These challenging courses are designed for students who want to experience university-level academics while building up their resume for college applications. You can take one, 3- or 4-credit course* during College Prep.
Please Note: Any requests to take a class that is not on this list must be submitted to our Program Director via email to highschool@georgetown.edu for review. See the FAQ page for more details. Please do not contact class instructors directly to request permission to enroll.
*To satisfy visa requirements, international students receiving visa assistance from Georgetown will be enrolled in a second credit course. Please refer to the how to apply page for additional details.
About College Prep Courses
College Prep offers a range of credit courses taken alongside current undergraduate students in various subjects such as:
Art
Art History
Computer Science
English
Film and Media Studies
Government
History
Mathematics
Philosophy
Psychology
Public Speaking
Sociology
Theater & Performance Studies
Theology
Writing
Dates
Please note that there will be a mandatory orientation & check-in on Sunday, July 5th. Students are encouraged to arrive in Washington, D.C. by Sunday morning to be able to attend.
Major achievements in European and American pictorial art, sculpture, and architecture from the early Renaissance through the early twenty-first century. Emphasis is on functions, meanings, and styles of individual works within a historical context. Only in unusual circumstances and with the approval of the department may a student with AP credit (ARTH 01) be permitted to take ARTH 101 or 102 for credit.
The various disciplines, techniques, and theories of drawing will be studied as the student learns to train his or her hand, eye and imagination in the assigned practical problems of drawing. Students enrolled in Studio courses must devote a minimum of 4 - 6 hours per week outside of class to develop and complete assignments. These times are flexible and can be rearranged with the instructor. No prerequisite. Fall and Spring.
Photography I: Digital is a basic digital photography studio art course designed to develop the hands-on skills necessary to produce and identify the elements of a good photograph and to acquire a thorough working knowledge of digital equipment. Students will gain an understanding of the aesthetic and technical areas of photography as a fine art. Class lectures, discussions and digital lab assignments will deal with photographic composition, criticism and history, camera and paper types, and printer systems. Fundamental knowledge of computer programs such as Photoshop will be introduced in the semester to develop photographic imagery. Students enrolled in Studio courses must devote a minimum of 4 - 6 hours per week outside of class to develop and complete assignments. These times are flexible and can be rearranged with the instructor.
Fall and Spring.
No prerequisite.
This course explores the impact of "connecteness'" of modern society. Social, technological and natural interactions can be represented using links in a network formed by people and other entities. This network impacts many phenomenon, including the manner in which opinions and epidemics spread through society. This course will explore topics such as spread of opinions, the small-world phenomenon, robustness and fragility of financial markets, and the structure of the Web. This course may be used to fulfill the math/computer science portion of the Gen Ed Math/Science requirement.
In this course, we will explore the haunted houses, woods, and cities of the American imagination. Through our study of American Gothic writers, we will engage the persistent question of why a country that values clarity, freedom, religious purity, inclusion, and progress, produces literature so often characterized by darkness, claustrophobia, madness, monstrosity, and haunting. Specifically, we will look at dialogues between the American dream and madness, between “normal” communities and maniacal individuals, between “The City on the Hill” and the “wilderness” beneath, and we will consider how these alternative narratives confront the dominant story of a “self-evident” culture. Readings may include Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Poe’s “The Black Cat”, Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, Bloch’s Psycho, and Selby’s Requiem for a Dream.
This course will investigate the highly stylized world of popular fiction, including the literary genres of the western, the adventure story, hard-boiled detective fiction, true crime, the historical romance, the suspense thriller, sci-fi and fantasy. We will observe the beginnings of pulp fiction from the dime novels and the penny dreadfuls in the 19th century to the literary boom of pulp fiction in the 1920s and 1930s. We will be connecting major themes in popular fiction to the growth of old time radio programs and to the study of manga, media, television and film and will be watching a series of documentaries and analyzing pulp magazine jackets. Pulp fiction writers may include Edgar Rice Burroughs, Zane Grey, Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane, Ted Chiang, Koushun Takami, Truman Capote, Laura Esquivel and J. K. Rowling.
