2023-24 Course Catalog

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-long Half-credit course

Greek 1 is a year-long, half-credit course that introduces students to basic elements of ancient Attic Greek. Through translating, writing, and reading aloud, students build their knowledge of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and they learn about the history and mythology of ancient Greece.

Open to V & VI Forms

Prerequisite: Greek 1

Semester-long Half-credit course

Greek 2 continues to introduce the basic elements of classical Greek, the language in which Sophocles, Thucydides, and Plato wrote; and the language from which much modern literary, scientific, and medical terminology is drawn. Emphasis is placed on reading comprehension and building vocabulary, as well as the fundamentals of grammar and syntax. By the end of Greek 2, students are approaching an intermediate-level reading proficiency.

Open to III, IV, V Form Students

Latin 1 provides an introduction to the foundational elements of the Latin language. Students begin to develop their ability to read and write in Latin, in addition to gaining an introductory history of the ancient Greek and Roman world. Readings include passages of historical and mythological interest.

Open to all forms

In Latin 2, students continue to explore Latin as a language that is read and listened to, that is used to communicate ideas, and that endures beyond the ancient world. Through exercises of interpretive reading, listening, and writing, students actively build their working knowledge of Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. By the end of Latin 2, students are reading unadapted classical and post-classical Latin texts, and they are approaching or have acquired intermediate-level proficiency in reading and listening.

Open to all forms

In Latin 3, students begin to read authentic, unadapted works of Latin poetry and prose, while continuing to solidify the foundation of grammar and vocabulary acquired in the first two years of Latin study. Classes are student-centered and discussion-based as students not only translate Latin, but also discuss the themes, style, and history of the texts they are reading. Readings will vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the class and instructor; authors may include Ovid, Catullus, Caesar, Nepos, or Eutropius.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Students learn to read Latin poetry through extensive study of the works of classical and post-classical authors. Through close readings and collaborative in-class activities, students explore how Latin poetry works, building both linguistic sensitivity and an aesthetic appreciation for language. Diving deeply into ancient Greek and Roman culture, they explore mythology, ritual, history, politics, art, and reception. A core text is Ovid’s epic poem, the Metamorphoses, but readings may vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the class and instructor. Text: Ovid: A LEGAMUS Transitional Reader.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Requires instructor permission

AS Vergil is meant to be an introduction to Vergil’s Aeneid, a masterpiece of Latin literature that narrates how the Trojan hero Aeneas came to Italy and became the ultimate ancestor of the Roman people. We will read selections of the Aeneid in Latin and the whole poem in English translation. Students will write short journals and papers on different aspects of the poem, and they will read scholarly essays and book chapters to deepen their understanding of the literary, historical, and socio-political significance of the Aeneid.

Open to V & VI Form Students

PREREQUISITE: ADVANCED STUDY IN LATIN: VERGIL

Requires instructor permission

ATT Latin provides an immersive study of one or more Latin authors. Readings will vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the class and instructor; authors may include Ovid, Catullus, Livy, Cicero, Pliny, or Seneca. ATT Latin may also include a Latin prose composition unit, in which students would explore the nuances of Latin, study the styles of various Latin authors, and develop their own writing style in Latin.

Open to III Form students

This course introduces first-year students to critical thinking, careful reading, and effective writing. Students learn close reading skills—the ability to discern tone, character, diction, syntax, and symbolism—through extensive reading of classic and contemporary literature. Readings focus on themes and issues connected to American life (III Form Students concurrently take US History), such as the changing meaning of the “American dream”, the particular American tension between the individual and the community. Class discussion focuses on both the readings and the issues contained therein, and develops skills of critical thinking, listening, and debating. Texts are chosen and examined both for their rhetorical power, and as models for student writing.

Writing assignments are frequent and primarily analytical in nature: students develop the ability to craft a written analysis of a text, and learn to explore diction, imagery, character, and meaning in their writing. Students work throughout the year on the important rudiments of clean and clear writing: paragraph structure, grammar and punctuation. Through the use of journals, exploratory writings, papers, exhibitions, and two semester exams, students learn to write precisely, effectively and convincingly.

Texts include:

• F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby;
• Julie Otsuka, When the Emperor Was Divine;
• William Shakespeare, Macbeth;
• Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God;
• Short fiction, essays and poetry by Robert Hayden, Elizabeth Bishop, Julia Alvarez, Annie Dillard, Nathan Englander, and John Steinbeck.

Open to IV Form Students

In this course, second-year students explore how literature from a variety of traditions illuminates and gives meaning to the human experience. In reading a diverse group of texts, students consider ways these texts present perspectives on place and culture, identity and belief. Through class discussions and writing assignments, students focus on the power of effective argument, and through the year learn how to craft their own.

Building on the habits of close textual analysis developed in English Literature I, this course examines linguistic patterns and choices an author makes in a text and introduces students to the language of argument. Students pursue questions such as:

• What does an argument look like?
• What is the difference between observation and a claim?
• What constitutes evidence?
• What makes certain arguments stronger than others?
• How do we adjudicate between positions or conflicting arguments presented in the text?
• How do we deal with ambiguity and do justice to the complexity of the text?

Students also examine how a work of fiction, in and of itself, articulates an argument.

Discussions about argument translate directly into the teaching of writing, considered specifically as a process: in order to generate ideas and craft a logical and persuasive argument, students must commit to the process of developing, drafting, and revising their essays. Students write frequent journals and short exploratory essays and learn to develop these pieces into more polished papers of three to four pages. By the end of the year, students are expected to be able to write grammatically clean, clear, and effective prose.

Texts include:

• Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones;
• William Shakespeare, Othello;
• Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice;
• Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain;
• Athol Fugard, Master Harold... and the boys;
• William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying;
• Short fiction and essays by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maya Angelou, Sherman Alexei, Jhumpa Lahiri, James Baldwin, Junot Diaz, and George Orwell; and
• Sonnets by Spenser, Drayton, Shakespeare, Donne, Shelley, Rilke, Cummings, William Carlos Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks, Seamus Heaney, and Billy Collins.

Open to V Form Students

This course for third-year students canvasses a range of literary genres, including poetry, plays, novellas, and novels. Students continue to develop their skills of close textual analysis and build on their familiarity with the conventions of literary argument. They work on longer, more sustained and sophisticated analytical arguments in their writing assignments about literature and, in the latter half of the year, begin developing their own paper topics.

The culminating project of the year is the Junior Exhibition: students read an assigned novella on their own, devise a central question about the text that serves as their paper topic, and write a seven- to eight-page paper that they subsequently assess and critique in a 30-minute oral defense with their teacher. Students rework and revise this essay after their oral defense.

Texts include:

• William Shakespeare, Hamlet;
• Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights;
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein;
• Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City;
• Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad;
• Cormac Macarthy, The Road;
• James Joyce, Dubliners;
• Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon; and
• selected poetry and contemporary American short fiction.

Open to VI Form Students

This course is an intensive, one-semester introduction to advanced forms of literary study. It challenges fourth-year students to become more independent, insightful readers and more forceful, artful writers with confident, critical voices. Through careful study of narrative structure, form, and style, students learn to discern and articulate authors' methods of making meaning. In this course, all VI Formers study Toni Morrison’s Beloved as a central text, as well as one or two other texts , introducing students to the kind of focused analysis and comparative study that occurs in college literature courses.

The centerpiece of the course is the Senior Exhibition. Each student chooses a work of literature from a short list of exhibition books to study carefully. Through rereading, forming critical questions, and writing and rewriting, students develop a critical argument and work to clarify, complicate and polish the argument over the course of the project. Although the drafting process involves frequent meetings with the instructor, the project is essentially independent and culminates in a 45-minute oral exhibition in which students assess, discuss, and refine their papers in a critique with at least two members of the English Department. The Senior Exhibition is a challenging and exciting project that prepares students to think and work independently, to refine and explore sophisticated concepts, to revise and rework thoughts into polished prose, and to self-assess in the interest of improvement.

In addition to Beloved, course texts for AS English Literature 4 have included:

• Toni Morrison, Beloved;
• Junot Diaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao;
• Ian McEwan, Saturday;
• Truman Capote, In Cold Blood;
• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending;
• Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot; and
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me.

Exhibition texts for AS English Literature 4 recently have included:

• Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits;
• Colum McCann, Transatlantic;
• Tim O’Brien, In the Lake of the Woods;
• Edward P. Jones, The Known World;
• Chimamanda Adichie, Americanah; and
• Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse.

