Courses at Harker

This one-semester course explores the major concepts in ecology through an exploration of the Earth’s ocean ecosystems. First, we explore the unique conditions in the ocean and implications for life living there. Then we investigate the distribution of the Earth’s oceans, the major currents and the control and effect of tides. Next, we explore the various components of marine food webs, starting with phytoplankton and working our way up to fish, marine mammals and sea birds. The last part of the course includes a survey of the major ocean ecosystems and their unique features. Prerequisite: Physics or Honors Physics. UC approved. Interview with: Dr. Schafer Produced by: Larissa Tyagi

A blend of traditional chorus and training ground, Bel Canto explores choral technique and music theory, and many musical genres, including African-American spirituals, traditional Latin, modern choral, non-English folk songs, pop and jazz music. Students may remain in Bel Canto multiple years, taking advantage of the changing repertoire and varied genres in order to maximize their choral music education and prepare them for whatever type of ensemble they will choose in college or as an adult. Others participate in Bel Canto a year or two before choosing to specialize by requesting Camerata or auditioning for Cantilena or Downbeat, and indeed a year in Bel Canto is required before joining one of these other groups. This episode discusses Bel Canto in addition to briefly discussing other opportunities for vocal music such as Cantilena, Camerata, and Downbeat. Interview with: Ms. Sandusky Produced by: Evan Cheng

Research Methods is designed for students interested in independent science research. Because of the breadth of material included in most science classes, it is a challenge for students to delve deeply into a given topic that interests them. This program allows students to develop a research question using resources online and in college libraries. Students design and conduct experiments to test their research questions and then analyze their results with statistical analyses. Students expand their communication skills with formal reports and presentations to the class. They also participate in a larger research community at the local science fair and the Harker Research Symposium. Prerequisite for Research Methods: Physics or Honors Physics and recommendation of the student’s science and/or mathematics teacher. In addition, students must attend a brief meeting in the spring prior to their enrollment in the course. UC approved. In Advanced Research, students have the option of continuing their research projects from the Research Methods course with additional experiments and/or more in-depth analyses. They also may pursue research in a different field altogether. Students who complete a research project over the summer or are ready to collect data on a project approved by the instructor may also enroll. The course requires much independent work, but also incorporates peer review and mentoring of less experienced research students. Advanced Research may be taken for credit more than once. With instructor approval, students may enroll in an honors version of the course. Honors students are held to a higher standard of writing quality and are expected to incorporate original procedures and/or analysis into their projects. Honors students also take on additional mentoring duties with students in the Research Methods course. Prerequisite for Advanced Research: Research Methods or instructor approval. Typically, instructor approval requires satisfactory completion of a summer research internship or a formal research proposal. Interview with: Mr. Spenner Produced by: Evan Cheng

Study of Dance builds problem-solving and creative thinking skills. As students focus on perceiving, comprehending, imagining and evaluating, they develop strong interpretive, analytical and critical thinking skills. By learning to make choices within structure, dance students learn to develop individual and group solutions to complex problems. Dance curricula provide many opportunities for students to articulate complex problems and to practice divergent and nonlinear thinking in order to generate solutions. The process of exploring the art of dance allows students to develop their communication skills and acquire new symbolic literacy. Students will also develop dance skills, choreography knowledge and a historical perspective of dance. Note that Study of Dance is an academic course and, unlike the after- school dance courses, it does not satisfy the P.E. requirement. This episode discusses Study of Dance in addition to opportunities for dance at the Upper School. Interview with: Mr. Kuehn Produced by: Evan Cheng

This one-semester elective course will give students a general overview of the fundamental principles of astronomy. Students will investigate the formation of our solar system as well as the composition and characteristics of a variety of solar bodies including planets, comets, asteroids, moons and the sun. This modern knowledge will be taken in a historical perspective, as students learn about the evolution of astronomical ideas. Also included is an observational component that covers constellations, the celestial sphere and the motions of heavenly bodies. A discussion of telescope types and uses will complement this section. In addition, students will grapple with some fundamental questions about the universe: where did we come from, where are we now, and where are we going? The first step in this journey takes us to the birth, life and death of stars. A detailed look at the sun (the star we know best) will assist students in understanding the life cycle of stars. The demise of massive stars gives us such fascinating objects as supernovae and black holes. The course culminates with the topic of cosmology. Here, students learn about the expansion of the universe and discuss theories of the universe’s origin (such as the Big Bang), as well as its fate. Prerequisite: Physics or Honors Physics. UC approved. Interview with: Dr. Nelson Produced by: Evan Cheng