Courses and Curriculum

Mathematics, Science, Computer Science, English/College Counseling

MATHEMATICS

All first-year students are placed in the appropriate sections based on materials received prior to the students’ arrival and the results of a test developed by the (MS)² faculty.  This test is administered at the student's home school and evaluated by the (MS)² faculty.  In the second- and third-year mathematics courses, placement is based on the previous summer's performance.

First Year: Algebra or Pre-calculus

The (MS)² program offers three sections of mathematics for first-year students.  Last summer, sections A and B studied algebra; section C studied pre-calculus.  The topics covered in algebra included: solving linear equations; problem-solving strategies; graphing linear equations; matrix operations; functions and transformations; recursion; probability and statistics.  Students used graphing calculators where appropriate.  The primary text was Algebra II, Larson, Kanold and Stiff, D.C. Heath and Company, 1993.

Second Year: Pre-calculus or Calculus

The (MS)² program offers three sections of mathematics for second-year students.  This summer, sections A and B studied pre-calculus; while section C studied Calculus.  The primary text for pre-calculus was Advanced Mathematics, Richard G. Brown, Houghton-Mifflin, 1994.  The topics covered included mathematical modeling with linear and quadratic equations; functions and transformations; descriptive statistics; curve fitting and modeling; recursion and iteration.  Students worked with TI-83 graphing calculators extensively in order to study functions that would be very difficult to graph by hand.

For those scholars who successfully completed the pre-calculus program in their first year, they took Calculus AB.  They studied limits, derivatives, applications of derivatives, definite and indefinite integrals.  The textbook used was Calculus (fourth edition) by Larson, Hostetler, and Edwards.

Third Year:  Calculus AB, BC or Special Topics in Mathematics (STIM)

The (MS)² program offers three sections of mathematics for third-year students.  This summer, sections A studied Calculus AB, section B studied Calculus BC, and section C (STIM) studied Multivariable calculus. 

SCIENCE

First Year:

Biology

The (MS)² biology course features an intensive examination of topics that are frequently left out of conventional high school biology courses due to lack of time and shortage of laboratory space.  Students gain an appreciation of the importance of biology and practice writing in both a descriptive and in an investigative manner.  Each class spends a significant amount of time in the lab.  The text was Biology, The Study of Life, 4th Edition, William Schraer and Herbert Stoltze, Prentice-Hall, 1991.

Special Topics in Chemistry (STIC)

The course covers the mole concept, solutions, bonding and structure, electron configurations and Lewis structures, periodicity, and thermodynamics-equilibrium as they apply to acid and base chemistry.  In five weeks, the students cover material that is equivalent to a little more than two thirds of what is covered in a typical honors chemistry course.  Students also go into the lab about twice a week.  Thus, it is the exceptional student who is invited to take this course.  The text used last summer was Atoms, Molecules and Reactions, Gillespie, Eaton, Humphries, and Robinson, Prentice-Hall, 1994.

Second Year: 

Chemistry

This course is a general overview of stoichiometry, thermochemistry, gas laws, electron configuration, solutions, equilibrium, acids and bases, and oxidation-reduction reactions.  One section of this course is designed for students who have had little or no chemistry.  Students gain skills and confidence in the laboratory and become proficient at writing succinct laboratory reports.  The text used last summer was Atoms, Molecules and Reactions, Gillespie, Eaton, Humphries, and Robinson, Prentice-Hall, 1994.

Special Topics in Physics (STIP)

Special Topics in Physics (STIP) is a rigorous introduction to classical Newtonian mechanics. This course was designed for students who had completed satisfactorily the rigorous Special Topics In Chemistry (STIC) course. The topics covered included velocity, acceleration, projectile motion, circular motion, conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, and fluid mechanics. Students learned to solve complicated multi-step problems and were able to gain significant exposure in a laboratory environment.

Third Year:

Physics

Physics is treated as an introduction to Newtonian mechanics without calculus so that students may develop an appreciation of the power of a small number of physics principles.  A special emphasis is placed on the development of the mathematical tools necessary to solve quantitative problems and the importance of careful writing in presenting lab results and a term paper on a physics-related topic.  The text was Physics, 2nd Edition, Cutnell and Johnson, John Wiley, 1992.

Special Topics in Electricity and Magnetism (STEM)

This course concentrates on electric and magnetic forces and fields, circuit analysis, and electromagnetic induction, providing students with a working understanding of a handful of powerful Physics principles.  Through extensive laboratory work, students become confident attacking problems that involve real analysis and synthesis rather than merely plugging numbers into a formula.  Labs range from a simple verification of Ohm’s Law to elegant measurements of the mass of the electron, the Earth’s magnetic field, and the magnetic permeability constant.  A special emphasis is placed on the importance of careful writing, both in the presentation of laboratory results and in a short (5-8 page) term paper on a Physics-related topic.  The text used was Physics, 4th edition, Cutnell and Johnson, John Wiley, 1998.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Special Topics in Computer Science (STICS)

This course covers the fundamentals of procedural computer programming, using C++ as a model language. After a brief introduction to computer architecture and the standard compilation process the course follows an examination of basic procedural elements, including variable types and declarations; arithmetic expressions; if-else blocks; iterative for, while, and do-while statements; and program design topics such as proper functional decomposition. Elementary applications such as Euclid’s GCD algorithm and root finding using Newton’s method as examples. The text book that was used was C++ for You++, by Maria and Gary Litvin.

ENGLISH/COLLEGE COUNSELING

First and Second Year: English

The English component of the (MS)² program is a two-year sequence which emphasizes expository writing to ensure that the (MS)² scholars’ achievements in mathematics and science are complemented by the writing skills which are vitally important to students in all fields of study.  Perhaps these skills are even more significant to students in fields which are not readily associated with facility in writing, but which in fact depend daily on expository writing.

              The first-year course focuses primarily on strengthening basic writing skills through a review of elemental grammar and an introduction to the fundamental rules of writing.  Students also read selected essays and short stories as models of good writing.  Class discussion of writing strategies and the ideas expressed in the readings assist students in developing their analytical skills as well as further enhancing their writing abilities.

              The second-year course builds on the writing skills developed in first-year English by focusing more on essay writing.  After a brief review of elemental grammar and the rules of writing, students concentrate on strengthening their essay-writing skills.  Selected readings of essays and longer texts serve as a catalyst for class discussion as well as a source of paper topics.  In the second half of the course, students explore various modes of essay writing, including narration, persuasion and exposition.

              Representative textual materials:  The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros, Vintage Books, 1989; Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes, Harper Perennial, 1990; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou, Bantam Books, 1969; Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel, Doubleday Books, 1992; A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Michael Dorris, Warner Books, 1987; Gorilla, My Love, Toni Cade Bandera, Vintage Books, 1992; Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Ballantine Books, 1959; The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison, Harper and Row, 1970; Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston, Penguin Books, 1937; Tracks, Louise Erdrich, Harper and Row, 1988; To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, Warner Books, 1960; Way Past Cool, Jess Mowry, Harper Perennial, 1992.

Third Year: College Counseling

This course covers the admissions process from the information-gathering stage to the decision stage for the third-year students.  Topics covered include visiting colleges, interviewing, writing the essay, financial aid, how admission committees work, and how to proceed towards making the right match.  The colleges visited this summer were: Brown University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wellesley College, and Yale University.  Students also participated in the annual college fair, organized by the Summer Session, with representatives present from 85 colleges and universities.