Cyber criminals leverage technology and human behavior to attack our online security. This course explores the fundamentals of and vulnerabilities in the design of computers, networks, and the internet. Course content includes the basics of computer components, connectivity, virtualization, and hardening. Students will learn about network design, Domain Name Services, and TCP/IP. They will understand switching, routing and access control for internet devices, and how denial of service, spoofing and flood attacks work. Basic programming introduced in the course will inform hashing strategies, while an introduction to ciphers and cryptography will show how shared-key encryption works for HTTPS and TLS traffic. Students will also explore the fundamentals of data forensics and incident response protocols. The course includes analysis of current threats and best practice modelling for cyber defense, including password complexity, security, management, breach analysis, and hash cracking. Computational thinking and programming skills developed in this course will help students solve a variety of cyber security issues. There is no computer science prerequisite for this course, though students with some background will certainly find avenues to flex their knowledge in this course.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA). 

Fall Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

This course focuses on psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and depression. While students examine these and other disorders, they will learn about the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. Students will also deepen their understanding of the social stigmas associated with mental illnesses. This course may be taken as a continuation of Introduction to Psychology, although doing so is not required.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

In this course, students collaboratively solve medical mystery cases, similar to the approach used in many medical schools. Students enhance their critical thinking skills as they examine data, draw conclusions, diagnose, and identify appropriate treatment for patients. Students use problem-solving techniques in order to understand and appreciate relevant medical/biological facts as they confront the principles and practices of medicine. Students explore anatomy and physiology pertaining to medical scenarios and gain an understanding of the disease process, demographics of disease, and pharmacology. Additional learning experiences include studying current issues in health and medicine, building a community-service action plan, interviewing a patient, and creating a new mystery case.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

This course is an exploration of the neurological basis of behavior. It covers basic brain anatomy and function as well as cognitive and behavioral disorders from a neurobiological perspective. Additionally, students explore current neuroscience research as well as the process of funding that research. Examples of illnesses that may be covered include: Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. In addition, we explore diagnostic and treatment issues (including behavioral and pharmaceutical management) as well as attention, learning, memory, sleep, consciousness and emotional intelligence. Students conclude the course by developing a fundraising campaign to support research and/or patient care initiatives related to a specific neurological condition and nonprofit foundation. 

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

What is a meaningful, happy, and fulfilling life? The focus of psychology has long been the study of human suffering, diagnosis, and pathology, but in recent years, however, positive psychologists have explored what’s missing from the mental health equation, taking up research on topics such as love, creativity, humor, and mindfulness. In this course, we will dive into what positive psychology research tells us about the formula for a meaningful life, the ingredients of fulfilling relationships, and changes that occur in the brain when inspired by music, visual art, physical activity, and more. We will also seek out and lean on knowledge from positive psychology research and experts, such as Martin Seligman’s well being theory, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s idea of flow, and Angela Lee Duckworth’s concept of grit. In exploring such theories and concepts, students will imagine and create real-world measurements using themselves and willing peers and family members as research subjects. As part of the learning studio format of the course, students will also imagine, research, design, and create projects that they will share with a larger community. Throughout the development of these projects, students will collaborate with each other and seek ways to make their work experiential and hands-on. Students will leave the class with not only some answers to the question of what makes life meaningful, happy, and fulfilling, but also the inspiration to continue responding to this question for many years to come.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

 

Medical Problem Solving II is an extension of the problem-based approach in Medical Problem Solving I. While collaborative examination of medical case studies remain at the center of the course, MPSII approaches medical cases through the perspectives of global medicine, medical ethics, and social justice. The course examines cases not only from around the world but also in students’ local communities. Additionally, the course addresses the challenges patients face because of a lack of access to health care, often a result of systemic discrimination and inequity along with more general variability of health care resources in different parts of the world. All students in MPS II participate in the Catalyst Conference, a GOA-wide conference near the end of the semester where students from many GOA courses create and publish presentations on course-specific topics. For their projects, students use all of the lenses from the earlier parts of the course to choose and research a local topic of high interest. Further, their topics enable identifying a local medical problem, using local sources, and generating ideas for promoting change. Prerequisite: Medical Problem Solving I. 

