oral and written communication.
  • Encourage students to recognize the importance of the contexts in which texts are written and received.
  • Encourage, through the study of texts, an appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures, and how these perspectives construct meaning.
  • Encourage students to appreciate the formal, stylistic, and aesthetic qualities of texts.
  • Promote in students an enjoyment of, and lifelong interest in, language and literature.
  • Develop in students an understanding of how language, culture, and context determine the ways in which meaning is constructed in texts.
  • Encourage students to think critically about the different interactions between text, audience, and purpose.

Equipment to be provided by Student: None