Read imaginative literature critically and analyze it, which means you will...

• expand your personal literary boundaries reading British and American fiction of the 19–21 centuries;
• read literature actively using previewing, highlighting, annotating, and conversing with with a text;
• understand how various literary elements (plot, characters, themes, tone, etc.) function within a work of literature;
• find and read literary criticism to interpret fiction;
• learn the historical and cultural context that influenced different literary movements and works of fiction

Write an essay about literature in MLA-style format, which means you'll be able to...

• find something to say, plan, and structure your essay;
• decide on and develop your thesis statement;
• distinguish facts from opinions;
• back up your arguments with persuasive evidence;
• evaluate supporting evidence;
• avoid plagiarism;
• document your sources and integrate references to sources smoothly into your essay;
• format your writing in MLA style.

1 An essay plan + the introduction

You will have to:

• find something to say, plan, and structure your essay
• decide on and develop your thesis statement;
• distinguish facts from opinions
• back up your arguments with persuasive evidence

You will be given 4–5 essay questions.
Your answer to one of the questions should contain:
1 a fully-developed introduction (200-400 words), including your thesis statement, the summary of the story(-ies), and other background information.
2 the main body plan consisting of 3-4 major arguments supplied with evidence (references to the story, quotations, articles, etc.).

Assessment criteria & requirements

2 Final test

You will have to answer your teacher's questions from this list:
Semester 1. List of theoretical questions

1 An MLA-style essay
You will have to write a literary essay (1500 words minimum):

• Examples of essay questions
• An example of an MLA-essay

2 A conversation with the teacher about the content and format of your essay.
You will have to answer such questions as:

• What is your thesis statement?
• What is the plan of your essay?
• What do the terms ... mean?
• What sources did you use?
• How did you find them? etc.

Your score = points gained for:

• participation in seminars (presenting homework, answering questions, group work, etc.)
• doing writing assignments

Semester score:
Minimum = 40 points; Maximum = 80 points:
40 to 65 for mandatory tasks
3 to 20 for optional aspects (attendance & portfolio)

Overall score for English Practice ("Практический курс английского языка") consists of:
English (Eng): Semester score x 0.5
Phonetics (Ph): Semester score x 0.2
Home Reading (HR): Semester score x 0.3

Before the exam your final score (FS) will be counted according to this formula:
0,5xEng + 0,2xPh + 0,3xHR = FS (80 points max)

The examination (or credit) will give 20 points maximum:

• 6 points for Phonetics;
• 8 points for HR writing assignment (the final project) + speaking test (during the last class);
• 6 points for speaking exam.

The assessment rubric ("рейтинг-план") is available here.