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Upper School Curriculum

View the complete 2024-2025 curriculum guide here.

2024-2025 Curriculum

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Advanced Honors French

This course is designed for students with highly developed language skills who are interested in continuing to deepen and refine their mastery of French in an advanced seminar format.

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Advanced Honors Physics

This is the department’s most advanced physics course and explores topics in mechanics, electricity and magnetism from a calculus-based perspective.

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Advanced Honors Spanish: Modern Mexico

This course is designed for students with highly developed language skills who are interested in continuing to deepen and refine their mastery of Spanish in an advanced seminar format.

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Applied Economics

This course is designed to explore decision making at all levels as students explore how individuals and societies manage scarce resources in an attempt to satisfy unlimited wants.

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Applied Psychology

Using case studies, this course will explore how biological, psychological and social-cultural dynamics intersect and influence the thoughts and actions of individuals and groups.

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Big History

Big History attempts to answer these questions by surveying the entirety of history from the beginning of the universe to the present day and even predictions about the future.

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Biology

This course provides a thorough introduction to the increasingly important field of biology, covering the core concepts of biochemistry, genetics, natural selection and ecology.

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Bishop's Chamber Orchestra

This course is an audition-only, advanced orchestral and chamber music class for string, wind and brass players with four or more years of experience on their instrument.

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Bishop's Chorus I/II

This introductory choral performance group is open to all upper school students who enjoy singing and would like to improve their singing technique.

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Bishop's Chorus III/IV

This course is designed to develop more advanced musical and performance skills through singing choral literature from a variety of periods and musical styles.

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Bishop's Singers

This course is an audition-only mixed choral ensemble for the more serious singers who already read music, have had experience with singing in a choral ensemble, and wish to expand their experiences by learning and performing more advanced repertoire.

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Calculus

In this course students will explore limits, derivatives and integrals, and develop the skills necessary to solve problems within these topic areas.

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Ceramics III

This course is designed for students who are self-directed and committed to their personal expression in ceramics.

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Chemistry

This course familiarizes students with the underlying principles that govern the chemical reactions in our world

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Chinese I

This course is an introduction to Chinese language and culture and, as such, stresses developing Chinese speaking and listening skills in everyday situations.

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Chinese II

Building on the skills mastered in Chinese I or Chinese IA and IB, Chinese II is a theme-based course designed to develop students’ communicative skills in handling uncomplicated tasks and predictable transactions in the immediate environment.

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Chinese III

This course prepares students to engage and produce paragraph-length discourses on topics relating to the immediate environment and the greater community.

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Chinese IV

This course continues the work of Chinese III, deepening student’s ability to engage with greater proficiency in each of the three modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Creative Nonfiction

Using the Touchstone Anthology of Creative Nonfiction and The New Yorker as its central texts, this writing-intensive course aims to help students sharpen their skills as creative and critical thinkers and writers.

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Digital Media IV

This advanced lens-based media course is designed for students developing their personal portfolio while focusing on an in-depth exploration of photography, filmmaking, or interactive art.

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Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy is defined as the process of in-depth literary, historical, sociocultural and theoretical analysis applied to a range of performance types, in order to facilitate the work of the cast, crew and production team.

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Engineering Physics

In this project-based course, students apply knowledge of fundamental principles of physics to a variety of hands-on engineering projects designed to illustrate these principles.

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English I

English I is a writing-intensive course that asks students to analyze a variety of literary texts through a writer’s lens.

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English II

Building on the skills taught in English I, this course teaches students how to read increasingly complex and challenging texts actively, closely and analytically.

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English IV Banned Books

This semester course will focus on literary works that have been, and in some places, continue to be banned and/or challenged in classrooms.

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English IV Poetry

This course introduces students to modern and contemporary poetry in all its forms while paying heed to the great poets and poems of the past.

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English IV Shakespeare

We consider Shakespeare’s plays for their philosophical value, ethical ambiguity, political prescience and the probing of themes such as leadership and loyalty, race and gender, love and friendship.

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Experimental Programming

This beginning course in computer science introduces students to the basic computer programming constructs while giving them the fundamental concepts of computer science.

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Feminism: A Biblical Perspective

In order to engage in conversations about gender and equality one must be skilled in reading and interpreting the stories that have shaped many of our views on women.

