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Advanced Placement Courses (AP)

AP American Government:

The AP Government & Politics: United States course provides an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. political reality. While there is no single approach that an AP Government & Politics: United States course must follow, certain topics that are generally covered in college courses.

AP American (US) History:

The AP program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and enduring understandings necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States history. The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students should learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. An AP United States History course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/ushistory/ap-cd-ushist-0708.pdf

AP Art Draw/ 2D Design/ 3D Design Portfolio:

The AP Studio Art portfolios are designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of art. AP Studio Art is not based on a written examination; instead, students submit portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year.
Most AP Studio Art candidates prepare their portfolios through organized AP instruction. If your school does not offer an AP Studio Art program, you may work independently to complete the portfolio. It is vital that you plan far enough in advance so that you can complete the portfolio on time. See the exam calendar for information on when portfolios are due.
The AP Program offers three portfolios: Drawing, 2-D Design, and 3-D Design. The portfolios share a basic, three-section structure, which requires the student to show a fundamental competence and range of understanding in visual concerns (and methods). Each of the portfolios asks the student to demonstrate a depth of investigation and process of discovery through the concentration section (Section II). In the breadth section (Section III), the student is asked to demonstrate a serious grounding in visual principles and material techniques. The quality section (Section I) permits the student to select the works that best exhibit a synthesis of form, technique, and content.
The table below summarizes the section requirements for each of the three portfolios.

	Drawing	2-D Design	3-D Design
Section I: Quality	Five actual drawings; maximum size is 18" x 24"	Five actual works; maximum size is 18" x 24"	Five works; two slides of each one are submitted
Section II: Concentration	12 slides; some may be details	12 slides; some may be details	12 slides; some may be second views
Section III: Breadth	12 works; one slide of each is submitted	12 works; one slide of each is submitted	Eight works; two slides of each are submitted

All three sections are required and carry equal weight, but students are not necessarily expected to perform at the same level in each section to receive a qualifying grade for advanced placement. The order in which the three sections are presented is in no way meant to suggest a curricular sequence. The works presented for evaluation may have been produced in art classes or on the student's own time and may cover a period of time longer than a single school year.

Keep in Mind

• Your portfolio may include work that you have done over a single year or longer, in class or on your own.
• If you submit work that makes use of photographs, published images, and/or other artists' works, you must show substantial and significant development beyond duplication. This may be demonstrated through manipulation of the formal qualities, design, and/or concept of the original work. It is unethical, constitutes plagiarism, and often violates copyright law to simply copy an image (even in another medium) that was made by someone else.
• Your portfolio will be evaluated by a minimum of three and a maximum of seven artist-educators. Each of the three sections is reviewed independently based on criteria for that section, and each carries equal weight.
• You must follow the detailed specifications listed in the current Course Description and the Studio Art poster. If the guidelines are not followed, your grade report will carry a message saying that your grade is based on an incomplete or otherwise irregular portfolio.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/studioart/ap-studioart-0708.pdf

AP Art History:

AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to secondary school students as those provided by an introductory college course in art history. In the course, students examine major forms of artistic expression from the ancient world to the present and from a variety of cultures. They learn to look and analyze works of art within their historical context, and to articulate what they see or experience in a meaningful way. A meaningful way to experience works of art is learning to frame an understanding that relates how and why works of art communicate visual meaning.
An introductory college art history course content generally covers the various art forms in the following proportions: 40-50% painting and drawing, 25% architecture, 25% sculpture, and 5-10% other media (printmaking, photography, ceramics, fiber arts, etc.). The AP Art History course content and AP Examination reflect these distributions.
College art history survey courses vary in approaches to interpreting art, including selection of chronological frameworks, themes, and the emphasis on analytical skills. The AP Development Committee regularly monitors the ways in which art history is taught at the college level and the choices they make in devising the course and the examination are compatible with college level curricular objectives.
The main objectives of AP curriculum in Art History are to develop in students:

