FULL-YEAR COURSES
Course Title:
WORLD CULTURES:
ASIA,
AFRICA,
THE MIDDLE EAST, AND THE AMERICAS
Grade Level:
9th
Prerequisites:
none
Location:
Greenwich Academy and Brunswick School
This
required course examines the evolution of culture
and the development of civilizations as uniquely human phenomena.
It takes a close look at specific societies in Asia, Africa, the
Middle East, and the Americas from their earliest stages to modern
times. The curriculum deals with institutions and ideas, giving
the student the opportunity to explore archeology, anthropology,
geography, political systems, economics, social relations, and such
cultural aspects as religion, language, literature, art, music, dance,
and science. Students use a variety of primary and secondary
sources, honing their reading interpretation and writing skills.
Each student is required to write an individual research paper with
guidance in the use of specialized library resources and computer
searches. Students have the opportunity to work on individual or
group presentations and hands-on projects in connection with the
cultures studied and to present dramatizations, ethnic menus, music,
or visual artwork. Guest speakers, videos, CD ROMs, and Internet
sites often enrich the course.
Course Title:
EUROPEAN HISTORY
Grade Level:
10th
Prerequisites:
Preferably World Cultures
Location:
Greenwich
Academy and
Brunswick
School
The
course in European History is designed to provide an understanding of
and appreciation for the institutions and ideas of Western
Civilization. Beginning with a review of Classical Greece,
Rome
and the Middle Ages as they affected the
Renaissance, the first semester curriculum traces the early modern
period through the Enlightenment. The second semester moves from the
French Revolution through the origins of the Cold War, with updates on
Post-Cold War changes in Europe. The course stresses the development
of political legal, economic, and social systems, following major
trends in religion, philosophy, diplomacy, science, art, literature
and music. Training is provided in basic study skills, analysis of
primary and secondary sources, research techniques and essay writing.
An analytical research paper is a course requirement.
Course Title:
A.P. EUROPEAN HISTORY
Grade Level:
10th-12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P. Process
Location:
Brunswick
School
This course prepares students for the
Advanced Placement Examination in European History. It covers
political economic, social and intellectual developments from the
Renaissance to the present. History skills include essay writing,
research, and analysis of primary sources and historical
interpretations. The textbook is R.R. Palmer & Joel Colton: A
History of The Modern World.
Course Title:
UNITED STATES HISTORY
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
Preferably European History
Location:
Greenwich
Academy and
Brunswick
School
This
required course provides a comprehensive study of
American history, encouraging students to think, write and speak
clearly about many of the fundamental issues in our culture. The scope
is broad, moving from the origins of settlement to world
responsibilities and pressures of modern times. Topics for study
include: New England Puritanism, the meaning of the American
Revolution, constitutional issues, causes of the Civil War,
industrialization, immigration, the Gilded Age and Progressive reform,
the Women's Movement, the Great Depression, the New Deal, U.S.
responses to the Cold War, and the lessons of Vietnam. With the help
of maps, slides, original and interpretive sources, as well as
technology, we explore American politics, economics, society, and
values. Class discussions and debates help develop communication
skills and stimulate ideas to be pursued in required student research
and writing.
Course Title:
A.P. UNITED STATES HISTORY
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P.
Process
Location:
Greenwich
Academy and
Brunswick
School
The
Advanced Placement course in American History presents a college-level
survey course to secondary school students. It differs from the
regular U.S. History course in that students are expected to perform
more independently and analytically than usual and be responsible for
a heavier reading load. While the basic content and skills are the
same, the course develops in greater depth such areas as political
philosophy, intellectual movements, foreign policy, and
historiography. More time is devoted to study of interpretive articles
and writing expository essays. The course prepares students for the
Advanced Placement Examination in American History, given in mid-May,
which serves as the final exam for the course
Course Title:
A.P. UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P.
