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Upper School Course Catalog
Each year, the PCDS Upper School offers an array of challenging courses designed to engage our students at the highest level. From core courses to demanding academic electives, students are able to navigate a well-rounded experience with both choice and passion.
The Course Selection Process
Departmental Recommendations for College Board® Standardized Testing
Students must take a minimum of five courses for credit each semester (six courses recommended), complete at least 23 credits, satisfy the following distribution requirements, and fulfill the additional graduation requirements listed below. Students must receive a passing grade in all courses taken for credit. A failed class may be made up only under requirements specifically approved by Head of the Upper School.
Academic Distribution Requirements for Graduation
DEPARTMENT COURSES CREDITS
English English I, II, III, IV 4
History & Social Sciences Ancient & Medieval History, Modern World History, and U.S. History 3
Mathematics Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and a 4th course for which Algebra II is a prerequisite. Must earn at least 3 credits in the Upper School 4
Science Biology, Chemistry, Physics 3
World and Classical Languages Minimum of 3 years/levels of the same language in the Upper School 3
Minimum of 4 semesters, which may be split among visual arts, music, and theatre.
Physical Education Ninth-grade students must participate in 2 of the 3 seasonal offerings. Tenth-grade students must participate in 1 of the 3 seasonal offerings. 2
Electives Any courses over and above departmental graduation requirements may receive elective credit. 2
Additional Graduation Requirements
Community Service: All Upper School students are required to complete at least 10 hours of community service each year.
Senior Speech: Every senior is required to give a 7 to 10-minute speech to the entire Upper School.
Each spring, students work with their advisors, teachers, parents, and college counselors to map the best combination of courses for the coming year and a possible path for future courses. Special attention is placed on graduation requirements, and in the later years, students begin to have the flexibility to take more elective courses that develop their passions and talents or take advanced offerings for in-depth study.
Students must enroll in a minimum of five regularly scheduled courses. Students may enroll in seven courses only with the approval of the Head of the Upper School. All student course loads are reviewed by the student's advisor for balance and likelihood of success and are subject to final approval by the Head of the Upper School.
The courses presented in the Course Catalog will be offered if there are sufficient enrollment and faculty staffing. Generally, at least five students must be enrolled in any course, with exceptions to this made only under exceptional circumstances.
In the case of conflicts, students may not be able to enroll in all courses that they request.
Students may arrange to audit a course (for no credit) by securing the approval of the Department Chair and the teacher of the course. A student who audits a course will be expected to participate in the classroom activities but in most cases will not complete tests and will not receive a grade. Grade reports and the transcript will be marked "Audit" in place of a letter grade. Audited courses are taken in addition to the five required credit courses.
With the exception of courses taken at approved semester or year-abroad programs, courses from other institutions will generally not receive Phoenix Country Day School credit.
An Independent Study provides the opportunity for students to design, in consultation with a PCDS faculty member, an academic course covering material not offered within the regular curriculum. All Independent Study proposals must be approved by the PCDS faculty member in charge of the project, the student's advisor, the Dean of Academics and the Head of the Upper School. Independent studies are undertaken in addition to the five required credit courses each semester. Credit will be awarded only upon completion of work.
Online courses are available in a variety of subject areas through Virtual High School. In order to take these courses, the student must submit an application to determine their interest and ability to complete the necessary class requirements. Applications are reviewed by the Dean of Academics and the Head of the Upper School. Online courses are taken in addition to the five required credit courses each semester. The virtual class that is selected cannot be one that is currently offered at Phoenix Country Day School.
The College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams are administered at PCDS each spring. These exams are generally not a required or recommended component for college admissions in the U.S.; they are instead a chance for students to receive course credit at the college at which they enroll after graduation. Each college's AP credit policy can be found on that college's website, and parents and students should consult prospective colleges for particular admissions and testing policies.
Students may elect to take AP exams in any discipline. The following list of departmental recommendations can be helpful if students are considering taking an AP exam. Course teachers and college counselors may also be consulted for specific advice on AP exam preparedness.
Note: Students are encouraged to undertake sustained exam preparation on their own; PCDS courses may address some but not all of the content on AP exams.