1. the ability to apply fundamental art and art historical terminology.
2. an appreciation for the process of making and displaying art.
3. an understanding of purpose and function of art.
4. the abilty to analyze works of art in context of historical evidence and interpretation, examining such issues as politics, religion, patronage, gender, and ethnicity.
5. an understanding of cross-cutural and global nature of art.
6. the ability to perform higher order thinking skills and articulate visual and art historical concepts in verbal and written forms.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/arthistory/ap-cd-arthist-0708.pdf

 

AP Biology:

This course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course usually taken by biology majors during their first year. Some AP students, as college freshmen, are permitted to undertake upper-level courses in biology or to register for courses for which biology is a prerequisite. Other students may have fulfilled a basic requirement for a laboratory science course and will be able to undertake other courses to pursue their majors.
AP Biology should include the topics regularly covered in a college biology course for majors. The textbooks used for AP Biology should be those used by college biology majors and the labs done by AP students must be the equivalent of those done by college students.
The AP Biology course is designed to be taken by students after the successful completion of a first course in high school biology and one in high school chemistry. It aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology.
The two main goals of AP Biology are to help students develop a conceptual framework for modern biology and to help students gain an appreciation of science as a process. The ongoing information explosion in biology makes these goals even more challenging. Primary emphasis in an AP Biology course should be on developing an understanding of concepts rather than on memorizing terms and technical details. Essential to this conceptual understanding are the following: a grasp of science as a process rather than as an accumulation of facts; personal experience in scientific inquiry; recognition of unifying themes that integrate the major topics of biology; and application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns.
The AP Biology Development Committee conducts college curriculum surveys of introductory biology courses for biology majors and develops the AP Biology Examination so that it is representative of the topics covered by the survey group. Accordingly, goals have been set for percentage coverage of three general areas:

• Molecules and Cells, 25%
• Heredity and Evolution, 25%
• Organisms and Populations, 50%

These three areas have been subdivided into major categories with percentage goals for each major category specified. The percentage goals should serve as a guide for designing an AP Biology course and may be used to apportion the time devoted to each category. The examination is constructed using the percentage goals as guidelines for question distribution.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/biology/ap-cd-bio-0708.pdf

 

AP Calculus AB:

Calculus AB is designed to be taught over a full high school academic year. It is possible to spend some time on elementary functions and still cover the Calculus AB curriculum within a year. However, if students are to be adequately prepared for the Calculus AB examination, most of the year must be devoted to topics in differential and integral calculus. These topics are the focus of the AP Exam.

Prerequisites

Before studying calculus, all students should complete four years of secondary mathematics designed for college-bound students: courses in which they study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions. These functions include those that are linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise defined. In particular, before studying calculus, students must be familiar with the properties of functions, the algebra of functions, and the graphs of functions. Students must also understand the language of functions (domain and range, odd and even, periodic, symmetry, zeros, intercepts, and so on) and know the values of the trigonometric functions of the numbers 0, pi/6, pi/4, pi/3, pi/2, and their multiples.

Course Goals

Students should be able to:

• work with functions represented in a variety of ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They should understand the connections among these representations.
• understand the meaning of the derivative in terms of a rate of change and local linear approximation and they should be able to use derivatives to solve a variety of problems.
• understand the meaning of the definite integral both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and should be able to use integrals to solve a variety of problems.
• understand the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
• communicate mathematics both orally and in well-written sentences and should be able to explain solutions to problems.
• model a written description of a physical situation with a function, a differential equation, or an integral.
• use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and verify conclusions.
• determine the reasonableness of solutions, including sign, size, relative accuracy, and units of measurement.
• develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of knowledge and as a human accomplishment.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/calculus/ap-cd-calc-0708.pdf

AP Calculus BC:

Calculus BC can be offered by schools that are able to complete all the prerequisites before the course. Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics covered in Calculus AB plus additional topics. Both courses represent college-level mathematics for which most colleges grant advanced placement and credit. The content of Calculus BC is designed to qualify the student for placement and credit in a course that is one course beyond that granted for Calculus AB.