How are war and terrorism reimagined and imbricated into popular culture? What are the affects of aestheticizing violence? This course will examine the proliferation of artistic forms, which seek to address the issue of war and the attendant concern about terrorism in America by looking at contemporary conflicts and their impact on texts including literature, film, television, video song lyrics and poetry..
FMST 181-20: This course explores introductory film production techniques and strategies. Students will learn video and audio recording, scriptwriting and non-linear editing using Adobe Premiere Pro software. Visual storytelling concepts and creative post-production editing will be emphasized. In-class exercises and short film projects will allow students to become comfortable working in various film production roles. Additionally, critiques and screenings of student and professional film work will provide students with an understanding of the narrative film genre.
Government 020 provides students with a broad understanding of the political system in the United States. It is one of the four introductory courses in the Department of Government.
The goal of the class is to train students both as citizens and as scholars. As citizens, students will learn the shared history of U.S. politics and be able to think critically about how the system has succeeded and failed. As scholars, students will be introduced to the theoretical and analytical tools of political science as applied to American government.
By the end of the semester students will
1) Be politically literate, knowing core historical and contemporary facts about the U.S. political system
2) Understand important theories about U.S. politics, including theories about the importance and functioning of political institutions, the roots of popular political preferences, and the functioning and consequences of elections.
This course provides an introduction to key theories, concepts, historical events, and contemporary issues in the study of international relations (IR). The course has six learning objectives: Students will come to understand (1) the fundamental concepts unique to the field of international relations; (2) the major theories of international conflict and cooperation, particularly realist, liberal, and constructivist theories; and (3) several watershed conflicts in the last century, including World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Students will then apply this theoretical and empirical knowledge to make sense of salient contemporary issues in (4) international security (including nuclear weapons and proliferation, ethnic conflict, civil war, and terrorism), (5) political economy (including trade, finance, and globalization), and (6) global governance (including international law, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and the environment). In short, the course is meant to provide students with the tools to analyze contemporary international affairs and debates in a rigorous and sophisticated manner.
This course has been renumbered, effective Fall 2014. A student who earned credit in GOVT 006 International Relations in a prior term should not enroll and cannot earn credit in this class.
The principal aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the field of political philosophy. The texts to be read are among the most important works in the field covering a period of twenty-four hundred years. In order to give a comprehensive overview of the history of political thought, we will be studying works written by Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke, the authors of the Federalist Essays, and Marx. Each of these thinkers presents a different perspective concerning the best manner in which politics ought to be practiced. It is hoped that a thorough reading and comprehension of these works will (1) familiarize the student with the general concerns of political thought, (2) demonstrate that political thought is an ongoing dialogue among thinkers from various times and historical circumstances, and (3) suggest that some of the concerns that confronted philosophers centuries ago are still relevant to the problems of today.
This course has been renumbered, effective Fall 2014. A student who earned credit for GOVT 117 Elements of Political Theory in a prior term should not enroll and cannot earn credit in this class.
HIST 008 Intro Late History: Europe II or World II
For College students, all sections of HIST 007 or HIST 008 fulfill the core requirement in History for a broad introductory survey; these students complete the requirement by taking HIST 099.
Please note that if you receive AP/IB placement or credit, you cannot take HIST 007 (or 008 or 099) for credit.
The various sections of HIST 008 have different focuses, for which see below; moreover, each instructor may develop or stress particular themes within her/his focus. Students are urged to consult syllabi available on line or at the History Department.
The World II sections consider human history since about 1500 AD, focusing on the dynamics of global interaction. The class seeks to familiarize students with, and help them contextualize, historical processes and phenomena such as colonialism and imperialism, industrialization, modern population growth, nationalism and the rise of the nation-state, great power politics, and the emergence of modern science. Its goal is to explain how the world got to be the way it is, with a particular focus on how social and ethno-cultural identities have been shaped--and have in turn shaped--political, economic, and physical environments.
The Europe II sections offer an analysis of the significant political, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, intellectual, and scientific developments in European Civilization since the eruption of the French Revolution. Special attention is also paid to issues of class, gender, marginality, and the relationship of Europe to non-Western cultures.
