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International Baccalaureate Courses

College & Career Planning

COLLEGE PREPARATORY (CP) courses are designed to prepare students for the rigors of college courses. Students in college preparatory classes are open-minded and seek to develop the skills necessary to analyze and synthesize information. Students will be provided with scaffolded opportunities to solidify their time management, note-taking, and study skills. Courses are designed to build a solid foundation in a particular content area. Opportunities for enrichment will be available.

ADVANCED (A) courses are recommended for students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement through a combination of ability and motivation. The Advanced level assumes that students are independent learners who can work with limited teacher support. Students are advanced and enthusiastic readers who can make inferences, draw connections, and comprehend texts with sophisticated themes and vocabulary at a fairly fast pace. These courses contain considerable enrichment and acceleration. Instruction will assume that students are able to grasp concepts on initial presentation. There will be little practice or repetition within the classroom. Students are expected to be able to organize their time, to plan long-term assignments, and to seek help when necessary, all on their own initiative. Advanced course enrollment requires teacher recommendation.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

It is essential for any pre-university education to equip students with the depth of discipline-specific knowledge and skills that they will need for their chosen academic and career paths. However, this must be balanced with the breadth needed to develop well-rounded students who can draw connections between different disciplines. As such, the philosophy of the IB Diploma Programme is that students should engage with a range of subjects while being able to explore specific areas of personal interest in greater depth.

• IB STANDARD LEVEL (SL) courses are rigorous core content based classes that focus on the “what” beyond concepts and theories.

• IB HIGHER LEVEL (HL) courses tend to delve deeper into the concepts that SL subjects cover focusing not only on the “what” but also the “how” and “why”. The core content is the same as the SL course in the same discipline, however, additional topics are covered.

Students will study the geographical, social, economic, and political foundations of early civilizations progressing through the Roman Empire. They will analyze the shift from nomadic societies to agricultural societies. Students will study the development of civilizations, including the areas of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, and Rome. The study of these civilizations will include the impact of geography, early history, cultural development, and economic change. The geographic focus will include the study of physical and political features, economic development and resources, and migration patterns.

This course is an introduction to world geography, covering the essential elements of geography, exposing misconceptions about geography, maps and more. Throughout the course, students will learn about Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas, with a focus on the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayan and European cultures. The course will look at the physical, cultural, and historical aspects of these places. Through this journey, students will be exposed to not only geography but also to learning necessary skills such as note taking, research, study, and writing skills that they will need to further themselves in future history courses.

This class will take a thematic approach to the teaching of US History through an examination of the revolutionary ideals and actions that brought about the founding of the US. This course will then discuss the societal, economic and political implications of territorial expansion during the 19th century. In this theme, students will also explore the impact of this expansion on the native peoples of the North American continent as well as those affected by racial slavery in our country. Students will link the factors that threatened to divide the US and also those that allowed the US to become an industrial and global power in the 20th century. Furthermore, this course will provide students with a historical background and perspective on America’s emergence on the world stage in the early part of the 20th century.

• Levels: College Prep, Advanced
• Credits: 1

This course will provide a foundation of knowledge about the structure of American Government and establish the skills necessary to analyze the roles of citizens, government and the media. Students will examine the process of civic engagement by studying the US electoral process. In addition, this course will examine the responsibilities and powers of the citizen and government in response to issues such as the economy, civil rights, human rights, immigration, climate change and other issues facing our country and world.

• Levels: College Prep, Advanced
• Credits: 1

Our class begins with an introduction to the foundations of modern society. Survey studies of world religions, forms of government, and economic systems will provide students with a fundamental understanding of the causes of many of the conflicts in modern history. From there we start working from the tail end of the middle ages and the Renaissance up through World War I. We will analyze intellectual revolutions like the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment, political revolutions like those in France, Haiti, and Mexico, industrialization, imperialism, culminating in our study of The Great War and the Second World War. Students will also create submissions for the annual Vermont History Day competition.

At the Advanced level, this class will require depth of thought and development of study, research and writing skills. Students continue to develop historical skills, including source analysis, research skills, and construction of well-supported arguments. This class assumes that students are independent learners who can work with limited teacher support. Students are advanced and enthusiastic readers; they can make inferences, draw connections, comprehend and appreciate texts with sophisticated vocabulary and concepts, and read at a fast pace.