Prerequisites

Before studying calculus, all students should complete four years of secondary mathematics designed for college-bound students: courses in which they study algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, and elementary functions. These functions include those that are linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise defined. In particular, before studying calculus, students must be familiar with the properties of functions, the algebra of functions, and the graphs of functions. Students must also understand the language of functions (domain and range, odd and even, periodic, symmetry, zeros, intercepts, and so on) and know the values of the trigonometric functions of the numbers 0, pi/6, pi/4, pi/3, pi/2, and their multiples.

Course Goals

Students should be able to:

• Work with functions represented in a variety of ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They should understand the connections among these representations.
• Understand the meaning of the derivative in terms of a rate of change and local linear approximation and they should be able to use derivatives to solve a variety of problems.
• Understand the meaning of the definite integral both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and should be able to use integrals to solve a variety of problems.
• Understand the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
• Communicate mathematics both orally and in well-written sentences and should be able to explain solutions to problems.
• Model a written description of a physical situation with a function, a differential equation, or an integral.
• Use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and verify conclusions.
• Determine the reasonableness of solutions, including sign, size, relative accuracy, and units of measurement.
• Develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of knowledge and as a human accomplishment.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/calculus/ap-cd-calc-0708.pdf

AP Chemistry:

This course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. For some students, this course enables them to undertake, as freshmen, second-year work in the chemistry sequence at their institution or to register for courses in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. For other students, the AP Chemistry course fulfills the laboratory science requirement and frees time for other courses.
AP Chemistry should meet the objectives of a good general chemistry course. Students should attain a depth of understanding of fundamentals and a reasonable competence in dealing with chemical problems. The course should contribute to the development of the students' abilities to think clearly and to express their ideas, orally and in writing, with clarity and logic. The college course in general chemistry differs qualitatively from the usual first secondary school course in chemistry with respect to the kind of textbook used, the topics covered, the emphasis on chemical calculations and the mathematical formulation of principles, and the kind of laboratory work done by students. Quantitative differences appear in the number of topics treated, the time spent on the course by students, and the nature and the variety of experiments done in the laboratory. Secondary schools that wish to offer an AP Chemistry course must be prepared to provide a laboratory experience equivalent to that of a typical college course.
To develop the requisite intellectual and laboratory skills, AP Chemistry students need adequate classroom and laboratory time. It is expected that a minimum of 290 minutes per week will be allotted for an AP Chemistry course. Of that time, a minimum of 90 minutes per week, preferably in one session, should be spent in the lab. (Time devoted to class and laboratory demonstrations should not be counted as part of the laboratory period.) In addition, students will probably need to spend at least five hours a week studying outside of class.
The AP Chemistry course is designed to be taken after the completion of a first course in high school chemistry. It is strongly recommended that credit in a first-year high school chemistry course be a prerequisite for enrollment in an AP Chemistry class. In addition, the recommended mathematics prerequisite for an AP Chemistry class is the successful completion of a second-year algebra course. The advanced work in chemistry should not displace any other part of the student's science curriculum. It is highly desirable that a student have a course in secondary school physics and a four-year college preparatory program in mathematics.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/chemistry/ap-chem-0607.pdf

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/compsci/52435%20APCompSci-Locked.pdf

AP Economics (micro):

The purpose of an AP course in Microeconomics is to provide a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, and includes the study of factor markets and of the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/economics/ap-econ-0607.pdf

AP English Language:

