Courses

Middle School

Philosophy & Requirements

Middle School

Philosophy & Requirements

English (4 years)
Environmental Practices (2 trimesters)
History (4 years)
Technology (3 Trimesters)
Spanish (4 years)
Math (4 years)
Physical Education (9 trimesters)
Science (4 years)

English (4 years) Environmental Practices (2 trimesters) History (4 years) Technology (3 Trimesters) Spanish (4 years) Math (4 years) Physical Education (9 trimesters) Science (4 years)

Students entering EPS for 5th and 6th grade will take a minimum of two Visual Arts, two Theatre, and two Music courses over their MS career. Students entering as 7th graders must take one course from each Fine & Performing Arts area. Students entering as 8th graders must take one course from two different areas (e.g. one course from Visual Arts and one course from Theatre).

Environmental Practices is taken for one trimester in 7th grade and 8th grade

Middle School courses are designed to give students opportunities to practice the habits of mind employed in each academic discipline. Critical thinking skills are emphasized. Integration plays an important role in tying ideas together, and teachers collaborate on specific units when it makes sense to do so. Faculty infuse each day in (and out of!) the classroom with enthusiasm and hands-on learning.

Students arrive in the Middle School as children and leave as young adults, having progressed through profound biological, social, and cognitive changes. Our program is effective because it fosters and supports student growth in language use, problem solving, memory development, ethical maturity, and social presence.

Our courses coordinate not only with interdisciplinary content, but also to teach important skills consistently throughout the Middle School experience. Upon completion students are able to:

Use the academic disciplines as a framework for critical thinking,
Solve complex problems within a variety of disciplines and topics,
Communicate written ideas thoughtfully and creatively
Confidently present ideas to large and small audiences,
Effectively employ technology to enhance learning,
Lead compassionately as a respectful member of our global community.

The ultimate goal of the Middle School Program is to equip students with the necessary academic and social skills for a more robust disciplinary study in the EPS Upper School.

Where appropriate, coursework is guided by grade-specific Big Questions.

Grade 5: Who Am I?
Grade 6: What Is The World Made Of?
Grade 7: How Did We Get Here?
Grade 8: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Upper School

Philosophy & Requirements

Upper School

Philosophy & Requirements

Arts (5 trimesters)
English (4 years)
History (3 years)
Spanish (3 years or completion through Spanish 4)
Math (3 years)
Physical Education (5 trimesters including PE Wellness)
Science (3 years)

As the "preparatory" part of our name indicates, a central intent of the Upper School experience at EPS is to prepare students for college.

This process entails gaining mastery and command in the traditional academic disciplines, developing skills to excel in today's competitive institutions of higher education. To this end, Eastside Prep students:

Become technologically literate, honing their ability to use tools effectively in research and presentation of knowledge
Engage sophisticated, complex coursework as a preparation for the future, wrestling with questions of high complexity
Integrate thinking from each of their classes, learning to apply knowledge mastered in one field to enhance learning in another
Practice academic collaboration with teachers, with the expectation that this will be a continued and important part of their college experience
Navigate a robust collection of course offerings, learning to discern their personal academic interests and choose a relevant path

Physical Education courses must include Wellness taken during the 9th grade year. Up to 4 of the 5-trimester PE distribution requirement may be satisfied by substantive participation on a sports team or in a non-sport activity.

English

Philosophy & Requirements

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9^th

Boundaries: Literature

Paired and Integrated with Boundaries: Social Science

This interdisciplinary course, with both a literature and social science section, explores social and political boundaries: boundaries of self and society, self and "other," boundaries associated with growing up, and the physical and political boundaries of the modern nation-state. The emergence of the modern nation-state is considered: both the benefits of a common history and language, defense, and religion, and the costs for those who exist outside the dominant culture and who often experience segregation and inequality.

Course Segment 1 | How is personal identity formed in modern societies and how do its boundaries impact our view of others?

Inquiry analyzes The Diary of Anne Frank in the historical context of the rise and establishment of the Nazi regime in Germany.

Course Segment 2 | How are national identities shaped in an age of global, international interactions?

