MIDDLESEX SCHOOL DESCRIPTION OF COURSES 2023-2024 ACADEMIC INFORMATION ACADEMIC PHILOSOPHY The purpose of the Middlesex academic program is to instill a love of learning and develop the skills that are essential to education in the liberal arts, the fine arts, and the sciences. By and large, the process for developing these skills is collaborative. Learning requires a meeting of faculty and student minds. With small classes, students have the opportunity — indeed, the obligation — to participate actively in the learning process. A Middlesex education depends on each student’s presence and good citizenship in class as bedrock elements of the academic program. While at times participation may entail simply listening attentively, more often participation calls for thoughtful class preparation and active involvement in class discussion or class presentations. In such circumstances, teachers are best able to guide students in developing their strengths and strengthening their weaknesses. Students also share responsibility for monitoring their own progress and are expected to seek extra help whenever they find themselves confused or in need of further support. Toward this end, the School provides its students with small classes; a talented, dedicated, and accessible faculty; and the rich and varied curriculum described in the pages that follow.
COURSE SELECTION Middlesex School encourages its students to think carefully about course selection and to create each year a course of study consistent with their interests, strengths, and background. Each year, students will be invited to review the Curriculum and receive instructions from the Academic Office for creating a course of study. In planning their program for the coming academic year, current students must meet with their advisors to submit electronically their course requests. Entering students receive information from the Academic Office regarding appropriate course requests and placement. Department heads play an active role in the course selection process. In some departments, such as Mathematics, Science and in each of the languages, the department heads place students in the appropriate courses and levels each semester. Courses at Middlesex are scheduled by time blocks, lettered A through G (these blocks are subject to change as students’ schedules are configured). Each block represents a number of class periods a week. Some courses may include extra periods, X; others may meet fewer periods a week. The Curriculum provides the essential minimum of information necessary to request academic courses. For a full description of academic policies, refer to the Handbook. The course descriptions are accurate at the time of publication. However, the information listed is subject to revision and change from time to time including, but not limited to, course content and requirements at the discretion of the School and updated course descriptions are available on the School’s website. Although we hope to offer the courses described in this catalogue, courses that do not directly fulfill a diploma requirement will not be taught if enrollment is insufficient. It is the hope of the School to schedule each student into the courses the student has requested. However, for a variety of reasons it is not always possible to schedule each particular student into every course requested.
YEAR AND SEMESTER COURSES A course listed as Year must be taken both semesters in succession. Only in an extraordinary circumstance may a student drop a yearlong course at the end of the first semester with the permission of the Department and the Academic Office. A course listed as either Fall or Spring may be elected only in that semester. A course listed as Fall, Spring may be taken in either, but not both, semesters.
CREDIT AND REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS Courses at the School are offered by academic departments, such as English and Mathematics, and the departments are in turn grouped into divisions: Humanities; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Social Sciences; and Arts. Students are expected to meet requirements set by the departments and within the four divisions. All students are expected to take a minimum of five-and-a-half courses each semester during their Class IV (Grade 9) and Class III (Grade 10) years, and five courses each semester during their Class II (Grade 11) and Class I (Grade 12) years, unless the faculty has made a special exception. Students in Classes I and II should elect their five courses within the limits set by the distributional requirements. In extraordinary circumstances, exceptions to the distributional requirements may be granted by the Academic Office. 1
