Each year, students from 9th to 12th grade design independent studies to either pursue advanced research within a chosen field, or to explore an area not currently supported by the Upper School curriculum. Independent studies should match the rigor and commitment of listed courses. If a student would like to propose an independent study with a faculty member, and that faculty member is willing and able to advise the study, then the faculty member should collaborate with the student to submit a proposal of no more than 1 page to the Academic Dean. Proposals are subject to the approval of the Academic Dean and the Director of College Counseling. The proposal should include a course title and description, which addresses the following:
Goals of the study
Content and Skills scope (what do you want to study and what do you want to learn how to do?)
How will you meet (how many times per week, how will you use that time?)
What will the project(s)/product(s) of these goals be? What are the assessment criteria?
What is the timeline? (1 semester, 2 semesters?)
Materials/technology that you need (that we don't currently have)
** Unless otherwise discussed with the Academic Dean, independent studies are assumed to be graded A-F. The grading rationale, course description, and course title should be developed collaboratively with the student.
In this independent study, I will work with my advisor to identify the phases of change in American culture, economics, and politics over the course of the 20th century. Analyzing archival records and scholarly studies, I will work to distinguish between major historical periods within the century and contextualize each period through and analysis of national developments and changes in America’s role in the world. through deep analysis of journalistic and government records collections, my project will appraise contemporary debates about American politics and culture in a historically informed manner. I will learn to evaluate moral, ethical, and pragmatic factors in decision-making and policy. This will culminate in a thesis that creates a typology of leadership for the 20th Century.
The focus of this study is to explore novel therapy treatments for HIV-1, which will begin a process to greatly reduce the acquisition of AIDS via a reduced CD4+ count. The specific process under study and experimentation: use the gp120 glycoprotein and the gp41 surface antigen of the HIV-1 virus, along with its envelope, integrase, and protease to create a new form of treatment. By taking out the vRNA of HIV-1 and replacing it with a double-stranded DNA sequence that encodes for the CAS9 protein with a gRNA assigned with a constant sequence of the HIV-1 vRNA, I will examine how to incite the CD4+ cells to produce HIV-1 CAS9 which, when that cell gets infected in the future by the HIV-1 virus, the CAS9 protein will cut the vRNA upon entry into the cytoplasm subsequently preventing the vRNA from reverse transcribing and integrating into the genome. There is also an ethical component that will be explored in the idea of adding to the cell and the legal debates surrounding experimentation.
This independent writing and directing class will be based on the script which I wrote for Junior thesis: A, I, and You. This story has described a family of four and their struggle with technology. The final goal for this class is to put up the production in the spring semester. In this course, I will be able to learn how to write a script that is powerful, at the same time convey the true message to the audiences. So that they could relate to themselves, and have deep thought from it. At the same time, I will also study a wide range of scripts and techniques in order to develop an exhibition for the spring. I will be advised in casting, script refining, and production design, launching the show at the end of the spring semester. The independent study is a final project in preparation for my enrollment in a conservatory next year.