The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts and to become skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.
The goals of an AP English Language and Composition course are diverse because the college composition course is one of the most varied in the curriculum. The college course provides students with opportunities to write about a variety of subjects and to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose. But the overarching objective in most first-year writing courses is to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives. Therefore, most composition courses emphasize the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication, as well as the personal and reflective writing that fosters the ability to write in any context. In addition, most composition courses teach students that the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing they must do in college is based on reading texts from various disciplines and periods as well as personal experience and observation. Composition courses, therefore, teach students to read primary and secondary sources carefully, to synthesize materials from these texts in their own compositions, and to cite sources using conventions recommended by professional organizations such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), the University of Chicago Press (The Chicago Manual of Style), and the American Psychological Association (APA).
As in the college course, the purpose of the AP English Language and Composition course is to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. An AP English Language and Composition course should help students move beyond such programmatic responses as the five-paragraph essay that provides an introduction with a thesis and three reasons, body paragraphs on each reason, and a conclusion that restates the thesis. Although such formulaic approaches may provide minimal organization, they often encourage unnecessary repetition and fail to engage the reader. Students should be encouraged to place their emphasis on content, purpose, and audience and to allow this focus to guide the organization of their writing.
College writing programs recognize that skill in writing proceeds from students' awareness of their own composing processes: the way they explore ideas, reconsider strategies, and revise their work. This experience of the process of composing is the essence of the first-year writing course, and the AP English Language and Composition course should emphasize this process, asking students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers. Although these extended, revised essays cannot be part of the AP Exam, the experience of writing them will help make students more self-aware and flexible writers and thus may help their performance on the exam itself.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/english/ap-english-0607.pdf

AP English Literature:

The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students can deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students should consider a work's structure, style, and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.

Reading

The course should include intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit. The works chosen should invite and gratify rereading.
Reading in an AP course should be both wide and deep. This reading necessarily builds upon the reading done in previous English courses. These courses should include the in-depth reading of texts drawn from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. In their AP course, students should also read works from several genres and periods -- from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century -- but, more importantly, they should get to know a few works well. They should read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form. In addition to considering a work's literary artistry, students should consider the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Careful attention to both textual detail and historical context should provide a foundation for interpretation, whatever critical perspectives are brought to bear on the literary works studied.

Writing

Such close reading involves the experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, and the evaluation of literature. All these aspects of reading are important for an AP course in English Literature and Composition, and each corresponds to an approach to writing about literary works. Writing to understand a literary work may involve writing response and reaction papers along with annotation, freewriting, and keeping some form of a reading journal. Writing to explain a literary work involves analysis and interpretation, and may include writing brief focused analyses on aspects of language and structure. Writing to evaluate a literary work involves making and explaining judgments about its artistry and exploring its underlying social and cultural values through analysis, interpretation, and argument.
Writing should be an integral part of the AP English Literature and Composition course, for the AP Examination is weighted toward student writing about literature. Writing assignments should focus on the critical analysis of literature and should include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Although critical analysis should make up the bulk of student writing for the course, well-constructed creative writing assignments may help students see from the inside how literature is written. The goal of both types of writing assignments is to increase students' ability to explain clearly, cogently, even elegantly, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as they do.
Writing instruction should include attention to developing and organizing ideas in clear, coherent, and persuasive language; a study of the elements of style; and attention to precision and correctness as necessary. Throughout the course, emphasis should be placed on helping students develop stylistic maturity, which, for AP English, is characterized by the following:

• Wide-ranging vocabulary used with denotative accuracy and connotative resourcefulness
• A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordinate and coordinate constructions
• A logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques of coherence such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis
• A balance of generalization with specific illustrative detail
• An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, maintaining a consistent voice, and achieving emphasis through parallelism and antithesis

It is important to distinguish among the different kinds of writing produced in an AP English Literature and Composition course. Any college-level course in which serious literature is read and studied should include numerous opportunities for students to write. Some of this writing should be informal and exploratory, allowing students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading. Some of the course writing should involve research, perhaps negotiating differing critical perspectives. Much writing should involve extended discourse in which students can develop an argument or present an analysis at length. In addition, some writing assignments should encourage students to write effectively under the time constraints they encounter on essay examinations in college courses in many disciplines, including English.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/english/ap-english-0607.pdf

 

AP Environmental Science:

The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them.
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science. The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course.

