At Doane, students are encouraged to choose an Arts Major course and an Arts Minor course in order to immerse themselves in the Arts, express themselves creatively in multiple ways, and make connections across different artistic disciplines. Courses designated as Major meet for one hour three out of every six school days while courses designated as Minor meet for one hour two out of every six school days. Students may choose only a Major or Minor option unless otherwise noted. Completion of a Major course earns a student 1 credit, and completion of a Minor course earns a student a .5 credit.

Band Class (rehearsals)

• Instructor: Adrienne Mazar
• Grade Level: 7-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills 1 of 1 required Fine or Performing Arts credits when taken in high school
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: None
• Major/Minor Designation: Major
• Honors Option: N/A

In band classes (rehearsals), the ensemble will study music theory and read and prepare a variety of concert band music which has been selected to be appropriate for the playing level of the band. In addition to attending all rehearsals, band students are required to take one music lesson per week given by the band director.

This course is for those who successfully demonstrate the ability to play the music found in Book I of a nationally recognized band method. Students in band must own or be currently renting their own instruments.

Ceramics

• Instructor: Jackie Bak
• Grade Level: 7-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school as a Major option. Fulfills .5 of 1 required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school as a Minor option.
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: None
• Major/Minor Designation: This course can be selected as either a Major or a Minor Arts option.
• Honors Option: N/A

Students will learn to build functional pottery using low fire/earthenware clay. Students will use the slab roller, extruder, and potter’s wheel to create bowls, vessels, and sculptural pieces. These pieces will be kiln fired and glazed.

AP Ceramics

• Instructor: Jackie Back
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: One year of Ceramics Major

The AP 3D Design course is available to students who have taken at least one year of Ceramics Major and have received approval from the Ceramics instructor. The student must work independently and be self-motivated, working consistently and putting in extra time beyond class time to complete the AP 3D Design portfolio. Students will create a portfolio that demonstrates ceramic ability not only with functional forms but also sculptural pieces. Work may be completed over 2 years, but a student can receive AP credit only during the year when their portfolio is completed.

AP Studio Art Content

The 3D portfolio consists of three sections:

• Breadth: illustrates a range of ideas and approaches to art making. Students submit digital images of eight three-dimensional works, with two views of each work, for a total of sixteen images.
• Concentration: shows sustained, deep, and multi-perspective investigation of a student-selected topic. Twelve Digital images of work, some may be details. A concentration should consist of a group of works that share a single theme. Concentration includes space for written commentary describing the focus of the student work.
• Quality: represents the student’s most successful works with respect to form and content. Ten digital images consisting of two views each of five works.
  Student work will be evaluated during critiques. Students will meet with the Ceramics instructor to discuss the requirements of the portfolio.

Jazz Ensemble

• Instructor: Adrienne Mazar
• Grade Level: 7-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills .5 of 1 required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: Students must be enrolled in Band in order to enroll in Jazz Band. Auditions are required.
• Major/Minor Designation: Minor
• Honors Option: N/A

All members of the Jazz Ensemble must be enrolled in Concert Band as their primary performing ensemble. This performance class is an extension of the larger ensemble experience. Students wishing to perform in the Jazz Ensemble must be approved by the director and be proficient on their instrument in at least four sharps and four flats, chromatic scales, and some modes. Percussionists must be able to adequately perform on drum set and traps in multiple styles, including swing, Latin, rock, funk, and fusion.

The Jazz Ensemble reflects traditional Big Band instrumentation (saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm section). Through listening to recordings, critiquing, analyzing, discussion and application, students will learn a variety of jazz styles found within this genre. Students will understand the history of jazz and be able to associate specific musicians to distinct types of jazz. This is a performance class; therefore, students are expected to attend all rehearsals, sectionals, and performances.

Studio Incamminati Advanced – Contemporary Realist Art

• Instructor: Robin Frey, Jarred Fisher
• Grade Level: 9-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills .5 of 1 required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Students must be enrolled in Studio Incamminati as a Major in order to enroll in Studio Incamminati – Advanced as a Minor.
• Major/Minor Designation: Minor

This course meets for an hour on two out of every six school days. It is an extension of the Studio Incamminati course, and therefore students can enroll in it only if they choose that course as their Major option.

This course offers students who are passionately committed to creating realist art the opportunity to further enhance their skills. These students will get additional one-on-one time with the instructors and push themselves to improve in a class environment which requires dedication and offers them the chance for great artistic growth.