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

In this course, students simulate the work of investors by working with the tools, theories, and decision-making practices that define smart investment. We explore concepts in finance and apply them to investment decisions in three primary contexts: portfolio management, venture capital, and social investing. After an introduction to theories about valuation and risk management, students simulate scenarios in which they must make decisions to grow an investment portfolio. They manage investments in stocks, bonds, and options to learn a range of strategies for increasing the value of their portfolios. In the second unit, students take the perspective of venture capital investors, analyzing startup companies and predicting their value before they become public. In the third unit, students examine case studies of investment funds that apply the tools of finance to power social change. Throughout the course, students learn from experts who have experience in identifying value and managing risk in global markets. They develop their own ideas about methods for taking calculated financial risks and leave this course not just with a simulated portfolio of investments, but the skills necessary to manage portfolios in the future.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

Inspired by GOA’s popular Medical Problem Solving series, this course uses a case-based approach to give students a practical look into the professional lives of lawyers and legal thinking. By studying and debating a series of real legal cases, students will sharpen their ability to think like lawyers who research, write and speak persuasively. The course will focus on problems that lawyers encounter in daily practice, and on the rules of professional conduct case law. In addition to practicing writing legal briefs, advising fictional clients and preparing opening and closing statements for trial, students will approach such questions as the law and equity, the concept of justice, jurisprudence and legal ethics. 

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

This is an applied philosophy course that connects pressing contemporary issues with broad-range philosophical ideas and controversies, drawn from multiple traditions and many centuries. Students use ideas from influential philosophers to examine how thinkers have applied reason successfully, and unsuccessfully, to many social and political issues across the world. In addition to introducing students to the work of philosophers as diverse as Socrates, Confucius, and Immanuel Kant, this course also aims to be richly interdisciplinary, incorporating models and methods from diverse fields including history, journalism, literary criticism, and media studies. Students learn to develop their own philosophy and then apply it to the ideological debates that surround efforts to improve their local and global communities.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Fall Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

How could climate change disrupt your production and supply chains or impact your consumer markets? Will tariffs help or hurt your business? How embedded is social media in your marketing plan? Is your company vulnerable to cybercrime? What 21st century skills are you cultivating in your leadership team? Students in this course will tackle real-world problems facing businesses large and small in today’s fast changing global marketplace where radical reinvention is on the minds of many business leaders. Students will work collaboratively and independently on case studies, exploring business issues through varied lenses including operations, marketing, human capital, finance and risk management as well as sustainability. As they are introduced to the concepts and practices of business, students will identify, analyze and propose solutions to business problems, engaging in research of traditional and emerging industries, from established multinationals to startups.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Fall Semester Course, 0.50 credits

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Requires Preapproval

The tragedy of September 11, 2001changed the world in profound ways. In this course, students explore the causes of 9/11, the events of the day itself, and its aftermath locally, nationally, and around the world. In place of a standard chronological framework, students instead view these events through a series of separate lenses. Each lens represents a different way to view the attacks and allows students to understand 9/11 as an event with complex and interrelated causes and outcomes. Using a variety of technologies and activities, students work individually and with peers to evaluate each lens. Students then analyze the post-9/11 period and explore how this event affected the U.S., the Middle East, and the wider world.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

How does an entrepreneur think? What skills must entrepreneurs possess to remain competitive and relevant? What are some of the strategies that entrepreneurs apply to solve problems? In this experiential course, students develop an understanding of entrepreneurship in today’s global market; employ innovation, design, and creative solutions for building a viable business model; and learn to develop, refine, and pitch a new startup. Units of study include Business Model Canvas, Customer Development vs. Design Thinking, Value Proposition, Customer Segments, Iterations & Pivots, Brand Strategy & Channels, and Funding Sources. Students use the Business Model Canvas as a roadmap to building and developing their own team startup, a process that requires hypothesis testing, customer research conducted in hometown markets, product design, product iterations, and entrepreneur interviews. An online startup pitch by the student team to an entrepreneurial advisory committee is the culminating assessment. Additional student work includes research, journaling, interviews, peer collaboration, and a case study involving real-world consulting work for a current business.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Students in this course study several of the major 20th century genocides (Armenian, the Holocaust, Cambodian, and Rwandan), analyze the role of the international community in responding to and preventing further genocide (with particular attention to the Nuremberg tribunals), and examine current human rights crises around the world. Students read primary and secondary sources, participate in both synchronous and asynchronous discussions with classmates, write brief papers, read short novels, watch documentaries, and develop a human rights report card website about a nation of their choice.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

