Students will need copies of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. They should also have a pencil and paper to take notes. They should also have access to a computer with software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs with which to write their essay. 

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

In this class, students will analyze and write about Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. They will then write a four to ten-page essay about their analysis.
The Scarlet Letter is set in Puritan New England. Hester Prynne is branded by her community as adulterous because of a pregnancy outside of marriage and is sentenced to wear a scarlet A to show her wrongdoing. Tess is a poor, nineteenth-century teenager who becomes pregnant by a wealthier man. This pregnancy affects her the rest of her life. 
Students will be asked to compare and contrast the heroines in the novels and the circumstances they find themselves in. Both novels will be taught from a historical, secular perspective when dealing with religious sections of the story. Parents should be aware The Scarlet Letter contains sexual content. It also contains Puritan beliefs about witchcraft and the devil. Tess of the D'Urbervilles contains seduction and sexual content. It also includes the death of an infant and murder. Parents should decide if this content is appropriate for their learner.