1. Science is a process.
• Science is a method of learning more about the world.
• Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
• Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
• As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.
3. The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
• Natural systems change over time and space.
• Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
4. Humans alter natural systems.
• Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
• Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
• Understanding the role of cultural, social and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.
6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
• A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
• Management of common resources is essential.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/envsci/ap-cd-envsci-0708.pdf

AP European History:

The study of European history since 1450 introduces students to cultural, economic, political, and social developments that played a fundamental role in shaping the world in which they live. Without this knowledge, we would lack the context for understanding the development of contemporary institutions, the role of continuity and change in present-day society and politics, and the evolution of current forms of artistic expression and intellectual discourse. In addition to providing a basic narrative of events and movements, the goals of the AP program in European History are to develop (a) an understanding of some of the principal themes in modern European History, (b) an ability to analyze historical evidence and historical interpretation, and (c) an ability to express historical understanding in writing.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/eurohistory/ap-cd-eurohist-0708.pdf

AP French Language:

Students who enroll in AP French Language should already have a good command of French grammar and vocabulary and have competence in listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Although these qualifications may be attained in a variety of ways, it is assumed that most students will be in the final stages of their secondary school training and will have had substantial course work in the language.
The course should emphasize the use of language for active communication and help students develop the following:

• The ability to understand spoken French in various contexts
• A French vocabulary sufficiently ample for reading newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts, and other non-technical writings without dependence on a dictionary
• The ability to express themselves coherently, resourcefully, and with reasonable fluency and accuracy in both written and spoken French.

Course content can reflect intellectual interests shared by the students and teacher (the arts, current events, literature, sports, etc.). Materials might well include audio and video recordings, films, newspapers, and magazines.
The course seeks to develop language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) that can be used in various activities and disciplines rather than to cover any specific body of subject matter. Extensive training in the organization and writing of compositions should also be emphasized.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/french/ap-cd-french-0708.pdf

 
AP French Literature:

The AP French Literature course is designed to introduce students who have advanced language skills to the formal study of a representative body of literary texts in French.
Students in an AP French Literature course have the following objectives:

• Gain proficiency in the fundamental language skills that enable them to read and understand prose and verse of moderate difficulty and mature content, and formulate and express critical opinions and judgments in correct oral and written French
• Develop the ability to read and analyze critically and to discuss perceptively representative works of French literature.

The program is not to be construed as a formal survey of literary history but rather as an introduction to representative works of prose, poetry, and drama from different periods. Students should, however, be aware of the cultural context of the works read. They should also acquire the basic concepts and terminology of textual analysis. By learning to identify and interpret the various elements that enter into the composition of a literary text and to perceive their relationships, students acquire a fuller understanding and appreciation of the art and significance of literature.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/french/ap-cd-french-0708.pdf

 

AP German Language:

A course in AP German Language, emphasizing use of the language for active communication, strives to develop:

• Strong command of vocabulary and structure;
• Understanding of spoken German in various conversational situations;
• Ability to read newspaper and magazine articles, contemporary fiction, and nontechnical writings without the use of a dictionary;
• Fluency and accuracy in expressing ideas orally and in writing.

Instructional content will reflect interests shared by the students and teacher (the arts, current events, literature, sports, and so forth). In addition to standard textbooks and anthologies, materials might include audio and visual materials, newspapers, magazines, and contemporary literature.
The course seeks to develop language skills that are useful in and of themselves and that can be applied to various activities and disciplines rather than being limited to any specific body of subject matter. Extensive practice in the organization and writing of compositions is also emphasized.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/german/ap-cd-german-0708.pdf

AP Human Geography:

The purpose of the AP course in Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.
The particular topics studied in an AP Human Geography course should be judged in light of the following five college-level goals that build on the National Geography Standards developed in 1994. On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Use and think about maps and spatial data
• Understand and interpret the implications of associations among phenomena in places
• Recognize and interpret at different scales the relationships among patterns and processes
• Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process
• Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places

Use and Think About Maps and Spatial Data

Geography is fundamentally concerned with the ways in which patterns on Earth's surface reflect and influence physical and human processes. As such, maps and spatial data are fundamental to the discipline, and learning to use and think about them is critical to geographical literacy. The goal is achieved when students learn to use maps and spatial data to pose and solve problems, and when they learn to think critically about what is revealed and what is hidden in different maps and spatial arrays.

