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AP Test Preparation. A Bit of History You May Want to Know To understand the importance of writing essays and using language to prove the truth (RHETORIC).
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AP Test Preparation A Bit of History You May Want to Know To understand the importance of writing essays and using language to prove the truth (RHETORIC)
Once upon a time in Ancient Greece, there were scholars who decided that the rules for written and oral expression needed to be formalized; among these were Plato and Aristotle. This marked the birth of rhetoric. They continued on this path because they realized the importance of understanding speech in order to rule a vast empire (The Princeton Review, 2008). Ancient Greece
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, the rules of rhetoric became even stricter. It was determined that to give “proper” form to thought, one had to follow certain rules of expression. • And on top of all that, knowledge was held in secret in monastaries, for only special people to use. Middle Ages
After the Middle Ages, there was a revival in copying or modeling the rhetoric from Antiquity (the glorious days of Rome, Greece and Persia). • Everyone was striving to live up to the brilliance of the past. • Let’s revisit some of these famous Renaissance scientists, artists inventors … Renaissance(the rebirth of knowledge)
Francis Bacon-English philosopher (1561-1626) • Nicolaus Copernicus-Polish astronomer (1473-1543) • Galileo Galilei-Italian astonomer (1564-1642) • Johannes Gutenberg-German inventor (1400-1467) • Sir Isaac Newton-English physicist/scientist (1642-1727) Renaissance Giants
Andreas Vesalius-Belgian biologist who studied the human body (1514-1564) • Johannes Kepler-German mathematician/astronomer/astrologer (1571-1630) • Tycho Brahe-Danish astonomer (1546-1601) His assistant was Kepler • Paracelsus-Swiss/Austrian alchemist/physician/occultist (1493-1541) • Martin Luther-German priest/theology professor (1483-1546) Renaissance Giants
Shakespeare-English playwright (1564-1616) • Michelangelo-Italian sculptor and painter And my favorite….. • Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian all-purpose Renaissance man: painter, sculptor, writer, inventor, and good guy who liked to write his secret notebooks in mirror writing. (Bill Gates owns one of davinci’s notebooks). Renaissance(the rebirth of knowledge)
In an era when left-handedness was considered the devil's work and lefties were often forced to use their right hand, Leonardo was an unrepentant southpaw. It has been suggested that this "difference" was an element of his genius, since his detachment allowed him to see beyond the ordinary. He even wrote backwards, and his writings are easily deciphered only with a mirror. Leonardo’s Mirror Writing
The rest of the story as it pertains to you and your AP Exam can be summed up this way… • For hundreds of years writers tried to get rid of all this formal rhetoric and invent new forms of writing. Sometimes writers preferred no form at all. • By the second half of the 20th century, writers had succeeded in doing this! The rest of the story….
An unfortunate side effect of all this writing freedom was really crappy writing in colleges. Reasoned discourse all but disappeared! Horrified professors began to complain that university students were handing in disorganized, illogical drivel. • The pendulum swung the other way. Now freshmen composition is a requirement in every college/university in any accredited institution. • The formal study of grammar, usage and rhetoric returned. Do we need rhetoric today?
Really smart, proactive high school students trying to place out of the freshmen composition classes began to flock to AP English Comp classes. • The other advantage of passing the AP test is that you save money by not having to take that class ($500-$5000). • Don’t confuse this May exam with its sister- AP English Literature Test (280,000 students take it) • In May, about 256,000 students will take the AP English Language and Composition Test. All 4 year liberal arts colleges require a freshmen to take literature and composition-this equals ONE year of classes.
http://www.marquette.edu • Core of Common Studies Introduction • The University Core of Common Studies is the intellectual heart of a Marquette education, built on our Jesuit tradition and designed for successful life in the 21st century. The core is composed of nine knowledge areas essential to a well-educated person: • rhetoric • mathematical reasoning • theology • human nature and ethics • science and nature • individual and social behavior • literature and performing arts • diverse cultures • histories of cultures and societies SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2009 10am to 3pm OPEN HOUSE Colleges/Universities that have this requirement…
ALL UW System schools: • Parkside • Madison • Whitewater • Oshvegas • River Falls • Platteville • Stevens Point • Green Bay • Stout • Milwaukee Colleges that require rhetoric or college freshmen composition…
All out of state colleges and universities: • Michigan • Minnesota • Iowa • Ohio • Indiana • South Dakota • North Dakota • Pennsylvania • New York • Delaware • California • Florida, etc. Colleges that require rhetoric or freshmen composition…
All private colleges: • Carthage • Ripon • Lawrence • Luther • Wartburg College • Harvard • Yale • Brown • Radcliff • Augustana • Princeton • Cardinal Stritch, Etc. Colleges that require freshmen composition (rhetoric).
MSOE • There is a possibility you don’t specifically have to take freshmen comp (rhetoric)… • But without it, how do you think you will succeed in Independent Study when you have to write that freakingly huge paper and present it to your department? Oh that’s right, where is your MLA and APA now? And don’t call me..I’m dead to students who don’t listen in high school to my advice……. • Am I making myself clear? Or have I wasted a perfectly good Sunday morning working on this powerpoint? Colleges that prefer you take AP
The number of students who take the Language exam has grown dramatically over the past 5 years. The AP English Literature Test and the AP English Language and Composition Test are similar in format and are given on 2 different days during AP week in May. You could schedule yourself to take both tests. Many students do! • Who pays for the test if I want to take it? Taking the AP English and Literature Test and the AP English Language and Composition Test
Questions and Answers Work Cited Cracking the AP English Language & Composition Exam, 2008,The Princeton Review, Inc, Random Publishers, New York, New York. Taking the AP Test