Writing Skills Courses

Creative Writing, Chapman

Students will learn and practice both editing and the rudiments of the crafts of fiction and poetry by participating in a workshop. Emphasis will be placed on the writing itself, although some occasional outside reading, concentrating on specific issues of style or structure, will also be assigned.

Full year

Poetry Reading and Writing, Cox

In Poetry Reading and Writing we will study the mechanics of poetry, examine various poets, discuss poetry forms, and write poetry. Grades will be based on class participation and preparedness, attendance, work ethic and excellence. Because this is a creative writing class, the emphasis of the grade will not be on whether a student can write good poetry, but whether the student attempts to learn and makes an effort to write.

Semester

Writing Skills I, Ross

Semester

Writing Skills II - Composition, Cox

Writing Skills II is an introductory course in composition that will teach you to write effective essays. You will learn how to choose appropriate topics for the essay writing, how to develop and organize your ideas and how to edit your writing. You will also learn to research, organize, document and write a research paper.

Semester

Writing Skill III - College Essays, Cox

This course hones writing skills that prepares students for the rigors of college writing requirements. Writing scope includes, but not limited to college's pre-admittance expectations on SAT essays, admissions essays, letters of inquiry, and resumes, to follow-up letters and acceptance letters.

Semester

Writing Skill III - Critics, Counihan

A survey of critical approaches to various art such as plays, artworks, museum artifacts. Students will study various theories of criticism and do critical analysis. The purpose of the course is to develop student's critical viewing skills by increasing awareness of art and its criticism in modern culture. Students will be expected to communicate newly acquired critical views through publication.

Semester

Hollins: 231 &#8211 Writing for Print Media

This course offers special topics in writing for newspapers, magazines, and other print media formats. This course is taught on Hollins University campus and is usually offered only first term (see Hollins Undergraduate Catalog for current offerings). Students need the CHS Director's approval before selecting this course for credit.

Semester

HTML Webpage Writing, Burleigh

This Course will introduce students to the "bare bones" language coding that is used to enable web-browsers to display websites. No prior knowledge of programming is required as this is an introductory course. HTML stands for HyperText markup Language and is the foundation for all website writing. Students wil be expected to learn the function (and dysfunction) of all the basic HTML coding tags that format text and pictures into what is viewed on a website. Students will use this knowledge to create and format their own websites given both a required set of criteria and given complete structural freedom. The major project for successful completion of the course will be the completion of a page designed by the student that fills all the criteria assigned by the instructor.

Semester

Literature (Book Club) Courses

Banned Books, Thornton

Why are books banned? Who decides? Who cares? What are the issues? What is Censorship? What can we learn from banned books &#8211 both from the books and from the controversies they have caused? These are the kinds of questions that were considered in this class. The students were allowed to choose the books we read and were asked to write essays on each book covered. We started with Brave New World, then read Go Ask Alice and tried Burger's Daughter. The group abandoned this book in order to tackle The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. This amazing piece of fiction occupied us the rest of the semester. In order to receive credit for the course students were required to submit a final paper on The Satanic Verses.

Semester

Sophie's World, Counihan

Jostein Gaarder's whimsical mystery novel intended to present a history of philosophy. Reading is light to accommodate students of all levels, and the discussion explores both the novel's plot and the philosophical material.

Semester

Greek & Roman Myth, Counihan

Examines the works and the continuing influences of classical mythology; touching on the cultural functions of myths. Extracts from: Homer's Iliad, Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid, and Eclogues & Georgics, Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Homeric Hymns, Rhodios' Argonautika, Euripides' Medea. One myth must be examined in depth for credit.

Semester

American Short Stories, Chapman

In this course students select between two and four stories to read and discuss each week. The stories will come primarily from The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike and Katrina Kenison and from The Art of the Tale, edited by Daniel Halpern. A special emphasis is placed on changing and various modes of narrative and on elements of craft. Students occasionally lead discussion and are asked to research the writers discussed.

Semester

Nobel Prize Literature, Thornton

In this course the students were free to select any author who had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Beloved by Toni Morrison, Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, Gabriel Garcia Marquez Love in the Time of Cholera, and One Hundred Years of Solitude. Some students also read all or parts of Marquez's autobiography, Living to Tell the Tale. Discussion focuses on each writer's technique and how these authors engaged the reader in the very process of the book. These books are not "easy reads" and are intended to help students develop and expand their ability to deal with abstract thoughts and to participate more fully in the delights of fine literature.

