Course Catalog - North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

INTERDISCIPLINARY ELECTIVESInterdisciplinaryElective CoursesInterdisciplinary courses are special electives in whichthe course content combines topics and issues from twoor more traditional areas of study. These courses maybe used for core elective graduation credit and are sodesignated with an asterisk (*).IE304* Digital Information Researchand TechnologyOne trimester (1 unit of credit)Meeting pattern: 4 periods per weekThis interdisciplinary course directs students through the stages ofbecoming fluent with digital information technology. It begins by buildingproficiency in searching online information databases and concludeswith producing an electronic bibliography, digital video, multimediapresentation, and web page. This course teaches students time-savinginformation management skills invaluable for academic competitions andcollege-level research. Students learn how to: research topics in-depthusing assorted online databases; organize information in bibliographies,capture, scan, and edit print, audio, and visual information in variousformats; transfer information into a usable format; design and createa multimedia website; and present information in alternative ways. Thispractical hands-on class provides opportunities to use the following typesof software to solve problems: multimedia presentation, digital imageediting, digital video editing, and web development tools.IE306* Forensic Science1 trimester (1 unit of credit)Prerequisite: Completion of one course in either biologyor chemistry, concurrent enrollment in the other andcompletion of algebra.Meeting pattern: 4 periods per week including labThe one trimester course is designed to give NCSSM students anintroduction and broad overview of forensic science. This coursefocuses on crime scene investigation, including evidence collection,processing a scene, and lab techniques used to decipher andincriminate the wrongdoer. Through lab work, field trips, demonstrationsby experts, and guest speakers, students explore major areas offorensic science: fingerprinting, blood typing, shoe and tire impressions,identification of hair, fibers and glass fragments, DNA; application offorce and motion from blood splatters and tire skids; and forensicanthropology (the study of bone structures and features).IE308* Explorations in MentorshipOne trimester (1 unit of credit)Prerequisite: 3rd trimester junior intending to register for IE405Mentorship-Senior Research in senior year and selectionby the Mentorship Coordinator based on MentorshipApplication process.Meeting pattern: 2 periods per weekMentorship Explorations is for NCSSM junior students interested in doingoff-campus research with a mentor during the senior year. This courseserves as an introduction to the mentorship experience in researchand serves to develop skills needed for the mentorship. Studentslearn scientific methodologies, experimental design, and basic dataanalysis. Technical writing skills are also a major focus. Throughoutthe course, students read from the primary scientific literature andparticipate in discussion groups on current issues in research. As theyexplore potential research areas, students begin a portfolio of readingsthat relate to their particular area of mentorship interest. Students assistin the location of a mentor for the senior year and, if possible, havepreliminary meetings with the mentor.NCSSM 2008-0934IE309* Introduction to EntrepreneurshipTwo trimesters (2 units of credit)Prerequisite: Permission of the Director of AcademicPrograms.Meeting pattern: 1 two-hour evening class meetingStudents receive a broad understanding of the field of entrepreneurshipand are introduced to the important tools and skills necessary to createand grow a successful new venture. The course simulates the reallife activities of entrepreneurs in the start-up stage of a new venture.Students, in teams, evaluate a new venture concept and determineif a demand exists for their product or service. Importantly, the courseintroduces students to successful entrepreneurs to learn from theirprocess and errors as well as their successes.IE310* World MusicOne trimester (1 unit of credit)Meeting pattern: 4 periods per weekThis course involves the study of music and dance of various world cultures.Music and dance are universal forms of human artistic expression of thecultural values of every civilization. In each society, music and dancereflect the unique aesthetic, religious, philosophical, and/or governmentalinfluences on that society. Music of a civilization is also strongly related tothe tonal inflections of the local language. Primary areas of study includethe music, dance and societal values of India, the Middle East, Africa,Latin America, Native America, Europe, China, Japan, and Indonesia.As a final project, students select and study the music and dance of aregion of the world that is not included in the regular curriculum.IE312* History of Western MusicOne trimester (1 unit of credit)Meeting pattern: 3 periods per weekIn History of Western Music, students cover the entire span of WesternMusic History, including Gregorian Chant, late medieval, Renaissance,Baroque, Viennese, Romanticism, Twentieth Century, and PopularMusic, from a historical, musical, and aesthetic perspective. Studentsfind an emphasis on music and listening as a vehicle to understandingtheoretical and historical trends of each stylistic period. General stylisticoverviews serve as a conceptual focus for the music that follows ineach historical period.IE314* American Popular SongOne trimester (1 unit of credit)Meeting pattern: 4 periods per weekThe “Golden Age of American Popular Song” (1900 – 1950) representsa unique interaction and collaboration of composers, lyricists, andmusicians from European and African American cultures. The musicof this period represents a truly “American” style that resulted from acultural blend of theater music with ragtime, blues, and jazz. Socialfactors that shaped this music included two world wars, the “RoaringTwenties”, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Technological factorsincluded the advent of audio recording, radio broadcasting, and“talking” film industries during the first half of the twentieth century. Thiscourse focuses on the study of the music and lyrics through listeningand class discussion, and a survey of the great singers, composers, andlyricists of the time, as well as historical influences on and of Americanculture in the early twentieth century.IE350* Medical Ethics and Leadership1 trimester (1 unit of credit)Meeting pattern: 3 periods per week including labStudents study ethics and its relation to leadership in solving issuesraised in areas such as genetic engineering, research on humans,cloning, organ transplantation, euthanasia, and animal rights. Coursematerials include a variety of readings, films, speakers, and field trips.Extensive use is made of discussion and seminars. Each student alsoparticipates in a Service-Learning project.COURSE CATALOG