Open to VI Form students

Following completion of AS English 4 in the fall semester, VI Form students may use their spring semester to take either a directed seminar in English or a senior tutorial offered in various disciplines by faculty throughout the school. Comprised of three students or fewer, these tutorials offer a culminating academic experience for graduating seniors, as they have the opportunity to work very closely with a faculty member on a topic of their particular interest and passion. Each tutorial possesses strong written and oral components: students write and deliver weekly essays of three to four pages and discuss their findings among their classmates. Both the English seminar and the tutorials (no matter the discipline) are designed to help students further hone their skills of research, writing, argumentation and problem solving that will serve them well in college and beyond.

Topics of recent English seminars have included:

• the Victorian novel;
• Shakespearean tragedy;
• modern drama;
• American autobiography;
• modernist poetry;
• the gothic novel;
• the modern short story; and
• American film.

Students have also had the opportunity to take seminars on creative writing, the expository essay, and literary journalism (many of which use the New Yorker and other literary journals as texts). For more information on tutorials, visit our Senior Tutorial Program page.

Open to IV, V, VI Forms

Semester-long Half-credit course

Through class discussion of both contemporary examples and student work, students are introduced to strategies and techniques used in the composition of original verse and fiction. Students will explore tone, voice, diction, theme, and style in a given text, with the goal of becoming attuned to the nuances and rhythms of language. Writing assignments will allow students to develop both the confidence and the ability write creatively and precisely in a variety of forms and styles.

Open to V & VI Forms

Prerequisite: Creative Writing I

semester-long Half-credit course

Students continue to refine their writing skills in prose and verse, through readings in a wide range of authors both classic and contemporary, and through class discussion and critique of student work. Careful attention is paid to tone and voice, style, selection of detail, narrative and formal structures, and rhetorical proficiency.

required for all III Form Students

This course serves not only as an in-depth introduction to American history but also as an introduction to the field of history itself. Students use primary sources to answer authentic historical questions; these "research challenges" require written responses based on students primary source reading and additional research. Prepared each class period with his or her own research and arguments, each student is actively invested in and responsible for the class discussion. This method encourages students to think deeply about the past, to ask questions and interpret evidence, to develop cogent arguments, and to collaborate with their peers. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of American history, and a well-developed ability and desire to ask meaningful questions when presented with an unfamiliar historical text, whether document or newspaper, film or book. Course readings come from a primary source reader developed by the History Department, supplemented by journal articles, excerpts from monographs, and texts, such as the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

OPEN TO V & VI FORM STUDENTS

REQUIRED FOR STUDENTS WHO ENTER ST. ANDREW'S IN THE SOPHOMORE OR JUNIOR YEAR

This is our U.S. history course for students who enter St. Andrew's in the sophomore or junior year; it can be taken in the junior or senior year. While the texts and topics in this course differ somewhat from those encountered in U.S. History: Research Challenges course, they share the same methods and objectives. Course readings come from a primary source reader developed by the History Department, supplemented by journal articles, excerpts from monographs, and texts, such as the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Course

How is change—social, economic, political—achieved in American society? What role can individuals play in social change? In this Advanced Study course, we will seek answers to these questions through historical study of social reform movements that have created—or attempted to create—that change. The course pays particular attention to issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, class and power in our study, examining how these issues can both unite and divide efforts for social change. We will also examine how participation in social movements shapes the identities of the individuals involved in them. While the focus of the course is historical, in understanding how and why some efforts to create change in society have succeeded while others have failed, students may begin to see how social change may be possible today. Topics for the American portion of the class may include: utopian societies, abolition, women's suffrage, eugenics, the civil rights and black power movements, women's liberation, the conservative movement, and the environmental movement. (The interests of the students who take the class will help to shape this list.) The course approaches this history with extensive reading in primary sources (including literature, film, art and music), immersing students in the ideas, tactics and challenges of these movements. Articles and chapters from secondary scholarship supplement these readings, allowing us to consider and respond to the arguments historians have made about the movements we study.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This reading-intensified course examines the American identity in contemporary history. It has been argued that the 1950s were a decade marked by renewed prosperity, social conformity, and political consensus. Our exploration begins once WWII ends and a new era dawns. We will examine America’s new role in the world as an emerging superpower and its relationship with, former ally, the Soviet Union. Closer to home, a sense of national pride led to a cultural and economic boom. This helped define the nation’s identity. Likewise, it has been argued that the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and political disillusionment. With continued military operations in Southeast Asia, unease and anxiety around civil rights at home, and a slowly eroding trust in the government, the nation questioned what it meant to live in a free and democratic society. During these decades we witnessed some of the most compelling, most memorable and most controversial events in American history. Using an array of primary and secondary sources, our studies will allow us to hear from the history makers in these moments while also allowing us the advantage of historical hindsight. Emphasis is placed on critical reading of these sources and written work that requires careful analysis, independent thought, and compelling augmentation. Some of the text we will explore include: David Halberstam’s The Fifties; William Whyte’s “The Decline of the Protestant Ethic”; J. Edgar Hoover’s “Who Are the Communist”; Norman Podhoretz’s “The Know Nothing Bohemians”; Robert F. Kennedy’s Thirteen Days; and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Course

What were the origins of the great Peloponnesian War, the twenty-seven year conflict between the city-states of Athens and Sparta? What were the foundations of Athenian democracy, and how did it become a symbol of Athenian exceptionalism? What is the nature of power, and how did it facilitate the concomitant development of democracy and empire? This course will explore these questions and more through a careful study of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. In addition, we will draw on other primary source materials – historical, literary, and philosophical – to contextualize the key ideas, moments, and themes in Thucydides’ History, as well as to understand the socio-political world of fifth-century Athens. We will also learn about the city and archaeology of Athens itself: its topography, public spaces, sacred temples, and intellectual climate. Finally, we will consider the dynamic relationship between past and present. What lessons can be drawn from studying ancient texts and juxtaposing them with our notions of war, peace, leadership, and international relations?  

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-long half-credit course

In 1790, George Washington wrote, “The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment, for promoting human happiness.” Since its inception, then, many Americans have conceived of their national project in grandiose terms and have sought to promote their notions of human happiness on a wider scale. Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase, for example, Thomas Jefferson described the United States as an “empire of liberty.” This seemingly contradictory turn of phrase—the empire of liberty—lies at the heart of this course, which will explore the complex relationship between the American ideals of freedom and democracy and the actions taken by the United States in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. How have American values shaped—and been shaped by—world affairs? The course will be structured around a series of case studies spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (with perhaps some attention paid to the twenty-first), and students can expect to read widely in primary and secondary source materials.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

As we seek to wrestle with the complex threat of racism and anti-Semitism today, we must understand the long and pervasive histories of these ideas and how they have grown and gained traction. This course will consider two parallel and occasionally intertwined histories in conversation with one another: American racism—particularly against African-Americans, focusing especially on the years described as the “nadir of race relations,” from the waning days of Reconstruction through the early 20th century—and German anti-Semitism, culminating in the Nazi Holocaust in the 1930s and 1940s. We will look at the rise and emergence of these ideologies of hate in their specific cultural contexts, tracing their codification in law and reinforcement through violence, and how these histories have—and have not—been engaged in national memory. In addition to primary and secondary historical sources, we will draw on the work of social psychologists who have sought to understand racism; the course will work from a reader of primary sources, and scholarly secondary sources, such as journal articles and excerpts from monographs. Following our shared study, in the final third of the course, students will major research paper, grounded in significant work with primary source material.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This course endeavors to introduce students to the history of Latin America via both primary and secondary sources. Despite being a major trading partner of and the closest geographic region to the United States, Latin America is usually one of the least studied areas of the world. While a great deal of this course will follow chronological progression, we will also track themes that thread through the experience of the region over time and transcend modern international borders, such as colonialism, independence and neo-colonialism; democracy and dictatorship; development and exploitation; and revolution and response. In addition, we will explore the distinct histories of many of the nations of Latin America, thereby gaining an appreciation for how they fit into the current global and regional systems, as well as for their individual and unique experiences.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

How did the people of the Middle East negotiate their various identities under the pressure of modernization? How did the involvement of outside powers shape the region? What can the recent history teach us about paths toward a more stable and prosperous Middle East? This course introduces the students to the political, religious, and social history of the Middle East from the late 19th century to the present day. We will examine the late Ottoman Empire, the colonial period, the establishment of nation-states, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rise of political Islam, the Iranian revolution, and the Arab Spring of 2011. We will discuss issues of colonization, nationalism, religious and ethnic identity, security and physical resources. Students will examine primary sources and write an in-depth research paper.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Course

