Spring 2012
The Enlightenment
Introduction to C++
Credit: .50 (Math or Science credit)
C++ is a computer programming language used by Google and NASA. Programming
involves solving logic problems in an abbreviated language that gets translated into
machine language. It requires extreme attention to detail, precise syntax, and the ability
to anticipate errors by the user. Focus will be on console applications in which student
will code programs that interact with a console user by retrieving input, processing
input, and formatting output. Students will apply logic, flow-charting, and specialized
algorithms to write, test, and debug source code. Pre-requisites: Math placement should
be Algebra II or higher, minimum grade of B-.
Chemistry 2
Credit: .50
Required of sophomores, open to all
Chemistry 2 is the continuation of the first semester of the yearlong chemistry class. We
pick up where the first semester ended and work on specific types of reactions and
expand our knowledge of topics such as stoichiometry, electrochemistry, redox reactions
and pH. From there we look at specific branches of chemistry, including organic,
inorganic, analytical, nuclear, and biochemistry. Each branch utilizes the previous
foundation of chemistry fundamentals to discover how this knowledge can be used to
develop novel new polymers, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and energy molecules. An
emphasis will be placed on how knowledge of chemistry can be applied to a career and to
the decisions we must make as a society. Tomorrow’s world will require new forms of
energy and new approaches to health. This course will continue building those basic
tools for understanding and participating in the discussions and decisions that need to be
made. Lab work is designed to promote open inquiry of unknown factors in order to
arrive at a reasoned conclusion. The prerequisite is Chemistry 1.
Forensic Science
Credit: .50
Forensics is the science of seeking and providing physical evidence to the judicial system
for proving guilt or innocence in a crime. Forensics data is a relatively new field – it
complements the historical eyewitness accounts and interviews that were the primary
source of evidence. The application of science to criminal investigations raises a number
of questions that were eventually answered by the Supreme Court. We will learn the
legal underpinnings of forensic evidence and how it impacts the collection and
presentation of data in a trial. Forensics takes advantage of all the sciences and thus
requires a broad familiarity with the underpinnings of chemistry, physics and biology.
This class will develop some of that basic understanding and use it to practice techniques
such as fingerprinting, drug analysis and DNA evidence. There are no prerequisites to
this class, but students are expected to have a reasonable foundation in the scientific
method and basic lab techniques. We will explore career opportunities within this field
and discover some interesting labs that focus on product liability and insurance fraud
issues.
Earth Science 2
Credit: .50
Earth Science 2 is the continuation of the yearlong class started in the Fall semester. We
continue our exploration of Earth and its resources and focus more closely on
earthquakes, volcanoes and the critical impact of water on our planet. We will explore the
increasingly critical areas of global climate change, dwindling resources and alternative
energy. We will also examine shorelines and deserts and analyze their unique
environments. The materials humans use to construct their environments and power their
industries all come from the Earth (and sun), but the impact of an expanding and
increasingly consuming population is placing some new challenges of the Earth scientist
to address the many demands and consequences. Science is a key ally in this endeavor
and the students will learn more of the techniques that can be used to both answer these
questions and to provide solutions. The prerequisite is the first semester of this class
Earth science is key to understanding how we can preserve scarce resources and protect
the delicate balance of natural processes that make Earth so convivial for humans. For
centuries, man has wanted better tools to predict weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods
and Red Sox championships. We’ll explore the techniques scientists have developed or
are developing to answer these questions (with the exception of sports predictions).
Biology 2
Credit: .50
Required of freshmen, open to all
This course finishes the first semester study of intensive microscopic study of single
cells, and a layer in complexity at the tissue, organ, and system level. By the time we
reach the level of whole organisms, we will be looking for overall ecological systems,
and introduce large-scale cycles that mirror the physiology of individual cells.
Throughout the semester, students will explore the physiological and behavioral
evolution of hominids through an exploration of important studies and current theory.
This course is fundamental to our entire thematic catalog: the literal experience of what
it is to become human.
African American Literature
Credit: .50
Our Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal” and granted rights to
“life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Yet it is evident that these words did not
apply to all members of our nation at the time it was signed, and continue to shape
discussion in the present day. Through literary analysis, this course will explore the
African American experience of the twentieth century, including facets of the Great
Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement. We will discuss
how the use of literature, poetry, and song gave African Americans a medium to voice
concerns over racial inequality and injustices while at the same time enriching our
American cultural identity with superb works of art.
Women’s Literature: What Would Jane Do?