Studio Incamminati – Contemporary Realist Art

• Instructor: Robin Frey, Jarred Fisher
• Grade Level: 9-12
• Requirement Information: Fills Upper School Fine/Performing Arts Requirement
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Major/Minor Designation: Major

The purpose of this course is to teach the classical principles of life drawing and painting as they are taught at Studio Incamminati. In this highly acclaimed atelier, founded by Nelson Shanks, students are taught to observe both complex objects as well as the human form and draw them in a simple, strong way. Students at Doane will learn how to turn an object in a drawing by understanding how light affects the rotating form. By understanding elements such as terminators as well as the unique aspects of both the light and the shaded sides of the form, students will learn to bring their drawings to life. Perspective, composition, size and value relationships, creativity and aesthetic beauty will all be taught. Additionally, there will be a strong focus on learning and understanding anatomy. All of the major bones and muscles of the human body will be taught in dynamic lessons using anatomy books and a full-size skeleton. This information will then be applied both by using a live model and through the profound experience of creating a self-portrait. Here we will create with a true understanding of the physical while searching for personal emotional subtleties. Mid-year will bring the addition of oil painting to the course. Students will learn technical understanding as well as safe handling practices of this traditional medium. By creating color panels for each of the colors on our palette, students will gain confidence in color mixing while collectively making over 1000 hand-mixed colors. The exciting and insightful understanding of how light and the environment affect color will be explained, forever changing how each student perceives color. We have a dynamic year planned to give every student the precious opportunity learn and feel like an artist.

We truly hope that students will embrace the uniqueness of this class. We fully realize that our students might not feel as though they are good artists. It cannot be emphasized enough how everyone can benefit from this experience in learning to “see” at a whole new level. We are full time working painters who are excited to share a lifetime of hard earned knowledge. Our goal is to make this a fun and dynamic experience in which we help each student be the best artist they can be.

Upper School Choir

• Instructor: Shelley Zuckerman
• Grade Level: 7-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school as a Major option. Fulfills .5 of 1 required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school as a Minor option.
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: None
• Major/Minor Designation: This course can be selected as either a Major and/or a Minor Arts option.
• Honors Option: N/A

In this course, students learn proper vocal technique, basic music theory and sight-singing, choral repertoire, and some music history. In Choir, students prepare music for performance at two annual concerts, Chapel services, and other venues.

Yearbook Design

• Instructor: Jack Newman
• Grade Level: 7-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills .5 of 1 required Fine/Performing Arts credit when taken in high school
• Duration: Full-Year
• Prerequisites: None
• Major/Minor Designation: Minor
• Honors Option: N/A

In this working studio class, students learn to solve visual problems using Adobe Photoshop CS and Yearbook Solutions’ online proprietary program through demonstrations and hands-on work as we work as a team to build the school’s annual yearbook. Students will work together on traditional design layouts and learn to solve the problems which arise when creating publications. All students will participate in the following: working with basic magazine-style/layout, type selection, and color and theme selection as related to yearbook production. Additional instruction is given in photography, copywriting and fitting, photo selection and fitting, and page assembly.

The class requires a substantial commitment to working outside of the regular classroom time on material collection and creation, whether that be to take photographs, gather quotes, create & complete surveys, attend games, and/or other after-school events.

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Junior Seminar

• Instructor: Meghan Toomey
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This mandatory course for 11th-grade students is geared towards preparing students to excel in the college application process and meet the challenges of college life. In this course, students will develop self-awareness of talents and relate them to career goals; complete personality tests and career interest inventories as tools in their discovery and decision-making; learn the college application process; generate self-marketing materials such as application essays, resumés and art or writing portfolios; and spend time with visiting college representatives and meet one-on-one with Meghan Toomey to discuss their college goals.

Senior Seminar

• Instructor: Meghan Toomey
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This mandatory course for 12th-grade students is geared towards preparing students to excel in the college application process and meet the challenges of college life. In this course, students will develop self-awareness of talents and relate them to career goals; complete personality tests and career interest inventories as tools in their discovery and decision-making; learn the college application process; generate self-marketing materials such as application essays, resumés, and art or writing portfolios; and spend time with visiting college representative; meet one-on-one with Meghan Toomey to discuss their college goals.

Test Prep

• Instructor: Paul Howe, Tim Sadar
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This course, which is part of the 11th-grade cycle, focuses on preparation for both the ACT and the new SAT. It is graded as pass/fail. Every student has a different target score for their standardized tests, and each feels immense pressure to achieve that score, which itself functions as a “final grade.” By making the course pass/fail, we hope to avoid contributing to this pressure and to help students focus their entire energies on growing and improving each week. In the course, each student will spend half of the trimester focused on the math/science components of these standardized tests and half the trimester focused on the verbal and reading components.

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Ninth grade is an incredibly dynamic and important year in a child’s development into a “strong ethical leader” at Doane Academy. Students find themselves immersed in new social situations and presented with challenging coursework that helps them develop key real-world skills necessary for success as citizens in and leaders of their communities. One such critical skill is the ability to effectively communicate with others through written word.

As such, ninth graders enrolled at Doane take not one but two English courses, English 9 and Composition. In the former students focus on developing their critical thinking skills while also engaging fictional and nonfictional texts which challenge them to think globally about issues which have affected the various communities they participate in. The latter, which serves as the full-year cycle for ninth grade, provides students with a collegiate-style workshop environment in which they learn to express themselves in various genres of writing and to provide positive, constructive criticism to their peers.

