Holdet 3emf EN (2025/26) - Undervisningsbeskrivelse

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Undervisningsbeskrivelse

Stamoplysninger til brug ved prøver til gymnasiale uddannelser
Termin(er) 2023/24 - 2025/26
Institution Faaborg Gymnasium
Fag og niveau Engelsk A
Lærer(e) Mille Nygaard Drejer
Hold 2023 EN/emft (1emft EN, 2emf EN, 3emf EN)

Oversigt over gennemførte undervisningsforløb
Titel 1 American minimalism - exam topic
Titel 2 Apologies and apologias - exam topic
Titel 3 Dystopias - exam topic
Titel 4 Argumentation and 9/11 - exam topic
Titel 5 Poetry slam in South Africa - exam topic
Titel 6 Grammar practise
Titel 7 Shakespeare - exam topic
Titel 8 Cont. British graphic short. stories - exam topic
Titel 9 Gothic Literature and Madness - exam topic
Titel 10 Loneliness and Isolation - exam topic

Beskrivelse af de enkelte undervisningsforløb (1 skema for hvert forløb)
Titel 1 American minimalism - exam topic

This course has been an introductory course in which we've practised moving from observation to analysis to interpretation. The purpose of the course has been to narrow in on a specific form of writing - to investigate the characteristics and purposes of a particular type of literary style. In doing so, this course has been primarily inductive. We have focused on close reading and typical analytical focus points (such as narrators, compositions, characterizations, word choices, etc.).
In addition, we have worked with typical minimalist traits, such as omissions, everyday situations, dialogue, showing versus telling, lack of "big story", simplicity of language.


Throughout this course, we have read the following texts:

* "Popular Mechanics" aka "Little things" (short story by Raymond Carver)
* "Tell the women we're going" (short story by Raymond Carver)
* "Cat in the rain" (short story by Ernest Hemingway)
* "Hills like white elephants" (short story by Ernest Hemingway)
* "Greyhound Tragedy" (short story by Richard Brautigan)
* "Galveston" (short story by Frederick Barthelme)
* "Snow" (short story by Ann Beattie)
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 23 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 2 Apologies and apologias - exam topic

In this topic, we have used the textbook "Narrating Truth" (specifically the chapter "Truly Sorry") in order to analyse and understand apologies and apologias. We have focussed primarily on Benoit's 5 strategies (and their sub-categories) as well as Bitzer's description of the rhetorical situation (using terms such as exigence, audience, and constraints). In doing so, we have worked with questions such as

What is the context and timing of the apology (the people, the event, the timing, the aftermath, the genre, the media, the intended as well as the actual audience...)
What is the purpose of the utterance?  
What opportunities and limitations does the speaker have and why?
What is at play? What does the speaker have to win or lose here?
Kairos: is the utterance well-timed? Why/how - or why not?
Is the utterance a fitting response; does the apology "work" (why/why not)?

Additionally, we have analysed the rhetorical devices and other relevant linguistic traits of the apologies as well as focused on extraverbal communication.

In this topic, we have read/seen the following texts:
* Will Smith - for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
* Colleen Ballinger - for accusations of improper behaviour towards minors/grooming
* Kevin Spacey - for accusations of improper behaviour towards a minor
* Kevin Rudd - for the treatment of indigenous people of Australia
* Pewdiepie - for using racial slurs in his live streams
* Individually chosen apologies
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 15 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 3 Dystopias - exam topic

The overall purpose of this course has been to investigate older and newer pieces of dystopian fiction in order to figure out how they relate to the times they were written in. During this course, we have looked especially at what the very beginning of texts and movies reveal about the overall themes and later developments, and we have practiced close readings and thematic readings.
These are the texts we’ve read during the course:

* “Square eyes" by Anna Mill and Luke Jones
* "The ones who walk away from Omelas" by Ursula K Le Guin
* "We ate the children last" by Yann Martel
* "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
* "Examination Day" by Henry Slesar
* "The entire history of you" - an episode from the TV-show "Black mirror"
Indhold
Kernestof:

Supplerende stof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 19 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 4 Argumentation and 9/11 - exam topic

The purpose of this course was to provide a concrete analytical approach with a clear method and proper terms. The course has focused on Toulmin’s argumentation model and the terms herein, i.e.:
* claim
* cata
* warrant
* rebuttal
* backing
* qualifiers
* valid/invalid argumentation
* sound/unsound argumentation
* in addition to various rhetorical devices and semantic fields

Additionally, the course zoomed in on a specific period of American history - the 9/11 attacks and the political aftermath.
Apart from researching the actual events of the period (by reading articles, excerpts from history sites, and making timelines of our own), we have focused on determining the content and structure of arguments, the types of arguments and fallacies, and on evaluating the soundness and validity of arguments.
Furthermore, we have focused on appeal forms and rhetorical devices. Apart from the text used for historical background, the analytical texts have primarily consisted of political speeches. Throughout the course, we have used the following texts:

* Jerry Falwell's comments on the 13th of September, 2001
* Then-President George W Bush's speech on the 11th of September, 2001
* Sulaiman Abu Ghaith's comments on the 10th of October , 2001 (including a discussion of English as a lingua franca)
* Geoff Dyer's short story “Temple of tears”
* Articles and timelines from history.com
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 14 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 5 Poetry slam in South Africa - exam topic

The purpose of this topic has been to focus on a non-UK/US English-speaking part of the world - and to look at a very current type of expression. We have done so by looking into both the written words and the spoken performances of some of the most prominent, contemporary South African spoken word artists. By keeping this focus, we have been able to comment on English as a lingua franca in this topic, too. In addition, this topic served as the topic for the SRO (in combination with either social studies, French, or music)

Our analytical focus has been a primarily literary one - we have looked at how the artists use rhetorical device, rhythm, and rhyme in their texts and on how this affects the final products. In order to qualify our analysis, we have also looked into the country’s most important historical events, people, and conflicts - as well as at important current discussions.