Understand and Interpret Implications of Associations Among Phenomena in Places

Geography looks at the world from a spatial perspective -- seeking to understand the changing spatial organization and material character of Earth's surface. One of the critical advantages of a spatial perspective is the attention it focuses on how phenomena are related to one another in particular places. Students should thus learn not just to recognize and interpret patterns, but to assess the nature and significance of the relationships among phenomena that occur in the same place and to understand how tastes and values, political regulations, and economic constraints work together to create particular types of cultural landscapes.

Recognize and Interpret at Different Scales Relationships Among Patterns and Processes

Geographical analysis requires a sensitivity to scale -- not just as a spatial category but as a framework for understanding how events and processes at different scales influence one another. Thus, students should understand that the phenomena they are studying at one scale (e.g., local) may well be influenced by developments at other scales (e.g., regional, national, or global). They should then look at processes operating at multiple scales when seeking explanations of geographic patterns and arrangements.

Define Regions and Evaluate the Regionalization Process

Geography is concerned not simply with describing patterns, but with analyzing how they came about and what they mean. Students should see regions as objects of analysis and exploration and move beyond simply locating and describing regions to considering how and why they come into being -- and what they reveal about the changing character of the world in which we live.

Characterize and Analyze Changing Interconnections Among Places

At the heart of a geographical perspective is a concern with the ways in which events and processes operating in one place can influence those operating at other places. Thus, students should view places and patterns not in isolation, but in terms of their spatial and functional relationship with other places and patterns. Moreover, they should strive to be aware that those relationships are constantly changing, and they should understand how and why change occurs.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/humangeo/ap-cd-humangeo-0708.pdf

AP Latin Literature:

This course may follow one of three syllabi: Catullus-Cicero, Catullus-Horace, or Catullus-Ovid. Students are tested on their ability to read, translate, understand, analyze, and interpret the required poems of Catullus (approximately 800 lines) along with approximately 500 lines of selections from the second author studied. The Latin Literature course is designed to be taken only once.

Abilities Tested

The AP Latin Exam will test some or all of the following abilities:

• To write a literal English translation of a Latin passage on the syllabus
• To explicate specific words or phrases in context
• To identify the context and significance of short excerpts from texts listed in the chosen syllabus
• To identify and analyze characteristic or noteworthy features of the authors' modes of expression, including their use of imagery, figures of speech, sound effects, and metrical effects (in poetry only), as seen in specific passages
• To discuss particular motifs or general themes not only suggested by passages but also relevant to other selections
• To analyze and discuss structure and to demonstrate an awareness of the features used in the construction of a poem or an argument
• To scan the meters specified in the syllabus

Reading and Translation

You should be given extensive practice in translating literally and reading at sight so that your translations not only are accurate and precise, but also make sense in English. Teachers should not feel bound to limit their syllabus to the selections required for the examination. If time and the preparation of their students allow it, teachers may want to read additional selections of their own choosing.
The instructions for the translation questions, "translate as literally as possible," call for a translation that is accurate and precise. In some cases an idiom may be translated in a way that makes sense in English but is rather loose compared to the Latin construction. In general, however, you should remember that:

• The tense, voice, number, and mood of verbs need to be translated literally.
• Subject-verb agreement must be correct.
• Participles should be rendered precisely with regard to tense and voice.
• Ablative absolutes may be rendered literally or as subordinate clauses; however, the tense and number of the participle must be rendered accurately.
• Historical present is acceptable as long as it is used consistently throughout the passage.

Selections from the Oxford editions of Catullus, Cicero, Horace, and Ovid appear on the examination.