In this course, students will consider history not merely as a traditional academic discipline, but by exploring the “diverse ways in which history is put to work in the world” (as the National Council on Public History defines the field). In the first half of the semester, students will examine how public historians bring the past to a broad audience through monuments, memorials, and museums, as well as a variety of media (film, television, podcasts, social media, etc.) through readings, viewings, and essays. If possible, the course will also include field trips to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and/or other relevant sites. In the second half of the semester, students will apply their learning by approaching the history of St. Andrew’s School as public historians, with the opportunity to conduct oral histories; curate exhibits; design monuments or markers; develop “digital history” projects; and/or record podcasts or documentary films.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

The dawn of the 20th Century was filled with great promise. Innovation and industrialization redefined society and suggested that progress would be bountiful for individuals and nations alike. Soon after the turn of the century, however, greed, corruption and arrogance made waste of this promise and ushered a somewhat reluctant world into war not once, but twice. In this course, we will look at the reasons the wars started, the way they were fought, and the way these wars were ended. To best understand the first half of a century marred by catastrophe and loss, we must also carefully study genocide. We will try to understand the motivations behind these events, as well as the international response. Our examination will require us to dig deep to better understand nationalism, militarism, fascism, communism, republicanism and other “isms” at play. Students will work to gain a better understanding of each wars’ unique narrative. In short, we will examine the causes and consequences of the world wars. Discussions questions include: When should a country go to war? How should a nation best apply the lessons from the past? How should a nation respond to a country it has identified as its enemy? Emphasis is placed on critical reading of primary and secondary sources and written work that requires research, careful analysis, independent thought, and compelling argumentation. Some of the text we will explore include: Modris Eksteins’ Rites of Spring; Vera Brittain’s Chronicle of Youth; and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Open to V and VI Form students

Prerequisite: at least one AS History course

This course is an immersion in scholarly research. We begin the semester with a brief study of some examples of the best historical writing, examining these historians' use of evidence and how they have crafted and constructed their arguments, and working to hone and refine students' historical research skills. Students then pursue a major, independent study on a topic of each student's own choosing, deeply grounded in the primary source material, and in conversation with the historiography on that topic. The course culminates with students' completion of the research paper, which should constitute a meaningful contribution to the scholarly conversation.

All students must take this course as a graduation requirement, but the course can be taken more than once for those who are passionate about research and writing.

Open to III & IV Form students

In this class, students move beyond the straightforward application of algorithms and are pushed to use abstract reasoning and creativity to solve problems they have not explicitly seen before. Students adopt the view that math is thinking. When thinkers do not see the answer to a problem, they want to make sense of the situation then consider as many possible solution strategies. Students enter the course with a variety of backgrounds in algebra and are equally challenged in applying and synthesizing their knowledge as they collaborate with peers in class and puzzle through solutions. Students will study a wide-range of topics, including modeling linear and quadratic equations, graphing and solving problems with absolute value and radical expressions, solving systems of equations, using inequalities to model scenarios, simplifying algebraic expression, solving shared-work problems. Students will also expand their resilience and communication skills, while solidifying their skills in algebra and making connections to geometry applications.

Open to IV Form Students

Prerequisite: Algebra

This course develops the skills required for more advanced mathematics, with an emphasis on the in-depth study of traditional topics of geometric proof, as well as the study of the Pythagorean Theorem, triangles, circles, quadrilaterals, coordinate geometry, polygons, optimization, parabolas and transformations. Students are expected to have a mastery of algebra and a facility with investigative and collaborative problem-solving approaches. 

Open to III & IV Form students

Prerequisite: Algebra or Placement Test

This course develops the skills required for more advanced mathematics, with an emphasis on the in-depth study of traditional topics of geometric proof, as well as the study of the Pythagorean Theorem, triangles, circles, coordinate geometry, polygons, optimization, parabolas, transformations, parametric equations and vectors. Students are expected to have a mastery of algebra and a facility with investigative and collaborative problem-solving approaches.

Prerequisite: Geometry or placement test

This course expands upon the skills and themes introduced in Geometry. While students consider the properties and applications of each of the major trigonometric function families in isolation, significant time is also dedicated to the study of function composition and transformations. Special emphasis is placed on using functions to model real-world phenomena.

Prerequisites: Honors Geometry or placement test

This course expands upon the skills and themes introduced in Honors Geometry. A major theme of the course is to uncover laws of trigonometry by deploying the skills developed in geometry to study the properties of triangles. Students also study circles, three dimensional vectors, matrices, circular motion, quadrilaterals, exponential functions and parametric descriptions of curves.

Prerequisite: Precalculus

This course is a study of the concepts and skills of calculus. An emphasis on the applications of calculus allows students the opportunity to investigate and collaborate on projects. While this course provides students with a sound understanding of calculus, it is not intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Calculus AB examination. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus.

Prerequisite: Honors Precalculus

AS Differential Calculus begins with a review of topics in trigonometry, progresses to a study of a variety of topics drawn from discrete mathematics and analysis, and culminates in a comprehensive treatment of differential calculus and its applications. Students study the continuity and differentiability of functions, derivative rules, curvature, optimization, related rates, and the three-dimensional position, velocity and acceleration of particles. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus and supplementary material.

Prerequisite: Precalculus

This course covers differential and integral calculus, with an emphasis on applications drawn from the physical, biological and social sciences. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Calculus AB examination. Placement is determined by the department. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus.

Prerequisites: As Differential calculus or calculus AB

This course continues the study of calculus begun in AS Differential Calculus. Students study integral calculus and its applications, as well as polynomial series approximations. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Calculus BC examination. Placement is determined by the department. Text: Hughes-Hallett et al., Calculus

Open to V & VI Form students

Prerequisite: AS calculus AB or AS Calculus BC

Yearlong elective

A basic understanding of economics is fast becoming a requirement for effective citizenship in a modern democracy. This course aims to provide students the necessary tools to understand and participate in discussions of economic policy. In any authentic economics curriculum students study decision-making: they learn to recognize the myriad constraints in life—not only those of budget and how to spend one’s money, but also those of time and how to spend one’s life—and then study how to maximize various goods in the face of those constraints. This is not a course in finance. Stocks and bonds are largely just an example of a particular marketplace. Their role in macroeconomic policy is important to understand, but the real focus of the course will be the study of scarcity in general. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the application of mathematical techniques drawn from algebra, calculus and statistics. Some new techniques will be introduced, but much of the focus will be on the application of previously studied concepts.

Open to VI Form Students

Prerequisites: AS Calculus BC

Advanced Topics Tutorial in Mathematics is a course designed for students who have completed Advanced Studies in Calculus BC. In alternating years, the course is (i) a year-long treatment of Multivariable Calculus or (ii) a tutorial that investigates different topics of advanced mathematics taught by a different teacher in the department. Recent topics have included cryptography, recreational mathematics, discrete logic, and proving Euclidean geometry from scratch. Topics can vary each year based on student and faculty interest.

Semester-long half-credit course

Open to v & VI Form students

Prerequisites: Precalculus

This course is a non-calculus-based introduction to statistics that focuses on four major themes: exploring and analyzing data, planning studies and collecting data, mathematical modeling, and testing hypotheses through statistical inference. After completing this course, students may elect to review independently for and take the Advanced Placement Statistics examination. Text: Bock, Velleman, DeVeau, Stats: Modeling the World.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Ninety percent of all the data in the world was created in the past two years, and the rate at which we are creating new data is only increasing. As the world adds more information at an ever-increasing rate, how can we possibly keep up? This course will teach you the tools of data science, a new and growing field that uses powerful computing tools to collect, manipulate, analyze, and visualize data, grounded in mathematics. We will focus our efforts on using data to explore intriguing questions drawn from politics, economics, science, and popular culture. We will study statistical and mathematical modeling to make powerful predictions. This class will culminate in a project where you will use the tools you’ve learned to analyze a dataset and tell a story about a question of interest to you, similar to stories you might have read in the Upshot in the New York Times, or on FiveThirtyEight. This class will also spend a significant amount of time considering the ethics of “big data”—who owns all of the data you’re generating when you carry a smartphone around with you every day, and what exactly can a company do with that “anonymous” data? What are the promises and perils of being able to sequence your genome for less than the cost of a new pair of sneakers, and how will you be able to comprehend and safeguard that data? 

This course is open to all students in the IV Form and above. It has no prerequisites. Students without any previous experience in programming and/or computer science are encouraged to consider this course. Similarly, statistics is not a prerequisite for this course, as we will learn all the necessary statistical concepts as part of the work we do. 

