English A (LAL) and English A - Difference?

[Ziadbar]

I was wondering if there is any major difference between English A (Lang/Lit) and the normal English A (Literature), both at HL. 

For the most part, forums were full of info about English A HL but not much on the LAL counterpart, which I would be undertaking in my IB course. 

Hope you can reflect on its difficulty as well.. Thanks! 

[kw0573]

There is a Literature forum, then there is a Lang/Lit subforum nested within. Half of a Lang/Lit course discuss social aspects of language use, and other half literature, while a Literature course entirely studies books, poems, plays etc. Neither is more "normal" than the other. English A1 and A2 refer to previous syllabi, but after the 2013 syllabi update, literature vs lang/lit are used instead.

I didn't take Lang/Lit but I assume in an HL-HL comparison, Literature is more difficult for most people. 

Edited May 24, 2016 by kw0573

[Hadassah]

In lang/lit, the aim is to understand the following: 

1. How language, culture, and context determine the ways in which meaning is constructed in texts

2. How to think critically about the different interactions between text, audience and purpose

And in language A lit., the aim is to understand the following: 

1. the techniques involved in literary criticism 

2. How to form independent literary judgments and to support those ideas

You can find these information in the course guides. 

I find Lang/Lit more interesting since there are more topics to consider and it helps you to prevent yourself from falling into straps set up by manipulative speakers