Inquiry considers selfhood within the context of shifting boundaries on multiple levels in J. Nozipo Maraire’s coming-of-age story, Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter. The complexity of personal and national identity, as complicated by the creation of international political boundaries, is further explored through the case study of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence and its post-colonial emergence as one of the most politically and economically stable African nation-states.

English

Trimester | 9^th

Connections: Literature

This interdisciplinary course, with both a literature and social science section, investigates how societies create, develop, maintain, and disrupt authority.

Course Segment 1 | What is authority and how does it manifest itself in a society?

Inquiry considers a number of short texts by early modern and modern women writers on themes of leadership, power and empowerment, authorship, and voice. In tandem, a case study explores the techniques used by the Qin Dynasty to establish authority over vast and diverse populations. Concepts considered include leadership and authoritarianism, dominant and subservient culture, and regulation and codification.

Course Segment 2 | What are the sources of legitimate authority?

Inquiry analyzes both the problems of authoritarian rule and society as dystopia through the classic novel, 1984. In tandem, the historical context surrounding the slave revolts in the Roman Republic, and their contribution to the civil conflicts that gave way to authoritarian rule and the beginning of the Roman Empire, is investigated.

The production of a propaganda and empowerment portfolio examines the methods of social control and human rights abuses to maintain power, and how resistance and revolution have been used to try to effect societal change.

English

Trimester | 9^th

Origins: Literature

English

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9^th

Origins: Literature

Paired and Integrated with Origins: Social Science

This interdisciplinary course, with both a literature and social science section, considers origins and development of early civilizations and the elements of culture in Egypt and Greece, and how the use of artifacts, early communication, and the development of written language led to the development of increasingly complex stories and mythologies that continue to influence the stories the world tells today.

Course Segment 1 | What are the origins of human civilization and what stories were created in the process?

Inquiry explores origin stories and creation myths from various cultures, including selections from Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, while investigating the Agricultural Revolution and seven elements of culture that contributed to the formation of ancient Egypt.

This course is a critical exploration of major cultural and arts ideology of the past thirty years, with an emphasis on science fiction (or, as it's sometimes called, "speculative fiction"). Students explore this cultural-aesthetic movement called Postmodernism, one fraught with fragmentation and ambiguity. Familiarity with postmodernism prepares students to address it in various college-level frameworks. Authors and philosophers studied include: Thomas Pynchon, William Gibson, Neil Stephenson, Jacque Derrida, Jean-Francois Lyotard, and Jean Baudrillard.

English

Trimester | 9-12^th

Creative Writing

English

Trimester | 9-12^th

Advanced Creative Writing

English

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Advanced Creative Writing

Pre-requisite: Creative Writing (Does Not Satisfy Graduation Requirement for English)

Building on the skills learned in Creative Writing, students in this course will engage in the exploration of a particular genre, such as science fiction/fantasy, graphic novels/cartoons, or playwriting/screenwriting. This class offers an in-depth exploration of topics within the larger field of creative writing via both reading and producing work in a particular genre. The class will run on a workshop model, which requires students’ investment in sharing their work with others, critiquing others’ work, and keeping on track with their writing process. Students will produce one large piece in the genre being studied, or a portfolio of shorter pieces.

Social Science

Philosophy & Requirements

Social Science

Philosophy & Requirements

MS Course Requirement (4 years)
US Course Requirement (3 Years in Grades 9-11)

At Eastside Preparatory School a foundation of historical, cultural, ideological, and geographical literacy and the ability to think like a social scientist is fostered through a diverse curriculum and progressive pedagogical methods.

This interdisciplinary course, with both a literature and social science section, investigates how societies create, develop, maintain, and disrupt authority.

Course Segment 1 | What is authority and how does it manifest itself in a society?

Inquiry considers a number of short texts by early modern and modern women writers on themes of leadership, power and empowerment, authorship, and voice. In tandem, a case study explores the techniques used by the Qin Dynasty to establish authority over vast and diverse populations. Concepts considered include leadership and authoritarianism, dominant and subservient culture, and regulation and codification.

Course Segment 2 | What are the sources of legitimate authority?

Inquiry analyzes both the problems of authoritarian rule and society as dystopia through the classic novel, 1984. In tandem, the historical context surrounding the slave revolts in the Roman Republic, and their contribution to the civil conflicts that gave way to authoritarian rule and the beginning of the Roman Empire, is investigated.