Open to all Forms 

An introductory course aimed at presenting the mechanisms that power the digital world by initiating students in the problem solving skills associated with designing computer code. This course is suitable for students with no programming background as well as those with familiarity and experience. Discussion and writing topics include history and functionality of the internet, ethics of digital citizenship, and current concepts pulled from recent headlines. Classroom activities balance between collaborative coding projects and discussions and debates on current events in the digital world.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisites: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course refines the student's programming ability while introducing the concept of object-oriented programming. Increasingly, larger and more complex projects bolster the student's ability to craft working components while simultaneously promote project and time management skills as well as instill confidence in the student's developing ability. This course roughly follows the AP Computer Science A syllabus with tangents to allow for further exploration in project based learning. Students completing this course will have basic preparation to take the AP test.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Object Oriented Programming in Java or instructor permission

This course continues and advances the study of the Java programming language as well as the concepts of object-oriented programming covered in Object Oriented Programming in Java (JAVA1). Students refine their understanding of inheritance, interfaces, and additional Java structures utilizing project work to apply those techniques and problem solving skills towards programming challenges. While not an AP prep course, students are thoroughly exposed to the type of questions asked on Computer Science A tests and should be well prepared to take the spring exam.  

Students should have completed either the Java1 course or demonstrated, through testing, a capability and experience with programming. It is strongly advised that students with casual, self-taught programming skills not skip the Java1 course.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course develops a student's ability to program microcontrollers and other embedded devices. This specific type of programming is essential for developing products and devices that physically interact with the environment through sensors, actuators, and information display. Students will engage in electronic development skills including circuit design, implementation via breadboarding and soldering, and product deployment. As a final project, students will design and contribute a collaborative project build to aid the School community.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Intro to Computer Science or instructor permission

This course introduces students to the practice of software engineering by using design thinking and the agile methodology to develop iOS and macOS apps in Swift. In addition to learning the Swift programming language, and programming tools like XCode and GitHub, students will study event-driven programming, user interface design, using programming libraries, and data storage. Students will work in small teams to identify users within our community who have a need that could be solved with an app, and then work to iteratively design, implement, and refine their application using Agile Methodology. The goal of the course is for each student team to produce an app of lasting value for the School community.

Open to III, IV, V Form students

Offers students an introduction to Chinese language and culture. Students develop Chinese listening and speaking skills in everyday situations, and work on building basic reading comprehension and writing skills. Chinese history, art, calligraphy and cuisine are also integrated into the course. Students master a minimum of 300 characters, become familiar with basic sentence patterns and expressions, and are able to converse on such topics as family, hobbies, school life, shopping, weather and transportation. Text: Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 1, Part I.

Open to all forms

This course builds on the skills mastered in Chinese 1. Short plays, poems, songs and online resources supplement the textbook as students develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students learn approximately 300 characters, as well as more sophisticated sentence patterns. They write and converse on topics such as dining, travel, a doctor's appointment, renting an apartment and other basic survival subjects. Text: Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 1, Part II.

Open to all forms

This course is a continuation of Chinese 2, and aims to consolidate students’ knowledge of fundamental grammatical structures of Chinese and increase their abilities to communicate using Chinese in a wide range of situations of daily life. Students are introduced to reading materials of increasing complexity on a variety of topic in traditional and modern Chinese culture. Movies, articles from Chinese newspapers and magazines, internet resources and television programs supplement reading in the text.

Texts:

Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 1, Part II, Lesson 16-20
Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part I, Lesson 1-4

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Conducted entirely in Chinese, this intermediate level course strengthens the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through comparative cultural and social studies. Movies and articles from newspapers and magazines supplement readings in the text.

Text: Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part I, Lesson 5-10

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Conducted entirely in Chinese, this course prepares students to participate in ongoing discussions of important Chinese social and political issues. It equips students with the necessary vocabulary and advanced sentence patterns to engage in discursive writing and oral presentation. Students discuss current issues such as China’s economic reform, population policy, and the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan. Movies and television programs, articles from Chinese newspapers and magazines, and online resources continue to supplement readings in the text.

Text: Yuehua Liu and Tao-chung Yao, et al., Integrated Chinese, Level 2, Part II

Open to V & VI Form students

This advanced course is designed to be equivalent to the first semester of a second-year college-level course for students who have mastered basic Chinese language skills. Students learn the full complexity of Chinese society from the point of view of an American student living in China. Students discuss themes such as population and housing, education and employment, privacy, women and children, and economic development issues. Challenges and opportunities facing China are explored through analysis, explanation, and debate. Students lead discussion in class and write weekly essays.

Text: Chih-ping Chou, A Trip to China: Intermediate Reader of Modern Chinese (Princeton University Press)

Open to III, IV, V Form students

French courses at St. Andrew’s are guided by the philosophy of using meaning-driven stages such as reading and acting stories for understanding, and interacting with analytical, form-driven stages. We emphasize the skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing, while bearing in mind that language learners naturally acquire reading and listening skills well before speaking and writing ones. In French 1, we are first concerned with reading and listening skills, which we develop through the use of stories, songs, and news reports. Students practice and develop skills in speaking and writing through partner conversations, short writing exercises, and video presentations summarizing stories read and re-enacting them as well. Students will have seen and used a variety of high-frequency language and verbs in present, past and future tense, but will be assessed more for comprehension of the language than for production of the language.

Open to all forms

In French 2, we build upon the skills gained in French 1 and continue using contextualized stories but have more emphasis on student output, which is to say speaking and writing. The verb conjugations that students saw and used repeatedly in French 1 will now be presented as explicit conjugations, with assessments including not only comprehension but also production of the language. Students are expected to be able to ask and answer questions in complete sentences on commonplace topics.

Open to all forms

In French 3, we emphasize even greater attention to form and expect students to move from writing at the paragraph level to writing coherent papers of 1 to 1 ½ pages in length. Students are expected to not only ask and answer questions in complete sentences on more diverse topics but also to move towards discussion in both smaller groups and with the whole class. This level includes some study of literature and film.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

French 4 reviews grammatical concepts as needed, but focuses more on analyzing content in the form of several literary works, more sophisticated news items, and some full-length films. At this level, students are expected to be able to sustain spontaneous analytical discussions on a variety of topics, both fiction and non-fiction. Students write regular compositions of 1-3 pages in length with greater responsibility for editing their work and attending to both form and content. Human rights, gender issues, immigration, historical events and literature are among the themes of this course.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

AS French focuses on content, both literary and current-events related, and on reviewing and practicing grammatical concepts as needed by students. At this level, students further develop their writing skills in progressively more independent persuasive essays on topics such as the impact of technology on human relations, housing options for the elderly, immigration, and a variety of literary works and films.

Open to V & VI Form students

ATT French is primarily project-based and driven by student interests and research inquiries. Each student is responsible for establishing a research topic and pursuing individual research that will culminate in a formal presentation at the end of the third quarter. Students then choose a novel to read fourth quarter.

Open to III, IV, V Form students

This course is an introductory course taught in the target language using the concept of "comprehensible input". Teaching and learning revolves around the use of stories encountered both on paper and in speech. Students acquire both vocabulary and grammatical structures via constant and targeted practice, seeing and hearing them repeatedly. Initially, each story utilizes the one hundred most-used words in Spanish, and we expand the vocabulary, verbs and grammatical constructions as the year progresses. Increasingly, then, students begin to be able to use these tools in their own language production. While no verb tense or grammar is off limits at any level, the primary targets of input and of a few more traditionally taught units are the present and past tenses. Students read short novels and stories and listen to songs chosen so that they include the vocabulary and grammar to be acquired and yield opportunities for conversation and written expression.

Open to all forms

This course reviews and builds upon the concepts presented in Spanish 1. Students continue to develop a mastery of Spanish grammar, acquire vocabulary, and improve the form and content of their active language skills. Readings continue to expose students to various aspects of Spanish and Hispanic life and culture. Text: Vistas: Introducción a la lengua española, 4th ed., and supplemental readings.

Open to all forms

Spanish 3 extends and deepens the skills developed in the first two levels of the language. Based around the concept of "comprehensible input", teaching and learning revolves around the use of stories encountered both on paper and in speech. Students acquire both vocabulary and grammatical structures via constant and targeted practice, seeing and hearing them repeatedly. Increasingly, then, students begin to be able to use these tools in their own language production. While no verb tense or grammar is off limits at any level, the primary targets of input and of a few more traditionally taught units are the past, future and perfect tenses, as well as the subjunctive mood in all of its tenses. Students read short novels and stories, listen to songs, and view video programs all chosen so that they include the vocabulary and grammar to be acquired and yield opportunities for discussion and written expression.