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French II

Building on the skills mastered in French I or French IA and IB, in this course students further develop their proficiency in the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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French IV

In this course, students expand on the knowledge acquired in previous courses and incorporate new strategies that improve their skills across all four language modalities (speaking, listening, reading, writing), through a variety of readings, films, writing activities, role play situations, in-class discussions and oral presentations.

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Health

The health curriculum is designed to encourage active student involvement in the development of a healthy lifestyle.

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Honors Art Portfolio

This course welcomes students who demonstrate an advanced ability to create visual artwork with technical skills and a mature approach to art making.

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Honors Atomic Bomb

Students in this course will trace the scientific development of the atomic bomb, begin to understand how its usage and proliferation affected world culture and history, and investigate the role that nuclear weapons continue to play in the 21st century.

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Honors Biology

This advanced course is rigorous, fast-paced and equivalent to a first-year college biology course and is taught with a college textbook.

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Honors Calculus BC

This is a college-level course on differential and integral calculus including power series and topics, such as the calculus of polar graphs, that go beyond the scope of the AB syllabus.

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Honors Chemistry

This course emphasizes laboratory investigation and making connections between seemingly disparate topics within chemistry, applying our students’ understanding of the physical world formed in physics to chemistry while refining a strong foundation in chemistry for application to biological systems.

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Honors Chinese IV

In this course, students expand their proficiency across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Honors Data Structures and Algorithms

This course expands the broad introduction to computer science offered by Software Development and Applied computer science providing a general background for further study in the field.

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Honors French III

In this course, students expand their proficiency across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Honors French IV

In this course, students expand and deepen their ability across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).

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Honors Global Cold War

By examining case studies from places such as the Congo, Afghanistan, Cuba and more, this course considers how “cold” the Cold War really was and the extent to which it was a global conflict.

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Honors Greek

In this course, students study Classical Greek, beginning with the alphabet and ending with reading of authentic and unadapted texts from ancient Greece.

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Honors Latin III

Latin III Honors serves as a bridge course between the textbook-based learning of grammar in Latin II and the extensive reading of ancient texts in Latin IV Honors: Caesar and Vergil.

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Honors Music Theory

This course offers students an opportunity to delve deeper into musical understanding through exploring music through the components of reading (sight-singing), writing (composition), analysis and performance.

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Honors Philosophy of Religion

The questions, “What is God? Does God exist? What does it mean to believe in God?” are investigated against the background of modern philosophy and theology through instruction in a variety of media.

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Honors Physics

Honors Physics is a challenging, college-level, non-calculus-based physics course which is designed to investigate fundamental principles of physics.

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Honors Psychology

This course explores the behavior and mental processes of human beings through the lens of various subfields of psychology.

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Honors Spanish III

In this course, students expand their proficiency across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Honors Spanish IV

In this course, students expand and deepen their ability across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Honors Statistics

This college-level course introduces students to the discipline of statistics as a science of collecting, understanding and analyzing data.

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Honors United States History

This college-level course explores United States history from precolonial times to the modern era with an emphasis on the political, economic, social and cultural forces that have given shape to the nation.

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Honors U.S. Government and Politics

This course examines the constitutional background of the United States government, as well as its institutions, political beliefs, political parties, interest groups and civil rights issues.

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Honors War on Terror

This course will examine the roots of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States and place them in a global context.

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Introduction to Biblical Literature

Introduction to Biblical Literature takes students on an engaging exploration of the many writings that make up the Bible, covering a wide range of topics including politics, public life, popular culture, religious beliefs and practices, spirituality, race, gender, sexuality, social movements and ethics.

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Jazz Band I/II

In this class students perform and improvise over standard repertoire with a focus on scales and rhythmic devices, chord/scale relationships, standard harmonic progressions, and fluency in reading rhythm.

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Jazz Band III/IV

Students with four or more years of experience on saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, piano, bass, drums or strings with an interest in jazz, contemporary repertoire, and improvisation are encouraged to enroll in Jazz III/IV.

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Journalism

In this course, students learn and practice core concepts in journalism: principles, news gathering and reporting.

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Latin I

This course combines the material covered during the two years of middle school introductory Latin.

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Latin II

This course continues with the introduction to Latin grammar and vocabulary begun in Latin I or Latin IA/IB by building upon student knowledge of nouns and adjectives and adding a core understanding of Latin verb forms and mood constructions.