The production of a propaganda and empowerment portfolio examines the methods of social control and human rights abuses to maintain power, and how resistance and revolution have been used to try to effect societal change.

Social Science

Trimester | 9^th

Origins: Social Science

Social Science

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9^th

Origins: Social Science

Paired and Integrated with Origins: Literature

This interdisciplinary course, with both a literature and social science section, considers origins and development of early civilizations and the elements of culture in Egypt and Greece, and how the use of artifacts, early communication, and the development of written language led to the development of increasingly complex stories and mythologies that continue to influence the stories the world tells today.

Course Segment 1 | What are the origins of human civilization and what stories were created in the process?

Inquiry explores origin stories and creation myths from various cultures, including selections from Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, while investigating the Agricultural Revolution and seven elements of culture that contributed to the formation of ancient Egypt.

Does Not Satisfy Graduation Requirement for History/Social Science

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to ideas and texts at the root of the development of theories of ethics. Students will investigate questions regarding goodness, morality, and freedom and choice. Beginning with the ancient thinkers, who launched a debate that remains unresolved today, students will encounter medieval arguments in support of the existence of God as well as modern assertions that a divinity is unnecessary to the discussion about what constitutes right action. Finally, a review of some contemporary thinkers will challenge students to prove that “ethics” and ideas of goodness have any meaning at all. Students will reflect on their own processes of decision making and consider their assumptions about what constitutes “right” and “wrong, “good” and “evil.”

Mathematics

Philosophy & Requirements

Mathematics

Philosophy & Requirements

MS Course Requirement (4 years)
US Graduation Requirement (3 Years in Grades 9-11)

The purpose of the Math Discipline at Eastside Prep is to equip students with the number sense and problem-solving skills required to succeed in advanced work in math and other disciplines, to be discerning consumers of quantitative information, and put these to practical use in their lives.

This is achieved through a combination of direct instruction and hands-on investigation, stressing process and context as much as solution. Understanding is assessed through the application of knowledge and skills to a new context, and whenever possible, stress is put on application to the real world.

*Prior to enrollment, students are tested and placed at a math level commensurate with their past course experience and current skill level. Placement decisions are based on the placement exam and/or the discretion of the Math Discipline Faculty and the Upper School Head.

Mathematics

Yearlong | 5^th

Mathematical Foundations 5

Mathematics

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 5^th

Mathematical Foundations 5

The instructional approach in this course is differentiated to meet the mathematical needs of each student. Prior to each unit of study, students take a pre-assessment to identify which topics they have mastered and which topics they need to work on. Coursework is designed to offer extensive exposure to operations on real numbers and a solid grounding in practical problem-solving processes. Through hands-on, problem-solving methods, students build both conceptual understandings and operational fluency connected to the following topics: fractions/decimals/percentages, positive and negative numbers, and order of operations.

Mathematics

Yearlong | 6^th

Mathematical Foundations 6

Mathematics

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 6^th

Mathematical Foundations 6

Prerequisite: Mathematical Foundations 5

The instructional approach in this course is differentiated to meet the mathematical needs of each student. Prior to each unit of study, students take a pre-assessment to identify which topics they have mastered and which topics they need to work on. By the conclusion of the course students have fluency in operations with real numbers (integers, decimals and fractions), finding common factors and multiples, units of measure, and some 2D and 3D geometry. Inquiry-based activities focus on applying mathematics to explorations of and solutions to real-life problems, such as tax, tip, and best purchases, as well as economic concepts, like interest.

Mathematics

Yearlong | 5-7^th

Pre-Algebra

Mathematics

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 5-7^th

Pre-Algebra

Prerequisite: Mathematical Foundations 6

In this course an investigative approach is used to extend understanding of mathematical concepts, and broader, more abstract, mathematical thinking. Variables, equations, and expressions are introduced, while practice substituting, evaluating, and solving equations is explored in the context of algebraic problem-solving. Course topics include but are not limited to: operations on exponents and radicals, scientific notation, distributive property, and factoring. The intentional and collaborative approach to problem-solving in this course prepares students well for success in Algebra I.