Open IV, V, VI Form students

Spanish 4 focuses on a survey of Latin American history through film. Each unit aims to further develop the students’ ability to understand spoken Spanish with a variety of native accents, and to increase their vocabulary and grammatical accuracy through daily class discussion and persuasive and analytical essays. Students will engage in debates, major presentations, culminating with a major project-based assessment. The course work will be supplemented by grammar review and reinforcement using Breaking the Spanish Barrier.

Open IV, V, VI Form students

AS Spanish is a college level course that centers in developing students’ understanding of Latin America through topics such as the intersection of race and class, nation and gender, and current globalization issues. In this course, students continue to develop their analytical skills through literary texts, documentaries, films, art, music and current events. Typical assessments are 3-5 page analytical papers, oral exhibitions, debates, presentations, and student-led project-based assessments. Grammar is reviewed within the context of each topic under study.

Open V & VI Form students

This college-level course is the culmination of a student’s progress through the St. Andrew’s Spanish program. The course is designed by student interests and research inquiries, and it is primarily project-based. Students will also be expected to read works of literature in Spanish as well as do major presentations, analytical papers, and oral exhibitions with mastery of advanced grammar.

ATT Spanish 2 is a college-level independent course where poems, short stories, and literary novels in Spanish are read, analyzed, and discussed. At this high level of study, students begin to think only in the target language. Our goal is for students to leave with a balanced view of any Spanish-speaking culture or country that we study. Narratives are discussed in-depth to ensure the deep understanding of historical context as well as the beauty and art of the culture that gave rise to each. At the end of each quarter, students choose their own topic of interest on which to write a persuasive essay; they follow up with a formal, oral exhibition or a creative documentary group project that connects the themes discussed.

REQUIRED FOR IV FORM STUDENTS

IIn this course, students rigorously examine the claims of great thinkers from Aquinas to Marx, Avicenna to Vivekananda, Maimonides to the Dalai Lama, St. Theresa of Avila to contemporary theologians and philosophers. In dialogue with such scholars and with the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible, the Qur’an, the Upanishads and Buddhist Scriptures, students consider differing answers to central religious questions such as:

• Is there a divine? If so, how have people claimed to know the nature of the divine?
• What is religious experience? What, if anything, happens after death?
• Why does suffering exist?
• How shall we act in the world as a result of our views on the divine?

Our studies are informed by classroom visits with imams, rabbis, ministers, and scholars, as well as trips to local places of worship (synagogues, mosques, churches, etc.) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.

Students write frequent short analytical essays. In conjunction with their work in English Literature 2, they build their understanding of argument, evidence, the difference between an observation and a claim, and how to deal with ambiguity and complexity in an author’s writings. To prepare students for their work in Advanced Study history courses and VI Form philosophy and religious studies electives, students examine their own positions in the context of the wider scope of human history and culture, strengthening their ability to identify a writer’s rhetorical maneuvers and implicit assumptions. About midway through the course, they write and deliver a ten-minute long talk exploring a religious or philosophical conundrum. For their capstone project, students use their shorter writings from the year as the backbone for a ten to twelve page theological analysis, then assess and critique their papers in an oral defense with their teacher and a classmate.

Open to V & VI Form students

Semester-long half-credit course

This course introduces students to the basic principles of moral reasoning, with the goal of enabling students to engage independently in critical analysis of contemporary ethical issues. Students practice constructing formal logical arguments, and briefly examine the ethical theories of divine command, virtue (Aristotle), utility (Mill), and duty (Kant). They then use these tools to discuss topics including:

• abortion;
• euthanasia;
• cloning;
• civil rights;
• criminal justice;
• the death penalty;
• sexual orientation and gender identity;
• poverty and welfare;
• drug legalization;
• animal rights; and
• just war theory.

Students prepare short position papers on these issues, and present their viewpoints in class for discussion and debate.

Open to V and VI Form students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Course

What is the best way to live? How do we reach human flourishing? Our great philosophical and spiritual traditions have offered many answers to this question. One of Socrates’ most famous sayings is, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” After Socrates and Plato, Aristotle wrote on the best sort of life for a human being in his Nicomachean Ethics, with an emphasis on the development of virtue and the centrality of friendship. When Siddhartha Gautama reached enlightenment, he became known as the Buddha, meaning “the awakened one,” and taught about how to be free of suffering through mindful living. The Hindu epic, the Bhagavad Gita, contains several chapters on the meditative life and the path to Self-realization. Where Confucius emphasized self-cultivation, ritual, and social order in order to become “the exemplary person,” Daoism through the lens of Lao Tzu calls for harmonizing with the way of nature and effortlessness. Jesus preached that we must be “born anew” and that “the kingdom of God is within you.” Are there commonalities among these different wisdom teachings? If “the unexamined life is not worth living,” then what exactly is the examined life? What does it mean to be “awakened” and mindful? Through a survey of some of the most pivotal works in philosophy, we will seek to develop a global perspective on the human condition and what leads to human flourishing. As we do this, we will direct our attention to fundamental concerns such as: human nature, knowledge and ignorance, friendship and love, freedom, justice, and the aims and effects of society. As we engage in this comparative exploration and quest for a global lens, we will also learn how each work is the product of its author’s own examined life, and we will inquire how each author and tradition understood awakening in their respective historical and philosophical contexts.

OPEN TO V & VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

Since St. Andrew’s is a boarding school, you have already begun to start your own individual journey—or as Joseph Campbell would call it, “the hero’s journey,” just by making the decision to leave your families, friends, and home to come to the middle of Delaware in the pursuit of knowledge. Similar to the protagonist in many epics, religious texts, and myths, as part of your journey, you will wrestle with the ideas of free will, destiny, and fate as you start to develop your own philosophy based on your own personal experiences. Thus the hero’s journey serves as an appropriate metaphor for the individual journey that you must take in your life.

While, the hero will often receive gifts, supernatural aid, or the advice from a wise old hermit, in the end the hero will have to find the resources from within in order to overcome the obstacles standing in their path. In life, the monsters and the dragons you must encounter often represent the inner conflict between our irrational desires and the needs of the community. Only through slaying these inner dragons can one progress to the next stage of life and eventually achieve self-realization.

In this class you will also explore the universal patterns that have supported the hero’s journey; specifically, the archetypes, symbols, and guides that serve as a roadmap for human development and assist the individual’s integration into society. These patterns (archetypes) are found in the ancient myths of Hercules, King Arthur, Thor, and even in the modern day Disney movies, comics, and Harry Potter books. In short, these myths (stories) help us to understand who we are and what our place is in this world while continuing to inspire, comfort, and provide hope in a world that often feels in peril.

In-class readings to include excerpts from:

• Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth;
• The Red Book, Carl Jung;
• Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem;
• Epic of Gilgamesh
• Idylls of the King (Arthurian Legend), Lord Tennyson;
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling; and
• Anthem, Ayn Rand

Films:

• Star Wars: A New Hope
• Whale Rider
• Disney's The Lion King

Open to V & VI Form Students

Semester-long Half-Credit Elective

This semester-long course introduces students to fundamental nuclear physics; in particular, radioactive decay, giving them the scientific knowledge needed in order to then fully tackle some difficult ethical questions regarding its many modern-day applications. As well as understanding decay processes on a subatomic level, students will learn how radioactive materials are used in abundance in industry and medicine. They will then be asked to explore the human cost in developing these usages as well as the ethical questions raised by the use of radioactive isotopes in medical treatments, particularly in cases involving children and pregnancy. We will then explore nuclear power and the physical processes by which electricity is generated in a nuclear plant. With an understanding of the science behind realistic safety standards in nuclear electricity generation, as well as of the risks posed by radioactive waste, students will be able to dissect difficult questions involving whether nuclear power is preferable to coal, where a nuclear plant should be located, and who exactly should be able to make those decisions. Finally, we will consider nuclear warfare; covering the development, testing, and function of atomic bombs, as well as their human and environmental impacts. Students will consider the experience of the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, which developed the weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as being asked to contemplate whether the usage of nuclear weapons in warfare can ever be justified.

OPEN TO V AND VI FORM STUDENTS

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

This semester-long course explores the intersections between the world’s major religious traditions (Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam) and ecology. Through comparative investigation of the ethical and moral systems of such faith traditions, students will consider how religious values can be employed to address pressing ecological concerns.