Process
Location:
Brunswick
School
This
college-level course prepares the student for the Advanced Placement
Exam in American Government in May. It explores general concepts
and specific case studies, providing an understanding of the
institutions, groups, and beliefs that make up the nation's political
reality. The curriculum includes the study of the constitutional
basis of the U. S. government, major political theories and actions,
the role of political parties, the interaction of the three branches
of national government, and the development of civil liberties.
In the final quarter, the students study the structures and politics
of local government including the state of Connecticut and the town of
Greenwich. Evening trips to RTM meetings, Town Zoning meetings,
and the like will complement in-class instruction on all aspects of
local governmental functions.
Course Title:
A.P. PSYCHOLOGY
Grade Level:
12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P.
Process
Location:
Brunswick
School
This course is a standard college
introductory psychology course, and it prepares the student for the
A.P. Psychology examination in May. Topics include perception,
learning, child development, personality, and group behavior. The
course features much lab work, a range of computer simulations, and a
chance for students to design and perform their own psychological
experiments. A strong background in biology or human physiology is
highly recommended.
Course
Title:
A.P. WORLD HISTORY
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P. Process
Location:
Brunswick School
A.P. World History analyzes and defines six
overarching themes in global development from approximately 1000 A.D.
to the present, among them: systems of social and gender structure,
changes in attitudes towards states, relationship between change and
continuity, and global societies and their transformations in
international relations. Truly global in nature, coverage of
historical and cultural content includes
Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The A.P. World History
curriculum emphasizes change over time, point of view, and historical
context. As a result, command of specific historical incident or
year-to-year political developments is of secondary importance, and
assignments will reflect that priority. Course evaluation will include
periodic tests, team projects, and comparative and transitional
essays.
Course Title:
A.P. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Grade Level: 11th & 12th
Prerequisites: Departmental approval
--see A.P. Process
Human Geography is the study of the
patterns and processes of human activity on the earth’s surface.
People are central to geography in
that their activities help shape the earth’s surface largely through
their interaction with the physical environment. Human settlements
and structures are part of that tapestry of interaction. The main
areas of study are the nature and perspectives of geography,
population, cultural patterns and processes, the political
organization of space, agricultural and rural land use,
industrialization, economic development and urbanization. Students
will also learn about the tools and methods which geographers use in
their work. This course prepares students for the A.P. examination in
Human Geography given in May.
Course
Title:
A.P. ECONOMICS
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P. Process
Location:
Brunswick School
This
college-level course is a survey of both microeconomics (fall) and
macroeconomics (spring). Microeconomics concentrates on those
principles that relate to the functions of individual decision makers
in our economy. Beginning with an understanding of the central
economic problem of scarcity, it explores the concepts of opportunity
costs and trade-offs; how different types of economies decide what,
how, and for whom to produce; comparative advantage in trade; and
consumer and producer supply and demand interaction, with attention to
pure competition, oligopolies, and monopolies, as well as to factors
such as land. labor, and capital. It considers the degree of
government intervention necessary in our market system and the effect
of government taxation and transfer programs on income distribution
and economic efficiency Finally, it examines international economics.
Macroeconomics teaches those principles that apply to an economic
system as a whole. To give students a firm foundation, the curriculum
begins with an overview of the basics of economics and then moves on
to a study of the measurement of economic performance, including
trends in such areas as the gross domestic product. inflation, ant
unemployment. It analyzes national income and the price level, the
role of money and banking, and the workings of monetary and fiscal
policies to balance the short and long-term unemployment and inflation
rates, and the federal budget and the national debt.
During
the course of the year, the curriculum incorporates extensive use of
graphing tools, computer technology, classroom experience, and
current concerns. such as poverty and wage differentials due to race,
age, and gender. Also with an eye to present developments, each
student is responsible for current events in such specified areas as
the stock market, business mergers, antitrust legislation, new
technology consumerism, labor relations, the farm problem,
homelessness. welfare, the current U.S. budget, Federal Reserve rates.
and our balance of trade.
