The Providence Country Day School Global Campus

DUAL DIPLOMA PROGRAM FOR GLOBAL STUDENTS

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits
This catalog of course descriptions is to provide a basic
overview of the courses that make up the 6 required
credits to complete the PCDS Global US Dual HighSchool Diploma program.
It is organized around a 2-year program where 1 credit istaken each of 3 Semesters per year:
1st Semester: Sep-Dec
2nd Semester: Jan-Apr
3rd Semester: May-Aug

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 1st Semester

English for Academic
Purposes (0.5)
The objective of this ½ credit
EAP Course is to assist students
to improve their English
proficiency skills from their entry
level of B1 to B2 and perhaps as
high as C1 but for the purpose
academic learning.

EAP
Course

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 1st Semester
Art Appreciation (0.5)
Major Concepts
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Elements of Art & Principles of
DesignAncient Art
Aegean, Greek, Etruscan, andRoman Art
Medieval Art
The Renaissance to Rococo
Pre-modern Art
Modern Art
Modernism and Post-modernism

Course Description
What makes an artwork a masterpiece? Why do artists
create art? What is the difference between Rococo and
Art Nouveau? In this course, students will discover theanswers to these questions and more. We examine theelements of art and principles of design and explore howartists have used these elements and principles in thecreation of art for centuries.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 2nd Semester
Renewable Energy (0.5)
Major Concepts
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Renewable Energy and Sustainability:
Overview
Renewable Energy Options
Assessing Renewable Energy
Technologies
The Future of Renewable Energy
Aspects of Sustainability
Sustainable Societies
Biodiversity
Smart Growth and the Built
Environment

Course Description
The earth’s population is growing rapidly, and we need tofind new, innovative ways to ensure that we are able toprovide for our global energy needs. Students will look at
the reasons why sustainability is important, take abalanced and evidence-based look at climate change, andlearn new ways that we can harness renewable
resources.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 2nd Semester
Marine Science (0.5)
Major Concepts

Course Description

Humans and the Ocean•
Plankton, Plants, and Algae•
Animals of the Sea•
Habitats and Ecology•
Life at Extremes•Intelligence in the Sea•
Futures in Marine Science

About 70% of the Earth is covered by water. Even today,much of the world’s oceans remain unexplored. Marine
scientists make exciting new discoveries about marine life
every day. In this course, students will discover the vast
network of life that exists beneath the ocean’s surface andstudy the impact that humans have on the oceans.

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The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 3rd Semester
Media & Communication (0.5)
Major Concepts

Course Description

Introduction to Mass Media andCommunication•
Print Media: Newspapers, Magazines, &Books•Electronic Media: Radio, Movies, andTelevisions•
The Internet & Social Media•The Powerful Influence of Media•
Advertising and Public Relations•
Media Law and Regulations•
The Ethics of Media

From banner ads to billboards, newspaper articles, and Facebook
feeds, people are constantly sharing ideas. This course looks at
the many facets of mass media. Students will learn how themedia shapes every aspect of our lives. We examine the role ofnewspapers, books, magazines, radio, movies, television, and thegrowing influence of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

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The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

First Year: 3rd Semester
Music Appreciation (0.5)
Course Description
Students will gain a thorough understanding of musicby studying the elements of music, musicalinstruments, and music history, as well as music
advocacy. Students will be introduced to the orchestra
and composers from around the world. They will be
required to be a composer, performer, instrument
inventor, and advocate.

Overview
The various elements of music each play anessential role in the production of music.
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The different instrument families each containseveral unique characteristics.
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Music has radically developed, changed, andgrown in a deliberate manner since the beginningof known music.
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Musical genres of the 20th and 21st century arevery diverse and unique and music advocacy isessential to continue the development of newunique musical genres•

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Second Year: 1st Semester
Calculus (1.0)

Major Concepts•

Course Description•

This Calculus course is designed with the intent for students toincorporate the concepts of all previous math courses and expand
upon these concepts with the implementation of Limits. Emphasis isplaced upon the multi-representational approach to calculus whereproblems and their solutions are explored and interpreted graphically,
numerically, analytically and verbally. Students will also be required to
explain their answers in written form and will be asked to compare
their written response to the AP grading rubric and explain why they
feel they should receive that grade. Students are required to use
graphing calculators. These calculators will be used in a variety ofways including multi-representation of equations (graphs and tables)
and also for conducting explorations with various functions and how
different values change the look of the function.

