Advanced Economics II will start by finishing up microeconomic topics such as income inequality and resource markets. Then the course will switch to macroeconomics, the study of an economic system as a whole. Topics will include economic performance measures, price-level determination (inflation and deflation), the financial sector, monetary and fiscal policies, economic growth, productivity, unemployment, and the balance of payments. In both courses, students will manipulate economic models and “think like an economist.” While the courses do not follow the AP curriculum, students will be positioned to take the Microeconomics and/or Macroeconomic AP exams if they wish.

While preference will be given to students who wish to take both Advanced Economics I and II, students may enroll in Advanced Economics II for the second semester on a space available basis if they have already taken a microeconomics course from MSON or otherwise.

This is a beginning course for students who have not studied ancient Greek before or whose background in Greek is not sufficient for more advanced work. Students proceed through a study of grammar and vocabulary to the reading and writing of sentences and short narratives in the language of Athens of the fifth century B.C.E. Selected topics in Greek history and art are also considered.

Prerequisite: American History a plus, but not required; MSON’s “Establishing Equality” is strongly suggested, but not required

At the 2014 VMAs, Beyoncé performed in front of a 20-foot lit sign that read “FEMINISM,” and her performance ignited a flame for intersectional equity that has burned brightly ever since. In this course, not only will we consider, as the course title states, the experience and meaning of women in contemporary American culture, but we will also ask a series of questions to understand these experiences: What aspects of American culture shape the experience of being a woman today? How does focusing on contemporary American women allow us to explore and discover the issues that impact today’s American women? And, how and why is it that a pop culture icon like Beyoncé reignited the flame of feminism in 2014? By reading texts from many disciplines and perspectives (i.e. film, music, sociological theory, fiction, feminist and cultural studies – to name a few) we will look closely at the issues, experiences, and representations that shape American women today. And while a strict definition of “contemporary” means the here and now, we will take a broader approach to contemporary by looking at American women and women’s issues from the past 30 years, making our starting point the beginning of third wave feminism and then coming up to the present. In the end, this course will help us all as a learning community to question, explore, and draw conclusions about the multiple aspects of American culture that give shape and meaning to American women.

On January 20, 2021, just over 100 years since women won the right to vote, Ms. Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female Vice President of the United States of America. What socio-cultural developments occurred to create this historic moment for women? In this course, we will answer this question by focusing on the development of U.S. feminism and feminist theory, the lives and work of American women, and the significance and meaning of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ at different periods in American history, using the publication date of the first feminist treastise, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792, as our starting point and ending with the beginning of 3rd wave feminism in 1992 It will explore the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and able-bodiedness by reading essays from scholars of cultural studies, biology, history, philosophy, political theory, literature, and psychology, and viewing films and artwork. Central questions that this course will consider include: Is ‘feminism’ something to believe in or something to do? What is the difference between sex and gender? And, how does gender affect your understanding of who you are as a person? Through the study of historical accounts, theoretical articles, and artistic representations, this course foregrounds gender as a lens through which we can understand our society and ourselves in new and useful ways.

Individualism and liberty are at the heart of American culture. The Declaration of Independence guarantees Americans the right to the pursuit of happiness. And yet the history of LGBTQ people in America has been marked by restriction, discrimination, and even violence. In this course, we will study the rise of queer culture through the 20th and 21st centuries and consider LGBTQ people as a unique embodiment of our nation’s core tenets. What do pride parades have to teach us about what it means to be American? What lessons from the HIV/AIDS epidemic will be important for those living in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? We will study pioneers of culture and research, such as Oscar Wilde and Alfred Kinsey, James Baldwin and Lisa Diamond, Audre Lorde and Kimberlé Crenshaw, to discover what it means to define one’s own identity, even against the demands and expectations of society.

In her poem “A Litany for Survival,” Audre Lorde writes, “when we speak we are afraid / our words will not be heard / nor welcomed / but when we are silent / we are still afraid / so it is better to speak.” In this course, we will read the words of women writing over the last century to highlight the injustices experienced by women in their societies and to envision a world in which women could find a more equitable place. Recognizing the intersectional nature of women’s experience, we will be sure to read work by women from different backgrounds, paying attention to the way that factors such as sexual orientation, economic class, ethnic identity or religious affiliation may distinguish one woman’s experience from another’s. We will begin with foundational nonfiction texts such as Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and Alice Walker’s “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens,” then move on to fiction, poetry and plays by writers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Tsitsi Dangaremba, Isak Dinesen, Gwendolyn Brooks, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lord, Muriel Rukeyser, Margaret Atwood, Joy Harjo, Carol Ann Duffy, Caryl Churchill, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen and Octavia Butler. In response to their reading, students will have the opportunity to write not only expository essays analyzing the texts that we read, but also personal essays founded in their own experiences. Interested students may also choose to explore the possibilities of creative expression by writing their own poems or short stories.