PCDS COURSE ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST
English III
English Literature and Composition
English Language and Composition
Calculus I, II Calculus AB
Calculus III, IV Calculus BC
Statistics I, II Statistics
Biology II Biology
Chemistry II Chemistry
Physics III/IV Physics I: Algebra-Based
World and Classical Languages
French IV French
Spanish IV Spanish
Latin IV Latin
Navigating the Catalog
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History & Social Sciences
Visual & Media Arts
World & Classical Languages
English I: Foundations in Language and Literature (101)
English II: Finding Your Voice (108)
English III: The American Imagination (106F)
English III: Contemporary American Fiction (129S)
English III: Introduction to Literary Criticism (106S)
English IV: Climate Fiction (113F)
English IV: Gothic and Horror Literature (115F)
English IV: Shakespearean Tragedy - Hamlet, King Lear, Othello (112F)
English IV: The Graphic Novel (114F)
English IV: Book-Length Writing (130S)
English IV: International Folklore (116S)
English IV: Magical Realism (115S)
English IV: Science Fiction and Fantasy (114S)
English IV: The Nobel Prize in Literature (112S)
The Ancient World (201F)
Medieval Empires (212S)
The Modern World (220)
US History (203)
American Social Protest and Popular Music (214F)
Classical Political Philosophy (216F)
Conspiracy Theory and Historical Analysis (226S)
Cultural Anthropology (213S)
Economics (219F/219S)
Explorations in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands (218S)
International Relations (242F)
Intro to Moral Philosophy (229S)
Modern Middle East (228S)
Society Through the Lens of Sports (243S)
The History of East Asia (227S)
The History of Latin America (217F)
The US Government through Contemporary Political Events (215F)
Women in World History (221F)
Algebra I (301)
Geometry (302)
Geometry Plus (303)
Algebra II (304)
Algebra II Plus (320)
PreCalculus (306)
PreCalculus Plus (315)
Calculus (321F)
Calculus I, Calculus II (317F/317S)
Calculus III, Calculus IV (318F/318S)
Calculus: Applications, Readings, and Projects (326S)
Discrete Mathematics (319F)
Linear Algebra (327S)
Statistics I (308F)
Statistics II (308S)
Programming in Python: An Introduction to Computer Science (319)
Biology I (447)
Chemistry I (448)
Physics I: Newtonian Mechanics, Physics II: Mechanics, Energy, & Waves (471F/471S)
Physics III: Electricity and Magnetism (472F)
Physics IV: Modern Physics (472S)
Biology II (473)
Chemistry II (474)
Human Anatomy and Physiology (434)
Biochemistry (416F)
Biotechnology & Bioethics (440F)
Introduction to Sports Medicine (443F)
Science of Self (432S)
French I (512)
French II (513)
French III (514)
French IV: Contemporary Issues in French Culture (515)
Spanish I (507)
Spanish II (508)
Spanish III (509)
Spanish IV (510)
Special Topics in Spanish: Spanish Culture through Literature, Film, Music, and Visual Arts (529F)
Special Topics in Spanish: Lost in Translation: Variation of Spanish in Conversation (529S)
Mandarin I (501)
Mandarin II (502)
Mandarin III (503)
Mandarin IV (516)
Special Topics in Mandarin Chinese: Culture and Society (537F)
Special Topics in Mandarin Chinese: History and Geography (537S)
Latin I: Introduction to Latin (504)
Latin II: Elementary Latin (505)
Latin III: Advanced Latin Grammar (506)
Latin IV: Prose Literature of the First Century BCE (525F)
Latin IV: Poetry of the First Century BCE (525S)
Special Topics in Classics: Bioscientific Latin (526S)
Special Topics in Classics: Roman Law and Politics (528F)
Anatomical Illustration (656F)
Anatomical Illustration II (662S)
Coding as Art I (604F/604S)
Coding as Art II (653S)
Digital Filmmaking I, II, III (608F/650F/663F)
Digital Performance (686F)
Drawing I (654F/654S)
Drawing II (655S)
Experimental Materials I (603S)
Experimental Materials II (664F)
Graphic Design Intro (625F/625S)
Jewelry and Metalsmithing (602S)
Painting I (678F)
Painting II (678S)
Physical Computing (613F)
Printmaking (679F)
Sculpture I: Basic Techniques (631F)
Sculpture II and III (626S/627S)
Sound Design I (641F/641S)
Sound Design II (652S)
Sound Design III (685S)
Chamber Ensemble (803F/803S)
Jazz, World, and Popular Music Ensemble (818F/818S)
Vocal Ensemble (840F/840S)
Directing (812S)
Improvisation (809F)
Exploration of Dance Styles (819S)
Introduction to Dance (819F)
Scene Study (811F/811S)
Stagecraft (813F/813S)
Stagecraft II (830F/830S)
Theatre Arts (807F/807S)
Strength and Conditioning (705F)
Humans and the Wilderness (707S)
Humanities Laboratory: Introduction to Arts-Based Research Practices (702)
Observing Patterns and Creating Representations of Nature (707F)