The foundation to this course is the call to uphold and promote the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. This two-semester course engages students in the broad philosophical and theological discussions of good and evil, right and wrong, freedom and duty, in and beyond the practical moral decisions of everyday life. The first semester establishes an understanding of human dignity, informed conscience, and emphasizes a spectrum of principles and virtues. The second semester introduces the tradition of social justice, Catholic social teaching, and the common good. Students will tackle some of the most compelling dilemmas and dreams of the human experience.
Religious Studies 472: Science and Religion
Are science and religion enemies, strangers, or partners? We investigate this fundamental question in a semester-long course that introduces the philosophical, theological, and ethical relationship between science and religion. Both science and religion are quests for understanding that fundamentally shape our world, but these disciplines ask different questions and follow different methods. While they may appear to conflict, closer examination reveals room for a deeper engagement through fruitful dialogue and constructive integration. Students will grapple with several of the “big questions” which animate the relationship between science and religion, like: “Does the universe have a purpose?” “Is faith compatible with evolution?” “Does science make belief in God obsolete?” and “What does it mean to be human?”
Religious Studies 476: Community Engagement and Social Justice
Jesuit education encourages students to live as women and men with and for others. Service and community engagement support this goal. This semester course explores how community service promotes solidarity and spiritual development within the context of Christian faith and commitment to social justice. Specifically, students will study responsible civic partnership, discerning God’s presence in service experiences, living a faith that does justice, promoting social justice through service relationships, and contributing to the common good through civic engagement. The course uses a service-learning method of instruction. Students will receive release time from a portion of classroom instruction for service in the community. SI will organize partnerships with community organizations to support specific learning objectives. The course requires students to participate in one of these partnerships as part of a cohort. Students will learn from their service experience through a process of intentional reflection and interpretation. In addition to their service experience, students complete traditional coursework designed to complement and enrich the experience. The course assesses students on their professionalism, their ability to make skillful observations of their experience, the intentionality of their reflections, their ability to use course concepts to interpret their service experience, research about the strengths and needs of a community they serve, and communication of their learning.
Engineering
Engineering consists of the application of scientific knowledge in the creation of useful products. This course acts as an introduction to the concepts and methods of engineering with an intensive hands-on laboratory/workshop component. Students will be expected to conceptualize, design, build, and debug a variety of projects, working independently or in collaboration with other students. Units of study vary by semester, allowing students to take either or both semesters in a single year, and may include mechanical, electrical, robotic, computer, aeronautical, automotive, acoustic, naval, civil, fluid and/or chemical engineering. Several off-campus field trips to visit engineering sites or companies may be required. (Since engineering is not, strictly speaking, a science, this course does not qualify as a UC-approved lab science.)
Environmental Science: An Ecological Perspective
Environmental science is the study of our natural environment, with an emphasis on humanity’s impact on the environment. This is a project and inquiry-learning based course that investigates the science behind today’s environmental issues. Students will be immersed in hands-on science activities, group work, discussions of current scientific research, a long-term scientific investigation, decision-making based on their critical thinking skills, and the design of inquiry-based experiments. The course is arranged in independent modules that offer students a holistic approach towards environmental issues by exploring current environmental problems from a scientific interdisciplinary perspective. While topics will focus of life science related issues, we will also incorporate some basic geological, physical, chemical and technological components that directly impact living creatures.
Science Research Project
(Physical or Life Science) This course offers students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate the maturity and self-discipline required to perform independent scientific research. Students perform one or more independent science or engineering research projects, in laboratory or field settings, on topics of their own choice. The meeting times are flexible and will be arranged to fit the schedule of the student. Areas of study include any area of science or engineering, including: quantum physics, astronomy, robotics, electronics, biotechnology, geology, meteorology, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, oceanography, marine biology, psychology, sociology, economics, political science, statistics, etc., as well as traditional areas of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering. Students will gain direct experience in research methodologies used by professional scientists and engineers in industry and academia. This course is taken in addition to the science requirement for graduation. Enrollment in Science Research does not qualify a student for a study period during the regular academic day.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
Advanced Science Research Project
(Physical or Life Science) Students perform one or more additional independent science or engineering research projects, beyond those completed in the first semester Science Research Project course, or perform a substantial extension of a project completed in the previous course. This is an independent study course, with flexible meeting times that will be arranged to fit the schedules of the students. This course is taken in addition to the science requirement for graduation. Enrollment in Advanced Science Research does not qualify a student for a study period during the regular academic day.
*Taken as an independent study with the guidance of science teacher
Social Cognitive Psychology Honors
Social Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes, information processing and group dynamics. Students will investigate how our brains let us “see” the world, how our perceptions depend on our current state of attention, and how memories can change over time. As we seek to better understand the human mind, we will discuss language abilities and the power of social influences. Students will look at mistakes that people make, from simple visual illusions to errors in higher-level
decision-making, and will discuss how these “failures” provide unique insights into the mechanisms of human thinking and even mental disorders and their treatment.
The honors curriculum for this course will necessitate college-level psychological analysis as well as practical applications or experiences of authentic psychology research in action.
Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
Advanced Journalism
Advanced Journalism is an 8th period course in which students will learn the skills necessary to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the school newspaper of St. Ignatius, Inside SI. The primary objective of this class is the publishing of six issues of Inside SI. As such, students will be involved in all areas of publication production, including creating the master schedule, generating feature topics, determining content, supervising reporters in each department (Affinity, Arts, Feature, Humor, Op-Ed, Outside SI News, SI News, Sports, and Spotlight), writing articles, editing, laying out pages for each issue, and overall design. In the process of generating content, writing their stories, and laying out newspaper pages, students will learn to use specialized software for word processing, page layout, graphic design, and distribution management. Students enrolled in this course will practice effective collaboration skills, lead training sessions, and will work to ensure Inside SI reflects the diverse and unique voices of all members of the SI community. Credit for this class will be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Enrollment in this class is subject to Moderator Approval. Individuals who apply for and are accepted as Editor-in-Chief during the Spring semester will be enrolled by the moderators during the Fall semester of the school year.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY: This class meets weekly to discuss journalism topics and conduct planning for issues. During the two weeks prior to each issue’s production, students will meet every day after school for approximately 3 hours.
Journalism
Journalism is a year-long 8th period course in which students will learn the skills necessary to serve as Managing Editors for the school newspaper of St. Ignatius, Inside SI. The primary objective of this class is the publishing of six issues of Inside SI. As such, students will be involved in editorial decisions, including determining content, supervising reporters in their section (Affinity, Arts, Feature, Humor, Op-Ed, Outside SI News, SI News, Sports, and Spotlight), writing articles, editing, and suggesting lay out for pages in each issue. Students enrolled in this course will practice effective collaboration skills (both on-line and in-person) and will work to ensure Inside SI reflects the diverse and unique voices of all members of the SI community. Credit for this class will be included in the SI GPA calculation.
Enrollment in the class is subject to Moderator Approval. Individuals who apply for and are accepted as Managing Editors the previous Spring semester will be enrolled by the moderators during the Fall semester of the school year. Students will meet regularly each week.
*This course is offered outside of the 9:00 am – 2:45 pm school day, 8th period ONLY : This class meets weekly to discuss journalism topics and conduct planning for issues. During the two weeks prior to each issue’s production, students will meet every day after school for approximately 3 hours.