American Literature & Writing Honors (commonly referred to as HamLit) is a course meant to challenge students in thematic literature, allowing them to engage in more extensive reading and learn rhetorical analysis writing — both in-class and outside of class. Some of the topics discussed are hyphenated identity, the American Dream, feminism and critical race theory.
The grading system is holistic, with the majority of assignments being formative, or not officially affecting a student’s grade, and a handful of summative assessments that contribute to the official grade. At the end of each semester, there are two large final projects that involve an extensive amount of outside reading, writing and other preparation. Students should be prepared to invest a significant amount of academic energy into the course.
Senior Saumya Tawakley took HamLit as a junior, and in her experience, the class was mostly centered around at-home reading, with in-class discussions and writing assignments. Though she enjoyed the curriculum, the writing style was challenging for her to become accustomed to.
“I feel like in earlier lit classes, we more use rhetoric, and then this class is more of argumentation,” Tawakley said. “You have to make that switch. And at the beginning, you're not really getting the grades that you want to get because your writing isn't really at the level that teachers look for, but then throughout the year they help you learn the structure.”
Once she understood the specific types of writing and analysis for the course, she found that the real-world connections she drew in the class were especially impactful. For example, after reading “Citizen”, a text referring to African American prejudice, the class also discussed modern day cases of police brutality targeted toward African Americans, which reinforced Tawakley’s views on the topic.
This past year, the HamLit curriculum has become less centered around the American literature canon and more about modern cultures and reading, as shown by the change from reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” to Gene Luen Yang’s “American Born Chinese”. As the culture changes at MVHS, the curriculum has adapted to flow and accommodate it and fit MVHS’ demographic.