In May,
students are expected to take the two-hour A. P. examination on
Microeconomics and another two-hour A. P. examination on
Macroeconomics.
Course Title:
A.P. ART HISTORY
Grade Level:
11th - 12th
Prerequisites:
Departmental approval--see A.P.
Process
Location:
Greenwich
Academy
This course
explores the history of art through the centuries and prepares
students for the A.P. Art History exam in May. It emphasizes the
formal analysis of art works and an understanding of the role of art
in society. The first semester examines arts development from the
beginning of man's visual creations through the High Renaissance in
Europe. The second semester covers art from the post-Renaissance to
the present. There is an emphasis on analyzing primary and secondary
sources, as well as on writing interpretive essays. Slides, videos,
CD-ROMs, and Internet sites provide important sources. Trips to
museums and galleries are planned.
ONE SEMESTER COURSES: FALL
Course Title:
AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
none
Location:
Greenwich Academy
This
course was designed to delve further into the post-war period in
American history with a special emphasis on American culture.
Students will learn about the effects of G.I. Bill, the Cold War, and
economic boom of the 1950’s while also covering trends in music, TV
and other new forms of popular culture. The 1960’s lessons will focus
on the idealism of the Kennedy era, the harsh realities of the Vietnam
War and the Civil Rights Movement. Time will also be devoted to the
counterculture movement leading up to Woodstock. The last portion of
the course will examine the controversies surrounding Watergate, the
rise of the Feminist movement, as well as the energy crisis of the
late 70’s. For each decade, one significant piece of literature will
be read (Kerouac’s Dharma Bums, Freidan’s Feminine
Mystique, and McPherson’s Elbow Room) while one major film
will be shown in its entirety and analyzed for each period as well (On
the Waterfront, The Graduate, and Kramer vs. Kramer).
Course Title:
MILITARY HISTORY I:
FACTORS IN WAR
Grade Level:
11& 12th
Prerequisites:
None
Location:
Greenwich
Academy
This semester course examines the experience of men in combat through
the lens of particular battles, such as
Agincourt,
Waterloo, Antietam, the Battle of the Bulge, and Khe Sanh. Conditions
that affect warfare, such as weather, terrain, and generalship, are
investigated using the particular battles as examples. In addition,
the roles that geography, politics, tactics, strategy and culture
played in the great battles of the past will be analyzed. Movies,
video documentaries, and laptop resources on the Web will be used
extensively, and the syllabus will be tailored to examine battles of
particular interest to the students in the course.
Course Title:
MICROECONOMICS:
Grade Level:
11th - 12th
Prerequisites:
None
Location:
Greenwich Academy
This is an introductory course to economics. The fall section
concentrates on microeconomic issues such as free market forces and
interactions of demand and supply, elasticity, equilibrium analysis,
theory of consumer behavior, corporate finance and the stock market,
short and long run decision making based on costs, pricing, profit
maximization, characteristics of market models of pure competition,
and the role of the government and labor in microeconomics.
Course Title:
PERSUASION,
PROPAGANDA, AND THE MEDIA
Grade Level: 12th
Prerequisites: None
The first half of this course examines the techniques used by those
who wish to convert us to their views or sell us something, ranging
from the speeches of Hitler to the practices of the Tupperware
party. This segment culminates in the brief study of the techniques
of cults, focusing on the People’s
Temple
(Jim Jones) and the Branch Davidians (David Koresh). The second
portion of the course examines the media domains in which such
persuasion practices are used. We study the portrayal of race and
gender, investigate the techniques of advertisers, and consider the
degree of violence on TV and the amount of truth in the news.
Students keep media journals, write weekly papers, view feature films
(e.g., Bowling for Columbine, The Truman Show) and have
the option of concluding the course with a portfolio project rather
than a more conventional final exam.
