Ransom Everglades students with a strong interest in the humanities often describe AP English Literature and Composition, the senior-year elective taught by Dr. Matthew Helmers, as a rite of passage. However, starting in the 2024-2025 school year, the English department has implemented a new junior-year program different from the single course in previous years. This new system gives students three different Research Seminar options: Contemporary Literature, Women in Literature, and a brand-new, junior-year version of AP English Lit.
This class is different from the senior class. Whereas the senior class focuses on close-reading and timed writing, the junior class contains the same research curriculum as all other eleventh-grade courses—with AP prep on top.
Several current seniors expressed approval for this new option but also complained about the timing of its implementation, as it could have protected them from the extra workload of AP English Lit their senior year, or even allowed them to take another advanced Humanities course. “I was very interested in the English electives they offered senior year, but [I] had to take AP Lit instead, and would’ve loved to take the class junior year instead to expand my horizons,” said Sofia Martin ’25.
Humanities Department Chair Ms. Jen Nero explained that the course “was added to give an opportunity for students to be more rigorous Junior year in English.”
The new AP course is being taught by Upper School English teacher Dr. Julia Clarke, who designed the curriculum over the summer in coordination with the rest of the eleventh-grade English team.
Dr. Clarke said that the new course follows the same structure as every other junior-year English class, generally diverging from the traditional structure of AP English Literature. But it will still cover all the topics required for the exam and train students for advanced textual analysis.
“I think they’re going to be prepared for the exam because of the nature of the course. Even though the exam isn’t testing on research and the skills that you use for research, all those skills are still very applicable to the exam,” Dr. Clarke said.
She added that students will still engage in the typical end-of-year pre-AP cram session, and students will frequently practice timed writing—which is not a component of any other junior English class.
Pierce Harris, who is taking the class this year, said he appreciated the opportunity to continue on an advanced English pathway after Advanced American Studies.
“I thought that this [class] would be the next step in in my English career because I wanted to keep on the advanced side and not go back down to a regular level class,” he said. “I felt it was important to keep developing.”
Harris also said he felt Advanced American Studies class prepared him well for the combined focus on research and AP skills.
Another junior-year AP English student, Ana Gonzalez, said, “I wanted to take this class so that I would have the opportunity to take a 600-level course, like Historiography.”
Both students agreed that this course would help them stand out academically, based on their course rigor, in college applications.