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Students should develop a deeper understanding of very small and very large
numbers and a variety of ways to represent them.
Representations should be used to model and interpret physical, social, andmathematical phenomena.
Mathematical thinking should be communicated coherently and clearly toteachers, peers, and others.
Students should be able to judge the meaning, utility, and reasonableness of
the results of symbol manipulation, including those carried out by technology.
Functions should be analyzed by investigating rates of change, intercepts,
zeros, asymptotes, and local and global behavior.
Students should be able to use the language of mathematics to express
mathematical ideas incisively.
The connection between derivatives, antiderivatives, and integrals.
Theorems involving integrals including the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
and the Second Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
How to construct antiderivatives using graphs, numbers, and differential
equations.
Different types of functions require different methods of finding integrals
When we can’t find an exact integral we can use approximation we can findapproximate integrals when there is not a finite interval
Use integrals to compute volumes of irregular shapes.
Use integrals to solve differential equations.
Use integrals to solve real world exponential growth and decay problems.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Second Year: 2nd Semester
Language Arts I (1.0)
Semester A
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Reading skills and strategies
Literary elements and devices
Reading informational text
Text structures
Writing narratives and information
Collaborative discussion
Peer review
Word attack skills

Semester B
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Literary forms
Comparative literature
Literary analysis
Evaluating arguments
Research process and skills
Forms of media and multimedia

Course Description
Semester A

Required Novels (choose one persemester):•Romeo and Juliet (Semester A)•
To Kill a Mockingbird (Semester B)•
Optional Novels (Choose 1 per
Semester)•
The Old Man and the Sea•
House on Mango Street•
Fahrenheit 451•
The Odyssey•
Ender’s Game•
Speak of Mice and Men

English for grade 9 is an integrated curriculum. Each unit contains thematically related
lessons in five domains: reading and the study of literature, reading informational text,
writing, speaking and listening, and language study, which includes word knowledge
and grammar skills. Topics are presented in ways that help young adolescents relate
literacy skills to other aspects of their lives. Writing assignments include narrative,
expository, and persuasive/argumentative modes and emphasize the use of anddetails and reasoning to support ideas. Speaking and listening lessons in Semester A
emphasize collaborative discussion skills and peer review. Vocabulary development
instruction is integrated into literature and informational text lessons. Each unit ends
with an authentic assessment that presents students with a real-world scenario
requiring some of the skills they learned in the unit.

Semester B

Like semester A, semester B consists of integrated units focused on a theme or modeof study. Literature study in semester B focuses on the analysis of different forms ofliterature and on comparative studies of world literature and literature delivered indifferent media. Writing and informational text lessons guide students through thestages of research and demonstrate how to evaluate, integrate, and share theinformation gathered during research. Students are required to share their ideas andanalysis using several different modes, including oral and multimedia presentations.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Second Year: 3rd Semester
World History (1.0)
Semester A
Major Concepts
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Reading and analyzing
history
Early civilizations
The first cities and empires
Roots of the world’s religions
The Middle AgesThe Age of Exploration
The Reformation
The Renaissance
The Age of Reason
The Enlightenment

Semester B
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The Scientific Revolution
The Industrial Revolution
Colonization andImperialism
20th century political andsocial movements
World Wars I and II
The Cold War
Modern independence
movements
Contemporary global
conflicts
Globalization

Course Description
Semester A

World History begins with a focus on the skills needed to read, understand,and analyze history, also demonstrating how historians and social
scientists arrive at their conclusions about human history. Semester A
covers the history of civilization from hunter-gatherer societies through thecharacteristics of the earliest civilizations to the Enlightenment period inWestern Europe. The second half of Semester A explores early
intellectual, spiritual, and political movements and their impact oninteractions among world cultures.
Semester B
Semester B applies the reading and analytical strategies introduced in
Semester A to the events and movements that created the modern world.
In the second semester, World History emphasizes the effects of theIndustrial Revolution and changing attitudes about science and religion as
well as the impact of European colonization. Students are encouraged tomake connections between World War I and II and events related to theCold War and between 19th-century imperialism and modern
independence movements.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Alternatives
Psychology (1.0)
Semester A
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The field of psychology covers a vast area to include therapy,
education, psychological disorders, industry, and animal training.
Psychologists use a variety of methods to gather data such as
observations, experiments, survey, and tests.
Different psychologists have different theories on how personalities
are developed.
Genetics, environment and culture can influence personality
development.
Development is a life long process that includes physical, social,language, cognitive, moral and gender.
Some theorists believe that individuals must go through specificstages to reach their maximum development potential.
Mental and physical aspects of consciousness are intertwined.
Hypnosis, sleep and psychoactive drugs influence our state ofconscious awareness.
While there is no definitive purpose to dreams, there are many
theories explaining their meanings or purposes.

