This semester, SCCS secondary students are enriching their education by taking a dual credit class on British Literature to receive both credit for high school as well as college.
“In the dual credit British Literature class, through classwork and outside reading, students learn to analyze texts representative of the different periods of English literature while perfecting their use of the English language in writing that is clear, correct, and compelling,” shared Mrs. Sonnenburg.
This two-semester, six college unit course, offered through a partnership with Colorado Christian University, covers British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present.
“We are currently exploring Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels which is a great work of social satire in that it humorously and famously criticizes the politics, intellect, manners, and morality of British society in the 1700s” continued Mrs. Sonnenburg. “Current events are a prime target of satire because most people who write or perform satire are trying to raise awareness as well as entertain. Satire remains a modern form of entertainment and knowing current events, knowing your audience, and researching all angles of the current event will help you write quality satire; therefore, my students are tasked with researching a current event and satirizing it in either a cartoon or written form.”
In March, the subject of the class will come alive in a new way for ten students and seven parents as they visit London and Scotland.
“Seeing places where events happened, where writers lived, and the land itself enhances my curriculum in a way that can never be replicated in the classroom,” shared Mrs. Sonnenburg. “The students also have an opportunity through our accredited tour company to earn college credits through San Diego State University for international study abroad, so this course can potentially earn them nine college credits in this school year if they take advantage of the opportunity.”
The trip is a partnership through WorldStrides, an organization that just sent Mrs. Sonnenburg to an expense-paid convention in Dublin, Ireland to familiarize her with their company. Additionally, Mrs. Sonnenburg interacted with fellow educators who also value student travel.
“I was thoroughly impressed with their excellence in what they do from the accommodations to the tours, the tour directors, and the activities themselves,” continued Mrs. Sonnenburg. “Ireland has a wealth of authors and activists, like Jonathan Swift, who have contributed to the body of British literature and it was so fun to explore a new place where people I know, through literature, once lived.”
The course offerings within the SCCS Dual Enrollment Program are always growing and are targeted to provide students with one class per semester for their junior and senior years.