Mathematics

Yearlong | 7-9^th

Algebra 1

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 10-12^th

Data Science 2

Prerequisite: Data Science 1

Building upon the material and ideas in Data Science 1, students engage commonly employed machine learning techniques for classification, image recognition, decision-making, and sentiment analysis of text. Richer and more complex visualization techniques are explored, and the building interactive data dashboards. Students consider the societal and ethical benefits and perils associated with our increasingly data-driven lives. An independent or group project and presentations culminates the term.

Science

Trimester | 10-12^th

Ecology

Science

Trimester | 10-12^th

Geoscience

Science

Trimester | 10-12^th

Marine Biology

Spanish

Philosophy & Requirements

Spanish

Philosophy & Requirements

MS Course Requirement (4 years)
US Graduation Requirement (3 Years in Grades 9-11 or through Spanish 4)

All students at Eastside Prep study the Spanish language. Spanish is spoken in more than twenty three countries, is one of the official languages of the United Nations, and is the second most spoken language in the United States.

The goals of the Spanish Program at EPS are: (1) to introduce students to a foreign language and help them develop their communicative ability through consistent application of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing; (2) to prepare students to eventually live, work, or study in a Spanish-speaking environment; (3) to prepare students for placement into university-level Spanish classes; and (4) to develop intercultural awareness by exploring the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.

Prerequisite: Spanish 1

Building upon the skills acquired in previous classes, students explore contexts such as travel, sporting events, shopping, past events and activities, food, movies, plans and school-related issues. Main grammar points include basic present and past tenses, and a review of commands. Students use Spanish to give and request opinions, tell stories and narrate action formally and informally, to get information from people, to follow recipes, and share a biography. Proficiency is enhanced by encouraging natural expression in Spanish in small groups and with partners each day. The class includes a weekly song, at least one film, a major research project, and frequent use of video clips, news, and other print and online resources. Emphasis during class time is on spoken Spanish and the course is conducted in Spanish.

Spanish

Yearlong | 9-12^th

Spanish 3

Spanish

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Spanish 3

Prerequisite: Spanish 2

Building upon the content and skills learned in classes through Spanish 2, students’ gain a greater depth of proficiency. Earlier concepts are reviewed while adding new functions, vocabulary and cultural information to accommodate the understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. Although students practice work toward proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking, oral communication is stressed during class time. Students are encouraged to speak only Spanish and engage in a variety of activities in class to practice. Main themes include: camping activities, volunteer work, environmental issues, professions, travel and technology. New grammar topics include: future tense, present subjunctive, and conditional tense. The course is conducted in Spanish.

Spanish

Yearlong | 9-12^th

Spanish 4

Spanish

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Prerequisite: Spanish 4

Coursework develops each student’s ability to communicate thoughtfully and with a deepened awareness of current political and social climates in the Hispanic world. Topics may include economic, human rights, and educational issues relevant at the time the course is offered. Students also spend time exploring topics of personal interest. Throughout the course, students are equipped with vocabulary and cultural/historical context to engage with authentic Hispanic sources in print and media, examining them through in-class conversation, independent investigation, and project work. Grammar and vocabulary lessons are integrated into the study of each theme.

ALL ADVANCED SPANISH COURSES at Eastside Prep are designed and taught to maximize verbal and written proficiency. While the curricular core of each option is unique, all courses focus on communication and conversation to support the development of the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Fine & Performing Arts

Philosophy & Requirements

Fine & Performing Arts

Philosophy & Requirements

MS Course Requirement (10 Trimester Courses)
US Graduation Requirements (5 Trimester Courses)

Students are introduced to the disciplines within the arts, such as visual arts, music, theatre, and dance, and taught the tools and concepts underlying each discipline. Above all, the goal of the program is an appreciation of the fine and performing arts that ultimately leads to an awareness of the role art plays in one's life and an understanding of its cultural importance.

In all cases, the way to truly know an art is to do the art.