Semester B
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Enduring Understandings of this course:
Some researchers have suggested that intelligence is a single, generalability, while others believe that intelligence encompasses a range of
aptitudes, skills and talents.
Some researchers believe animals can think.
What is behaviorism and how do behaviorists study learning?
What are the principles of classical and operant conditioning and how dothey affect our learning?
Why people behave differently in groups than they would individually.
How social norms and rules govern most of our behavior.
Defining mental disorder is difficult.
Psychological disorders consist of anxiety disorders, mood disorders,personality disorders, drug abuse & addiction, dissociative identity disorderand schizophrenia.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Alternatives
Psychology (1.0) Page 2
Course Description
Semester A

Semester B

In Psychology A the student begins with a brief
history of psychologists and their experimental
methods. Next they examine personality theories.
Then human development from the infant stage
through adult stage is explored. Finally, the last partof the course is about consciousness: sleep,
dreams, and conscious-altering substances.
Students are encouraged to increase their own selfawareness as they move through the course.

Students continue to learn about psychology.
Students examine the nature of intelligence inhumans and animals, including the origin of
intelligence and how to measure it. They learn about
learning with an emphasis on classical and operant
conditioning. Students also investigate social
psychology and psychological disorders. They
demonstrate their understanding by completing
projects in which they play roles like teacher, parent,
and psychologist.

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Alternatives
Creative Writing (1.0)
Course Description
Semester A
At the beginning of the semester, students ••consider the importance of word play•
exercises in improving their facility with•language while building a compelling and•creative writing style. Focusing on word
nuances and precision, later lessons guide •students to write in a variety of short modes •—including poetry, song lyrics, prose poetry, •short short stories, and creative nonfiction. •There are several opportunities for peer
review in this semester, during which
students learn best practices for participatingin writing workshops, and then revise theirwork using feedback from their peers.

Semester B
Word play
Lyric and narrative poetry
Prose poetry
Creative nonfiction
Writing communities
Mixed art forms
Writing workshops
Collaboration
Self-publishingThis semester focuses on longer works of fiction:short stories, plays, and novels. Students learn basic
techniques of plot and character development alongwith strategies for creating suspense and building atheme, and they have opportunities to write inseveral different genres. Lessons cover a few
special topics as well, including graphic novels,
animation, comedy, and improvisation. Students
apply what they have learned about writing
workshops and revising to the longer pieces ofwriting they create for this semester.

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Plays and screenplay
Comedy writing
Fiction genres
Character-driven plots
Roles of suspense, symbolism,
and theme
Newer forms of fiction
Graphic fiction and other visual
forms
Planning a novel

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Alternatives
Graphic Design (0.5)
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Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:Show skills in lettering.
Demonstrate techniques in layout design that include balance, margins,
airspace, emphasis, and clarity.
Solve assignment challenges with planning, practice, patience, and the useof techniques introduced in the course.
Demonstrate awareness of art movements and artists throughout the historyof design.
Demonstrate good design principles with a focus on the composition of
assignments.
Demonstrate increased clarity and self-confidence in visual decision-making.
Use increased awareness of visual elements in order to create a more
successful design.
Fill the role of a designer to enhance living by applying a developed sense ofaesthetics and utility to the creation of a wide variety of images.
Demonstrate visual literacy in discernment in the media of today.

Course Description
Graphic Design is an introduction to elements of design, spatial relationships,
typography and imagery as they apply to practical visual solutions for self-promotion,
resumes, logo design, Web design, and sequential systems. In this course, thestudent explores the basic foundations of design through a series of visual projects
that explore the principles and elements of design. Students will work both withanalog and digital media as they explore two-dimensional and three-dimensional
design along with color theory. This course will help develop and explore a student’s
ability to communicate visually.
In each lesson students acquire new skills, which take some effort. Beyond
fundamental skills are various levels of creativity. Each lesson provides room for a
student to express the technical skill learned in his or her own creative way.

Software Needed (Choose One)••••

Adobe Illustrator (there is a cost associated, Mac OS X, Windows)
Adobe Photoshop (there is a cost associated, Mac OS X, Windows)
GIMP (free downloadable, Mac OS X, Windows, GNU/Linux)
Pixlr (free browser-based program, Mac OS X, Windows,
GNU/Linux, Chrome OS)

The US Dual Diploma Program
Options for the Required 6 Credits

Alternatives
Other Core Courses (A+B=1.0 Cr.) Other Electives (mostly 0.5 cr.)
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American Government•
American History A&B•
Civics•Honors American Government•
Honors American History A&B•
Honors Economics•
Honors World History A&B
World Geography and Cultures A&B ••Anatomy and Physiology A&B
Biology A&B
Chemistry A&B
Earth Science A&B

Honors Biology A&B
Honors Chemistry A&B
Honors Physics A&B
Marine Science
Paleontology
Physical Science A&B
Physics A&B
Renewable Energy
Space Exploration

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Accounting
Arts Careers
Basic Web Design
Business Law
Career Planning
Computer Basics
Digital Media
Digital Photography
Film and Television

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Financial Literacy
Health Careers
Intro to Business
Intro to Java Programming
Intro to Nursing A&B
JavaScript
Medicine
Photojournalism
Python Multiplayer
Adventure