In this course, we’ll read works inspired by science and art and use them as models to write and revise personal essays that explore the genre of nonfiction. You’ll reflect on personal experiences, research scientific topics, and study the relationship between science and the arts. This writing-process course will guide you to develop a consistent, recursive writing practice of brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, and revising. We will also hold written forum discussions in which you and your peers present your work and offer constructive feedback on each other’s writing.

What counts as a game? What are games made of? How are successful games designed and built? Read theory that orients you to how games work, why people play them, and what makes a good game. Play different kinds of games—card games, board games, pen-and-paper games, and video games—and analyze how developers use theoretical knowledge to create unique, compelling experiences.

You also learn the process of design—not just how to put together a successful game, but how to develop plans that efficiently use time and resources to result in the best possible game.

Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity—robots sent by NASA to explore Mars—each outlasted their missions but were ultimately bested by the planet’s harsh conditions. Sojourner lost its base station, Spirit became stuck in its soil, and Opportunity fell prey to a dust storm. With Curiosity still sending selfies from Mars—and Perseverance which landed there in 2021—human space knowledge is benefiting immensely from the scientific work of robots.

Books often ask you to dream up imaginary worlds, but important science concepts lie behind the words and pictures. Analyze the science woven through Judi and Ronald Barrett’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as you develop the process skills that constitute the scientific method. Explore the digestive system and nutrition, engage in city planning, engineer stronger structures, and investigate weather patterns through activities such as measuring the digestive system with yarn, making clouds in a bottle, crafting boats out of sandwich items, and creating a healthy family menu.

When the threat of pandemic looms, all eyes turn to the experts. Each outbreak is unique and raises different concerns; in providing answers, infectious diseases specialists rely on data and accurate modeling to predict the growth, spread, and control of disease.

This course transports readers to magical worlds where animals speak, toys come to life, and eccentric characters perform seemingly impossible feats. Worlds turn upside down, and the familiar becomes the unknown. Explore classic and contemporary texts to learn the traits that characterize modern fantasy. Venture into extraordinary places like Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and witness the incredible adventures of unlikely heroes, like those in Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Desperaux.

Lawyers, doctors, and mathematicians use logic while building arguments, diagnosing diseases, and proving theorems. This course explores the techniques of logic while developing your analytical reasoning skills and your ability to produce arguments and identify fallacious reasoning. After learning foundational concepts such as validity, soundness, and consistency, you’ll explore the process of evaluating language-based arguments. You and your classmates will identify common fallacies, discern patterns of proper reasoning, and use Venn diagrams to evaluate syllogisms.

What can make a dog a most trusted friend? How do dogs build unbreakable bonds with their owners? What circumstances test these bonds? In this course, we will read four books exploring the unique characteristics of dogs and the humans who care for and learn from them. Whether you know a family who is changed forever by a puppy or a dog that has saved a human life through their honed instincts, you will be gripped by emotion through these stories.

Explore the history, culture, traditions, and beliefs of world civilizations across Europe, North America, and South America. This course emphasizes commonalities and differences among civilizations and prepares you for future work in pre-AP social studies classes. Learn to think chronologically and understand the major forces of societal change and order, as well as the cause-and-effect relationships throughout historical experience, through collaborative work and discussion with classmates in synchronous meetings.

IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said, “Business is a game—the greatest game in the world if you know how to play it.” In today’s global marketplace, understanding game theory—the branch of mathematics that focuses on the application of strategic reasoning to competitive behavior—is key to success in business and economics. This course uses game theory as a framework from which to analyze a variety of real-world economic situations. You’ll analyze simple games to learn how they can be used to model actual situations encountered by entrepreneurs and economists.