Writing Free-Response Essays

Some questions in the free-response section of the examination instruct you to write either a short essay or a long essay that is "well developed." In both instances, you may be asked to:

• Interpret the text
• Analyze critical statements about the text
• Compare and contrast different aspects of the form, structure, or content of the text
• Evaluate some issue of importance relevant to the text

Essays receiving the highest scores are analytical and interpretive rather than merely descriptive or narrative. In both types of essays, you must refer specifically to the Latin throughout the passage or poem to support your statements. When you are asked to refer specifically to the Latin, you must write out the Latin and/or cite line numbers. You must also translate, accurately paraphrase, or otherwise make clear in your discussion that you understand the Latin. When referring to a relatively long portion of Latin text, you may either cite the line numbers or use ellipsis ("word . . . word"). When referring only to words or phrases, you should write them out. The responsibility rests with you to convince the reader that you are drawing conclusions from the Latin text and not from a general recall of the passage.
When writing your essays, you should:

• Use the Latin most appropriate to supporting your argument and cite it properly.
• Understand that referring to the Latin "throughout" the poem or passage means that you should, at a minimum, use material from the beginning, middle, and end of the text.
• Connect the cited Latin to the point that you are making and explain the connection.
• Omit information you have learned when it is not relevant to the specific question.
• Refer to a figure of speech or aspect of meter only when it can be used to make your analysis of the passage stronger, unless the question specifically asks you to do so.
• Avoid making figures of speech, scansion, or sound effects the basis or major focus of your essays.
• Refer to other poems or passages by the same author only if there is a strong connection that strengthens the point you are making.

Meter, Scansion, and Figures of Speech

Scansion of the following meters is expected where appropriate: Alcaic, Sapphic, dactylic hexameter, the elegiac couplet, and the hendecasyllabic line. Scansion includes indicating elision and the metrical quantities of the syllables. (The last syllable of the line in all meters may be marked long.) You should be familiar with the figures of speech commonly used by Catullus and either Cicero, Horace, or Ovid.

Roman Culture in the Latin Literature Course

You should be familiar with the cultural, social, and political context of the literature on the syllabus. You should also have an understanding of the development of Latin lyric and elegiac poetry as literary genres. If you have opted for the Catullus-Cicero syllabus, you should also be familiar with Ciceronian style in particular and oratorical technique in general. Roman culture, society, and politics may be taught in a variety of ways; teachers need not introduce a separate unit on this material but may wish to incorporate it, where appropriate, into their discussions of the literature.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/latin/ap-cd-latin-0708.pdf

AP Music Theory:

A major component of any college curriculum in music is a course introducing the first-year student to music theory, a subject that comprises the musical materials and procedures of the Common Practice period. Such a course may bear a variety of titles (Basic Musicianship, Elementary Theory, Harmony and Dictation, Structure of Music, etc). It may emphasize one aspect of music, such as harmony; more often, however, it integrates aspects of melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, form, musical analysis, elementary composition, and to some extent, history and style. Musicianship skills such as dictation and other listening skills, sight-singing, and keyboard harmony are considered an important part of the theory course, although they may be taught as separate classes.
The student's ability to read and write musical notation is fundamental to such a course. It is also assumed that the student has acquired (or is acquiring) at least basic performance skills in voice or on an instrument.
The ultimate goal of an AP Music Theory course is to develop a student's ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score. The achievement of these goals may best be approached by initially addressing fundamental aural, analytical, and compositional skills using both listening and written exercises. Building on this foundation, the course should progress to include more creative tasks, such as the harmonization of a melody by selecting appropriate chords, composing a musical bass line to provide two-voice counterpoint, or the realization of figured-bass notation.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/music/ap-music-0607.pdf

AP Physics B:

This course provides a systematic introduction to the main principles of physics and emphasizes the development of conceptual understanding and problem-solving ability using algebra and trigonometry, but rarely calculus. In most colleges, this is a one-year terminal course including a laboratory component and is not the usual preparation for more advanced physics and engineering courses. However, the B course provides a foundation in physics for students in the life sciences, premedicine, and some applied sciences, as well as other fields not directly related to science.

Textbooks

The following textbooks are commonly used in colleges and typify the level of the B course. However, the inclusion of a text does NOT constitute endorsement by the College Board, ETS, or the AP Physics Development Committee. Students should consult their teachers before using any of these review books.