Acting 1

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 9-12^th

Acting 2

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Acting 2

Pre-requisite: Acting 1

Building on the experience and skills gained in Acting 1, students explore and apply advanced acting technique to plays with elevated texts. Students deepen their understanding of the actor's tool box by examining and building complex characters in dynamic situations. Continued attention is paid to vocal work, body awareness, textual analysis, and working as an ensemble. Students in the Acting 2 class present monologues and scene work in a public performance. Pre-requisite: Acting 1

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 11-12^th

Directing

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 9-12^th

Stagecraft (US)

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 5-8^th

Choir (MS)

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 5-8^th

Choir (MS)

This course may be taken in multiple trimesters for credit

This fun and engaging course for beginning and advanced singers explores the world of choral singing through practice with the human voice and its collective sound. Students develop healthy vocal technique, learn to sight-sing, and consider the influence of music in their lives. Musical selections encompass a wide range of languages and traditions, including classical, contemporary, folk, jazz, Broadway and multicultural music. The course culminates in one or more public performances. No experience is necessary and students of any skill level are welcome.

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 9-12^th

Vocal Rock Studio

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Vocal Rock Studio

Students develop their vocal and music-reading skills through the lens of a particular era or genre of popular music; from the early rock 'n roll movement of the 1950s/1960s to the present day. The genre/time period of music will vary from term to term. Course outcomes include: (1) healthy vocal technique and habits; (2) knowledge of one's own vocal range and unique voice qualities; (3) knowledge of a particular era and cultural context that led to a certain style of music; (4) development of skills for reading written vocal music from a singer's perspective; and (5) confidence in various aspects of performance (body language, facial expression, memorization, etc.). This course can be taken multiple times, providing students the opportunity to develop their music-reading and vocal skills as an onramp to Chamber Singers.

Fine & Performing Arts

Yearlong | 9-12^th

Chamber Choir

Fine & Performing Arts

Yearlong | 3.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Chamber Choir

Prerequisite: Enrollment is by Audition
Meets before school during “0” Period
This course may be taken in multiple trimesters for credit

Chamber Choir explores a variety of styles of vocal music through rehearsal and performance. Students refine skills of musicianship, vocal production and music theory. This experience is geared towards singers with some previous singing experience, this is a yearlong course and enrollment is by audition and/or instructor permission. The Chamber Choir culminates in one or more public performances.

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 5-12^th

Introduction to Instrumental Music: Band

Fine & Performing Arts

What is music and how does it work? In this class students develop listening and vocabulary skills through the exploration and analysis of the tenets of music. By actively listening to pop, rock, classical and folk examples, students learn about the organization of sound and how patterns and functions are used to structure music. Coursework includes listening, journaling, analyzing chord charts, and applying this knowledge to the piano keyboard. Experienced musicians increase their understanding of the theory behind classical notation, and newer music students gain appreciation and knowledge for what they hear on the radio. No previous music education is required.

Trimester | 9-12^th

Digital Filmmaking 1

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 9-12^th

Digital Filmmaking 2: Filming and Editing

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 9-12^th

Digital Filmmaking 2: Story and Produc...

Fine & Performing Arts

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Digital Filmmaking 2: Story and Production

Arts Portfolio Development

Students explore their artistic identity by developing a body of work. Utilizing prior fine art and design knowledge, they investigate personal direction, style, and visual preferences. Coursework is appropriate for the intermediate/advanced-level student who has developed a personal direction, or the student who is making the transition from assignment-based courses to independent work. Students propose a specific number of pieces to complete by the end of the term, basing their work on various techniques or big ideas. Class sessions include critiques and discussions, art history lectures, and lessons based on art elements and principles.

Physical Education

Philosophy & Requirements

Physical Education

Philosophy & Requirements

MS Course Requirement (9 trimesters)
US Graduation Requirement (5 trimesters)*

The mission of the Eastside Prep Physical Education Program is to inspire, prepare, and encourage students to develop a positive attitude toward participation in physical activity and healthy living.

Team-building and development of athletic skills and knowledge encourage participation in lifetime sports and activities.

*The US graduation requirement for Physical Education is met through a combination of the following:

Credits
• PE Wellness (Grade 9) (required)
• PE trimester courses (up to 4 credits earned)

Physical Education

Trimester | 9-12^th

PE: Customized Training to Maximize Pe...

Physical Education

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

PE: Customized Training to Maximize Performance (US)

This course may be taken multiple trimesters for credit

Coursework focuses on individuals designing and engaging their own approach to physical fitness and wellness based on their needs and interests. The experience equips students with fitness literacy and physical fitness skills through one or more of the following domains: 1) sport-specific training and athletic conditioning; 2) customized non-traditional activities that encourage physical wellness; and/or 3) an adaptive approach to movement based on a need for physical therapy activities (including those related to prior injuries or medical conditions) or adaptive exercises to compliment the recovery process.

