This course is a survey of "Western Literature" and comprises units arranged thematically based on the core works listed below. Students will expand their critical thinking skills through close readings of the texts, small and large group discussions, class presentations, and several forms of expository and creative writing. Our first semester studies include: • A thematic unit based on John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men • A unit on Interpretive Writing • A study of Greek Mythology and its applications • A thematic unit based on Sophocles’ Oedipus • A thematic unit based on William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Our second semester studies include: • Further studies in different modalities of writing • A thematic unit based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet • A thematic unit based on J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye • A unit of classical and contemporary poetry.