At Doane, we believe our students cannot change the world if they cannot share their ideas with others. The ninth grade Composition cycle course affords our students with ample opportunities to hone that skill through their writing. Be it through opinion editorials, thesis-driven essays, poems, short stories, or simple emails, when students finish their ninth grade year they will be equipped to share their ideas with the world effectively and eloquently.

Starting their 10th grade year, students explore who they are as individuals, including what they value and how they view the world around them. They become comfortable sharing who they are with others and learn to exhibit empathy by exploring different social, religious, and ethical philosophies. They also explore the qualities of effective leaders in preparation for assuming leadership roles in both the Doane community and their own communities.

As they transition through 11th and into 12th grade, students will be challenged to share what they have learned about themselves, others, and leadership by taking the initiative to improve their world through projects related to their passions. They will be tasked with taking important, meaningful action in their communities and with being unafraid of standing firm for causes they believe in. They will strive to form lasting connections with those communities, thereby committing themselves and Doane Academy to continually working together in an effort to provide true community service with lasting impact.

Character, leadership, and personal growth best occurs in environments where such growth is the expectation. Doane Academy’s “Strong Ethical Leadership” academic cycles create a nurturing environment in which all our students may grow as individuals, positive community members, and effective leaders. By the time they graduate from Doane, students will know themselves, know the world, and be able to change both.

Composition

• Instructor: TBD
• Grade Level: 9
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: N/A

As students practice close reading and literary analysis in English 9, they will build complementary writing skills in Composition. Students will learn to structure, support, and revise a critical argument; apply key concepts in grammar and style; perform strategic research and cite others’ work appropriately; and communicate their ideas effectively as critical, reflective, and creative writers. Assignments will include analytical essays, a persuasive speech, a cover letter and résumé, a personal memoir, a blog, and a variety of creative pieces. The course culminates in a research project in which students will explore the challenges, advantages, and cultural assumptions that define their generation. As they build a supportive, constructive community of writers, students will discover that the best way to improve as a writer is to give and receive feedback. In addition to frequent peer-sharing exercises, every student will have the benefit of one full-class writing workshop at the drafting stage of a major assignment. At the conclusion of the course, students will possess the foundational skills and the confidence required to be successful high school writers.

Junior Seminar

• Instructor: Meghan Toomey
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This mandatory course for all 11th-grade students is geared towards preparing students to excel in the college application process and meet the challenges of college life. In this course, students will develop self-awareness of talents and relate them to career goals; complete personality tests and career interest inventories as tools in their discovery and decision-making; learn the college application process; generate self-marketing materials such as application essays, resumés, and art or writing portfolios; spend time with visiting college representatives; meet one-on-one with Meghan Toomey to discuss their college goals.

Senior Seminar

• Instructor: Meghan Toomey
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This mandatory course for all 12th-grade students is geared towards preparing students to excel in the college application process and meet the challenges of college life. In this course, students will develop self-awareness of talents and relate them to career goals; complete personality tests and career interest inventories as tools in their discovery and decision-making; learn the college application process; generate self-marketing materials such as application essays, resumés, and art or writing portfolios; spend time with visiting college representatives; meet one-on-one with Meghan Toomey to discuss their college goals.

Strong Ethical Leadership I - Leadership Profiles

• Instructor: Katherine Sereduk
• Grade Level: 10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 10th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

In this trimester-long course, a part of the 10th grade cycle, students will examine the profiles of leaders from across history in search of the common characteristics and traits shared between them. They will discuss what made these leadership figures unique, engaging the various situations which led these individuals to become figureheads and recognizing that “leadership” can take many forms. “Solutions studies” figure prominently in this class as students investigate the innovations, compromises, and movements that the leaders created. The students will be challenged to relate what they have learned about effective leadership to their roles as class presidents, team captains, club executive board members, and role models for Lower School students.

Strong Ethical Leadership II – Sustainability

• Instructor: Katherine Sereduk
• Grade Level: 10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 10th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This trimester-long course is a part of the required 10th grade cycle which also includes World Religions and Strong Ethical Leadership I. In this class, students will explore the field of Sustainability. They will analyze the interaction between ethical, economic, and scientific concerns in developing sustainable practices personally, locally, nationally and abroad. Students will study and develop practical solutions to real-world issues involving social equity, climate change, product development, population growth, and more. An emphasis is placed on community applications, and students are encouraged to think creatively about how they can transform their assignments into successful action plans for themselves, the Doane community and beyond.

