Biotechnology is the use of living organisms or their products to enhance our lives and our environment. This course examines the fundamental issues of biotechnology, such as what biotechnology is and its history, how biotechnology is done and being used today, how it impacts the lives of humans, other animals, plants and the environment. We also look at ethical issues about the role of science and technology in our society. The course is very lab-based, allowing the students exposure to many of the basic techniques used in biotechnology today.

Prerequisite: Completion of first semester of Biology or Biology Honors. UC approved.

Interview with: Dr. Harley

Produced by: Evan Cheng

Honors Biology is designed for students who have a proven interest and ability in science. This yearlong course provides a detailed view of fundamental biological processes, cell structures and function, molecular and classical genetics, basic biochemistry, evolution, anatomy and physiology, and ecology.

Honors Biology Prerequisite: Chemistry or Honors Chemistry and departmental approval. UC approved.

AP Biology prepares students for the AP Biology examination as well as the SAT Subject Test in biology. Included in this course are biochemistry, cytology and cellular energy transformations, taxonomy, ecology and population dynamics and molecular genetics, heredity and evolution.

AP Biology Prerequisite: Grade 11 - AP Biology is available to juniors who satisfy department requirements to take the course (from Honors Chemistry an A- or better for the first semester; from AP Chemistry a B+ or better for the first semester), obtain departmental approval and successfully complete a Harker summer course. UC approved. Grade 12 - A or better in Biology or B+ or better in Honors Biology and department approval. UC approved.

Interview with: Mr. Pistacchi

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

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the five major world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam), along with other religious traditions such as Shamanism, Mysticism, Taoism, Confucianism and modern religious sects. Students will develop an appreciation for the cultural impact of those faiths on their respective societies.

Prerequisite: World History 1. UC approved.

Interview with: Dr. Meyer

Produced by: Evan Cheng

This course introduces students to the intellectual history of Western Europe from the Greeks and late medieval thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas through 20th-century philosophers such as Nietzsche. It will focus on the ideas that inspired many of the political systems and movements that are the foundation of the modern western political world. It will also explore the relationship between intellectual history and the social, religious, cultural and economic movements and reforms that helped to shape and define European society. Primary sources will be used extensively and students will be asked to explore the ideas of such thinkers as Plato, Machiavelli, Locke, Kant, Rousseau, Mill, Burke, Smith, Marx, Hegel and Freud.

Prerequisite: Completion of grade 11 history requirement or departmental approval. UC approved.

Interview with: Dr. Meyer

Produced by: Evan Cheng

Honors US History is a survey of United States history from the pre-Columbian period to the present, with emphasis on the in-depth study of movements in the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will use and interpret advanced primary and secondary sources to gain a deeper understanding of political, economic, social, intellectual and cultural history, and to develop analytical arguments by selecting and using applicable historical evidence to support claims. The course will also include regular research projects and presentations, including a long-form written research paper. Note: This course will not prepare students for the AP exam in U.S. History.

AP US History is intended to prepare students for the AP examination and requires a depth and breadth of study designed to challenge students. In AP U.S. History, each of the topics in the regular course is studied with a greater intensity, as the roots and impact of major social, political and economic trends are more closely examined. In addition to the discussion of content material, the mastery of analytical essay writing, the evaluation of primary source documents, historical research and daily student participation are emphasized.

Prerequisite: Completion of grade 10 history requirement and department approval. UC approved.

Interview with: Ms. Rees

Produced by: Evan Cheng

AP English Literature and Composition develops students’ skills from previous study of British and American literature and prepares students for the rigorous end-of-year exam. Students will familiarize themselves with a wide range of literary responses to the human condition and participate in the discourse at an intensive level demonstrating independence of thought. Students will experience an abundance of literary voices such as Samuel Beckett, Elizabeth Bishop, Albert Camus, Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, T.S. Eliot, John Guare, Thomas Hardy, Langston Hughes, James Joyce, Chan-rae Lee, Toni Morrison, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, William Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard and Virginia Woolf. As this course intends to simulate a college-level seminar, students will be expected to achieve clarity of expression in discussion as well as in writing. Students will be encouraged to engage in literary dialogue with their peers and instructor, so the environment will be dynamic and student-centered. College-level writing skills will be stressed. Close textual analysis and interpretive essay writing will be practiced daily with a view towards considerations of structure, style, theme and socio-historical context. Frequent timed essays and occasional objective exams on reading assignments will model the AP exam. Informal, exploratory writing activities will serve as aids in prompting discussion and in evaluating whether or not students are balancing generalizations and specific illustrative details. Revision skills will be refined through peer editing and teacher evaluation. Assessments include one-on-one conferencing between instructor and student, rubric creation and analysis, and written feedback regarding prose style, rhetoric, and attention to standard grammar and syntax. In semester two, students will complete a researched essay.