To explore religious ecology in practice, various ecological challenges facing the St. Andrew’s School campus and Middletown area will be used as case studies alongside consideration of global ecological issues. Students will explore how religious tenets, both individually and in conversation, could be used to motivate human behavior for environmental action and to promote change in a world marked by the realities of human-caused ecological devastation. The course will include at least one overnight camping trip to reflect upon the sacredness of creation in connection with class texts. In addition, various guest speakers from both faith communities and academia will enhance student understanding of how faith groups are using their beliefs to care for creation and engage in religious environmentalism. 

Open to V & VI Form students

SEMESTER-LONG HALF-CREDIT COURSE

What happens when my truth and your truth are not the same? In this class, students explore what it means to live in a world where so many religions and worldviews coexist. As a complement to History of Religious Thought, students study traditions including (but not limited to):

• Hinduism;
• Buddhism;
• Confucianism;
• Taoism;
• Jainism; and
• Sikhism.

The course seeks to understand historical and contemporary expressions of the world's religions through readings, films, current events, site visits, written reflections, and classroom discussions. Students consider why religions exist in the first place, and how, as global citizens, we might enter into a more effective dialogue with various traditions.

Open to III & New IV Form students

As the Science Department’s foundational course, Biology is designed to introduce students to our extraordinary campus while building scientific skills they will use throughout our curriculum. Particular emphasis is placed upon systematic observation and the formation and testing of scientific hypotheses. Students learn to be skeptical and to construct scientific explanations that are detailed, logical, and supported by evidence. The course also seeks to stimulate student appreciation for the natural world. Areas of primary conceptual focus include:

• introductory evolution;
• ecology and human impacts on the environment;
• energy transformation;
• genetics and the central dogma;
• and advanced topics in evolution.

Each fall, students will participate in "Pond Day," a weekend-long scientific exploration of our campus, including a overnight component.

Supporting texts: Biology: Exploring Life by Campbell, Williamson, and Heyden

Open to VI Form students

requires instructor permission

The aim of this advanced biology course is to more closely examine a range of topics in biology, with a thematic emphasis on the unity of life and life's molecular basis. Topics that recur throughout the year include:

• evolution;
• the structure-function relationship;
• the importance of energy; and
• the role of information.

In addition to its factual content, the course stresses rigorous scientific analysis and reasoning. Many lab investigations are student-designed and involve long-term, open-ended inquiry. Several labs closely follow the College Board's Advanced Placement recommendations. Text: Campbell, Reece and Mitchell, Biology: Concepts and Connections.

Open to VI Form students

requires instructor permission

This college-level course is intended to foster in its students the awareness and appreciation of the natural world and the interdependencies that exist within it. Students explore the natural environment and resources of the School and surrounding areas while becoming acquainted with the principles and methods used to examine environmental issues. Topics include:

• sustainability;
• ecosystems;
• population dynamics;
• water;
• energy efficiency:
• climate change:
• food resources; and
• biodiversity.

The course includes visiting speakers, supplemental readings, investigations and labs drawn from college curricula, and a year-long independent project. Students make visits to nearby organizations and locales that provide insight into environmental issues, including a spray irrigation water treatment plant, a local cemetery and an organic farm. An overnight camping trip exposes students to the natural beauty of the Appalachian Mountains; students hike the Appalachian Trail and canoe on Antietam Creek. Students are prepared to sit for the Advanced Placement Environmental Science examination at the end of the year. Texts: Miller, Living in the Environment; McPhee, Encounters with the Archdruid, and supplemental readings.

Open to IV & V Form students

In Physics, students discover the fundamental laws that govern nature through the process of inquiry—posing their own questions within an agreed-upon framework and conducting careful experiments to find their own answers. The class is taught using Modeling Instruction pedagogy, a research-based approach developed at Arizona State University. Students organize their knowledge according to a series of physical models which can be used to analyze and explain increasingly complex phenomena. This course also devotes significant time to helping students articulate the methods and results of their experiments to their peers in discussion, in writing, and in the models they create to explain the physical world. Text: Adapted from publically available Modeling Instruction materials.

Open to IV & V Form students

requires instructor permission

The Honors Physics curriculum is derived from a course developed by the Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC), a group first organized at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. This rigorous curriculum is coupled with the Modeling Instruction pedagogy used in Physics 1 to create a unique and research-based approach to teaching physics. Its strength resides in its guidance of students through experiments and conceptual constructions that require authentic scientific thinking and practice. Rather than asking students to memorize a catalogue of facts and equations, coursework is organized around a a series of physical models students use to explain and predict the structure and interactions of matter. Each student is called on to develop his or her abilities to analyze, infer, evaluate, synthesize and reason quantitatively from the results of his or her experimental work. Laboratories involve extensive use of computer-interfaced instrumentation. Text: Teacher-authored text inspired by Haber-Schaim et al., PSSC Physics.

Open to VI Form students

COREQUISITES: CALCULUS AB OR CALCULUS BC

requires instructor permission

This course covers a calculus-based college-level physics curriculum, and includes explorations of mechanics, thermal physics, and electricity and magnetism. This course assumes a deep curiosity about physics and willingness to work on the part of the students. The course approaches the above topics by focusing on matter and its interactions at the atomic scale through students' creation and application of models. Toward this end, students learn V-Python, a powerful object-oriented computer-programming language that they use to model real physical systems. Students are prepared to sit for the Advanced Placement Physics examination, Level C. Text: Chabay and Sherwood, Matter and Interactions (vols. 1-2).

Open to V Form students

Chemistry is concerned with discovering the natural laws governing the transformations of matter. It is also concerned with inventing theories to explain these laws in terms of atomic interactions. This rather prosaic summary actually represents a rich and intriguing field of exploration whose findings touch on nearly every aspect of our lives. Chemistry is often called the central science because it connects so many other scientific disciplines and technologies, particularly physics to life and environmental sciences. Success in chemistry depends upon the development and practice of a unique language. This language consists of chemistry definitions, chemistry drawings, chemistry facts and algorithms used to solve chemistry problems. This language, like all languages, can be used to express and manipulate ideas that may be inexpressible otherwise. This language will offer a new perspective on the nature of the universe and our students connection to it. Students will emerge from this course with an enriched view of themselves and the world in which they live. They will see how some of the big ideas of chemistry can be used to reframe and digest some of the biggest problems humanity faces. Text: Russo and Silver, Introductory Chemistry, 2nd ed.

Open to V & VI Form students

requires instructor permission

Honors Chemistry applies the foundation of concepts, computational techniques, and laboratory practices students learn in Honors Physics to support their study of chemistry. The course begins with an introduction to descriptive and analytical chemistry through several weeks of laboratory work. Students here become familiar with important chemical properties and tools for uncovering patterns of chemical behavior and the laws that govern them. Laboratory work remains the central focus of the course as it recreates the empirical lines of evidence and creative reasoning from which modern chemical theory evolved during the 19th and 20th centuries. Students are challenged to construct their knowledge from their own experiments and collaborative discussions that utilize their prior knowledge of physics. Text: Brown et al., Chemistry: The Central Science, 10th ed.

Open to VI Form students

requires instructor permission

This course offers students an opportunity to continue their study of chemistry at an advanced level by further exploring topics in physical and organic chemistry. The course is laboratory-centered with structured experiments that extend the students' experience with analytical techniques and instrumentation, followed by opened-ended projects that develop students' research skills. Text: Brown et al., Chemistry: The Central Science, 10th ed.

open to V & VI Form students, and to IV Form students with instructor permission

Semester-Long Half-credit elective

The goal of Introduction to Engineering is to provide an introduction to design thinking and a variety of engineering disciplines. The course will be broken into six parts that include: design thinking, experimental design, mechanical advantage, structural engineering concepts, aeronautical concepts, and a culminating independent design project. In each part of the course, students will learn the basic principles associated with the subject and conduct hands on projects using the principles learned. Students will leave the course with a greater appreciation of engineering problems and solutions.

