Sandy Spring Friends School

Elective courses are those courses which do not fit neatly into a particular academic department, but may be taken for graduation credit. These courses, or any other upper level course in a department, may be used to fulfill the "elective credit" requirement for graduation.

Elective courses offered each semester

GRAMMAR WRITING WORKSHOP
In this semester-long ESL course, students work with their instructor to design an independent study program focusing primarily on improving their writing skills and increasing their use of English grammar. Students also have the option of using this course for TOEFL/SAT I preparation. Students will keep a daily journal and write several self-evaluations throughout the course. This class is open to all international students and is a concurrent requirement to support the transition of all international students entering non-ESL English or History courses for the first time.

1st Semester Elective Courses

QUAKERISM
Required for students new to Sandy Spring Friends School in 10th, 11th and 12th grade during the first semester. Open as an elective for 10th, 11th and 12th grade returning students. See description under Religion/Service.

AMERICAN CULTURE I
This semester-long course is open to all students. The course is designed to help international students to better acculturate to life in the United States. It will help American students to better understand the nature of the American character and how Americans are perceived by other cultures around the world. The class seeks to help students understand what core American values are, where they come from and how they are realized here at Sandy Spring Friends School and in contemporary American society. Students will explore American culture through assigned readings, film, class discussion, surveys, presentations and several papers. This course, along with American Culture II, is a requirement for all new international students. Both courses are highly recommended for American students interested in pursuing the study of foreign languages and travel and/or study abroad.

NEWSPAPER I
Students new to this course will learn the fundamentals of journalism with exercises and readings three or four days a week. On the other days, students will work on articles, take photographs, and design pages for the student newspaper, The Gnus, which will publish at least two times a semester. The Gnus is a student forum, and students interested in telling the stories of their community and making a difference at Sandy Spring Friends School are encouraged to join. All levels of experience are welcome.

ACTIVISM AND PHILANTHROPY
This is an elective course open to all grades. Students will study some of the big problems and choices we face as a society, and debate them from different points of view. We will learn how to make an impact on public policy and communicate effectively with our representatives in government. The class will organize a letter writing event, giving all students in the school an opportunity to express their views on important issues coming up for a vote in the U.S. Congress or Maryland state legislature. Students will adopt another project of their own choosing, and select topics they want to study and debate. These could include the environment, economic policies, social justice, criminal justice, war and peace, civil liberties, and more. We will bring activists into the class and share their visions, tools and strategies. Toward the end of the course, students will decide how to give away $8,000.00 (received as a grant to be used by the class) to the organizations they choose, on the issues they think are most important.

2nd Semester Elective Courses

AMERICAN CULTURE II
This semester-long course is open to all students. The course is designed to help international students better acculturate to life in the United States and at Sandy Spring Friends School. It offers American students an opportunity to better understand the nature of their character and how they are perceived by other cultures around the world. American Culture II focuses on the assimilation of different groups into American culture and how both Americans and immigrant groups have been affected. It will then explore skills and strategies that individuals can use to smooth the path across cultures. Through exercises and activities similar to those used in American Culture I, this course will focus on learning what acculturation means, how the process of acculturation works and what strategies can be employed to make crossing cultures a positive, productive and enriching experience. American Culture II, along with American Culture I, is a requirement for all new international students. Both courses are highly recommended for American students interested in pursuing the study of foreign languages and future travel and/or study abroad.

NEWSPAPER II
See description under NEWSPAPER I.

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