Semester

Medieval Roots of Fantasy Literature, Counihan

This class examines the assumptions that underlie our perceptions of fantasy literature and use this examination to call into question many of the critical practices that we direct at more traditional forms and genres. Some of the questions we will ask are: What is a source, how do we know an author is using one, and how do sources influence the texts that access them? What ideas about language are constructed in fantasy and how are these similar or different from those constructed in more traditional genres? Beowulf, Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, Percival and Mallory's Arthurian Legends, Tolkein's The Hobbit, Grendal, Sabriel, Jurgen.

Semester

Jewish American Literature, Chapman

Readings for this course are drawn from the substantial body of literature written by Jewish Americans over the past century. Students elect which readings to undertake, although it is assumed that certain figures such as Bellow, Ozick, Roth, Malamud and Bashevis Singer are bound to turn up. As well as completing assigned readings in a timely fashion and participating in classroom discussions, students are expected to complete a number of short response writings.

Semester

The African American Experience: Jazz, Politics and Letter, Chapman

This course centers primarily on prominent Black writing of the past century and on the development of Jazz as a vehicle for African American cultural expression. Students are to complete readings in a timely fashion, to participate in discussions and to write three short papers. Classes will include listening, discussion and enough history lecture to contextualize each. Readings will be taken from the following: Reading Jazz, Robert Gottlieb, ed.; The Norton Anthology of African American Literature; The African-American Odyssey, Hine, Hine and Harrold, eds.

Semester

Irish History Through Literature, Counihan

This course was recommended for students interested in traveling to Ireland in the spring 2004. A variety of principal literary authors and historical documents are used in this class in an attempt to portray the comic-tragic events of Irish history and offer insight into how those events shaped Irish character. Time is set aside to look at the Irish landscape, and learn to read the monuments and mounds as historic markers.

Semester

Science Fiction, Burleigh

This course will focus on the writing style and efficacy of the most prolific science fiction writer in history, Sir Isaac Asimov. Short stories will set the foundation for exploration into his unique and brilliant writing upon which the class will be asked to answer specific questions about the intent or particular strategy employed by the writer. After familiarizing ourselves with Mr. Asimov's Short story work, we will read Asimov's first trilogy, consisting of Foundation (1951), Foundation and Empire (1952) and Second Foundation (1953, a famous classic for several reasons. The most prominent reason is that Asimov managed to show how wide a scope science fiction can have. He created a universe of many diverse worlds, a great number of characters, and a story covering many generations. The trilogy has epical proportions of a kind not seen before from the genre. Students will be expected to write descriptive essays based on the plots and specific characters of each of these works. If time allows, we will also compare the writings of other prominent authors of the genre (Arthur Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Greg Bear, Kim Stanley Robinson, and others).

Quarter

American History in Literature, Chapman/Counihan

This course centers primarily on prominent Black writing of the past century and on the development of Jazz as a vehicle for African American cultural expression. Students are to complete readings in a timely fashion, to participate in discussions and to write three short papers. Classes will include listening, discussion and enough history lecture to contextualize each. Readings will be taken from the following: Reading Jazz, Robert Gottlieb, ed.; The Norton Anthology of African American Literature; The African-American Odyssey, Hine, Hine and Harrold, eds.

Full Year

20th Century

Students will examine the careers and works of three contemporary literary lions: Earnest Hemming way, F.Scott Fitgerald and William Faulkner. Texts will include both short stories and novels.

Quarter

American Art and Poetry

TStudents will learn how to experience a poem and how to perceive a painting. By looking at a survey of American poems and paintings in the Art Museum of Western Virginia, students will endeavor to catch a glimpse of our culture and learn a bit more about ourselves. Students will be asked to consider the poetry and the paintings in terms of context, color, technique, process, symbols and form. Each week we will discuss specific works in class and each week students will then be asked to make their won written observations about poems of their choosing. To receive credit of the course, a student must be a willing participant in class and complete all writing assignments. All reading materials and assignments will be posted on the web site each week.

Quarter

Geopolitics [World Geopolitics and Literature]

This course covers the major causes of contemporary world conflicts, including natural resources, ethnic tensions, racism, globalization, religion, tribal cultures, and historical roots through class discussions and literature. Specific attention was directed to the causes and consequences of American involvement in Iraq. The goal and the result of this course has been to help student become more aware of their world and their roles within it as world citizens. Final paper required.

