The curriculum for Sophomore English at Mira Costa High School focuses on British Literature. Beginning with foundational study in the Biblical books most commonly referenced in British Literature and progressing chronologically through the Anglo-Saxon period and medieval world of King Arthur and Chaucer, students will explore the development of the English language and study the cultural climate which fostered its development. With the arrival of Shakespeare, modern English was born. Students read and study MacBeth and then conclude the first semester with a study of Romantic Poets of the 19th Century.

Second Semester commences the study of the Gothic cautionary tale of Frankenstein. The major works of second semester, The Turn of the Screw, Night, 1984 and Monster by Walter Dean Myers provide an opportunity for students to conclude the year with a Socratic Seminar whose topic--Societal Monsters--gives them a chance to use the content of their readings to explore the place of compassion and wisdom in a world where man's best impulses are not always the guiding light.