HIST 099 is one of the required core classes in History. All sections of HIST 099 fulfill the same role, though each instructor will develop a specific topic. Students are urged to consult syllabi available on line or at the History Department.
Please note that if you receive AP/IB placement or credit, you cannot take HIST 099 (or 007 or 008) for credit.
Please note that HIST 099 must be taken at GU and cannot be transferred.
The general aim of HIST 099 is to introduce students to various elements of historical work and thinking, within the context of looking at a particular historical period, event, or theme in some depth. Though lectures and discussion will focus on particular topics, there will also be class exercises, assignments, and readings that will allow instructors and students to explore how historians identify, define, and employ primary sources of all types, how historians analyze those sources, how they formulate questions, how they engage with the work of prior historians, and how they aim to reconstruct various elements of the human experience in particular times and places.
The core requirement in History for COLLEGE students is as follows: 1 HIST Focus course: HIST 099, any section. 1 introductory History survey: 007, 008, 106, 107, 111, 112, 128, 129, 158, 159, 160, or 161. Note that students who receive AP or IB credit for History CANNOT take HIST 007, 008, or 099 for credit. Please note that HIST 099 must be taken at GU and cannot be transferred.
This course is designed to assist students whose high school mathematics background is insufficient for the standard first-year mathematics courses. It is primarily intended as a preparation for MATH-035. Topics include: algebraic operations, factoring, exponents and logarithms, polynomials, rational functions, trigonometric functions, and the logarithmic and exponential functions. Graphing and word problems will be stressed. This course is not intended to complete the math/science requirement in the College. Fall.
This is the first part of the four semester calculus sequence (Math-035-036 and 137-150) for mathematics and science majors. Students do not need to have any familiarity with calculus, but do need good algebra/precalculus preparation.
Topics include limits, derivatives, techniques of differentiation, applications of the derivative, the Riemann integral, the trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions, and the logarithmic and exponential functions. Fall and Spring.
A student who hasn't taken MATH 029 prior to MATH 035 will need to take the Calculus Readiness test and be able to show their MATH 035 professor their results at the start of the semester.
This course will introduce students to the basic concepts, logic, and issues involved in statistical reasoning, as well as basic statistical methods used to analyze data and evaluate studies.
The major topics to be covered include methods for exploratory data analysis, an introduction to sampling and experimental design, elementary probability theory and random variables, and methods for statistical inference including simple linear regression.
The objectives of this course are to help students develop a critical approach to the evaluation of study designs, data and results, and to develop skills in the application of basic statistical methods in empirical research. An important feature of the course will be the use of statistical software to facilitate the understanding of important statistical ideas and for the implementation of data analysis. The course has two lectures and one lab section.
Cannot be taken for credit if the student has already taken ECON 121, Gov 201, OPIM 173, IPOL 320 or MATH 140.
College Economics and Political Economy majors should enroll in ECON 121, rather than MATH 040.
This course does NOT satisfy the Mathematics minor or majors requirement for a Statistics class--these students should enroll in MATH 140.
Seniors and Post Baccalaureate Pre-Medical students must get special permission to enroll in this course.
Philosophy 010 is a general introduction to philosophical ethics. Questions addressed include: What is the nature of morality? How do we know what is right and what is wrong? What sorts of moral obligations do we stand under? What are our duties to others and to ourselves? What is the nature of virtue and vice? How do we assess moral character? Readings are generally drawn from both traditional and contemporary philosophical authors. Reading lists and specific topics addressed vary from semester to semester and from instructor to instructor, as do required work and expectations. Please consult the syllabi posted online by individual instructors for more detail.
This introductory course surveys the field and acquaints the student with the major areas of Psychology, including perception, memory, cognition, neuroscience, learning, motivation, emotion, personality, social behavior, development, and psychopathology.
PSYC-001. GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY IS A PREREQUISITE FOR ALL OTHER PSYCHOLOGY COURSES.