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Latin III

Latin III extends the foundation laid down in Latin II by completing the survey of Latin verb constructions, with particular focus on the subjunctive mood.

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Latin IV: The Aeneid of Vergil

In this course, the Aeneid of Vergil is read in its entirety in English with significant portions read in Latin, particularly those sections not read in the Latin IV Honors: Caesar and Vergil course.

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L.E.A.D.

Regardless of age, year in school or skill set, every student can become more advanced in their personal understanding, decision making and ability to lead others.

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Marine Biology

This course provides a basic introduction to the patterns and processes found in marine systems and the relationships between living things and their marine environment.

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Math 3

Students are introduced to functions and function notation as they explore linear equations, inequalities and systems as well as exponential functions both graphically and algebraically.

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Math 3 Enriched

Math 3E is problem-centered and more demanding, considering a greater number of problem types, moving at a faster pace, and providing less instruction and support before homework on any given topic is assigned.

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Math 4

Math 4 is the second course in the integrated Algebra I/Geometry/Algebra II sequence with introductory work in trigonometry.

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Math 4 Core

Math 4 Core covers most of the topics in Math 4, focusing on the fundamental concepts and working at a more moderate pace.

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Math 4 Enriched

The unifying subjects for this course of advanced algebra and geometry are straight lines and the figures they produce − polygons and polyhedra.

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Math 5 Core

Math 5 Core covers most of the topics in Math 5, focusing on the fundamental concepts and working at a more moderate pace.

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Math 5 Enriched

This course completes the study of advanced algebra and geometry begun in Mathematics 4 Enriched and prepares the students for Precalculus Honors.

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Mock Trial

Mock Trial is an activity that gives students the opportunity to develop critical thinking, public speaking and teamwork skills.

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Performing Dance Group

This is the most advanced dance class in the program which requires dedication and being open to trying many new styles of dance as the students work with guest teachers and choreographers to further expand their world dance horizons.

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Precalculus

Precalculus is a full-year course covering a rich array of concepts and challenging exercises designed to develop problem-solving and reasoning abilities in a wide range of areas.

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Precalculus Core

This course prepares students for the Calculus course by continuing the concepts from Mathematics 5 Core through the study of functions and logarithms

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Race and Religion in America

In this course, we will explore the religious and theological foundations of racial categories and racist ideology across various American congregational communities, as well as the role of religion in propagating racist ideas in order to understand debates on American identity and belonging.

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Science and Social Justice

In this course, students will delve into the intricate relationship between scientific claims, discoveries, and their profound impact on shaping societal values, norms and equity.

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Science on Stage

While science has been making appearances on theatrical stages for hundreds of years, the late 20th century offered a boom in “science playwriting.”

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Spanish II

Building on the skills mastered in Spanish I or Spanish IA and IB, in this course students further develop their proficiency in the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational).

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Spanish III

In this course, students will engage in a thorough review of the fundamentals of Spanish I and II, with the aim of improving their communicative proficiency across a range of time frames (past, present and future) and across all three communicative modes (interpretive, interpersonal and presentational).

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Spanish IV

In this course, students expand on the knowledge acquired in previous courses and incorporate new strategies that improve their skills across all four language modalities (speaking, listening, reading, writing), with a particular focus on speaking and writing.

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Studio Art I

This course introduces students to the use of both dry (graphite, pastel, charcoal, etc.) and wet (watercolor, ink and acrylic) media in drawing and painting.

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Studio Art II

This course builds on the students’ understanding of drawing and painting while challenging the creation of personal works of art.

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Studio Art III

This course is designed for the student who is committed to the development of their technical skills and mastery of drawing and painting media.

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Studio Art IV

This course enables students to take their artistic expression to the next level in their chosen expression in studio art. 

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Theater Arts II

This course builds on the foundation laid in Theater Arts I with additional study of historical periods and cultures.

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Theater Arts III

This course provides an opportunity for students to build upon their knowledge of theater developed in Theater Arts I and II.

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Theater Production II

This course continues the hands-on element of Theater Production I, with students continuing to further their knowledge and expertise in all areas of theatrical production.

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The Philosophy of Human Rights

This class is an applied philosophy course that uses the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 as a way of connecting pressing contemporary issues with a broad range of philosophical ideas and controversies, drawn from multiple traditions and many centuries.

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Yearbook

In this largely student-led activity, students produce The Bishop’s School annual, El Miradero.

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