Full Year

Myth & Storytelling

This course identifies and deciphers systems of indirect meaning that extend far beyond the norms of language. We examined symbol, myth, dream, image, text and narrative as methods through which cultural ideas are transferred. Particular emphasis was placed on the "Right of Passage" as a frequent theme in myth and storytelling. Students are introduced to aspects of literary critisicism, Freudian and Levi-Straussian methods of myth analysis, and contemporary critical approaches to visual art. Class meets twice a week for 90 minutes, and is structured to promote inquiry through discussion. Students are encouraged to demonstrate comprehension of the course's key concepts through personal creative exploration. Final Paper Required.

Full Year

History of Science

This course presents an overview of the cultural roots of Western Culture beginning with the Presocratics, and with sustained inquiry into Greek, Arabic, Medieval and Renaissance contributions concluding with Isaac Newton. The course is designed as a humanities introduction to some of the names and general principles that were responsible for the formation of modern science. Students are required to read the assigned texts in preparation for classroom discussion, and to pursue independent research into aspects of science that are of particular interest to them. Students are expected to write two essays and complete a reading comprehension piece. The second (final) essay is on any theme, scientific or artistic, related to material covered in the class and is expected from every participating student.

Semester

Appalachian Culture and Ethnicity

Students examine Appalachia as a cultural entity by reading and discussing seminal works of local self-definition and of external definition by others. Important aspects of Appalachian culture and identity are isolated and reviewed and a special focus is placed on the history of dominant Mountain stereotypes, both positive and negative. Each student is asked to find a topic in Appalachian culture of interest to them and to develop a research project based on that topic.

Semester

Drama in Literature

This class explores the modern play as a literary form. Various styles and genres are examined through in-class readings and discussions. Although acting is a part of the class, performance is not the main focus. Rather, each literary work is examined according to its structure, theme, use of character, symbolism and voice. Attention is paid to the collaborative nature of theater, and to the inherent strengths and limitations of each play. All students will prepare by reading the assigned plays and by participating in discussion. In addition, students will prepare short papers on creative dramatic works.

Semester

Art History

. Quarter

Poetry

Quarter

Self-Directed

Quarter

Mathematics Courses

Pre-Algebra, Burleigh

Students will be using the fundamental mathematical processes to perform calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), using fractions to represent ratios and percentages, substitution of numerical values in variable expressions, simplification of variable expressions.

Full year

Algebra I, McBroom

Students will be using variables to represent numerical values, plotting linear equations, solving linear equations using algebraic techniques, factoring quadratic equations, solving quadratic equations, and solving systems of equations.

Full year

Geometry or Geometry HN, Burleigh

Students will learn identification and definition of the fundamental concepts in geometry as well as the geometry of various triangles and the properties of right triangles, including work on the properties of squares and square roots. Honor Students are required to construct legitimate proofs for geometric situations and solve problems using geometric and trigonometric tools.

Full year

Pre-Calculus, Burleigh

Functional analysis, introduction and use of transcendental functions, circular and right angle trigonometric analysis, advanced algebraic problem solving, analysis of graphs.

Full year

Calculus, Burleigh

Students will learn properties and analysis of functions, definition and sue of derivatives, definition and use of integrals, series analysis, and advanced problem-solving techniques.

Full year

Science Courses

Science Survey, Burleigh

Investigation into the fundamental nature of matter, including atomic and molecular theory and properties; investigation into the fundamental nature of the universe, including the Big Bang theory, investigation into the creation of stars, planets, planetary systems, and galaxies.

Semester

Earth Science, Burleigh

Students will investigate natural phenomenon to include weather, geology, planetary development, water and air cycles. Course will include independent student-driven investigations and projects.

Full Year

Field Biology, Hunley

Field biology is a field-based course on the natural history and ecology of plants and animals in the central and southern Appalachians. Students will become familiar with the common and/or conspicuous amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that inhabit the region. Through lecture, class discussions and direct field experience, students will be taught the fundamentals of ecology and natural history. Components of the course include independent field observation and a research paper.

Full year

Biology, Hunley

This is an introductory level course in General Biology for high school students. Topics include cell structure and function, biological molecules, genetics and heredity, evolution, taxonomy and classification of living things, systems of the human body, and ecological concepts. students have the option of pursuing advanced placement credit.