Physical Education

Trimester | 9-12^th

An additional fee for travel costs is required for each student enrolled in this course (amount determined prior to the start of the Spring Term)

Interdisciplinary

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Topics in Urban Planning and Community Design

As human populations have expanded in modern times so has their need for well-designed communities and urban spaces. Study in this course focuses on conceptual understandings in the areas of sustainable urban design, architecture, and community planning through the examination of national/local issues and projects. Local issues examined include: the King County-Kirkland TOD Project (across the street from EPS), the Seattle viaduct debate, the SR-520 Bridge Project, the Save Our Valley v. Sound Transit lawsuit, green building, the use of LEED Standards in the Seattle area, architectural day-lighting, and urban greening. Activities focus on public meetings and role plays of different stakeholders and/or leaders for the purpose of considering the impacts of planning and design decisions on individuals and communities.

MAKE

Technology

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 7^th

MAKE

Since EPS created its maker-space in 2009, its tools have become robust and more accessible to a younger audience. Work in this course provides students the experience of using these resources to first build digital models and then bring their creations to life. This offers the opportunity to increase the sophistication of in-class and self-directed projects, and as well as leading to a general feeling of empowerment. Coursework is a mix of structured labs using 3D printing, 2D cutting (laser and vinyl cutter) and an introduction to microcontrollers and electronics. The course culminates in a final project using two or more techniques, informed by design thinking elements to either solve a problem or create something novel.

Technology

Trimester | 8^th

Technology

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 9-12^th

Programming 1: Intro to Programming

Students with previous coding experience should connect with the Technology faculty to determine if they can place into Programming 2

This course is designed to provide a smooth and fun introduction to programming and computer science. Coursework introduces the basic elements of programming, such as variables, loops, and functions. The course begins with text-based input and output and then moves into visual and animated programs. Student work is a mix of small programs and larger projects: students will create a choose-your-own-adventure story, a virtual pet, and an advanced final project, such as a small game. No prior experience is required.

Technology

Prerequisite: Programming 2

This course is aimed at students considering the study of computer science in college. This course takes students beyond elementary flow control and simple logic, and into the tool set required to solve real programming problem efficiently. Fundamental data structures including lists, queues, stacks, trees and graphs are discussed along with major algorithms starting with sorting and searching. Along the way, elementary complexity theory is used to judge the efficiency of the approach at hand. Time permitting, there will be units discussing operating system concepts, parallelism, databases, and transactions. The course culminates in a meaningful, real-world programming or modeling problem.

Seminars

Philosophy & Requirements

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Advanced Filmmaking: A Deep Dive

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Adventure in the Marvelous Outdoors

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Adventure in the Marvelous Outdoors

Faculty Facilitator: Kelly-Hedrick

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do we set off on great and small outdoor adventures in our lives?
Adventure is challenge in a gnarly fashion. We can go across the globe on adventure, or wander down the street or hallway for adventure. Adventure builds character, hones skills, and develops resilience and attitude to face further challenges in our future. Adventure is fun--plain and simple. But, it can also be scary, threatening, dangerous, and fool-hardy. Many of us would love more great adventure in our lives and need encouragement, support, and inspiration to design and undertake new adventures.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Behind the Scenes: Technology Internships

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Behind the Scenes: Technology Internships

Faculty Facilitator: Sudo

What is it like to be an intern at a technology company?

Students participate in a simulated experience designed to help them understand what it’s like to intern at a technology company. After a mock interview, each student is assigned to one of four roles: program manager, developer, tester, or designer. Collaborating on a team, and using the agile methodology, they construct and deliver a product to a customer. At the conclusion of the seminar each student receives feedback from the manager (facilitator) on their performance, and how their performance might be considered relative to a potential, full-time position at the simulated company. It is recommended (but not required) that students have previously taken Programming 1.