Prerequisite for AP English Literature and Composition: English 3 or Honors English 3 and departmental approval. UC approved.

The English department offers a variety of electives for seniors, which will stimulate their interest through courses that are designed to deepen appreciation for literature. Course offerings focus on genres, literary periods, the history of ideas, individual authors or literary stylistics. Electives offered in the fall semester require a subject-specific research essay. With the exception of AP English: Literature and Composition, juniors, with approval, may take the electives in addition to the required English 3 course.

Interview with: Dr. Paskali

Produced by: Evan Cheng

Programming helps entry-level computer science students develop their computational thinking skills by applying the basic steps in algorithmic problem solving and abstraction. Students apply modern software design techniques to strategize and communicate solutions and then develop a program that embodies their solutions. Throughout the course, students will increase their abstraction skills by analyzing complex problems and decomposing them into smaller more manageable problems and by so doing gain not only an appreciation of elegant solutions but also experience the thrill of obtaining them. Students will store objects in a data structure and then manipulate them, explore virtual worlds with robots, and fashion creatures of their own design while learning basic programming and algorithmic thinking skills. Programming is designed to fulfill the prerequisite for students who intend to pursue Advanced Placement Computer Science A.

Prerequisite for Programming: Geometry or Honors Geometry. UC approved.

Advanced Programming helps students develop their computational thinking skills by applying the basic steps in algorithmic problem-solving and abstraction. Students apply software design techniques to strategize and communicate solutions and then develop a program that embodies their solutions. Students learn to use techniques such as inheritance, methods and recursion to break complex problems down into smaller, more manageable sub-problems. Students not only gain an appreciation of elegant solutions but also experience the thrill of obtaining them. Using one or more modern programming languages, students explore virtual worlds (Karel worlds, GridWorld and gameboards) while learning object-oriented programming skills such as creating classes, designing and implementing methods, and exploring inheritance. Students expand their programming skills by applying techniques like recursion to solve an adventure puzzle or game. Advanced Programming is a fast-paced course and is a prerequisite for the student who has an intense interest in computer science and intends to follow up this course with Advanced Placement Computer Science with Data Structures (i.e., data structures such as linked lists, stacks, queues, priority queues, trees, and maps). At completion, successful students are qualified for either AP Computer Science or AP Computer Science with Data Structures.

Prerequisite for Advanced Programming: Geometry or Honors Geometry with A- or better. UC approved.

Interview with: Ms. Peregrino

Produced by: Arushi Saxena

This course provides an introduction to exciting applications and topics in computer science. Using a combination of in-class discussions, hands-on projects, worksheets, forum discussions and guest speakers, students learn about digital representations, computational models and abstraction. The course is organized around the study of current topics in computer science. Although specific topics may vary, typical topics include computer architecture and networking, programming, ethical issues in computer science, gaming as a learning platform, and social media and privacy concerns.

Prerequisite: Algebra 1. UC approved.

Interview with: Mrs. Main

Produced by: Evan Cheng

This yearlong course offers students an authentic entrepreneurship experience where they will develop, commercialize and market their own product or service. In the first phase of the course, students will develop a business concept hypothesis and validate this concept through market research and LEAN startup methodologies. Students will develop a minimum viable product and continue to pivot the product and business model until they achieve product-market-fit. In the second phase, students will receive seed funding to propel their business into reality, and then will focus on product production, customer acquisition and scaling the business. In addition to seed funding, students receive startup curriculum to help them at each stage of the startup’s life cycle, and they will be paired with Bay Area entrepreneurs and business experts who will serve as coaches and mentors. At the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to pitch a panel of angel investors and venture capitalists for follow-up funding.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Startup Incubator is open to all students in grades 10 and above. Students who have launched a business and/or have a business concept in mind are encouraged to apply as are students who would like to identify a new business concept as part of the course. To apply, students are required to submit an application outlining their interest in the course, what they hope to accomplish and their qualifications. The application will be followed by an interview. Note: This is an honors-level academic course that may not be taken in the Extra Period Option slot.

Interview with: Mr. Acheatel

Produced by: Enya Lu