Strong Ethical Leadership III

• Instructor: Katherine Sereduk
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

Students will explore complex issues from multiple perspectives, learn to review their own thoughts and experiences, and seek to better understand themselves. They will engage in productive discourse and learn to understand and grapple with a range of opinions. They will participate in “deep dives” by doing in-depth research and have discussions of contemporary social issues faced by today’s world as they look to discover what challenges exist, what has been done so far to address these challenges, what they truly care about, and how their unique skillsets can be used to affect change. Deep dive issues include such topics as mass incarceration, water quality and college tuition. Issue analysis is evidence based, and student grades will be based on synthesis and incorporation of this evidence in support of their opinion. Students will be introduced to basic social science concepts to understand how scientists have tried to objectively define the nature of interpersonal human behaviors.

Strong Ethical Leadership IV

• Instructor: Katherine Sereduk and Meghan Toomey
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 2 of 3 required 12th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Two Trimesters
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This two-trimester course is a collaboration between our college counseling and leadership departments. The content builds off of previous Strong Ethical Leadership courses by tasking students with demonstrating true leadership in their local and Doane communities. Students will first build upon their foundations of research in the previous cycles and choose a cause about which they are passionate. They will conduct research by engaging with their community through attending town meetings and events and speaking to local leaders. They will analyze scholarly literature, case studies, primary data and basic statistics. They will develop a plan of action with the intent of creating meaningful, positive change for their chosen community. Past senior projects include a middle and high school workshop series, promoting a local non-profit, conducting a feasibility study of composting on campus, and collaboration with a local community garden to promote healthy recipes using garden produce. At the end of the course, students share the results of their efforts with administration and underclassmen in an effort to encourage lasting commitments and positive impact in communities through continually-improved efforts over multiple years. In the spring, our college counselor will spend time with the students covering topics pertinent to helping the seniors’ transition successfully from high school into college. The course will help students graduate with a better understanding of the academic, social, emotional and intellectual changes and challenges they may face as they navigate their freshman year in college.

Test Prep

• Instructor: Paul Howe, Tim Sadar
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required 11th Grade Cycle courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

This course, which is part of the 11th-grade cycle, focuses on preparation for both the ACT and the new SAT. It is graded as pass/fail. Every student has a different target score for their standardized tests, and each feels immense pressure to achieve that score, which itself functions as a “final grade.” By making the course pass/fail, we hope to avoid contributing to this pressure and to help students focus their entire energies on growing and improving each week. In the course, each student will spend half of the trimester focused on the math/science components of these standardized tests and half the trimester focused on the verbal and reading components.

Reading and Writing: The redesigned SAT consists of a Reading Test, Writing and Language Test, and an optional essay. In SAT Prep, students will take a practice test and learn new test-taking strategies for attacking the new evidence-based reading and writing items.

Math: In addition, students will work on skill development exercises designed to increase the speed and accuracy of their answers. The course will review right triangles with techniques that will enable students to determine the lengths of the sides by either using Pythagorean Triples, right triangle trigonometry, or the special relationships in Isosceles Right Triangles and 30-60-90 triangles. Students will also be instructed on using the graphing calculator to solve equations. Finally, students will work on specific test taking techniques that will enable them to determine the correct answer for the multiple choice problems in which the answer choices are all numbers or all contain variables.

World Religions

• Instructor: Chaplain Paul Briggs
• Grade Level:10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required trimester courses
• Duration: Trimester
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors Option: No

Religion profoundly shapes human culture. In this course, we will examine the beliefs and practices of the major religions of the world, focusing primarily on the “People of the Book” (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and religions of the Eastern World (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism). We will consider briefly some of the most recent research about those with no religious affiliation and the ramifications of this research for world religions in the future. A basic understanding and appreciation of religions of the world is urgently needed today in building strong ethical leaders in an age of global interaction and in our multicultural society.

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Upper School English students learn to be strong communicators and deep thinkers, with a particular focus on the development of writing skills. Through the study of important works of literature, students hone their analysis skills and learn to communicate their thoughts effectively. We hone writing skills in particular by assigning several multi-draft essays each year and involving students in writing workshops throughout the year. Doane Academy’s English department stands apart in that students need five English courses in order to graduate from our program. Our ninth grade program includes two courses, one of which focuses exclusively on research and composition skills.

Our small classes and emphasis on seminar style discussion allow students and teachers to build strong relationships and help every student make their voice heard. We supplement this development through our yearly Poetry Out Loud competition, which allows us to see and celebrate the growth of our students’ oral communication skills. The curriculum, rooted in canonical texts, requires students to grapple with issues of character and essential questions about the human experience. Ultimately, when students look back on their English education at Doane, they will remember an experience in which they confronted life’s most difficult questions and gained the confidence to answer them.

American Literature

• Instructor: Kath Brandwood
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Alternate Course/s: AP English Language & Composition
• Honors: Yes

In this survey of American literature from the nation’s founding to the present day, students will explore, define, and challenge American tradition, American problems, and the American identity. Course texts will introduce students to disparate American landscapes, from the serenity of Walden Pond to the glaring opulence of 1920s New York society mansions. They will engage the radically different voices that emerge from each of the Americas we study and, in conversation with other critics, develop writerly voices of their own. Students will write critically, reflectively, and creatively in a variety of genres and forums. Our approach to composition as conversation will emphasize peer-sharing and responding to feedback as crucial parts of the writing process. It will also insist that writing never happens in a vacuum. When students pose arguments about texts, they will acknowledge and engage the critical conversation existing around those texts, both within our class and beyond it. The course will resemble a college literature seminar, requiring every member’s thoughtful participation. Texts include Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and selected poems, essays, and short stories.