Full year

Physics I, Burleigh

Students will investigate the mathematical and conceptual description of physical phenomena to include kinematics and dynamics, analysis of forces and prediction of object behavior based on physical principles. This course is only open to students who have successfully completed geometry.

Full year

Social Science Courses:

What is History?, Thornton/Coogan

This seminar considers what history is, how to look at historical documents, and how to detect cultural clues from primary sources. We consider the importance of context, perspective, and legitimate authority. Students investigate topics ranging from prehistoric artifacts to roman law codes, to popular music as well as significant historic figures. The seminar is conducted as a discussion class, and the students are asked to prepare short papers each week. The seminar provides the director with an opportunity to get to know the new students, and to observe their ability to process and grapple with difficult intellectual material.

Semester

World History [Western Civilization] (Previously, AP World History), Chapman/Coogan

This course is a general survey of the history of Western Civilization. Lecture and discussion are drawn from original source documents. In addition to writing short response papers, students are expected to complete readings in a timely fashion and to research and write a substantial paper on a topic of their own choosing.

Semester

Russian History, Chapman

This course is designed to supplement and accompany the more standard World History/ Western Civilization course offered by Professor Peter Coogan. It explores what Marshall Poe has called "The Russian Moment," the emergence and ultimate decline of the Soviet Union. Readings include original source documents and Brian Moynihan's The Russian Century. A research paper is expected.

Semester

Irish History Through Literature, Counihan

This course was recommended for students interested in traveling to Ireland in the spring 2004. A variety of principal literary authors and historical documents are used in this class in an attempt to portray the comic-tragic events of Irish history and offer insight into how those events shaped Irish character. Time is set aside to look at the Irish landscape, and learn to read the monuments and mounds as historic markers.

Semester

Natural History and World History, Chapman

This course is designed to supplement and accompany the more standard World History/ Western Civilization course offered by Professor Peter Coogan. It explores the intersections of Biology and Geography with Economic, Political and Cultural History. Students are expected to read and to complete two short papers. Discussion Topics will mirror those in the readings. Texts used include Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond and Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate.

Semester

American History (Previously, AP History), Chapman

This course is designed to fulfill a student's US History Requirement; both AP and standard students will be accommodated. Classroom work will consist of discussion and lecture, and will be supplemented by projects intended to teach research methodology. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, on writing assignments and on performance in testing situations. Texts will include both Alan Brinkley's A Concise History of the American People and numerous original source documents. Students taking this as an independent study must demonstrate fact retention and analysis skills, be recommended by the CHS Director, complete fairly hefty reading assignments, compose weekly essay and participate in long (2 hour) dialogues with the instructor each week.

Full year

Anthropology, Chapman

Students will explore the subject through a combination of reading, discussion and lecture. Primary subdisciplines, including cultural anthropology, Paleoanthropology and Archaeology, will be examined in turn. Methodology, analysis and social science writing are to be stressed. College level texts will be used.

Semester

Archaeology, Chapman

Archaeology is an introductory survey course taught with Renfrew and Bahn's standard college text. Classroom emphasis is placed on simulations, lab work and field examples to reinforce the concepts explored in the reading. Special emphasis is placed on research methodology, strategies of interpretation and on the broader societal and political implications of archaeological investigations of the deep past; it is hoped that the course thus improves student understanding of both archaeology itself and of the social sciences in general.

Semester

American Government, Coogan

This course examines the institutions, concepts, and laws that make up the American political system. Classes will combine lecture and discussion, while assignments will involve tests, short papers, debates, and a research project in the spring. There will be two sections of this class: one will prepare for the Advanced Placement test in U.S. Government and Politics in the spring, while the other will receive standard high school credit.

Semester

Appalachian History, Coogan

This course focuses on Virginia History to 1865, covering early eastern settlement, western migration, revolutionary war and civil war impact on the Appalachian Region. Students will produce an original, in-depth history project, focusing on any local aspect of Virginia history to 1865.

Semester

Hollins 271 Revolution and War in Vietnam

A survey covering the birth of revolutionary nationalism and the end of Japanese and French colonialism in Southeast Asia; the origins of American involvement and the search for a military strategy; the nature of Vietnamese government in both North and south Vietnam; the political, social, and economic effects of the war in both Vietnam and the United States; and the roots and consequences of North Vietnamese victory. This course is taught on Hollins University campus by Hollins History Department professors, and is usually offer only first term. Students need the CHS Director's approval before selecting this course for credit.