Course Title: WHAT IF? -
Crucial Might-Have-Beens in American History
Grade Level: 11th & 12th
Prerequisites: None
Just consider: What if Great Britain and the colonies had reconciled
and there had been no American Revolution, or if Pickett’s Charge at
Gettysburg had succeeded, or if John Wilkes Booth had not been able to
assassinate Abraham Lincoln? What would have happened differently if
Theodore Roosevelt had won the election of 1912, or if the Boston Red
Sox had changed their minds about selling Babe Ruth to the New York
Yankees in 1920? How would our history be changed if the Japanese had
decided not to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor in 1941, or if
the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, had failed, or if the bullets
fired at President John Kennedy in 1963 had missed, or if the
terrorist plans for September 11, 2001, had been thwarted?
Here is a history course unlike any other you have ever been offered,
one that gets away from the “facts” and lets your imaginations run
wild with speculation—a journey through the shadow universe of what
might have been if only a few key events could be reversed. Sometimes
historians write history as if the outcomes that we experienced were
somehow inevitable. But in truth, nothing is really inevitable;
history is contingent on circumstances that are variable and often
uncontrollable. The course will examine selected watershed events,
asking the simple question: what if something different had happened?
ONE SEMESTER COURSES:
SPRING
Course Title:
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW:
LIBERTIES OF THE PEOPLE
Grade Level:
11th - 12th
Prerequisites:
none
Location:
Brunswick School
The United States Supreme Court faces tough questions involving the
fundamental rights of citizens and the boundaries of their liberty.
Some of the Court's greatest decisions concerning the Bill of Rights
form the basis of this lively seminar on the law and its judicial
applications. Classes are devoted to argument of cases and improvement
of skills necessary for effective discourse. Students are expected to
pull logical conclusions from complicated sets of facts and
conflicting principles and to submit one short case decision per week.
There is some background reading, including Gideon's
Trumpet by
Anthony Lewis.
Course Title: Genocide &
Human behavior
Grade Level:
11th-12th
Prerequisites:
None
Location:
Brunswick
School
This course takes it’s
name from the award-winning curriculum that asks students to connect
history to the moral dilemmas inherent in the study of violence,
racism, and anti-Semitism. Students will learn not only the
triumphs of history, but also the failures, the tragedies and the
humiliations. They will be trusted to examine history in all of
its complexities, including its legacies of prejudice and
discrimination, resilience and courage. This trust will encourage the
students to develop a voice in the conversations of their peer
culture, as well as in the critical discussions and debates of their
community and nation--the end goal being to edify the critical values
of courage, caring, and compassion. Specific content areas
will include, among others, the African Diaspora and American Civil
Rights Movement, the Jewish Holocaust, and Japanese-American WW II
Internment. Discussion, presentation projects, and frequent
reflective writing assignments (journals, essays, etc.) will make up
the core requirements of the course. Films, novels, poetry,
music, web-research, and guest lecturers will supplement traditional
teaching methods.
Course Title:
PSYCHOLOGY: PERSONALITY
Grade Level: 12th
Prerequisites: None
This
course in personality seeks to answer two fundamental and related
questions: “What makes me an individual” and” Why do I think, feel,
and act as I do?” The class defines personality, traces its
development over the life cycle, and compares various approaches to
its study (with special emphasis on the work of Sigmund Freud).
Students make extensive use of case histories to illustrate units on
coping mechanisms, illnesses, and society's treatment of the
"insane". The final examination consists of a detailed psychohistory,
including discussion of personality dynamics and diagnosis, of a
famous figure of the student's own choosing (from DaVinci to Disney,
Michelangelo to Morrison).
Course Title:
MACROECONOMICS
Grade Level:
11th - 12th
Prerequisites:
None (Microeconomics is recommended, not required)
Location:
Greenwich
Academy
This course, international in scope, is an introduction to the study
of macroeconomics. The course includes the study of gross
domestic product, national income, output and price level, aggregate
supply and demand, Keynesian and classical theories and practices,
fiscal policy, money and banking, inflation, employment, stability,
the Federal Reserve, monetary discrimination, the budget, deficits,
theories of economic growth, international trade, and currency
valuations.