The Problem of God introduces students to the study of religion and theology, broadly
understood. Our aim in the course is not only to introduce students to different religious
traditions and perspectives, but, as the title of the course suggests, to encourage critical
reflection on some of the most challenging questions relating to religious commitment. In
other words, the goal of the course is not only to help students learn about religious
traditions, but to reflect critically on what it means to be a religious person, what it means
to study religion and theology, and what the significance of religious belief is. It is one of
two courses (along with IBL) that fulfill the first Theology course requirement at
Georgetown, and the importance of promoting critical reflection on religious belief through
this requirement has taken on new meaning in a post-9/11 world, in which religious
literacy and understanding are more important than they have ever been. Mirroring the
diversity of our faculty, the course is taught in a diverse number of ways, including a
variety of different primary texts and focusing on a variety of significant questions relating
to religion and theology. Georgetown graduates consistently report that The Problem of
God was one of the most important courses that they took during their time at Georgetown.
Introduction to Biblical Literature promotes the close reading of ancient texts, first on their own terms and then in relation to how they have been interpreted over time and may be interpreted today. As such, IBL teaches students to think critically about what a text is, and how it functions for those who value it. Learning to read texts in context challenges students to question the assumptions they bring to biblical texts and to enter into an adventure of discovery of the Bible, its origins and significance over time. IBL asks students to become “strangers in a strange land” as they confront the various “distances” they experience when reading biblical texts. Meeting unfamiliar language, cultures, customs, mores, and ideas requires that students suspend their judgment about what they think they know and asks them to learn how to expect the unexpected, as they delve deeper and deeper into biblical literature and the worlds from which it emerged. In this way, IBL can be a very liberating experience for students and lays a foundation that they can rely on in other courses they will take in during their undergraduate
years.
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the complex history of Jewish American and African American relations in the United States. Our inquiry will begin by exploring the historical roots of each group’s discreet experiences in this country. Then we will focus on how they have coalesced sometimes in friendship, sometimes in antagonism, in the past century. Some of the questions we seek to explore are: Do there exist similarities between Blacks and Jews that account for the gravitational pull they exert upon one another? Are there differences between them that explain the unique texture of their interaction? How are both related to mainstream White Anglo-Saxon culture in the United States? How do issues of gender and sexual orientation refract the nature of their interaction?
Taught by experts in the field, Acting I provides an experiential introduction to the study of acting for the stage based in psychological and physical realism. Emphasis is placed on the critical and creative theories and techniques to cultivate imagination, focus, embodied creativity, self-awareness, vocal range, collaboration, and script analysis. Acting projects include scenes, monologues, and acting exercises. Students will fulfill readings (e.g. by Stanislavski and Uta Hagen), writing assignments, and performance projects. Suitable for students with considerable performance experience but without college coursework in acting, and for complete beginners.
Theater Lab Fee: $50
Must attend first and second class or lose your seat in the class
An intensive seminar, enrolling no more than 15 students, focused on developing students’ ability to use writing as a tool for inquiry, to develop their writing through an iterative process, and to practice writing in different rhetorical situations. Students should take this course as early as possible and no later than the end of the sophomore year.
The Writing and Culture Seminar helps students develop their ability to:
• read critically in ways that are attentive to language, context, and form
• write in ways that are appropriate for different rhetorical situations, with awareness of genre, context, and technology
• deploy language’s many resources, including its figurative power as well as conventions of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and semantics, to shape and communicate meaning with clarity and fluency
• research, evaluate, and synthesize appropriate evidence in order to build and support effective analyses and arguments
On the surface, social media promises connection: a tool that lets us communicate across physical, cultural, and generational divides. In practice however, it's much more complicated. This semester, you’ll hone your critical reading and writing skills by diving into those complications. We’ll unpack what happens when a new form of communication springs up within the space of a single generation - with a specific focus on the challenges and problems social media has brought. We’ll think about how we navigate these social spaces, and how our behavior and identity differs across different digital spaces, as well as how it compares to how we present ourselves in the physical world. Just as importantly, I'll be challenging us to think about why those differences matter, and what they mean for us as citizens (and, for some of us) future designers and gatekeepers of the ever-expanding digital world.
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