Arts

The course material is covered over a two-semester period and is centered around introducing the students to the fundamentals of art education. The basic elements of art and principles of design are explored through various life studies, as well as collaborative ideas between students and the instructor.

Students are also encouraged to explore the course material through written exercises. The goal of the course is to provide foundation education for the
visual arts.

Drama

Drama class exercises are focused on the works of Viola Spolin and her text Improvisation for the Theater.

Students are encouraged to master an increasingly more complicated set of communication skills in order to interpret and show a level of proficiency on stage in an improvisational setting. This work is translated directly into character development and performance. Students will be involved in the construction and/or maintenance of a sound studio, internships in ADR (Audio Dub Recorded) Engineering at Funimation productions and the creation of sound recordings of classic works of literature. They will function as actors, engineers, voice directors, casting directors, website developers, and marketers for a web site dedicated to making the world of classic literature available free of cost in a professionally produced audio download.

English

This two-semester course focuses on all aspects of the English language while exploring the world of literature.

Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary are heightened through exercises, drills, quizzes, and tests. The course emphasizes reading and analytical thinking; students are expected to read a variety of works and respond primarily through writing and then verbal discussion. Students are also expected to keep personal journals to track their growth not only in the realm of English Literature, but to record their experience at St. Ignatius as well. Poetry allows the students to be open-minded and gives wonderful substance for thoughtful discussion. The
student is expected to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the assigned reading material and to display these skills in verbal and written form. The ultimate goal for this course is for the students to explore the world of literature and expand their knowledge among the real world and use that knowledge in quest for divine Truth.

Language

Spanish 1A and 1B
In this course, students acquire a basic vocabulary and a strong foundational proficiency in the four basic language skills—speaking, writing, reading, and listening comprehension. This is an introductory course intended to present fundamental grammar structures, develop pronunciation, and allow basic conversation in the target language. Cultural aspects of the language are also covered primarily through the use of videos and music.

Mathematics

Algebra
This is a one year course. This course emphasizes the relationships between variables and unknowns, using these associations to solve problems. Algebra focuses on relationships that are linear or quadratic, but also include other types of relationships. Algebra is built around problems in a way that will provide students the knowledge to understand the reasons behind what they are doing as well as helping them learn strategies for doing math.

Geometry
This is a one year course. This course covers all scopes of Geometry, including an emphasis on coordinates and transformations in the two and three-dimensional perspectives. There is a strong integration of algebra along with a continual exploration of reality-based problems throughout the course. In addition to participating in class lectures, students are expected to read and solve problems individually and are tested frequently with quizzes and exams.

Pre-Calculus
This is a one year course. Topics cover: Functions: algebra, piecewise, absolute value, greatest integer, inverses, curve fitting, graphing Functions: linear, quadratic, transformations. Students will be challenged by new concepts that require graphing skill, function analysis, solving higher order equations, investigating complex number systems, and working with matrices, conic sections, logarithms, data analysis and probability.

Trigonometry
This is a one semester course. Students will learn trigonometric concepts. Topics include trigonometric functions; graphs of trigonometric functions; trigonometric identities and equations; inverse trigonometric functions; the Laws of Sines and Cosines; area; vectors; applications of trigonometry; complex numbers, equations, and graphs; and a review of exponential and logarithmic functions.  Students will discover examples of the role of mathematics in daily life.

Calculus
This is a one semester course. A study of functions with applications, and an introduction to differential calculus, with a laboratory component. Topics include a review of algebra and functions, mathematical modeling with elementary functions, rates of change, inverse functions, logarithms and exponential functions, the derivative, differential equations.

Physical Education

Martial Arts
This class meets three hours per week. As with any form of sports or exercises, students will be required to selfpractice 15 to 30 minutes daily. In this class, students will gain a basic understanding and appreciation for the physical and philosophical aspects of Hong-Gia Viet-Nam. This form of martial arts utilizes Noi Cong (nei kung), Chi Kung, and fighting movements so that students can develop health, strength, and self-defense. As an"internal" martial art, students will learn to obtain great speed and power with minimal physical effort by utilizing the tendons, chi, and body position.

Music / Guitar
This course is intended to provide the student with a basic understanding of the guitar and the ability to perform music on the guitar. Facility will be achieved through the use of etudes, various exercises, and music given each week during class.

Science
Our science department offers an integrated course that includes the traditional principles of biology, chemistry, and physics. We cover the fundamental concepts that are basic to each of the three sciences, and teach students how to apply it, as an integrated whole, on a more practical level. The integrated course is taught over a three year period, with emphasis on each of the sciences for a particular year. The students will have completed the required fundamentals for graduation after these three courses. The students are then offered, as an elective, a year of vocational sciences that is more dedicated towards future career (examples include: dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, clinical research, engineering, laboratory research, etc.) In this elective course, they will be able to focus on their specific interests, in depth, in order to prepare them for college courses pertinent to their career choice.

