Comparative Contemporary Literature

Calling all literature-lovers! In this upcoming school year, juniors and seniors have the opportunity to delve into the world of contemporary literature with the new one-semester course Comparative Contemporary Literature (CP or Honors).

“[We will be studying] contemporary literature, which focuses on literature that is at least somewhat recent—maybe from the past 30 years, but ideally something much more recent than that,” English teacher Lindsay Coppens said. “The class will be comparing novels with other novels, short stories or films that have similar themes and approaches.”

This course will be broken down into units, each focused on a specific genre such as historical fiction or dystopia. With this structure, students will have the opportunity to explore and experience many distinct types of contemporary literature.

“We look at some types of literature that students are familiar with, but we also explore some genres that maybe they haven’t [seen] as much in high school,” Coppens said. 

Coppens hopes that the curriculum of this course will diverge from that of an ordinary English class in terms of how students learn.

“The plan is not to have every book end with a thesis-driven paper,” Coppens said. “Sure, that might be a little of the class once in a while, but I really want to push students to have some options and opportunities to express their learning in different ways… I want to push students to think analytically and creatively in ways that are hopefully fun and engaging. I want students to enjoy what they’re reading.”

Sign up for Comparative Contemporary Literature to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of contemporary literature!