Honors Requirements: Honors students will further engage the texts and their classmates’ ideas via additional journal assignments, formal peer critiques of written work, and class leadership exercises.

AP English Language & Composition

• Instructor: Jordan Bennett
• Grade Level: 11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Alternate Course/s: American Literature (Regular or Honors)

This course may be taken in place of 11th Grade American Literature. It has a college–level curriculum designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement test offered in May. In addition to satisfying a high school graduation requirement, the AP Language and Composition class may be taken for college credit, which can be earned by scoring highly on the AP test or through an arrangement with Rowan College at Burlington County. The course seeks to train students to read, analyze, and compose in a variety of expository modes and purposes. It is primarily a study of rhetoric and the myriad strategies authors use in approaching their audiences. The course is driven by the study of complex, non-fiction writing and will prepare students to accomplish the kind of college-level writing their future professors are expecting. Students will read and analyze selections from a set of “50 Essays” selected by the College Board, be exposed to long-form journalism, and experience book-length non-fiction like Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild.

In addition, this course aims to engage students with American Literature, as they will establish a cultural knowledge base by reading classic American texts. Students can expect to emerge from this class both prepared for the AP exam and familiar with Puritan literature, American Romantic and Transcendental ideas, The Scarlet Letter, Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, and more.

AP Literature and Composition

• Instructor: Paul Howe
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Alternate Course/s: World Literature

This course may be taken in place of 12th Grade World Literature. Students can earn college credit through an arrangement with Rowan College at Burlington County or by taking the AP Literature exam in May. In AP Literature, students read and respond to works of “acknowledged literary merit” as a way of engaging what William Faulkner called “the old verities and truths of the heart…love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.” Students will continue to learn the technical terminology of literary criticism and will apply it to a variety of genres, including lyric poetry, fiction, and drama. Students will sharpen the skills of citing evidence to shape and support an analysis of a literary text. The aim of the course is threefold: to prepare for the AP exam, to prepare for college humanities courses, and to build a foundation for a lifelong love of reading.

British Literature

• Instructor: Paul Howe
• Grade Level: 10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors: Yes

This class aims to broaden students’ cultural base through the study of classic works of British literature ranging from its earliest known examples to the dawn of the 20th century. By the conclusion of the course, students will have a better understanding of how the character archetypes and arcs created by writers like Chaucer and Shakespeare continue to drive and animate narratives today. Students will engage in effective literary analysis and refine their written and oral communication skills. Focal points will include the definition and testing of heroism and the power of language to describe and define both nature and culture. As they move into 11th grade, students will have the confidence to express their opinions in a clear, concise manner and support them with the balance of evidence and analysis that is required to make them powerful. Students will stretch their imaginations in creative writing assignments in which they imitate the style of great authors. They will also have a firm grasp on how to integrate the opinions and research of others into their essays and make the appropriate citations.

Honors Requirements:

Honors students will read additional texts independently and craft insightful analysis which they will share with their classmates in both written and oral forms.

Composition

• Instructor: Jordan Bennett
• Grade Level: 9
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits; Fills 9th Grade cycle requirement
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors: No

As students practice close reading and literary analysis in English 9, they will build complementary writing skills in Composition. Students will learn to structure, support, and revise a critical argument; apply key concepts in grammar and style; perform strategic research and cite others’ work appropriately; and communicate their ideas effectively as critical, reflective, and creative writers. Assignments will include analytical essays, a persuasive speech, a cover letter and résumé, a personal memoir, a blog, and a variety of creative pieces. The course culminates in a research project in which students will explore the challenges, advantages, and cultural assumptions that define their generation. As they build a supportive, constructive community of writers, students will discover that the best way to improve as a writer is to give and receive feedback. In addition to frequent peer-sharing exercises, every student will have the benefit of one full-class writing workshop at the drafting stage of a major assignment. At the conclusion of the course, students will possess the foundational skills and the confidence required to be successful high school writers.

English 9

• Instructor: Kath Brandwood
• Grade Level: 9
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Honors: Yes

In English 9, students will build a community of critical readers, writers, and thinkers in conversation with great literature. As a community, they will explore big-picture literary and ethical questions: What are our expectations for certain kinds of literature, and what happens when artists break those “rules”? How does literature illuminate conflict in cultural and generational identities? How can engaging literature help us build empathy? To anchor discussions of these larger questions, students will practice close reading of specific textual details. This kind of sustained analysis will allow students to develop and support their ideas, both in seminar-style discussions and in written work. Texts are drawn from across genres, cultures, and time periods: The reading list includes Shakespearean drama, lyric poetry from the trenches of WWI, a graphic novel about growing up in revolutionary Iran, and the 2015 Pulitzer prize-winning novel. Central themes that tie these diverse texts together are war and personal conflict as they shape the process of growing up.

