2021-2022 Upper School Course Selection Guide!

We recently rolled out our 2021-2022 Upper School Course Selection Guide and we are excited to share a few of the diverse choices Stone students have to choose from this Fall!

The Public Universal Friend: Gender and Religion in Colonial America (1 Mod)

Open to all Upper School students

The Public Universal Friend was a non-binary religious leader in 18th century America who founded an entire town of adherents to their new faith. They wore androgynous clothing, avoided pronouns altogether, and elicited both fury and awe wherever they went. They were neither the first nor the last person to challenge gender roles or religious expectations in the colonies. In this course we will study the role of gender and religion in everyday life in the 17th and 18th century. What can we learn about Colonial America through the lenses of religion and gender? What can we learn from those who transgressed the limitations of those ideas?

Topics in Physics (3 Mods)

Open to 11th and 12th grade students only

This course will cover special topics in physics not traditionally taught in high school. We will spend one Mod focusing on ray optics, ranging from pinhole cameras to optical illusions created with lenses and mirrors. Students will also explore more complex equipment such as telescopes, and explore how eyeglasses work from a physics perspective. In the second Mod we will look at thermodynamics (heat engines) and fluid dynamics (hydraulic presses and wind tunnels). In the last Mod we will look at modern topics such as the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, the detection of gravitational waves and the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

The Many Histories of the United States (3 Mods)

Required for 10th grade students

Too often, we approach “American History” as simply the history of the development and ascendency of the American nation-state. This course will instead explore the many different histories of the peoples who would come to populate the United States, paying special intersectional attention to Indigenous peoples, women, African-Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ peoples, and religious minorities that are often marginalized by traditional approaches to American history.

Advanced Humanities: Symbolic Logic and Critical Thinking (3 Mods)

Course registration restricted to 11th and 12th grade students In this course, we'll learn how to be more critical thinkers. In particular, we'll explore symbolic logic, diagramming arguments, rhetorical tricks to be on guard against, how to approach disagreements constructively, and more. By the end of the course, you'll have a more systematic understanding of how to evaluate reasoning—both others' and your own.

Bitcoin (1 Mod)

Open to all Upper School students

Bitcoin is said to have been created for the purpose of solving the modern problems with how money is controlled. Students will investigate if Bitcoin can solve these problems, if Bitcoin may cause more problems, and if there are even problems with money to begin with! This course is open to anyone, including those who have no background in Bitcoin, as well as those who took the first Bitcoin course.

Historical Representation in Video Games (1 Mod)

Open to all Upper School students

Civilization, Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty, Crusader Kings. All of these video game titles gamify historical arguments for the purpose of entertaining players with deep strategy and engaging gameplay. But what if we approached these games not as entertainment but as historical texts, complete with theses and theories of historical change? This course will ask students to play and assess the arguments of video games with historical settings. So what can video games teach us about historical thinking?

Muti-variable Calculus (1 Mod)

Prerequisite: Calculus A/B

Students will learn how to differentiate and integrate functions with multiple variables. In this class students will cover topics such as vector functions, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, and vector calculus. As a result of this class, students will be able to better understand the connection between single-variable calculus and multivariable calculus. Students will further their logical thinking while also being introduced to different abstract topics in mathematics. Students will be exposed to higher-level mathematics that will better prepare them for the rigors of a college math program.

Physics 9: Astrophysics (1 Mod)

Required for 9th grade students

This course will focus on the basic language, tools, and skills of physics, including describing motion (kinematics), and understanding cause and effect for physical systems (dynamics). The theme for this exploration will be rocketry. Students will build models of motion through observational experiments, learn to represent those models through diagrammatic techniques and equations, and learn to extend their models with more complexity using simulations. Students will model, construct, and test their own rockets throughout the course.

Japanese I (3 Mods)

No prerequisites

Japanese I is an introduction to Japanese language and culture, and it is designed for students who have had little or no experience learning Japanese. The goal of this course is to develop four basic skills (i.e., speaking, listening, reading, and writing) in modern Japanese with an emphasis on grammatical accuracy and socially appropriate language use. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to carry on basic daily conversations and to develop the ability to read and write hiragana as well as to read katakana.

Digital Manufacturing for Artists (1 Mod)

Open to all Upper School students

This is a course for students who love the humanities and art but want to develop the digital skills to take their creative ideas into three dimensions through the used of computer-aided drawing and the use of a 3D printer (additive manufacturing) and a CNC router (subtractive manufacturing). You will be able to use and troubleshoot these machines to create complex works from analog concepts to digital 3D design that can be rendered with these manufacturing tools. The class will be taught in a workshop format that will develop CAD skills alongside independent design work. Students must have a computer capable of running Autodesk Fusion 360 (free) and must install and test the software on their computer prior to the start of the class. Chromebooks will work for this course.

Entrepreneurship III (1 Mod)

11th and 12th grade students only

By Entrepreneurship III, students have mastered the art of “the pitch”; level III of the entrepreneurship curriculum asks students to take action. In this course, students are tasked with using only $100 of start-up capital to design a profitable business that addresses a social or environmental problem. Students will showcase their business plans to the public at a student-designed entrepreneurship fair at the end of the Mod.

Senior Defense (1 Mod)

All seniors must complete the Senior Defense to graduate and receive a final transcript. Senior Defense is meant to be a significant research project that serves as a synthesis of learning, and the defense of a student’s academic and intellectual growth during their time at Stone. Senior Defense is different from a capstone project in that a student is given a personalized question to answer, based on individualized advising in the first half of the senior year. Students present their final thirty minute presentation during Exhibition Week, and then must defend their process and “product” during a thirty minute Q&A with a faculty panel. Students begin their Senior Defense meetings in the Fall of the senior year, receive their question in March, and are scheduled for dedicated research time in Mod 6.

Writing for Stage, Screen and other Media (1 Mod)

No prerequisite

We are inundated with content from seemingly infinite sources: social media, films, indie projects, television, streaming services, performance-based art, theatre, poetry readings, storytelling on stage. Where is it all coming from? Is the work any good? How do we create content worth reading? Do we want our work to be seen? One challenge we face is our ability to accept what we’ve made. Too often we lack the ability to edit ourselves with compassion. Another challenge is finding inspiration. What inspires us? Will it inspire others? We will write daily with complete abandon, furiously at times, attempting to find in motion what is sometimes lost in thought. We will learn to listen to the words and ideas of our peers, forming questions in response to their work, with the goal of bringing out the very best in them. Most importantly, we will be kind to ourselves as writing is just really darn hard. Influences: Richard Foreman’s notebook series, Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information

That's just a small sample of the coursework our students have to look forward to this Fall.  As it turns out, when you ask talented teachers to design learning experiences which prepare students for the actual world they will live in and learn in, curricula becomes expressive, rich, and thrilling.   

Interested in learning more about our Fall curriculum? Read our entire Course Selection Guide right here! And if you’re ready to visit Stone, please see our Admissions page right here!

See also: Sometimes The End Is A Parking Lot; Simple Solutions Are The Best Solutions; Notes On Stargazing For 9th Grade Students