Semester

Ancient Literarture, Leedom

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to some of the fundamental ideas of western history, and to help them appreciate ancient literature in a modern context. The issues these works deal with--good and evil, love and hate, individual and community, war and peace--are basic to the whole superstructure of western culture, and they provide insight at the deepest levels into what we value and why.

Semester

Social Science, Chapman

Semester

Fine Arts Courses:

Shakespeare through Film, Counihan

A Comparative Study of Shakespeare's Tragedies and Comedies as presented in the media of film. Particular attention is given to exposition of the original texts and the relative success of the filmmakers in making the plays accessible to contemporary audiences. A Midsummer Nights Dream (with Kevin Kline), Henry V (with Kenneth Branagh), Much Ado About Nothing (with Denzel Washington), Titus (with Anthony Hopkins), Hamlet (with Ethan Hawke), King of Texas (King Lear adaptation with Patrick Stewart), Scotland, PA (Macbeth adaptation with Christopher Walken), Othello (with Laurence Fishburne), Tempest (with Susan Sarandon), Ten Things I Hate About You (Taming of the Shrew adaptation with Julia Stiles).

Semester

Music Studio, McBroom

An overview of basic band techniques. Subjects covered include; general public address (PA) use and setup, studio techniques including overview of mixing console, mics, isolation and levels to hard disc or tape. How to work up arrangements of songs, with help in tuning and song structure.

Full Year

Art History, Counihan

Modern and contemporary art is often presented as indecipherable and unapologetically obscure. Through exposure to the basis trends and concepts of Twentieth Century thought, students are presented with distinct approaches to understanding and are encouraged to "solve" the issues of the day in their own way. Students' studio art, music and performance art are the primary vehicles for discussion and final evaluation.

Semester

Film Production, Simon

This class allows students the opportunity to create a film. Under the direction of the instructor, students write a screenplay, act, construct sets, scout locations, serve as light and sound crew, direct and edit. The course focuses on filmic language, shot selection and montage. The eventual product is a short feature, shot in digital video.

Full Year

Radio Drama, Dvorscak/Chapman

In the history of drama, several distinct forms have emerged, reigned and then faded into obscurity. In America, we remember Radio drama primarily as the seedbed for hackneyed and odious television forms, such as the family situation comedy, but in England, serious works have long been a staple of the radio. In this course, students examine and perform radio plays by Pinter, Stoppard and others

Semester

Studio Art [Introduction to Painting in Oils], Counihan

Introduction to the materials, techniques and critical language of studio art with oil painting as the primary focus. Topics include: stretching canvas, mixing color, varieties of paint applications, additive and subtractive techniques, an in depth study of painting surface and medium viscosity. Emphasis is on the painting process, therefore finishing artworks will not be emphasized and narrative content will be avoided.

Stagecraft and Playwriting, Dvorscak/Chapman

This class is based on three components: writing for the stage, performance and analysis. There are four fundamental assignments in this course. The first are analysis sheets to be completed for works read or attended outside of class. In addition, students are expected to complete the writing of a monologue, a complete scene, and a 10 minute play. At least two revisions will be expected of each piece. Students are also expected to read and perform one another's work.

Semester

Studio Art [Drawing], Counihan

Experimental drawing techniques in a gallery environment: gesture, movement, touch, weight, mass, value, contour, line, sensory, additive and subtractive techniques. Lessons include: single and multi-point perspective, various distortions, rhythm and morphing.

Semester

Film Studies (Documentary Films)

The first term will focus on documentary film. (Later terms will focus on production and other genres.) The history of the documentary form will be explored, with an emphasis placed on the many modes modern nonfiction film has assumed. Filmakers considered will include D.A. Pennebaker, Barbara Kopple, Ross McEwee, Ken Burns, Joe Berlinger, Errol Morris and Michael Moore. Class will consist of screening and discussion. Some outside reading and writing will be required.

Semester

Film Criticism, Counihan

Semester

Studio Art [Fabric Art], Counihan

Experimental fabric art techniques in a gallery environment: gesture, movement, touch, weight, mass, value, contour, line, sensory, additive and subtractive techniques, decorative machine techniques and embellishments. Lessons include: single and multi-point perspective, various distortions, rhythm and morphing. Students are required to produce samples of a selection of above techniques in fabric and produce at least one gallery project for credit. Pre-requisite for course includes a student's demonstrated competency of hand and machine sewing skills.