Honors Requirements: Honors students will further engage the texts and their classmates’ ideas via additional journal assignments, formal peer critiques of written work, and class leadership exercises.

World Literature

• Instructor: Jordan Bennett
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 5 required Upper School English credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: None
• Alternate Course/s: AP English Literature & Composition
• Honors: No

This class aims to expose students to a range of times, places, and cultures in a way that causes them to more closely examine and better understand themselves. Students will read texts that allow them to travel the world and consider the most complex questions about the human experience. What is our relationship to a higher power and how much control do we have over our destinies? How do we distinguish our true selves from the projections we create? How do we recognize and combat evil in all its forms? These questions will help students study the subtle differences between peoples but also search for the commonalities that bind them together. Each additional work will expand the circumference of students’ empathy to include more people and additional perspectives. World Literature will encourage and require students to engage in effective literary analysis and marry that analysis to nuanced thesis statements that are as complex as the questions they answer. By the conclusion of the course, students will have the confidence to express their opinions at a college level both in terms of their quality and clarity. Primary texts include Oedipus Rex, The Book of Job, Hamlet, Heart of Darkness, and Master of Go.

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Not Required for Upper School

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AP European History

• Instructor: Colleen McCormick
• Grade Level: 10-12th
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: N/A

This course is offered during alternating years and will be offered in 2017-2018.

Students in this course are expected to demonstrate knowledge of major events and trends as well as basic chronology in European history from the High Renaissance (1450) to the present. This course will focus on intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, and diplomatic developments throughout European history through the use of the text as well as primary sources such as documents, maps, statistics, artwork, and other pictorial/graphic evidence. Students will develop the ability to analyze historical evidence and the ability to express their analysis and understanding effectively in writing. This course is taken in preparation for the AP exam in May. Also, this class may be taken for college credit through the Rowan College at Burlington County CAP Program.

AP US Government and Politics

• Instructor: Colleen McCormick
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: N/A

This course will be offered during alternating years and will not be offered in 2016-2017

This college-level course is an introduction to the US national government. We will study governmental institutions and political processes and examine policy choices. The institutions and policies of the US government will be considered in light of historical change, constitutional procedures, and comparative perspectives. This course is taken in preparation for the AP exam in May. Also, this class may be taken for college credit through the Rowan College at Burlington County CAP Program.

Advanced Placement Psychology

• Instructor: James Paradis
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: Sociology, AP Government, AP European History

This full-year elective course begins with an overview of the history, goals, methods and careers of the profession of psychology. Later modules examine the biological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, sleep, dreams, hypnosis, learning, memory, motivation, emotion, developmental psychology, personality theory, psychopathology, psychotherapy, social psychology, and intelligence. The text for the course is Rod Plotnik’s Introduction to Psychology, published by Thompson / Wadsworth. This course may be taken for college credit either through successfully completion of the AP Test or through an arrangement with Rowan College at Burlington County.

The African American Experience

• Instructor: James Paradis
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Requirement Information: Fulfills one of three required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: N/A

One-half of this course focuses on the American Civil War and its immediate aftermath. The other half focuses on African-American history from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement. Through readings, lectures, slides, films, and discussions, students will gain deep insight into the African-American experience.

AP U. S. History

• Instructor: Mary Ann Williamson
• Grade Level: 10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Permission of instructor
• Alternate Course: US History

AP US History is a course for rising 10th graders that begins with New World Beginnings and goes to present day. This course is designed to challenge and help make better analytical thinkers. Students will be required to do reading assignments as well as terms for each unit. A key to success is to do the textbook readings the weekend before a given unit begins. Reading prior to the week’s activities will help you understand class activities and prepare you for the Free Response Questions, Document Based Questions and Multiple Choice tests that are at the end of every unit. This course is built to prepare students for the AP exam. Also, this class may be taken for college credit through the Rowan College at Burlington County CAP Program. Over the course of the year, this course will help students develop competence and autonomy.

Honors Requirements: Since this is an AP course, there is no Honors option offered.

Legal and Financial Fundamentals

• Instructor: Colleen McCormick
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course/s: N/A

This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of your legal rights and responsibilities, a knowledge of everyday legal problems, and the ability to analyze, evaluate, and in some situations, resolve legal disputes. It will also address general problems in the areas of criminal and juvenile justice; torts; and consumer, family, and individual rights law. Students will become more aware of what to do about discrimination or other violations of their constitutional rights.