Open to V & VI Form Students

Semester-long Half-Credit Elective

This semester-long course introduces students to fundamental nuclear physics; in particular, radioactive decay, giving them the scientific knowledge needed in order to then fully tackle some difficult ethical questions regarding its many modern-day applications. As well as understanding decay processes on a subatomic level, students will learn how radioactive materials are used in abundance in industry and medicine. They will then be asked to explore the human cost in developing these usages as well as the ethical questions raised by the use of radioactive isotopes in medical treatments, particularly in cases involving children and pregnancy. We will then explore nuclear power and the physical processes by which electricity is generated in a nuclear plant. With an understanding of the science behind realistic safety standards in nuclear electricity generation, as well as of the risks posed by radioactive waste, students will be able to dissect difficult questions involving whether nuclear power is preferable to coal, where a nuclear plant should be located, and who exactly should be able to make those decisions. Finally, we will consider nuclear warfare; covering the development, testing, and function of atomic bombs, as well as their human and environmental impacts. Students will consider the experience of the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, which developed the weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as being asked to contemplate whether the usage of nuclear weapons in warfare can ever be justified.

open to V & VI Form students

semester-long Half-credit Elective

This advanced course focuses on not just what we know about the Universe but also how we know it. By combining quantitative and conceptual astrophysics we can learn a great deal about distant objects solely by examining the light we receive from them. Astronomy students begin by investigating the nature of electromagnetic radiation and atomic structure in order to understand the tools astrophysicists use to learn about the cosmos. We then use these tools to forge an understanding of the solar system's features and formation; the methods for exoplanet discovery and the search for extraterrestrial life; the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies; and the study of the Universe as a whole, including the Big Bang theory, dark matter, and dark energy. Students complete a number of independent research projects that require them to delve into real peer-reviewed scientific research, and based on which they prepare a paper or presentation. The varied and exciting topics of independent research may include:

• the search for habitable exoplanets,
• solar system missions such as Cassini-Huygens,
• historical asteroid impacts and their effects,
• an exploration of exotic stars and stellar remnants,
• the mechanics of galaxy collisions, and
• the evidence for the Big Bang theory.

open to V & VI Form students

Semester-long Half-credit elective

We humans seek solutions to all sorts of questions. However, unsolved problems exist despite dedicated work by teams of highly trained experts. One subset of such experts are the engineers, who seek pragmatic solutions and who utilize highly valuable resources to make progress in their search. Resources include the team's limited time, its domain-specific tools and its aggregate brain power. Throughout our intellectual history, humans have solved problems again and again. Some solutions are invented, whole-cloth, using human ingenuity. Others are on loan from the natural world: consider the piece of fruit that exactly matched an ancestor's daily caloric need. Still other solutions are inspired by the natural world: as George de Mestral was inspired to invent the hook and loop system of velcro after noticing burdock burrs clinging to his socks. Stationary, brainless burdock had solved the problem of being fixed in space. It had learned to attach its genes to moving animals. In Bioengineering, students will study nature-inspired solutions. Students will learn to take the view that evolution through natural selection is primarily an engine of innovation. From the smallest viruses to the largest organisms on earth, we are all problem solvers. And, it is the view of bioengineers that there are many hidden solutions left to find. Our work is to become better collaborators with nature.

open to IV, V, VI forms

Semester-long Half-credit Elective

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of music, starting with reading notes and rhythm. Students learn the basics of music notation and structure, construct melodies, and work with basic harmony. Regular ear-training exercises as well as music history listening assignments prepare students both to compose their own music and to analyze selected repertoire, ranging from the Baroque through the modern eras.

Open to all forms

Semester-long half-credit elective

This course is a studio instrumental music practice course designed to help students in the Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble to progress in their technique. Comprising individual coaching and structured practice time, the course addresses all techniques and concepts that arise throughout the repertoire of the school’s two large performance ensembles. Students document and describe their practice over the course of each semester they are enrolled, and they participate in weekly evening rehearsals and concerts.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students, and III Form students with instructor permission

Semester-long Half-credit elective

This course is designed for intermediate to advanced members of the Orchestra and/or Jazz Ensemble. Students are placed in groups of three to five members to study repertoire for their particular instrumentation. Typical examples of chamber music groups include, but are not limited to: string quartets, woodwind trios, brass quartets, piano trios, and other common configurations. The focus is on the study of appropriately challenging repertoire with the goal of developing the artistry of collaboration, including interpretation, communication, and unified, polished performances.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students, and III Form students with instructor permission

Semester-long Half-credit elective

Learn how to play jazz, including reading ensemble parts, learning chords and scales, and how to accompany and solo in various rhythmic styles. This course is designed to support Jazz Combos and studio support for members of the jazz ensembles. This course may be repeated.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Music Theory, or by permission of instructor

Music Composition course is a studio course that introduces students to the practice and art of writing and arranging music. The class uses a project-based format to provide the students with regular opportunities to write original melodies, harmony, and rhythms in a number of instrumental and vocal styles. Students also explore writing a piece of music for film. For past projects, students have written jazz pieces, vocal art songs, popular music, covers of existing songs, and even a symphony for orchestra. The class also introduces students to quality audio recording and mixing techniques.

Open to V & VI Form Students

Yearlong course

Prerequisite: Music Theory

This yearlong course is open to students who have demonstrated proficiency in the fundamentals of music (the ability to read and perform written music at a strong level; the possession of a working knowledge of all chord and scale types). Regular ear-training and part-writing assignments help students develop as composers; students produce original works on a monthly basis. Score analysis supplements readings as students develop interpretations of important repertoire, ranging from the medieval through the modern eras. Texts: Donald J. Grout and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music; Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne, Tonal Harmony.

Open to all forms

Semester-Long Half-credit Elective

Are you interested in improving your singing? Foundations of Singing is open to all students regardless of prior vocal experience and focuses on building individual vocal technique and choral singing skills. Students learn the basics of healthy singing through performance of a wide range of musical styles, weekly individual voice lessons, and sight singing and theory practice. Students perform with both Andrean Ensemble and Noxontones at Arts Weekend.

Open to all Forms by permission of instructor

Yearlong Course

Our Andrean Ensemble program challenges students with some previous vocal or choral experience. This course develops the complete singer through instruction in vocal development, sight-reading, ear training, music theory, and choral style. The Andrean Ensemble performs as the School's choral ensemble in the School Chapel, at off-campus events, and on tours. The Andrean Ensemble is open to all forms, but students must have instructor approval to join.

Open to All Forms

Semester-Long Half-credit Elective

No experience necessary and no required performances! Jumps, turns, stretching, and strength training make this a lively and dynamic class. Dance Fundamentals will help students learn how to control their bodies while increasing flexibility, strength, coordination, agility, and balance. It is the perfect class for the athlete-artist. By pairing the physicality of dance with the creativity of the art form, this class is fantastic cross-training for any athlete trying to take their skills to the next level or the artist looking for new ways to explore and express themselves. Students will explore the foundational aspects of various styles of dance, including hip hop, salsa, swing, the waltz, contemporary, and even TikTok dances. This energetic class puts the fun in fundamentals!

Open to All Forms and Genders

Semester-Long Half-credit Elective

The course is designed for the student-athlete to better prepare themselves for their sport of choice while incorporating the physical and artistic elements of dance. Strength, coordination, balance, flexibility, agility, and stamina will be key elements of this course. Twenty-five to fifty percent of class time will be spent honing sport-specific skills that are individualized for each student-athlete and each student will help guide their training with their specific goals. The remainder of class will be collaborative, energetic, creative, and fun group exercises that utilize the unique aspects of various styles of dance concepts to help improve athletic performance. The course will utilize the gym equipment (weights, TRX, kettlebells, etc.), the basketball courts and the dance studio, along with the outdoors (weather permitting) to maximize physical training. Students will learn jumps, turns and tricks, rhythms and coordinations in various styles of dance.  This is a physically demanding course with no previous dance experience necessary. It is a fast-paced course set to fun, contemporary, and energetic music. All student-athletes that are looking to take their training to the next level are encouraged to take this course. 

open to all forms

Semester-Long, Half-credit Elective

Prerequisite: Dance Fundamentals or permission of the instructor

Building on the foundation of students’ previous ballet experience, this course explores more advanced theories of classical ballet technique with a heavy focus on strengthening body mechanics. Students increase their ballet vocabulary and perform more complex and advanced ballet combinations as they continue to refine their use of:

• core control;
• movement quality;
• body placement; and
• aesthetic line.

Increasing strength, agility, coordination, flexibility and stamina is emphasized. The aim of the course is to develop the discipline to combine the physical demands of ballet with artistic freedom of expression.

open to all forms

Semester-Long Half-credit Elective

Prerequisite: Dance Fundamentals or permission of the instructor

Building on the foundation of students’ previous modern dance experience, this course explores more advanced theories of modern and contemporary dance. Movement and creativity are highlighted with an emphasis on personal expression. Students practice floor exercises and center combinations designed to increase their:

• core strength;
• flexibility;
• use of weight and momentum;
• body isolation;
• improvisation; and
• freedom of movement.

Utilizing these tools, students develop their own personal styles through self-expression, movement and choreography, and ultimately have the opportunity to create their own choreographic piece.

