Other Courses

Honors STEM English I/II is a required course for the cohort taught at Normal West. It combines the curricula of Normal West's Freshman and Sophomore English classes. 

Concepts

In Honors English I/II, students will cover genre-based units including the short story, poetry, non-fiction, Shakespearean plays, and the novel. Core skills include effectively researching topics for credible sources, incorporating this research into writing with a focus on sophisticated quote integration, writing persuasively with an introduction to ethos, pathos, and logos, the foundational speech components/speaking in front of the class, and participating in group discussions and debate.  

Students will complete one Humanities course through Heartland Community College during the summer after sophomore year.  Students can take any Fine Arts course that meets IAI General Education requirements.

A list of courses can be found here.

More information about HCC Humanities & Fine Arts courses can be found here.

Dual Credit Introduction to Composition is a semester course taught at Normal West and will be taken during a cohort student's first semester of their junior year. Completing the course awards credit hours from Heartland Community College that will count towards the student's degree.

Concepts

In Dual Credit Introduction to Composition, students learn and exercise the following concepts:

• Rhetorical Appeals

• Rhetorical Devices

• Rhetorical Fallacies

• Best Research Practices

• MLA and APA Formatting

Dual Credit Introduction to Western Civilization is a semester course taught at Normal West and will be taken during a cohort student's first semester of their junior year. Completing the course awards credit hours from Heartland Community College that will count towards the student's degree.

Concepts

In Dual Credit Introduction to Western Civilization, students learn about the following civilizations and their impacts on the human world:

• Mesopotamia

• Egypt

• Greece

• Rome

Dual Credit Multimodal Composition is a semester course taught at Normal West and will be taken during a cohort student's second semester of their junior year. Completing the course awards credit hours from Heartland Community College that will count towards the student's degree.

Concepts

In Dual Credit Multimodal Composition, students learn and exercise the concepts from ENGL-101 through the following mediums:

• Essays

• Presentations

• Letters

• Videos

• Posters

• Infographics

AP U.S. Government & Politics is a required class for the cohort that students will take in their Junior Year. The AP Test is mandatory, as a student MUST score a 3 or higher on the exam to continue in the cohort.

Concepts

In AP U.S. Government & Politics, students learn about:

• Foundation of American Government

• The Three Branches of U.S. Government

• Civil Liberties & Rights

• Political Ideologies

• Political Participation

Dual Credit Oral Communications is a semester course taught at Normal West and will be taken during a cohort student's senior year. Completing the course awards credit hours from Heartland Community College that will count towards the student's degree.

Concepts

In Dual Credit Oral Communications, students learn about the following concepts:

• Our worldview and how it affects us as speakers and as listeners

• An effective speech writing process

• Proper APA formatting

  • How to structure a professional speaker outline

Dual Credit Introduction to the Humanities is a semester course taught at Normal West and will be taken during a cohort student's senior year. Completing the course awards credit hours from Heartland Community College that will count towards the student's degree.

Concepts

In Dual Credit Multimodal Composition, students learn about the following concepts and art forms:

• What is Art?

• Criticizing Art

• Painting

• Sculpting

• Architecture

• Literature

• Theatre

• Music & Dance

• Photography

• Cinema

• Television & Video Art

• Interrelations of the Arts