Students will also begin an exploration of the world of economics and cover the concepts of personal finance. They will explore the fundamental laws of micro- and macroeconomics, including the concepts of scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, productivity and efficiency as they apply to individual and collective human behavior. The class will apply the concepts of budgeting, career planning, saving, and investing, banking and credit as students learn to make better financial goals and decisions to work towards their future using practical skills and examples. Course content will be applied in a variety of ways, including simulations such as the stock market game and the creation of a personal finance plan for college and beyond.

Modern World History

• Instructor: Mary Ann Williamson
• Grade Level: 9
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A

Modern World History focuses on major events in world history from approximately the Renaissance to the present day in order to increase students’ knowledge of the society in which they live and help them achieve a solid understanding of how that society emerged over time. The course teaches students about people, ideas, places, lifestyles, and cultures that influenced the course of history. Though most of the curriculum focuses on issues that affected Europe, the course is not taught entirely from a Euro-centric perspective. Students will examine interactions between trading cultures and warring states from multiple perspectives using primary sources from outside the text, including diaries, memoirs, letters, and even newspaper archives. By the end of the year, 9th graders should see how wealth, power, creativity, spirituality, ingenuity, and other morally ambiguous forces have shaped our environment.

U.S. History

• Instructor: James Paradis
• Grade Level: 10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required Upper School History/Social Studies credits
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: N/A
• Alternate Course: AP US History

This is a required, one-credit survey course that is taken in 10th grade. The history of the United States is studied, primarily within a chronological framework, from early settlement through the present day. The text used is Paul Boyer’s The American Nation, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

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The Mathematics department at Doane Academy is dedicated to the advancement of the mathematical reasoning skills critical for fostering quantitative and deductive thinking abilities in our students. We strive not just for competency with concepts necessary for effective citizenship, but also for recognition that mathematics is a vibrant field of study that can serve as a powerful and exciting tool in this ever-evolving world. We seek to develop students who are courageous in mathematics, unafraid to work collaboratively and take intelligent risks while developing their problem solving skills.

Our focus on problem-based learning and our small class sizes afford our students with a tremendous opportunity to tackle challenging, multidimensional problems with the help of their peers and their instructor. Those students looking for even greater challenges may take our advanced level Calculus courses, conduct a Statistics-based study for the annual S.T.E.A.M. Fair, and participate in monthly competitions with our Mathematics Club.

For many students, finding ‘x’ is the goal. At Doane, our goal is for students to know why they found ‘x,’ how they created the means for doing so, and under what circumstances ‘x’ could be altered to obtain a different result. As such, students graduating from Doane Academy leave with a deeper understanding of the nature of mathematics and are capable of constructing complex, logical arguments making use of mathematical modelling and quantitative data.

* Course titles accompanied with an asterisk indicate an Honors Option. Selection of an Honors Option means the student is electing to do additional, more challenging work, requiring a higher level of critical thinking. These students will receive credit for honors level work.

Algebra I

• Instructor(s): Chace Nolen
• Grade Level: 7-9
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Pre-Algebra
• Alternate Courses: N/A

Algebra I is where students begin to build the conceptual knowledge base necessary for conquering complex problems using mathematical reasoning. Through collaborative work groups and heavy emphasis on the “how” and “why” of concepts, students will build a foundation of mathematical knowledge and problem solving techniques that will help them in future math classes and beyond. Concepts covered will include solving complex equations and inequalities, linear functions, and systems of equations.

Honors Requirements: Honors students are expected to delve deeper into the concepts mastered during class by completing weekly Honors-level homework assignments and tackling more difficult problems on graded assessments. In addition to this, Honors students will complete one project per trimester related to a topic covered during that trimester.

Geometry

• Instructor(s): Jillian Rosencranz
• Grade Level: 8-10
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Algebra I
• Alternate Courses: N/A

Geometry students are challenged to examine the world around them and deconstruct it into the geometric structures that form the building blocks of their daily experience of “space.” Students will learn to apply mathematical logic when doing so, assembling logical progressions of facts that prove the fundamental theorems they will utilize throughout their explorations of triangles, polygons, congruence, similarity, trigonometry, circles, and polyhedra. Students will also build on the skills gained in Algebra I by analyzing geometric problem sets with algebraic concepts. As a heavily visual course emphasizing the development of spatial reasoning skills, students can expect to be frequently challenged to apply their conceptual understanding of course material to a variety of topics, including art, science, architecture, and more.

Honors Requirements: Honors students are expected to delve deeper into the concepts mastered during class by completing weekly Honors-level homework assignments and tackling more difficult problems on graded assessments. In addition to this, Honors students will complete one project per trimester related to a topic covered during that trimester.

Algebra II

• Instructor(s): Michael Fouchet
• Grade Level: 9-11
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Algebra I
• Alternate Courses: N/A

Algebra II calls upon all of the previous material learned in Algebra I and Geometry in order to explore various functions and models: quadratics, exponentials, logarithms, radicals, matrices, and more. Students will be expected to apply learned concepts to both novel situations in a pure mathematical framework as well as to real-life applications. Students will have the opportunity to work collaboratively and at their own pace, continuing to build the autonomous study skills necessary for success in collegiate level mathematics courses. By the end of this course, students will have completed the traditional sequence of high school mathematics classes and thus be prepared to pursue most upper level Math and Science courses offered at Doane.

