Starting this year, freshmen are going to have the option to take AP Seminar for their sophomore year English
Unlike English 2 and Honors English 2, which are literature based, AP Seminar is research based. Students will research a topic, develop a perspective, and present on it. The topics are cross-curricular and largely up to the students. There will be written, oral, group, and individual presentations. It will be taught by English 9 and Honors English 10 teacher Marianne Lang.
Of the English classes being offered, AP Seminar has the most practical applications. Lang argues that, “in this world of all this information, it is so important to process it and to come up with your own perspective.” Group projects and presentations are also a valuable skill in college.
The benefits of literature based English may be less tangible, but Lang encourages students not to overlook them. “When you go along through the struggles with the character,” Lang explains, “It does a lot for expanding your empathy and world view.”
A number of English teachers have shared concerns that students may take AP Seminar solely because it’s an AP. Freshmen Sruthi Namboothiri shared that, despite thinking regular English 2 would be a better fit for her, she would take AP seminar for the AP credit. “I would just have to spend a lot of time getting myself ready for that class because it’s gonna be really hard for me,” Namboothiri said.
For any students torn between Honors English 2 and AP Seminar, Lang points out how, “when [colleges] ask if you have any honors or AP classes, honors is just as valuable.”
Ultimately, Lang asks that students take the English class that best aligns with their interests. Students who love literature should take Honors English 2, but students who want to do research and present on real world issues should choose AP Seminar. For students who don’t like English and are taking challenging classes in other areas, Lang recommends regular English 2.