Credit: .50
This class embodies the ideals of the female authors that will be its focus. Students may
be called upon to do any number of activities that are present in the novels that they read.
This class will include several projects, papers, creative writing opportunities and
discussions as we look at the world of romance, deception and manipulation that was the
18th and 19th centuries. Come and join in the fun as Mr. Darcy whirls us around the
dance floor or Jane Eyre fights the spirits that hold her back, for as Jane Austen puts it
“My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a
great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.”
English Literature: Philosophy of Fear 2
Credit: .50
Pre-requisite: “Fear” 1 or permission of teacher and administration
Students will delve ever deeper into the ideas of fear and fright in this class. Taking
specific works of literature we will discuss aspects of fight or flight response and the
deeper and darker elements of the human psyche. Discussions of romanticism,
enlightenment and ideas of contrasting philosophies will be common. There are several
hands on activities that will test the perceptions of what scares us most and why they are
included in tales that intrigue us. Students will attempt to get into the mindset of
resurrection men, wolves, and a personification of death. We will be reading selections
from authors such as Agatha Christie and Robert Louis Stevenson, creating several
projects and writing both formally and creatively. Come and gain an appreciation for the
macabre, and watch out for black cauldrons and mousetraps.
American Literature: Rights and Wrongs
Credit: .50
The formation of labor unions in the U.S. resulted in organizers being hailed as guardians
of workers’ rights and reviled as un-American troublemakers. When industrialism arrived
in America, waves of men, women, and children left the farm to find work in factories,
mines, and railroads. Conflicts, sometimes violent, arose between labor and management
over wages and working conditions.
Authors Wallace Stegner (“Joe Hill: a Biographical Novel”), John Steinbeck (“In
Dubious Battle”), and Upton Sinclair (“The Jungle”) portray the struggles of a century
ago that reverberate to the present.
Geography: Focus on the Americas and the Civil War Era
Credit: .50
In this class we will study the geography of Canada, the USA, Mexico, Central America
and South America. We’ll make a variety of maps and exercise our memorization skills
with capitals and countries. We will also examine the territorial evolution of the USA
from the time of the original 13 colonies up to the election of 1860, when our country
was torn asunder following the election of Abraham Lincoln. We will discover the huge
impact of geography on the creation of two very different cultures, each with their own
vision of what the USA should be. We’ll trace the causes of the Civil War back to the
founding fathers’ avoidance of the slavery issue when writing the Constitution. We will
discover how reason failed, tempers flared, and violence prevailed. We’ll study the war
itself by creating and analyzing maps of battlefields and discover how geographical
features often made the difference between winning and losing. We’ll complete our
study by reading Bruce Catton’s classic book and viewing several videos in the highly
acclaimed series by Ken Burns.
World History: Enlightenment to Imperialism
Credit: .50
This course will study the political, economic, social, and cultural development of
World Civilizations from the 17th Century to 1914. It will study the reasons
behind the trend toward European domination of the rest of the world; first in
commerce, then in economy, politics, and culture. The course will investigate of
such movements in European history as the Scientific Revolution, the French
Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution, which affected the rest of the world. It
will also attempt to assess the impact of Europe and the West upon various
regions and zones of civilization in the world.
American History: The Rise of Modernity
Credit: .50
This course is about our age, the Modern Age. More precisely, it is about
Modernity or the spirit of our time. It explores how did the modern world come to
its present condition, what are its defining characteristics, its outcomes, its
aspirations, questions and problems. It deals primarily with the presuppositions
and consequences of the two "cumulative and mutually reinforcing processes":
(1) Rationalization (development of market economy coupled with the rise of
state bureaucracy and political participation), and (2) Secularization
(disintegration of religious world-view and creation of autonomous spheres of
science, morality and art). There will be particular focus on the American
Industrial Revolution.
American History: Growing Up “Grimm”
Credit: .50
If you enjoy hands on activities and bringing the hardships of teenage history to life, this
is the class for you. Some of the subjects of study will include the influences of the
heroes and heroines of the Grimm fairytales, Dickensian stories, immigration to the
states, child labor laws and the ideas of education. During discussion in class there will
be a series of tasks to complete such as: weaving, spinning (watch out for the spindle),
Natural dyeing and interning with teachers, just to name a few. The class will strive to
come to an understanding of the way life used to be for teens and children during the
enlightenment to industry time-period. We will bring to life all of the challenges,
responsibilities, literature and events that changed a group of people with little hope into
a group where choice is paramount.