Honors Requirements: Honors students are expected to delve deeper into the concepts mastered during class by completing weekly Honors-level homework assignments and tackling more difficult problems on graded assessments. In addition to this, Honors students will complete one project per trimester related to a topic covered during that trimester.

Pre-Calculus

• Instructor(s): Matthew Gorman
• Grade Level: 10-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Algebra II
• Alternate Courses: Topics in Modern Mathematics

Pre-Calculus serves a dual purpose as a mathematics course: first, it covers content not encountered in previous math courses at Doane; most notably trigonometry, vectors, and analytic geometry. Second, it introduces students to concepts in calculus, such as continuity, limits, and derivatives. This full-year elective expects mastery of content from previous mathematics courses. As such, students enrolling in this course should anticipate a vigorous and challenging exploration of topics that will pull from content mastered throughout their mathematics careers as students. Those students that rise up this challenge and complete Pre-Calculus will be ready to take their first steps in Calculus in college or at Doane.

Honors Requirements: Honors students are expected to delve deeper into the concepts mastered during class by completing weekly Honors-level homework assignments and tackling more difficult problems on graded assessments. In addition to this, Honors students will complete one project per trimester related to a topic covered during that trimester.

AP Calculus AB

• Instructor(s): Michael Fouchet
• Grade Level: 11-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Pre-Calculus
• Alternate Courses: AP Calculus BC*, Topics in Modern Mathematics (*Placement based on Instructor’s recommendation)

Calculus is the foundation of modern mathematics and physics, and its concepts enable us to make sense of motion, forces, and a host of other phenomena. This course - the equivalent of one semester of college level Calculus - provides an in-depth look at core Calculus concepts, including limits, derivatives, differentiation, and integrals, with an emphasis placed on “real world” problems involving optimization, related rates, and motion. The course curriculum is designed to develop a deep understanding of the theorems which are critical to success in advanced Calculus courses. Students enrolled in this course are expected to take the AP Calculus AB exam administered in May.

Honors Requirements: All students enrolling in AP Calculus AB do so at the AP level. Thus, they are expected to demonstrate the motivation, work ethic, and initiative commensurate to the course workload.

AP Calculus BC

• Instructor(s): Matthew Gorman
• Grade Level: 11-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Pre-Calculus Honors, Instructor’s Approval
• Alternate Courses: AP Calculus AB*, Topics in Modern Mathematics (*Placement based on Instructor’s recommendation)

AP Calculus BC builds upon the content mastered in high school mathematics courses and delves into topics which when summed together equate to two semesters of college level Calculus. Students will explore in-depth core Calculus concepts, including limits, derivatives, differentiation, and integrals. They will then further explore the derivative and integral by examining parametric, polar, and vector functions. They will also analyze polynomial approximations and series. Students enrolled in this course are expected to take the AP Calculus BC exam administered in May.

Honors Requirements: All students enrolling in AP Calculus BC do so at the AP level. Thus, they are expected to demonstrate the motivation, work ethic, and initiative commensurate to the course workload.

Topics in Modern Mathematics

• Instructor(s): Matthew Gorman
• Grade Level: 11-12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: Algebra II
• Alternate Courses: Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB*, AP Calculus BC* (*Placement based on Instructor’s recommendation)

In this full-year mathematics elective students will use new mathematical ideas as well as previously learned material to explore topics relevant to their present and future lives. Topics will include statistical modeling, interpreting and analyzing data, computing probabilities, and personal finance. Students will also study and model interesting problems from several topics that are not typically covered in a traditional mathematics course, such as analyzing the validity of logical arguments, finding the optimal path to build or travel upon, and the Apportionment Problem and its relation to the distribution of seats in a legislature.

Honors Requirements: N/A

Honors Multivariable Calculus

• Instructor(s): Matthew Gorman
• Grade Level: 12
• Requirement Information: Fills 1 of 3 required High School Mathematics courses
• Duration: Full-Year
• Pre-Requisites: AP Calculus BC, Instructor’s Approval
• Alternate Courses: Topics in Modern Mathematics

Multivariable Calculus is an elective course for those students who have successfully completed AP Calculus BC at Doane. In this class, students will explore differential, integral, and vector calculus for functions composed of two or more variables. They will apply vector-valued functions to physics-based problem sets, find partial derivatives of multivariable functions, and gain mastery understanding of the uses for double- and triple- integrals.

Honors Requirements: All students enrolling in Multivariable Calculus do so at the Honors level. This course is taught at the difficulty level of a third semester Calculus course in college. As such, all students are expected to demonstrate the motivation, work ethic, and initiative commensurate with the collegiate-level course workload.

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