This full-year course is a unique combination of Japanese culture and language, weaving cultural comparison with the study of basic Japanese language and grammar. While examining various cultural topics such as literature, art, lifestyle and economy, students learn the basics of the Japanese writing system (Hiragana and Katakana), grammar and vocabulary. Through varied synchronous and asynchronous assignments, including hands-on projects and face-to-face communications, students develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. The cultural study and discussions are conducted in English, with topics alternating every two to three weeks. The ultimate goal of this course is to raise awareness and appreciation of different cultures through learning the basics of the Japanese language. The focus of this course is 60 percent on language and 40 percent on culture. This course is appropriate for beginner-level students.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credit

Through language learning, students in this course share their voices, cultivate global perspectives, and foster an appreciation for self and others. Students further develop the speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills introduced in Japanese Language Through Culture I. . Each unit follows the IPA model (Integrated Performance Assessment), blending three modes of communication: interpretation of authentic material in Japanese, synchronous and asynchronous practice in speaking and writing, and oral and written presentations. Each unit focuses on one of the following cultural topics: Design and Expression, Ecology, Entertainment, East meets West, Harmony, and Nature. In addition, students will have the opportunity to select and pursue topics of their own interest. Grammar topics will cover the essential forms that are typically introduced in the second and third year of a high school Japanese program. By learning the Dictionary Form, Nominalizer, TE form, TA form, NAI form, and Noun Modifier, students are able to add more complexity to their sentence construction. In doing so, they shift from forming simple sentences to communicating in coherent paragraphs. As online learners, students are expected to exhibit superb time management and communication skills, as well as take ownership of their learning. While grammar instruction will be delivered through asynchronous work and face-to-face meetings, much of the course content will be curated and created by students through their research and collaboration. The focus of this course is 60 percent on language and 40 percent on culture. Prerequisite: Japanese Language Through Culture I or permission from the instructor.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credit

Students in Japanese III have mastered most of the conjugation patterns (TE/TA form, dictionary form, and NAI form) that are necessary to speak and write in complex structures. While advancing their grammatical knowledge (including giving and receiving, potential form, and honorific form), students will compare and examine similar functions and their subtle differences. In speaking, students are allowed to speak in an informal/casual style with each other and with the teacher in order to solidify their control of the Plain Form. Interpersonal communications will be done through face-to-face conversation and recorded messages. In reading and listening, students will curate, share, and practice grasping the gist of authentic materials. Materials may include TV commercials, news, movies, children’s books, online newspapers, and cooking recipes. Students will work on creative, expository,and analytical writing (comparing-and-contrasting in AP format). Semester 1 will incorporate JLPT N5 exam material. Taking the exam is not necessary, but encouraged. In Semester 2, students will participate in that GOA Catalyst Conference.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credit

This course focuses on psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and depression. While students examine these and other disorders, they will learn about the symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments. Students will also deepen their understanding of the social stigmas associated with mental illnesses. This course may be taken as a continuation of Introduction to Psychology, although doing so is not required.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

Through study of Levantine (Jordanian) Arabic and the Arabic writing system, students develop novice proficiency in interpersonal communication. Students will be able to communicate in spontaneous spoken conversations on everyday topics, including personal introductions, families, daily routines, and preferences, using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions. 

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credit

Students in Arabic III have demonstrated intermediate interpersonal proficiency in Arabic (MSA or a dialect) through two years in Arabic Language Through Culture or other coursework, and have demonstrated an ability to work online independently and reliably with instructors and peers in Arabic Language Through Culture or another GOA class. Students in Arabic III will have opportunities to direct their own study through choice of material and topic. They will use Arabic to interact with native speakers on topics of their choosing, and to explore topics of interest through a variety of media (written works, audio, video, face-to-face interviews). 