Music Appreciation: Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner: A Detailed Listening
Credit: .50
The Enlightenment was not only a time of great philosophical contemplation in literature
but also in the performing arts. One or two great composers define each historical era;
only the Enlightenment sees the development of three of the top five composers whose
works are still played often by major symphonies and are most studied by scholars. In
this course students will do a detailed listening and study of all nine Beethoven
symphonies, all four Brahms symphonies and selected symphonies by Bruckner. Students
will learn what constitutes a detailed listening and will hear some of these works
performed live by local symphony orchestras.
Music Writing: Taking it from the Ear to the Page
Credit: .50
One of the great developments of the Enlightenment age was the study of music in a
more scientifically oriented way. With this branch of study came a way of thinking and
writing about music in a more ordered, less subjective way that has allowed music to
proliferate as both an art and a subject for hundreds of years. In this course students will
learn how to transfer what they hear in a piece of music to a well written, concise and
vigorously written paper. Students will leave this course with a firm grasp of how to write
a paper in the arts and express one’s musical opinion on paper in a scholarly, ordered
way.
Music: Introduction to Functional Tonality and Ear Training
Credit: .50
The Enlightenment brought with it new ways of looking at old systems, such as
functional tonality, the language with which composers had been writing music for many
years. In this course students will learn the basics of how to read music in two clefs, write
and identify intervals and chords as well as write four-part harmony. Prior experience in
music is not necessary for this course.
Instrumental Instruction: Brass, Woodwinds and Bell Kit
Credit: .50
In this course students will be choosing a woodwind, brass or pitched percussion
instrument to learn how to play in a group setting. Prior experience with music reading or
instrumental instruction is not necessary for this course.
Music History: Modern Wind Ensemble
Credit: .50
With the onset of thinking about the elements of an orchestra in a different light, many
composers began exploring the ways in which wind, brass and percussion instruments
could be used together in an ensemble we know today as the wind ensemble. In this
course students will trace the development of the modern wind ensemble from its roots in
the military bands of early America to the present.
Ceramics: Introductory
Credit: .50
In this class students will learn the techniques of hand building with an opportunity to
work on the wheel. Students will apply their newfound knowledge to the design and
execution of unique their own pieces. The goal will be to produce unique new pieces by
merging their personal styles with Industrial production.
Advanced Ceramics: Mud to Music
Credit: .50
Students will learn how a raw material such as clay can be transformed into functioning
musical instrument. Students will study and employ different ceramic building techniques
such as hand building and throwing on the wheel. They will research and understand the
workings of whistles, drums, didgeridoos, and other instruments in order to craft working
versions of them in clay. Prerequisite: One or more ceramics classes
3D: Project Hallway
Credit: .50
Working from the concept of Project Runway, students will engage in different projects
designing, sewing, and creating items inspired by fashion. Students will create clothing,
shoes, accessories, and more, using a variety of materials. We will be working with
paper, recycled items, mixed media, as well as fabric. Examples of work, studio visits
and/or art exhibition visits are required.
Painting: Muraling the Revolution
Credit: .50
During this period, politics, economics, and ideas about social order, man’s relationship
with the earth, and how people relate to one another changed at a pace never seen before
in human history. Artists such as Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueros chronicled
these profound changes in huge murals, transforming walls of buildings from mere
architectural supports into history books and philosophical statements. In this class,
students will become familiar with the works of several different muralists and their
techniques. They will design and execute their own murals, starting with small sketches
and scaling them up to mural proportions.
First Year Seminar
Credit: .25
REQUIRED OF FRESHMEN
First-year students will learn the basics of writing research papers, note taking, time
management, and how to be a Sparhawk student. There will be ample amounts of time
for work on large projects or papers. This is a required course of all freshmen.
Sophomore Seminar
Credit: .25
REQUIRED OF SOPHOMORES
Second-year students will learn how to read media, both televised and written. The New
York Times, Boston Globe, and television news will be our guides, as well as the writings
of American philosopher, Neil Postman. Students will follow current events and be
responsible for participating in debates and Model U.N.
College Readiness
Credit: .25
REQUIRED OF JUNIORS
In this course, juniors will take their college applications from initial search to finalized
and mailed. Using our ConnectEdu software, students will, with guidance, move from
high school junior to college applicant. Please note that this is a two-semester course,
which students complete in the Fall of their senior year.
Senior Seminar
Credit: .25
REQUIRED OF SENIORS
In this course, seniors will prepare their portfolio for graduation by exhibition.