Semester

Drama Studies "North Star Project", Bova

The objective is to illuminate the potential of each individual student, using Theater Arts instruction. The first semester concentrates on character study and an introduction to acting skills. Group dynamics are explored through improvisations and working as an ensemble. The semester ends with a basic understanding of how to perform scenes in a play format. The second semester concentrates on workshops to develop and create and original play by the class. Students construct flats and props, stagecraft and dialogue. The semester ends with a short one-act play created in the style of the Tectonic Theatre Project called "Moment Work."

Semester

Music McBroom

Course provides an overview of music theory including PA basic understanding, song writing, and arrangement and band theory and structure.

Semester

Theater, Dvorscak

Students will lead a full stage production to be mounted in early December. Rehearsals will take place on Friday afternoons, and students will take part in all aspects of the production.

Semester

Young Curators, Counihan

This course, a collaboration between the Art Museum of Western Virginia and Community High School, taught students marketing, interviewing and writing skills, business plan construction, public relations program creation and showed what takes place behind the scenes of a museum. The classes, which met twice a week at the Art Museum of Western Virginia, used the museum as a classroom model. The students from across the Roanoke Valley had produced a curated show of such high quality that it drew the attention of the regional print and television media.

Semester

Senior Studio, Counihan

Semester

Music Theory, Ohmsen

Full Year

Photography, Chris

Full Year

Foreign Language Courses:

Spanish I, Isler

The students learn to understand basic spoken Spanish, to speak basic Spanish using acceptable pronunciation, to read and write basic Spanish. Students also acquire a general knowledge of the geography, history and culture of the Hispanic people.

Full Year

Spanish II, Isler

In this course, increased emphasis is placed on oral-aural ability. Writing and further grammar study are major parts of course content. Hispanic culture is explored through the study of foods, songs, and assigned projects. Study Abroad/Foreign Exchange opportunities for students accelerate the rate of learning and enhance the retention rate of Spanish at this level.

Full Year

Spanish III, Isler

The students work on the official curriculum of Spanish III, according to the Roanoke County specifications. We concentrate on regular and irregular verb conjugations, present, past, future, conditional, and reflexive verbs. The students bring in weekly journals and papers on assigned subjects. We also concentrate in conversation, a student guided activity and class discussions on several topics. They will read Don Quixote de la Mancha, discuss the book in class and read other Spanish literature. The desired instructional model for this class will be ONLY in Spanish.

Full Year

Spanish VI, Isler

Students continue to develop oral-aural skills in various situational activities, with an emphasis on conversation, as well as comprehension and writing skills based on the different genres of elementary Hispanic literature and cultural topics.

Full Year

Latin I, Grayson

This course is designed as an introduction to give students a working knowledge of basic Latin vocabulary and grammatical structures which enables them to comprehend connected Latin passages. Simultaneous study of English derivatives from Latin and the Latin roots used in English can provide students with a tool to increase their vocabulary. Roman society, culture and their contribution to western civilization are also stressed as well as an emphasis on grammar, syntax, vocabulary and translation.

Full Year

German I

This course offers instruction to students in the area of listening, speaking, reading, and writing of basic German. Students also acquire a general knowledge of the geography, history, and culture of the several German-speaking countries of Europe.

Full Year

Critical Thinking Courses:

Debate and Argument, Counihan

This class begins by presenting the logic of ideas and providing the critical language and structure to communicate effectively in various genres: persuasive essay, oral presentation, forensic (team) debate, visual presentation, and video documentary. This course then focuses on offering guidance and assistance to students on how to present arguments forcefully and cogently and listen effectively to criticism.

Semester

Debate, Counihan

Seminar class presents the logic of ideas and provides critical language and structure to communicate effectively in various genres: persuasive essay, oral presentation, forensic (team) debate, visual presentation, and video documentary.

Semester

Chess Club, Counihan

Initially an unstructured class period before lunch on Tuesday, this "club" was a student driven study of chess openings and strategy. Students learned from each other and combined some social time with critical thinking. Students were required to record their games in algebraic notations if they wished to receive "Critical Thinking" credit for this activity.

Semester

Ethics, Sachs Thornton

Students are led in a discussion and debate of various ethical issues. Issues are taken from current events as well as student experiences.

Full Year

Electives

• Yoga (Currently Offered)
• Comparative Religion