Introduction To Computers
This is a one-semester introductory course and meets for six hours per week: 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. It will explore the concepts of how computers work, how information is stored in memory, and how stored programs allow the user to control the machine. No computer experience is assumed. Students will learn the history of computing, description of basic hardware components and will learn to fabricate one simple computer in the lab. Students will learn to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, Power Point, as well as other application soft-wares. This course will also introduce students to internet resources, explain the uses of computers in society, and more importantly, the impact of computerization on society.

Introduction to Physics
This is a one-semester introductory course. 6hrs / Week. 3 hours lecture and three hours of laboratory. Basic principles of physics presented without use of calculus. Topics cover: Kinematics, Circular Motion, Work and Energy, Linear Momentum and Rotational Motion, Elasticity and Fracture, Fluids, Vibration and waves, Sound, Heat, temperature and Kinetic Theory etc. This course presents concepts and methodologies for understanding physical phenomena.

Physics II
This is a one year course, 6 hrs/Week. 3 hours lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Chemistry I is recommended as prerequisite. This course will go in depth into Kinematics and dynamics of a particle, work, energy, momentum, harmonic motion, gravitation and circular orbits. Wave motion, interference, standing waves, the Doppler effect. Temperature, heat, first law of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases. Electric charge, Coulomb's law, electric field and potential, current, resistance, DC circuits. Magnetic force, electromagnetic induction. The nature of light, the spectrum. Photons, photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, deBroglie waves, energy levels, X-rays. Nuclei and radioactivity. Special relativity. Additional material will be at the discretion of the instructor.

Biology 101,102
Biology 204 (Health profession)
Prerequisite: Students who have completed SC 101, 102, 103 may choose this course as an elective. This course will pertain to those wishing to pursue a career in any of the health fields. Once completed, the students would have covered the equivalent of A.P Chemistry, A.P.Biology, and A.P.Physics. as offered in other high schools. Students who successfully complete this course should be prepared for the more advanced, higher level, college courses including Genetics,.
Special emphasis will be placed on the following areas of Biology: cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry of DNA, protein synthesis, biotechnology, human genetics, comparative anatomy and physiology. Special emphasis will be placed on the following areas of Chemistry: chemical reactions that occur within the human body, energy changes associated with physical and chemical reactions, atomic theory and structure, equilibrium, acids and bases, oxidation/reduction, thermodynamics, and organic chemistry.. This course involves the Special emphasis will be placed on the following areas of Physics: mechanics, wave motion, thermodynamics, light, electricity, magnetism and modern physics.

Biology 305 Independent Research
Prerequisite: completion Integrated Science course with a 3.0 or higher average in all previous math and science classes and have the recommendation of the science department.

The Independent Research course is a full-year elective open to students who have completed the Integrated Science program. Individual research project proposals are submitted for approval prior to the academic year. During the school year, students will finalize a proposal, prepare a written experimental design, perform the experiment, write a final research paper and participate in an annual science symposium. After the initial proposal is approved by the research director, a faculty mentor will be assigned to assist the research student; it is the responsibility of the student to actively work on his or her research throughout the entire academic year. Opportunities for research outside the research lab can be investigated and implemented, if appropriate. The science department funds research projects. Students who would like more information about this course should consult either a science teacher or the research director.

Social Studies

History
This two semester course introduces several disciplines through an examination of the period from the beginnings of settled life through the rise of the great classical civilizations to the collapse of the Roman Empire, using the text Ancient Civilizations supplemented with handouts and readings from other primary sources, such as the Bible, Greek myths and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The method and purpose of the study of history will be highlighted by examining as the core theme of the class Socrates’ question “How should a person live their life?” Students will be introduced to epistemology, philosophy, political science, economics and rhetoric. In addition to research and class presentations on such topics as the great wonders of the ancient world, students will also prepare papers and give impromptu arguments on various thought provoking topics, e.g., “Does the good of the many outweigh the needs of the few?” They will learn the different purposes for and techniques of oral and written presentation of ideas. The reconstruction of history as accurate social science will be blended with the ethical and practical problems posed by the events being studied, together with the role of the individual in shaping both their own life and that of their community. We will conduct a major exercise by presenting the mock trial of Socrates who was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and failing to believe in the state gods.

Theology

Church History Part I
Closely linked with the history of the West, the history of the Catholic Church is not only necessary to understand the nature and working of Catholicism, but is fundamental to understanding the historical dynamism shaping Western history. This course will cover both the theological and philosophical development of Catholicism, while also detailing the concurrent cultural progression of the arts and humanities. Large sections of the course will be devoted to art, architecture, music as well as the more standard history of the papacy, the various heresies, and the development of doctrine.