Academics: The Curriculum
Seminar
hile acknowledging that not all life skills can or should be learned in high school, Emma Willard supplements its academic program with Seminar, a required four-year course that fosters the development of social and emotional skills needed to serve and shape one’s world. Emphasis is placed on oral communication and listening skills, group dynamics, and the development of the individual.
Topic areas include organization and study skills, relationships, personal health and wellness, human sexuality, effective communication, self-assessment, goal setting, college planning, leadership, finance, and personal safety.
The grading system for seminar courses is Credit/No Credit.
SE-100 Freshman Seminar
Year
Freshman Seminar is designed to help students make a successful transition to life at Emma Willard. Students engage in discussions focused on a range of topics including wellness, study skills, organization and time management, friendship, culture and diversity, goal setting and personal identity.
Open to: 9
- Introductions
- Introduction to Community/Ground Rules
- Study Skills I – Multiple Intelligence
- Study Skills II – Organizing your Study Space and Computer Files
- Library Research Skills
- Self Care & Visit to the Health Center
- Way of Seminar – Listening & Speaking Skills
- Getting to Know Others: Labeling and Stereotypes
- Creative Thinking
- Creative Solutions-Based Problem Solving
- Developing Meaningful Friendships
- Relationships
- Conflict & Communication
- Peer Pressure
- Study Skills II
- Stress Management
- Locus of Control
- Computer Ethics I – MySpace etc.
- Intro. To Public Speaking
- Computer Ethics II
- Personal Decision-Making
- The Other 50 %
- Celebrating Our Diverse Community
- Study Skills III
- Study Skills IV
- Emotional Intelligence I
- Emotional Intelligence II
- Emotional Intelligence III
- Emerging Leadership
- Personal Self-Assessments
- Personal Goal Setting
- The Transition Home
SE-200 Sophomore Seminar
Year
Sophomore Seminar addresses lifetime wellness habits. Topics covered include personal goal setting, decision making, peer pressure, theoretical models of behavior change, nutrition, exercise, healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms, human sexuality, reproductive health, and media literacy.
Open to: 10
Health and Wellness
- Introduction to Seminar
- Triangle of Health: Physical, Emotional, Social
- Influences on Our Health
- Locus of Control
- Trans-theoretical Model/Behavior Change
- Trans-theoretical Model/Behavior Change
- Nutrition
- Dining Hall Visit
- Exercise
- Stress Management
- Emotional Health and Self-Esteem
- Destructive Coping Mechanisms (smoking, eating disorders, binging, etc.)
- Drugs
- Alcohol
Human Sexuality
- Introduction to Seminar
- What is Sex/Sexuality?
- Sexual Language
- Anatomy & Physiology I
- Anatomy & Physiology II
- Body Image
- Gender Identity
- Diversity & Sexual Orientation
- Relationships & Dating Issues
- Intimacy and Sexual Decision-Making
- Contraception and STIs
- Pregnancy/ Fetal Development/
- Parenting, Abortion, Adoption and Other Difficult Choices
- Power, Control & Sexual Abuse
SE-300 Junior Seminar
Fall or Spring
In Junior Seminar students clarify personal goals and values in preparation for the college admission process. Topics covered include career and life path exploration, researching and evaluating colleges, understanding the selective college admissions process, college essays and interviews, effective verbal and non-verbal communication, and leadership skills.
Open to: 11
- Introduction to Seminar
- Why Go to College? Whose Decision is It?
- Self-Assessment
- Career Paths and Life Choices
- Researching and Evaluating Colleges
- Powerful Personal Communication
- Nuts and Bolts of the Admissions Process
- Nuts and Bolts Continued
- Effective Communication: Part II
- The College Essay
- Interviewing/Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication: Effective Communication Part III
- Oral Presentations
- Developing Your Leadership Abilities
- Taking Risks & “Failing Forward”
SE-400 Senior Seminar Speakers Series
Year, generally evenings
The Senior Seminar Speaker Series consists of lectures and workshops devoted to preparing students for life beyond Emma Willard, including such topics as envisioning your future, etiquette and social networking, personal finance, personal safety, and the college experience.
Open to: 12
