Introduction to Literature and Composition is a yearlong course that concentrates on critical reading of texts from different genres that reflect themes of identity and self-discovery from different cultural perspectives and where the focus of composition is developing clear and purposeful writing.

World Literature and Composition is a yearlong course where students read international texts and additional supplemental works including poetry, short stories and nonfiction. The course concentrates on how the human experience is expressed in literature from around the world.

This is the first of a two-year course that prepares students to take the IB Literature exam at the Higher level. Students will focus on novels, poetry, and plays, adopting a variety of approaches to textual criticism. Students explore the nature of literature, the aesthetic function of literary language, and the relationship between literature and the world. Works are studied in their literary and cultural contexts, through close study of individual texts and passages, and by considering a range of critical approaches. This course culminates in an individual presentation based on critical analysis of two of the works studied throughout the course of the year.

This is the second year of a two-year course that prepares students to take the IB Literature exam at the Higher level. Students will focus on novels, poetry, and plays, adopting a variety of approaches to textual criticism. Students explore the nature of literature, the aesthetic function of literary language, and the relationship between literature and the world. Works are studied in their literary and cultural contexts, through close study of individual texts and passages, and by considering a range of critical approaches. This class culminates in the completion of the HL Literary Essay and preparation for the IB HL Literature Exams.

Bridge to College English is yearlong course that emphasizes focused reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research work based on Washington State’s K-12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts (the Common Core State Standards, CCSS-ELA). This course will develop students’ college and career readiness by building skills in critical reading, academic writing, speaking and listening, research and inquiry, and language use.

World History 1 & 2 is a yearlong course of study that focuses on the cultures and regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. While geography and history are fundamental to the study of each region, emphasis is also placed on the regions’ contemporary cultural, political, and economic characteristics. By studying major cultural areas, students should better understand the current and changing conditions in the world as well as relationship of the United States to these regions. Skill development includes working with historical texts and maps, interpreting data in various formats, and writing historical narrative.

World History 3, the third semester of the World History courses, encompasses 1945 C.E. to the present in the continued investigation of the emergence of civilizations across the globe.

Can be taken in place of World History 3 or as an elective.

In the IB History of the Americas course, students investigate major themes in the history of all of the Americas (North America, the Caribbean, and Central/South America). Units may include topics such as independence movements, the U.S. Civil War, the Mexican Revolution, Civil Rights and Social Movements, and Political Developments in Latin America. This course focuses on reading challenging texts, conducting historical research and developing writing skills. Students also engage in disciplinary literacy skills, such as document analysis. A major independent research project is required and is credited toward the overall IB History exam score. To qualify for the IB exam, students must also take a second year of IB History.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is the central, worldwide-required element of the IB Diploma Program. TOK asks student to be critical in the examination of what can be known, how that knowledge is constructed, and how claims about knowledge vary between disciplines as well as cultures. Students are asked to reflect on the interaction between different areas of knowledge, various ways of knowing, and the knower. Special attention is given to developing writing skills appropriate for philosophical inquiry as well work on the Extended Essay.

IB Personal and Professional Skills emphasizes the development of transferable skills needed to operate successfully in society. The course focuses on critical and ethical thinking, intercultural understanding and the ability to communicate effectively. This is the first semester of the two-semester course, completed over junior and senior years, is required for all students attempting the IB Career Path certificate.

The purpose of this course in American government and economics is to give students an understanding of how their government works and how their economic system operates in order for them to participate meaningfully in making decisions that affect their lives.