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Amherst Regional High School, Library Entrance
  • Amherst Regional High School
  • 21 Mattoon Street
  • Amherst, MA 01002

  • (413) 362-1700

  • Principal: Mark Jackson

Home >> Academics >> English >> American Literature and Society

American Literature and Society

Course Description

American Literature and Society 015A 2 Credits
American Literature and Society/Honors 015B 2 Credits

The American Dream. Truth or Illusion? American Literature and Society examines the urban culture of the United States as interpreted by writers representing a variety of viewpoints and backgrounds. Students discuss and write about significant themes rooted in the urban experience: identity (explicitly based on race, class and gender), individuality, and alienation, with particular focus on the American Dream. The course texts include classic and contemporary novels, short stories, poetry, drama, and film. The core readings for the trimester are Ellison’s Invisible Man, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Miller’s Death of a Salesman. However, the diversity of American society will be discussed extensively in literary masterpieces by Morrison, Erdrich, Albee, Hemingway, Faulkner and a variety of poets. 

Curriculum Map for American Literature and Society
Last Updated: Monday, February 20, 2012

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