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credit

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

Nowhere is the face of global inequality more obvious than in climate change, where stories of climate-driven tragedies and the populations hit hardest by these disasters surface in every news cycle. In this course, students will interrogate the causes and effects of climate change, and the public policy debates surrounding it. In case studies, we will research global, regional, and local policies and practices along with the choices of decision makers and what they mean to the populations they serve. Who benefits, who suffers, and how might we change this equation? Following the Learning Studio model, in the second half of the course, students will work with their teacher to design their own independent  projects reflecting their individual interests and passions. We will collaborate in workshops with classmates to deepen our collective understanding of the complex issues surrounding climate change. Throughout the semester, we will also build and curate a library of resources and share findings in varied media, engaging as both consumers and activists to increase knowledge and advocate for sustainable norms. Finally, students will have the opportunity to reach a global audience by participating in GOA’s Catalyst Conference in the spring 2019, as they present their individual projects to spark change in local communities through well-informed activism.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

One Semester Course, Fall and Spring, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

In this course, students design and develop games through hands-on practice. Comprised of a series of "game jams," the course asks students to solve problems and create content, developing the design and technical skills necessary to build their own games. The first month of the course is dedicated to understanding game design through game designer Jesse Schell’s “lenses”: different ways of looking at the same problem and answering questions that provide direction and refinement of a game’s theme and structure. During this time, students also learn how to use Unity, a professional game development tool, and become familiar with the methodologies of constructing a game using such assets as graphics, sounds, and effects, and controlling events and behavior within the game using the C# programming language. Throughout the remainder of the course, students will work in teams to brainstorm and develop new games in response to a theme or challenge. Students will develop their skills in communication, project and time management, and creative problem-solving while focusing on different aspects of asset creation, design, and coding. Prerequisites: Computer Science I: Computational Thinking or its equivalent. 

*Cross-listed in Mathematics and Technology

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).
Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Through today's fog of overwhelming data, visualizations provide meaning. This course trains students to collect, organize, interpret, and communicate massive amounts of information. Students will begin wrangling data into spreadsheets, learning the basic ways professionals translate information into comprehensible formats. They will explore charts, distinguishing between effective and misleading visualizations. Employing principles from information graphics, graphic design, visual art, and cognitive science, students will then create their own stunning and informative visualizations. From spreadsheets to graphics, students in this course will practice the crucial skills of using data to decide, inform, and convince. There is no computer science, math or statistics prerequisite for this course, though students with backgrounds in those areas will certainly find avenues to flex their knowledge in this course.

*Cross-listed in Mathematics and Technology

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA). 

Fall Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

Over a few short years, most human beings grow from infants who are not even able to hold up their heads to become walking, talking, thinking people who are able to communicate using language, to understand complexities, to solve problems, and to engage in moral reasoning. This course is an introduction to the fascinating study of human growth and development focusing on the significant changes that occur physically, emotionally, cognitively and socially from birth through adolescence. Students consider the big questions of heredity versus environment, stability versus change, and continuity versus discrete stages of change as they investigate language acquisition, sensorimotor development, thinking and learning, and personality and emotions. Through readings, observations, case studies, and application activities, students examine development from the perspectives of major theorists in the field from both Western and non-Western traditions. 

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).
Spring Semester Course, 0.50 credits

Requires Preapproval

 

In this course, students learn to differentiate and integrate functions of several variables. We extend the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to multiple dimensions and the course will culminate in Green's, Stokes' and Gauss' Theorems. The course opens with a unit on vectors, which introduces students to this critical component of advanced calculus. We then move on to study partial derivatives, double and triple integrals, and vector calculus in both two and three dimensions. Students are expected to develop fluency with vector and matrix operations. Understanding parametric curve as a trajectory described by a position vector is an essential concept, and this allows us to break free from one-dimensional calculus and investigate paths, velocities, and other applications of science that exist in three-dimensional space. We study derivatives in multiple dimensions and use the ideas of the gradient and partial derivatives to explore optimization problems with multiple variables as well as consider constrained optimization problems using Lagrangians. After our study of differentials in multiple dimensions, we move to integral calculus. We use line and surface integrals to calculate physical quantities especially relevant to mechanics, electricity and magnetism, such as work and flux. We will employ volume integrals for calculations of mass and moments of inertia and conclude with the major theorems (Green's, Stokes', Gauss') of the course, applying each to some physical applications that commonly appear in calculus-based physics. Prerequisite: The equivalent of a college year of single-variable calculus, including integration techniques, such as trigonometric substitution, integration by parts, and partial fractions. Completion of the AP Calculus BC curriculum with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Exam would be considered adequate preparation.

This course is offered through our partnership with Global Online Academy (GOA).

Full Year Course, 1.0 credits

Requires Preapproval

Requires Preapproval