• Levels: Advanced, IB Standard Level
• Length: two years (SL), one-year (advanced)
• Credits: 1 per year

This course focuses on the history of the 20th century from a world perspective. The first year focuses on the study of the rise of authoritarian states, and a comparison of development and implications of the Apartheid movement and the US Civil Rights movement. The second year is a continuation of a study of the 20th century with an examination of the causes, practices and effects of the Cold War from a world perspective. This class will also spend a significant amount of time learning about research methods and writing in the social sciences.

This course requires students to identify patterns in historical events, whether they are political, economic, or social. It invites comparisons between, but not judgments of, different cultures, political systems and traditions. This practice provides an excellent foundation for the promotion of international understanding and intercultural awareness necessary to prepare students for global citizenship. Above all, it fosters respect and understanding of people and events in a variety of cultures throughout the world.

Level Distinctions:

Standard Level (SL)

External Assessment

• • Paper 1: Source-based paper

  • Paper 2: Essay paper

Internal Assessment

Historical Investigation

• Levels: IB Higher Level
• Length: two-years
• Credits: 2

This two year course explores the history of the 20th century from a world perspective as well as the political, economic, social, and ideological implications of the first half of the 20th Century with a focus on the Americas (US and Latin America). The first year on the study of the rise of authoritarian states, and a comparison of the development and implications of the Apartheid movements and the US Civil Rights Movement. The second year is a continuation of a study of the 20th century with an examination of the causes, practices and effects of the Cold War both from a world perspective and through the lens of Latin America. This class will spend a significant amount of time learning about and practicing research methods and writing in the social sciences. Students will be prepared for the Higher Level IB external assessment. Students are encouraged to engage with multiple perspectives and to appreciate the complex nature of historical concepts, issues, events and developments. A goal is to promote international mindedness through the study of history from more than one region of the world. 

This class seeks to develop an understanding of history as a discipline; a historical consciousness, including a sense of chronology and context; and an understanding of different historical perspectives. Students will also develop key historical skills, including engaging effectively with sources

Higher Level (HL)

External Assessment

• Paper 1: Source-based paper

• Paper 2: Essay paper

• Paper 3: Essay paper

Internal Assessment

Historical Investigation

• Levels: College Prep
• Length: Semester
• Credits: .5

Have you ever wondered why people do the things they do? Where does the idea of poverty come from? How about the concept of racial inequality? The study of sociology tries to answer these types of questions. This course will focus on sociology as a tool to understand the social, cultural, and economic systems that make our world turn. Students will be introduced to important sociological concepts including socialization, culture, social construction of knowledge, socio-economic inequality, racial inequality, poverty, and political sociology.

This class will require a considerable amount of perspective-stretching as we examine ideas and behaviors that are completely foreign to many people. Being an elective course, it will be designed for students with a genuine interest in the subject matter. There will be a certain level of independence required of students when it comes to research and assignment completion.

• Levels: College Prep
• Length: Semester
• Credits: .5

The human mind is an incredible thing. Using this enigmatic organ, humans have created languages, built empires, created items of immense power, cultivated new food, invented countless machines, cured diseases…its capacity seems almost limitless. But all of these achievements tend to come from a common human desire; to understand the world around us. Have you ever stopped to think why robbery is seen as a negative behavior? Perhaps you have considered why people seem to be drawn to specific works of art.

Philosophical study is the name we have given to the human quest for understanding. In this course, students will learn how to discuss, analyze, clarify, and create arguments that will help them to be successful in an academic context..

• Levels: College Prep
• Length: Semester
• Credits: .5

This course explores modern religious conflicts, examining how religious, ethnic, and political identities intersect to fuel violence across regions. Students will analyze key case studies: “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, where sectarian tension between Catholics and Protestants was interwoven with issues of national identity and independence; the Serbian and Armenian genocides, showcasing how state forces targeted religious minorities in the Balkans and Ottoman Empire; the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, highlighting persecution faced by Muslim minorities in a Buddhist-majority country; and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of the world’s most complex struggles over land, nationalism, and religious identity. Through these conflicts, students will analyze how religion shapes identities and serves as both a source of solidarity and a tool for exclusion in modern political landscapes.

• Levels: College Prep
• Length: Semester
• Credits: .5

This course will be a survey of world history in the 20th century. It will begin with a discussion of the causes and effects of the First World War and the rise of authoritarian leaders in the aftermath of that conflict. In addition, it will explore the causes and effects of the Second World War and the emergence of the superpower states. In the second semester, this course will examine the ideology, geopolitics and major crises of the Cold War before completing our study with a focus on the implications of the Vietnam War on US society and culture.