*Please note that this seminar is designed to build context for students. EPS does not offer an internship placement program.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Gender Studies

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Gender Studies

Faculty Facilitator: Olsen

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How is gender experienced, perceived, and performed in contemporary American society?
This seminar explores critical questions in the interdisciplinary field of gender studies. Discussion, video/film-viewing, and reading form the foundation of this exploration. Topics include: pop culture, gender roles, sexuality/performance, the social construction of gender, the “f” word (feminism). Students take a glance backward, remain mostly in the present, and look to the future.

Seminar | 10-12^th

Methods, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Methods, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Faculty Facilitators: Delaney & Stegeman

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What problems are worth solving, and what are the best tools to solve them?
One of the carpenter's most effective tools is a jig--a method for solving similar problems over and over again. Methodologies like The Design Process, the business plan, ethnographic study and interview, deep academic research, and project planning are the tools of effective individual and group initiatives and projects. Throughout this experience, students will expand their capacity for problem-finding and problem-solving. After exploring the above methodologies, and others, each student selects a model or a combination of models to apply to an individual or team project (real or hypothetical). Coursework in this seminar is complementary to any student entertaining the idea of engaging a Senior Thesis (individual) or Design Project for a Better World (Team). At the same time, these methods and models a can be applied by any student, or group of students, to a much wider range of problems worth solving to make worlds, small and large, better places.

Faculty Facilitator: Amy Sanchez

Motivational Interviewing is an approach to communication that has transformed the way people think about how meaningful change happens. Rather than engage in shaming, blaming, and coercing, a person trying to help someone else using a Motivational Interviewing approach collaborates with them as an active, responsible decision maker. The techniques embedded within Motivational Interviewing are widely recognized as best practice relationship and communication skills within people-oriented professional fields like counseling, medicine, and education. This is a survey course of the theory behind Motivational Interviewing with an emphasis on practical and experiential applications of techniques.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Patterns in the Mind: Language and Hum...

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Patterns of the Mind

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Perfectionism: Identification, Manifes...

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Perfectionism: Identification, Manifestation, & Connection

Faculty Facilitator: Lorne

Coursework explores self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed personality traits to understand perfectionism. Students analyze root causes that shape and encourage perfectionism and identify the ways in which it is manifested through their own lives or on a societal level. The course introduces practical tools for moderating perfectionistic tendencies and allows students to demonstrate understanding through application and group discussions.

Seminar | 10-12^th

Race in the United States

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Race in the United States

Faculty Facilitator: McKinney

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How have race and racism come to shape the United States?
How might we, as a country, work for change and an end to institutional racism? Coursework explores the ways racism and race have come to shape 20th and 21st American society. The anchor texts for this seminar are: James Baldwin’s A Fire Next Time (1963) and Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me (2015). In addition, to a series of weekly personal reflections on the readings, students produce a paper on a specific question of race.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Real-World Engineering: The EV Project

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Real-World Engineering: The EV Project

Faculty Facilitator: Clarke

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does it take to convert a gas powered vehicle into a fully electric powered vehicle?

Coursework deep dives into certain aspects of the EPS EV project. For its inaugural run, the course looked solely at battery management and placement. Next, the course is looking at over all wiring, digital displays, CAN bus, and a lot more.

Designed for hands-on engineering, students gain experience in CAD, wiring, soldering, welding and even project management. Ideally, students enrolled in this seminar have worked on the EV Project in the past, but no experience is needed.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Relational Databases

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Relational Databases

Faculty Facilitator: Briggs

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How is the world's digital information organized?
Behind the scenes, much of the world's information is represented in relational databases. Whether it is something as large and complex as Facebook's data or your iTunes library, you interact with relational databases every day. In fact, this online course catalog is represented in a relational database. This seminar get students to start thinking about how we represent real world relationships in such a way that computers can understand them. The seminar walks through basics of database design and students construct some of their databases to query using SQL (structured query language).

Understanding Gravitational Wave Sourc...

