General Electives Courses

Course Detail: Yearbook teaches a variety of skills, including journalism, publishing and photography. The end result is a yearbook that students will keep for years. Students plan, organize and design our yearbook, conducting interviews with faculty and fellow students and covering all aspects of school like in words and pictures.

Course Detail: Special Projects are week-long programs designed to encourage intellectual excitement and experiential growth for both students and faculty in a context often not possible in ordinary classroom situations. They complement the regular academic offerings and may include intensely focused programs, travel, and integration of disciplines. All Special Projects are supervised by faculty. Supervising faculty will define appropriate academic requirements according to the goals of each project. Special Projects week is typically scheduled between winter and spring terms.

Course Detail: As part of their privilege to attend ASMS, students are required to complete satisfactorily two (2) hours of work service every week for the duration of their time at ASMS. Work service enables students to contribute to the cost of their education and to demonstrate commitment to the school. All work service assignments are essential contributions to the ASMS community. Work Service assignments are made according to the needs of the school and seniority of students. Incoming students are placed in maintenance for the first year. Efforts are made to place returning students in office positions.

Course Detail: All incoming sophomores and juniors are to complete satisfactorily the Orientation Program into which they are scheduled. Topics for this class include study skills, library research and plagiarism issues, time management, and stress management.

Course Detail: Students will participate in the design and publication of the school newspaper, Firewire. Students will study the practices of journalism and then write and edit articles for publication. Photography and web design may be topics for the course. Firewire may be published online or in a printed format. Prerequisites: Sophomore English.

Course Detail: Students will develop a plan of action to explore a problem in today's communities which allows for scientific discovery over the course of their Junior year. Successful completion will include a research paper, product, portfolio and presentation. Students will be able to demonstrate accumulated skills in time-management, research, problem-solving, human interaction, organization, public-speaking and self-sufficiency. Students must be enrolled for three terms to receive credit for this class. Students will receive a WF if they do not complete the entire sequence. .5 credits will be earned each term which will be awarded in full at the end of the third term. Requirement: Junior status, application process.

Course Detail: An introduction to world Mythology with emphases that can vary: Greek and Roman Myth, Egyptian, Hebrew, Hindu and Buddhist. Prerequisites: none.

Course Detail: This course provides an introduction to the study of psychology. Students will be introduced to topics that offer insight into human thought and behavior. The course will survey introductory topics such as learning, memory, sensation and perception, personality, lifespan development, physiological basis of behavior, stress and health, psychological disorders, social psychology, and research methods. Prerequisites: none.

Course Detail: This course offers a survey of both competitive and informal debate formats, including the classic Lincoln-Douglas model. While the course will emphasize oral communication, students will be expected to write short essays, research papers, and briefs in preparation for the debates. Prerequisites: none.

Course Detail: This course will introduce students to four qualitative research methods: phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, and case study. At the end of the course, students will be able to assess the rigor and trustworthiness of a qualitative inquiry of their choice and use a qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data and present results in the form of a paper, oral presentation, and poster. Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor.

Course Detail: Introduction to Research Methods is a required course for all sophomores. This class meets once a week for two terms and is graded pass/fail. This course introduces students to research methods and their application across a variety of disciplines as preparation for lifelong inquiry. Students will learn qualitative and quantitative research approaches, experimental design, ethics in research, research communication, and how to critically consume research. Prerequisites: none. 

Course Detail: Introduction to Research Methods is a required course for all sophomores. This class meets once a week for two terms and is graded pass/fail. This course introduces students to research methods and their application across a variety of disciplines as preparation for lifelong inquiry. Students will learn qualitative and quantitative research approaches, experimental design, ethics in research, research communication, and how to critically consume research. Prerequisites: none.