Open to V & VI Form Students

Prerequisites: Intermediate/Advanced Ballet: Levels 3, 4 & 5, plus permission of instructor

Yearlong course

The structure of this course is a working model of the professional dance world; students experience what it means to be a professional artist in the field of dance. Students will continue their training in advanced classical ballet technique while discovering other aspects of the profession. Following a three-pronged approach to their dance training, students take a weekly technique class, skills & mastery class, and a choreographically focused class. Advanced Studies: Ballet gives students the structure to pursue their technical and artistic interests in classical ballet while developing specific dance-based projects that allow students the freedom to explore their own interests and self-expression. 

Open to V & VI Form Students

Prerequisites: Intermediate/Advanced Contemporary Dance: Levels 3, 4 & 5, plus permission of instructor

Yearlong course

This structure of this course is a working model of the professional dance world; students experience what it means to be a professional artist in the field of dance. Students will continue their training in advanced contemporary dance techniques while discovering other aspects of the profession. Following a three-pronged approach to their dance training students take a weekly technique class, skills & mastery class, and a choreographically focused class. Advanced Studies: Contemporary gives students the structure to pursue their technical and artistic interests in dance while developing specific dance-based projects that allow students the freedom to explore their own interests and self-expression. 

open to all Forms

Semester-Long Half-credit elective

Introduction to Film is for students who want to experience the creative process of filmmaking. The basic elements and grammar of film are explored including light, color, composition, and editing. Students will complete a series of film and editing projects as they practice their skills. While this course serves as a foundation in the cinematographic and editorial skills required to create a film, it also uncovers the narrative ingredients required to create engaging cinematic stories. Early cinema, current blockbusters, documentaries, and commercials are viewed for inspiration and historical value. Student projects are given ample time in class for shooting and editing.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Elective

Prerequisite: Film Studies 1 or instructor permission

Progressing from Film Studies 1, students explore further techniques in cinematography by developing and practicing with more advanced camera technique, working with filters and controllers, and a wider range of lenses. Students will also be introduced to technical and artistic lighting styles and techniques to further enhance their visual images. Students will complete several works demonstrating proficiency with both camera and lighting.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Semester-Long Half-Credit Elective

Prerequisite: Film Studies 1 or instructor permission

The post-production class focuses on everything that happens with footage after the shoot. The class will focus on editing, color grading, visual effects, and sound production. Using footage from student and professional shoots, students will learn to edit for continuity and montage, learn to apply visual effects to repair and enhance scenes, and to understand the importance and best techniques of sound design and mixing.

Open to VI Form students

Prerequisite: Film Studies 1

Yearlong course

The Advanced Study in Film course is a year-long intensive studio class designed for VI Form students. By working on multiple projects from conception to delivery, the students refine their cinematography, production, and editing techniques in a holistic format. Students will utilize advanced lighting and sound techniques and equipment as well as a more developed editing and color grading process. Other major projects may involve exploratory video essays on film and the development of an original script.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Semester-Long Half-credit elective

This foundational course introduces students to the medium of photography by focusing on camera controls, composition, and storytelling. Starting with the basics, students learn how to utilize a digital SLR camera and edit using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Students hone their photographic voice in an open critique setting and learn to edit their work by compiling a comprehensive final portfolio. A study of historical and contemporary photography complements practical exercise and independent projects. No prior experience is required.

Open to VI, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Photo 1 or Printmaking

open to VI Form students

Two semesters of a Photo class, one of which must be photo 1

Yearlong course

This yearlong course is an intensive studio art (in this case, photography) class designed for VI Form students interested in investigating advanced methods and concepts central to the visual arts. Students concentrate on hands-on studio work with individual faculty in one of the visual arts disciplines (painting, photography, sculpture, or film), and come together for lectures and discussions of contemporary issues in art, practical demonstrations, such as portfolio development, and critiques. Coordinated, thematic assignments stimulate comparative discussions among visual art disciplines as in an advanced collegiate fine arts seminar.

Open to ALL Forms

Semester-long, Half-credit Elective

The Foundations of Visual Arts course is designed to introduce III Form students to the materials, techniques, language, concepts and processes of making, using, and thinking about art. The course aims to keep a healthy balance between formal concepts, hands-on skills, imagination, and critical thinking.

Students will be introduced to fundamental elements of visual language through a variety of exercises, discussions, and lectures, utilizing an array of materials and techniques. This might include drawing, painting, 3D experiments, and photography. Ultimately, the course is designed to prepare students for higher level coursework in any of the visual arts offered at St. Andrew’s.

The principal context for the courses is current practices in contemporary art/design, which is a vast arena of diverse styles, techniques, materials, subjects, forms, purposes, and aesthetic traditions. Thus developing a “foundation” in art and design entails developing an awareness of contemporary art-making practices. Through experimentation and examining the terms and concepts of visual artists, students will be challenged to create imaginative and open responses to the question of how they connect visually to the world at large. 

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Semester-Long, Half-credit Elective

Students in this course work with a variety of media to create a visual language for describing natural form. Using charcoal, conte, and pastel, students render still-lifes, landscapes, and portraits with the goal of creating strong representational images.

Open to IV, V, VI Form students

Semester-long, Half-credit Elective

In Painting 1, students work on still-lifes, landscapes, and portraits, and in doing so learn how to use color as a means for describing light and form. Students will work with palette knives and brushes to investigate color theory, composition, and art history.

Open to IV, V, VI Form Students

Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or Painting 1 or Instructor Permission

Students will work with a variety of media that will build upon skills previously acquired in Drawing 1 or Painting 1. The language of value, form, and composition will continue to be explored with assignments involving pencil, watercolor, oil paint, and other media. The ultimate goal of this more advanced course is for students to develop and advance their studio practice with both drawing and painting.

Open to ALL students

Semester-long, Half-credit Elective

The medium of printmaking provides an arena of creativity where photography, drawing, design, collage, and painting collide. While the term printmaking refers to a myriad of techniques, this course will focus on screenprinting. The art of screenprinting, or silkscreening, is a fun way to create posters, cards, t-shirts, or even fine art prints. Foundational concepts of art and elements of design will be taught in this class, and students will have a chance to put their skills to work as they design and produce posters for school events around campus.

Artist we will look at include: Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, Blexbolex, and Jay Ryan.

Open to VI, V, VI Form students

Prerequisite: Printmaking or Photo 1

Open to VI Form students

Yearlong course

Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or Painting 1, or instructor permission

This yearlong course is an intensive studio class designed for VI Form students interested in investigating advanced methods and concepts central to the visual arts. Students concentrate on hands-on studio work with individual faculty in one of the visual arts disciplines (painting, ceramics, photography, or film), and come together for lectures and discussions of contemporary issues in art, practical demonstrations, such as portfolio development, and critiques. Coordinated, thematic assignments stimulate comparative discussions among visual art disciplines as in an advanced fine arts seminar.

Open to all forms

Semester-long Half-credit elective

This course exposes students to the essential aspects of acting, and emphasizes acting as technique rather than mere emoting. Through exercises, warm-ups, scenes, and monologues, students will explore:

• expanding vocal techniques;
• physical alignment and specificity;
• script analysis;
• active listening—provoking and reacting;
• line linkage; and
• theatrical improvisation.

The semester concludes with a performance of monologues for a small audience.

Open to IV, V & VI Form Students

Semester-long Half-credit elective

Prerequisite: Acting 1 or instructor permission

Essentially a continuation of the Acting 1 class, this course delves deeper into the techniques of acting, focusing on script and character analysis as well as directing and improvisation. Student work is more individual and performance more frequent. Some workshop highlights include stage combat, make-up application, and the First Folio technique of performing Shakespeare.

Time permitting, students attend at least one professional theatrical production during the course.

Open to All Forms

Semester-long Half-credit elective

This course focuses on singing, acting, and dancing. No previous experience is required; however, experienced performers are welcome to register and will be offered material to match their level of ability. Coursework will include body mechanics, movement quality, stage presence, improvisation, scene study, healthy vocal habits, sight singing, and private voice lessons.

Open to IV, V & VI Form students

Semester-long Half-credit elective

This course focuses on the fundamentals of speaking in public. Coursework seeks to enhance students’ ability to use effective and engaging vocal dynamics and strategies, including:

• emphasis;
• pace;
• pitch;
• tone;
• volume; and
• clarity.

Assignments include:

• experimenting with famous speeches;
• conducting interviews;
• persuasive speaking using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence;
• Shakespearean sonnets; and
• impromptu speaking.

The course also explores techniques for calming and masking the nervous habits often provoked by public performance, and makes use of varying venues on campus for presentations.