This student-driven course is for those interested in learning topics outside the standard mathematics curriculum, as well as learning topics already within the curriculum at a deeper level. At the beginning of the course, there will be a brief unit on proof techniques. These techniques will then be used by the students to prove results in diverse areas such as Cantor's theory of infinite sets, fractal geometry and dimension, number theory, basic algebraic structures, cryptography, and topology of surfaces, to name a few. The course is taught using a variant of the Moore Method, so very little content is delivered by lecture, and the students generate the content of the course by the proofs done in homework exercises and in classroom discussions. Students share their proofs with their classmates, and these proofs will be evaluated first by classmates and then by the instructor. An emphasis is placed on accuracy both in writing and in spoken communication, as both of these skills are of paramount importance to the budding scientist or mathematician.

Prerequisite: Chemistry
This semester course explores real-world applications to chemistry that are often skimmed over or omitted in most chemistry courses. Possible topics include nuclear, medical, atmospheric, industrial, food, water, and consumer product chemistry. Learn how a nuclear power plant works, how fuels are chemically altered for vehicles, what chemicals are added to drinking water and why they are added, how ores are processed into useful products, and why a country’s standard of living can be determined by its production of chlorine or other important chemicals. Students will explore the periodic table for daily applications and technologies, from cell phones to photovoltaic cells to medical treatments. This course will be heavy in applications and theory, leaving out much of the problem-solving found in other courses.

Time Band: Monday / Thursday, 2:30 – 3:30pm EST

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to engage in meaningful conversations with peers from across the political divide? Curious to learn more about how civil and uncivil discourse and actions have shaped the course of U.S. history? Are you willing to challenge your own ideas and beliefs by learning how to listen and speak respectfully with others? Part political philosophy, part U.S. History, and part practical skill building, this class is for anyone interested in a future in law, politics, civil service or policy. We will use contentious political and social issues to converse with peers from across the country while seeking better understanding of others’ perspectives, as well as creating common ground, where possible. Throughout the semester, the class will focus on the following content: • The origins of western political parties and what they represent today • The foundations of US democracy from a new perspective, including how moments of civil unrest and civil cohesion have shaped U.S. history • The implications and consequences of an increasingly divisive politics through the lenses of social cohesion, foreign policy, domestic policy, media literacy, economics and equity • Whether democracy relies on the notion of “informed citizens” cultivating the habit to respond to something that challenges one’s values or beliefs in a way that invites more information instead of vilifying others, and if so, why this is undervalued in current politics • Why the political left and political right are so polarized and if there is a way to forge creative solutions to pervasive social issues through dialogue In confronting these issues, you will hone the skills to engage in dialogue across differences, including self-awareness, perspective-taking and deeper inquiry. You will build your capacity to engage in contentious conversations around issues of politics, religion, social change, etc. and learn how to facilitate and lead these conversations with others. The semester will culminate with a group project in creative collaboration, including proposing possible solutions to pressing issues such as gun control, environmental policy, policing, or any other number of current challenges.

Prerequisite: Text-based programming course.
This is the first of a two-course class sequence where students will learn advanced computational and problem solving skills as they learn to turn their own creative ideas into something real on their screens. Students choose a topic that is important and interesting to them, and we’ll spend the semester creating a 2-D interactive, fun, and engaging digital experience around that topic. Students can expect to write from several hundred to a couple thousand lines of code in the C# (C-Sharp) language. In addition to learning about interactive game industry itself, we’ll also look at the business of, and strategies behind, creating a successful game. Students will need a desktop or laptop running Windows 7, 8, or 10. (Virtual Machines will not work. Bootcamp is acceptable.) In addition, students will use the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE.
Time Band: Tuesday / Friday 3:35 4:35pm EST

Prerequisite: Intermediate programming skills and C# (C-Sharp)/ Visual Studio experience required.

This is the second of a 2-course class sequence that uses physical motion and 3D position as the “input device.” instead of a keyboard or mouse. Students can expect to write from several hundred to several thousand lines of code in the C# (C-Sharp) language. Students choose a topic that is important and interesting to them, but that also has physical movement as a major component. (For example: injury rehabilitation, Yoga training, or sport form analysis.) Students will spend the semester learning to take raw data in real time from the Kinect camera and interpret into their programs. We’ll also investigate the place for alternative input devices in society and explore the entrepreneurship/business side of Computer Science by analyzing actual competing products, studying demographics and target audience, designing effective marketing and promotion campaigns, and developing salesmanship. Students will need a desktop or laptop running Windows 7, 8, or 10. (Virtual Machines will not work. Bootcamp is acceptable). Students will use the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE. C# and Visual Studio are both used in industry.

Time Band: Tuesday / Friday 3:35 4:35pm EST