AP Literature

This year, AP Literature and Composition has been using Harkness discussions in combination with Aquinas’s disputed question format so that students can reach important conclusions about a piece of writing free from the danger of moral relativism impacting the takeaways from the discussion.

“Harkness is a method that was established at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1930 with a gift from Edward Harkness who believed learning should be a democratic affair. It is a simple concept wherein 10 to 12 students and a teacher sit around an oval tale and discuss the subject at hand. What happens at the table, however, is what Harkness intended, a “real revolution”. Ideas can be explored as a group, students develop the courage to speak, the compassion to listen and the empathy to understand. It’s not about being right or wrong. It is a collaborative approach to problem solving and learning, said AP Literature teacher Grace Messineo.”

In this particular seminar, students discussed A Tale of Two Cities a work that introduces so many important themes such as revenge, justice, duty, honor and courage. The theory behind adding Aquinas’s disputed question into the process is to avoid arriving at decisions based on desires as opposed to making decisions based on what will help us achieve our ultimate goal, becoming saints. Also in our discussion of literature are proofs and or evidence from other classes such as history, theology, science, math and the humanities. A classical curriculum at the upper high school level gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge of all disciplines into the art of rhetoric. In our discussions, we arrive at truth. And we have coffee and a really good time doing that. Go Crusaders!