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Understanding Gravitational Wave Sources and Detection

Faculty Facilitator: Scott

Essential Question: What are gravitational waves and how can they be detected in the future?
When humans started looking at the stars, the only information they had was in the form of light. In the last hundred years, the range of light we look at to learn more about the cosmos has expanded, from X-Rays and Radio waves. In 1915, Einstein theorized that we should also be able to detect gravitational waves from the cosmos. In 2016, the LIGO detector confirmed their existence opening up a new realm of observation in astronomy. In this seminar, students hear from college students and professors involved in this exciting new field of study. Coursework looks at what gravitational waves are, how they are created, the ways they are detected now, and the ways humans hope to detect them in the future.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Well-Being: The Five Essential Elements

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

Worldviews, Truths, and Consequences

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

Worldviews, Truths, and Consequences

Faculty Facilitators: Briggs, Delaney & Macaluso

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What does a well-articulated worldview look like in the 21st century, and how do I start to build my own?
“If you feel overwhelmed and confused by the global predicament, you are on the right track. Global processes have become too complicated for any single person to understand. How then can you know the truth about the world, and avoid falling victim to propaganda and misinformation?” A contemporary thinker, and lecturer on world history, Yuval Harari, continues to have a significant impact on myriad issues facing the world today. Coursework in this seminar examines a number of his 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, including: WORK; TECHNOLOGY; TRUTH (Ignorance, Justice, Post-Truth, Science Fiction); LIBERTY; EQUALITY; COMMUNITY; RESILIENCE (Education, Meaning and Meditation); ECONOMY; and ENVIRONMENT. Each student in this seminar constructs a draft of their current worldview/stance.

Seminars

Seminar | 10-12^th

You Mad, Bro?: Rethinking Masculinity

Seminars

Sem. | 0.5 Credits | 10-12^th

You Mad, Bro?: Rethinking Masculinity

Faculty Facilitator: McKinney & Winkelmann

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What defines masculinity today and what should define it in the future?
Coursework and discussion explore: (1) how gender norms for boys and men effect individuals, communities and society at-large, and (2) how, historically and in the present-day, those norms have been, are being, challenged. Course material is taken from a variety of texts, films, journals, and podcasts to provide a wide perspective on masculinity in 2020. Self-reflection is a central part of the work in this seminar, with students producing a final reflection on masculinity and collaborating on a final group project that rethinks masculinity.

Independent Studies

Philosophy & Requirements

Independent Studies

Philosophy & Requirements

Available to Junior Spring and Senior Year

These courses are a hallmark of EPS’s most engaged and self-motivated students. One of the most exciting and challenging options offered at EPS, independent studies provide juniors (in spring term only) and seniors the opportunity to extend their academic exploration into topics that are not currently covered in the EPS course offerings. These efforts also give students practice working one-on-one with faculty members, similar to collaboration that will be expected by many of their professors in the college setting. Interested students identify a topic or subject area that they would like to examine; find a faculty mentor to work with; and construct a ten-week curriculum including weekly meetings with their faculty mentor. A text of appropriate complexity is required for all independent studies.

Independent Studies

Trimester | 11-12^th

Independent Study

Independent Studies

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 11-12^th

Independent Study

Available to Juniors (in Spring term only) and Seniors.

These courses are a hallmark of EPS’s most engaged and self-motivated students. One of the most exciting and challenging options offered at EPS, independent studies provide juniors (in spring term only) and seniors the opportunity to extend their academic exploration into topics that are not currently covered in the EPS course offerings. These efforts also give students practice working one-on-one with faculty members, similar to collaboration that will be expected by many of their professors in the college setting. Interested students identify a topic or subject area that they would like to examine; are assigned a faculty mentor by the Office of Academic Design; and construct a ten-week curriculum including weekly meetings with their faculty mentor. A text of appropriate complexity is required for all independent studies.

Independent Studies

Trimester | 12^th

Senior Thesis

Independent Studies

Trimester | 1.0 Credits | 12^th

Senior Thesis

Pre-requisites
2 Independent Studies of exceptional quality; Successful completion of a Winter Independent Study as the reserach base to apply for a Spring Senior Thesis.

The Senior Thesis is the most rigorous research opportunity in the EPS academic program, providing students time and support to build on the work of previous Independent Studies to produce a substantive research product. The thesis is designed to be both a culmination of work in an individual academic discipline (or an inter-disciplinary domain), and preparation for intensive research as an undergraduate. Students are required to have completed two Independent Studies of exceptional quality as a prerequisite for proposing a Senior Thesis.

For the Senior Thesis, students may: (1) expand the scope of research from a previous Independent Study; (2) engage in new, original research; or (3) combine elements 1 & 2.