At a pivotal moment in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” The confusion that ensues among his followers is emblematic of the struggle that Christians and non-Christians alike have had throughout history to answer that very question. In this course, students will be challenged to offer their own unique contributions to the discourse on the identity of Jesus. They will grapple directly with the question Jesus posed to his disciples by developing responses based on multiple and intersecting paradigms: the personal, the historical, the theological, and the anthropological to name just a few. Effectively engaging with the course will lead to greater skills in the areas of critical thinking, cultural competency, and religious imagination, among others.
Multimedia Design 1B
This class further develops skills learned in Multimedia Design 1A with a focus on utilizing 2D and 3D graphics, sound and video-editing software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, Logic, FL Studio, Soundtrap, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, OnShape, Blender, and game design in Roblox and Unity. The development of effective narrative structures will be emphasized so that students learn to use the various media to create intentional works with meaning. Particular attention will be paid to the design process and students’ conscious development of their own creative process. Sample projects include stop motions, animations, music videos, special effects, student documentary films, and the creation of video games. Student work will culminate with a digital portfolio.
English 300
English 300 covers the literature of the United States from the Puritan Era to the present. All the forms of literature which have been studied specifically in themselves during the first two years are now studied as they emerge historically through the imaginative lives of major U.S. authors. This course complements the study of American History, which is also taken during the junior year. The students’ writing aims at greater and greater control over the expository essay and specifically at developing analytical theses on literature. Students will write at least twelve papers during the year in various rhetorical modes including the personal narrative (at least 1), the expository essay (5-7), the synthesis essay, the timed quick-write, and the creative composition. After consulting with their teachers, students taking this course may opt to take the AP Language and Composition examination. Both this course and the honors course prepare students to pass the Junior Writing Exam taken in the second semester. Students who do not pass this exam with an acceptable score must take Literature and Composition: Non-fiction during the senior year.
English 100
The purpose of freshman English is three-fold: 1) to master certain grammatical material that will aid in the discussion of composition, 2) to begin a systematic approach to writing, and 3) to identify certain literary concepts in a variety of literary genres. To achieve these goals, English 100 presents the incoming students with a course of study that exposes them to the forms of literature: the short story, non-fiction essay, poem, drama, and novel. Freshman English also presents the students with various writing assignments that will start them on the process of building a personal writing style. The subjects for these assignments move from the students’ own experiences to topics related to their reading, and the movement during the course of the year is from narrative and descriptive writing to writing that is more expository in nature. Writing assignments generally will progress from one-page papers at the beginning of the year to longer essays at the end of the year. By the end of the course, the student will have written approximately 10-12 papers in a variety of rhetorical modes including creative, descriptive, narrative, expository, and literary analysis writing. The student will also have completed at least one multi-paragraph expository essay.
Multimedia Design 1A
This is an introductory computer art and design course with a focus on 2D and 3D graphics, sound and video-editing software. Coursework includes a variety of design projects created with software programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, Logic, FL Studio, Soundtrap, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, TinkerCAD, and game design in Roblox. The learning of traditional art and design principles will be integrated into students’ creative work and the course will culminate with a digital portfolio.
English 200
English 200 continues the course of study begun in the freshman year. Skills learned the previous year are refined, expanded, and enhanced. Basic grammar is reviewed and new material introduced throughout the year. The lower division writing sequence continues with a review of paragraph writing, which leads into the year’s emphasis on descriptive, narrative, and expository essay writing. Students will write approximately 10-12 papers in a variety of rhetorical modes. The writing becomes not only more formal, but increased in length as well with students writing multi-paragraph expository essays by the end of the first quarter. The reading of literature includes all the major genres: novel, drama, poetry, short story, and essay; however, the study of literature shifts from an organization by form to an organization by themes that reveal an insight into the human condition.
English 492: Poetry and Dramatic Literature
This course offers a journey through major innovative dramatic works while asking students to create their own dramatic and poetic works related to ones studied in class. Using Aristotle’s Poetics as the basis for form and structure, selected works will be chosen from Shakespeare’s tragedies (Othello, Julius Caesar) and comedies (Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It) along with contemporary pieces that move all the way up to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Other playwrights and works studied in this course might include: Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
This class will be offered pending adequate enrollment.
English 430: Modern American Authors
NOTE: This course will not be offered for the 2024-2025 school year. It may be available the following year.
In this course we will do an in-depth study of modern authors, contextualizing these voices as they fit into our cultural identity. In this one semester course, we will read short stories, creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and song lyrics. We will examine the narrator and the self, analyzing the way American individuality has shifted American literature. We will identify and analyze literary devices and structures in popular texts, and use these as models for our own creative writing. Formal grammar and vocabulary lessons will focus on clarification of voice. In addition to standard 5 paragraph analytical essays, we will write creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and a multi-genre research paper.
Latin 2
Latin 2 continues the progress of first-year Latin. Students will read and write more sophisticated Latin, incorporating passive voice, various types of clauses, participles, infinitives and the subjunctive mood (mode), as they begin to transition to “real Latin,” authentic primary sources from the Roman era.
Latin 1
The Cambridge Latin Course, Units 1 and 2, open the door to the Latin language and literature for the beginning student through adapted readings about a Roman family living in Pompeii. Students will engage in the following activities: reading Latin aloud and silently; asking and answering Latin questions about the readings; translating Latin sentences into English and vice-versa; memorizing and using vocabulary; developing listening and speaking skills; studying the history and origin of English words derived from Latin; and learning about the customs, history, and mythology of the ancient Romans, especially as they have affected our own culture today. The aims of the course are: to teach students to read Latin accurately and confidently; and to familiarize students with life in the early Roman Empire.