Global Citizen Scholar Coursework

In this design thinking math course, students will learn the Design Thinking process to brainstorm and build products that solve real-world problems. This course is based on programs from Stanford’s d. School, SAP’s Young Thinkers, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Students work in groups to understand empathy, collect data, create prototypes, and present finished solutions. Through the T-shaped model of teamwork, you’ll gain lifelong skills used in fields like business, engineering, and the sciences. As a Global Scholar, you will participate in a Global Classroom component by working on projects with students from a Notre Dame international sister school. These projects help you practice empathy and improve your communication skills by working with people from other parts of the world. By the end, you will have a deeper understanding of how to turn ideas into reality through global collaboration.

In this year-long introductory ceramics course, students create original art using classic techniques like coil, slab, and pinched forms. The class focuses on developing both technical skills in hand building and an artistic vocabulary for surface decoration and glazing. Students learn to approach artwork as both functional items and sculptures, exploring creativity and craftsmanship. Throughout the year, students study diverse cultures and their impact on ceramics, finding common ground and appreciating differences across the world. A key part of the class is a service project: creating an online art auction to raise money for the Women of Hope Shelter, a project that instills greater empathy while addressing the real issues of poverty and homelessness. This course deepens your appreciation for global artforms while making a local impact.

This English course explores the diverse experiences of women through the analysis of texts written by female authors from various cultural backgrounds. Students examine how female identity is shaped by history, culture, and social conventions while engaging in a global conversation about women's voices. To foster global citizenship, the class focuses on underrepresented stories and applies feminist and post-colonial lenses to understand the laws and norms impacting women across different time periods. Through seminar-style discussions and a strong emphasis on scholarly writing, students develop an understanding of how literature responds to major social concerns. Additionally, students plan and complete their Senior Research Project, a graduation requirement for Notre Dame Academy. This course ultimately deepens empathy and critical thinking by connecting personal narratives to global feminist movements.

This advanced science course provides the scientific principles and methodologies needed to understand the natural world and propose solutions to global environmental problems. Equivalent to an introductory college course, it teaches students to analyze natural and human-induced risks while evaluating alternative ways to resolve or prevent them. As part of the focus on Global Citizenship, students study how climate variation affects water supplies, the balance between economic and sustainable development, and the impact of technology on world agriculture. Students also examine energy resources, emerging infectious diseases, and the critical differences between global climate change and global warming. The curriculum covers Earth’s systems, population dynamics, and social impact through lab and field investigations. Ultimately, this course prepares you for the AP Environmental Science exam by applying scientific methods to real-life global challenges.

AP Human Geography introduces students to the systematic study of the patterns and processes that shape how humans use and alter Earth's surface. Through spatial concepts and landscape analysis, students will examine socio-economic organizations and their environmental consequences, such as climate change and resource use. The course explores critical global issues, including population growth, international migration, and struggles over political power and territory. Students investigate problems of economic development and cultural change while analyzing inequalities between developed and developing nations. This year-long course is equivalent to a one-semester college class and covers seven major topics, ranging from urban land use to agricultural production. By interpreting maps and geospatial data, students will learn to understand the networks that connect people and places across the world.