During this topic, we have read the following texts:
* Xabiso Vili: “Forget how to die” (world poetry slam champion 2022)
* Koleka Putuma: “Water”
* Koleka Putuma: "Every three hours"
* Puno Selesho: “I am an African”
* Sipho Ndebele "Power Rangers"

We have also found information about the genre via these links:
* TEDx-talk: “The power of spoken word is in the listening”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1qSCtchytw
* “Why spoken word poetry is so much more than a poetry reading”: https://psyche.co/ideas/why-spoken-word-poetry-is-so-much-more-than-a-poetry-reading
* “Glossary of poetic terms - spoken word”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/spoken-word
* “What is performance poetry”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY6OAIyC5hU
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 15 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer


Titel 7 Shakespeare - exam topic

For this topic, we have kept two overall focus points:
1 - the historical context of Shakespeare - the worldviews, the contemporary societal structures, the societal and literary norms, etc
2 - depictions of love
In order to make our analyses, we have focussed on combining observations from the two focus points. That is, we have focussed on close readings, examining concrete word choices, rhythms, and metaphors while combining these points with the underlying, contemporary world views and values.

During this topic, we have read the following texts:
* Shakespeare: "Sonnet 18"
* Shakespeare: "Sonnet 55"
* Shakespeare: "Sonnet 130"
* Shakespeare: "Sonnet 151"
* Shakespeare: "Macbeth" - the following scenes:
            Act 1, scene 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7
            Act 2, scene 1 + 2 + 3
            Act 3, scene 1 + 2 + 4 + 6
            Act 4, scene 1 + 2
            Act 5, scene 4 + 6 + 7 + 8
* TED-talk: “Why college students need Shakespeare now more than ever".
* Macbeth (film, 2015)
* Romeo + Juliet (film, 1996)
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 23 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 8 Cont. British graphic short. stories - exam topic

The full title of the topic is "Contemporary British graphic short stories". The purpose of this course has been to zoom in on a specific, rather well-defined genre while keeping on practising the analytical methods from our previous course - moving from observation to analysis to interpretation. As such, the focus of our analyses has been on combining "classic" analytical points and devices with the genre-specific tools and devices of the graphic genre. By only focussing on British contemporary graphic short stories (as published via The Guardian's yearly competition), the course have tried to zoom in on what defines current times and themes.

During this course, we've read the following texts:
* Square eyes" by Anna Mill and Luke Jones
* "The lift" by Ed Firth
* "Teapot therapy" by Andy Poyiadgi
* "Midnight feast" by Rebecca Jones
* "An artistic odyssey" by Edith Pritchett
* Excerpts from the theory book "Understanding comics" by Scott McCloud

In addition, the students have worked in groups creating presentations/analyses of the following texts:
* "Aubrey" by Laurie J Proud
* "Days of the Bagnold Summer" by Joff Winterhart
* Unnamed short story about cats by Jim Medway
* "The musing of Mow" by James Steward
* "The dust enclosed" by Stilly
* "In room 208" by Stephen Collins
* "Love in a very cold climate" by Isabel Greenberg
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 14 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 9 Gothic Literature and Madness - exam topic

The purpose of this topic has been to study a literary style and genre. We have focused on recognizing patterns and motifs, on using close reading in order to characterise the language and the narrative techniques of the texts. We have looked at descriptions of characters’ states of mind and their relationships. We have especially looked at the representation of women/men and their gradual descent into madness.

Texts:
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman: "The yellow wallpaper"
* Edgar Allan Poe: "The tell-tale heart"
* Edgar Allan Poe: "The black cat"
* Oscar WIlde: The picture of Dorian Gray

Film:
* Guillermo del Toro: "Frankenstein" (2025)
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 17 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer

Titel 10 Loneliness and Isolation - exam topic

This topic has two functions: first of all, it functions as a way of looking back at all of our previous topics as a way of getting ready for a potential oral exam. Secondly, it serves as a thematic topic of its own.
The overall questions this topic asks is "How can loneliness be portrayed through various genres and modes of expression?" The topic tries to uncover the different strengths of different literary genres and methods of analysis - at the same time it tries to find similarities in the human experience across time, genre, and nationality.

Texts:
* Raymond Carver: “Why don’t you dance?” (American minimalism)
* Gregg Wallace: “Apology, December 2nd, 2024” (Apologies and apologias)
* Ray Bradbury: “The pedestrian” (Dystopias)
* Mariyam Quaisar: “Post 9/11 Islamophobia still terrifies American Muslims” (Argumentation and 9/11)
* Xabiso Vili: “Loneliness of a Lioness” (Poetry slam in South Africa)
* William Shakespeare: “Sonnet 29” (Shakespeare and Macbeth)
* Anna Readman: “Dancing queen” (Contemporary British graphic short stories)
Indhold
Kernestof:
Omfang Estimeret: Ikke angivet
Dækker over: 9 moduler
Særlige fokuspunkter
Væsentligste arbejdsformer