• Cutnell, John D., and Kenneth W. Johnson. 2004. Physics, 6th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
• Giancoli, Douglas C. 2005. Physics: Principles with Applications, 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
• Hecht, Eugene. 2003. Physics: Algebra/Trigonometry, 3rd ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
• Serway, Raymond A., and Jerry S. Faughn. 2003. College Physics, 6th ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
• Wilson, Jerry D., and Anthony J. Buffa. 2003. College Physics, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/physics/ap-cd-physics-0708.pdf

 

AP Physics BC:

This course ordinarily forms the first part of the college sequence that serves as the foundation in physics for students majoring in the physical sciences or engineering. The sequence is parallel to or preceded by mathematics courses that include calculus. Methods of calculus are used wherever appropriate in formulating physical principles and in applying them to physical problems. The sequence is more intensive and analytic than that in the B course. Strong emphasis is placed on solving a variety of challenging problems, some requiring calculus. The subject matter of the C course is principally mechanics and electricity and magnetism, with approximately equal emphasis on these two areas. The C course is the first part of a sequence which in college is sometimes a very intensive one-year course but often extends over one and one-half to two years, with a laboratory component.

Textbooks

The following textbooks are commonly used in colleges and typify the level of the C course. However, the inclusion of a text does NOT constitute endorsement by the College Board, ETS, or the AP Physics Development Committee. Students should consult their teachers before using any of these review books.

• Chabay, Ruth W., and Bruce A. Sherwood. 2003. Matter & Interaction II: Electric & Magnetic Interactions, Version 1.2. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
• Fishbane, Paul M., Stephen Gasiorowicz, and Stephen T. Thornton. 2005. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
• Giancoli, Douglas C. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
• Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walke. 2005. Fundamentals of Physics, 7th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
• Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Kenneth Krane. 2001. Physics, Parts I and II, 5th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
• Knight, Randall D. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
• Serway, Raymond A., Robert J. Beichner and John J. Jewett. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
• Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett. 2002. Principles of Physics, 3rd ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
• Tipler, Paul A. and Gene P. Mosca. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th ed. New York: W.H. Freeman.
• Wolfson, Richard, and Jay M. Pasachoff. 1999. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd ed. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
• Young, Hugh D. and Roger A. Freedman. 2004. University Physics, 11th ed. Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/physics/ap-cd-physics-0708.pdf

AP Psychology:

The purpose of the AP course in Psychology is to introduce the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.
An introductory college course in psychology is generally one semester in length, with some variation among colleges. An AP course in psychology need not follow any specific college curriculum. Rather, the aim is to provide a learning experience equivalent to that obtained in most college introductory psychology courses.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/psych/ap-cd-psych-0708.pdf

AP Spanish Language:

An AP Spanish Language course is comparable to an advanced level (5th- and 6th-semester or the equivalent) college Spanish language course. Emphasizing the use of Spanish for active communication, it encompasses aural/oral skills, reading comprehension, grammar, and composition.
The course objectives are to help you:

• understand Spanish spoken by native speakers at a natural pace, with a variety of regional pronunciations, in both informal (interpersonal) and formal (presentational) contexts;
• develop an active vocabulary sufficient for reading newspaper and magazine articles, contemporary literature, and other non-technical writings (websites, letters and emails, advertisements, signs and instructions) in Spanish without dependence on a dictionary;
• express yourself by describing, narrating, inquiring, and developing arguments in Spanish, both orally and in writing, with reasonable fluency, using different strategies for different audiences and communicative contexts.

In this course, special emphasis is placed on the use of authentic source materials and the integration of language skills. Therefore, you should receive extensive training in combining listening, reading, and speaking (or listening, reading, and writing) skills in order to demonstrate understanding of authentic Spanish-language source materials.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/spanish/ap-cd-spanish-0708.pdf

 

AP Spanish Literature:

An AP Spanish Literature course is comparable to a third-year college introduction to Hispanic literature course. It is based on a required reading list. The works on the list are of literary significance and represent various historical periods, literary movements, genres, geographic areas, and population groups within the Spanish-speaking world. The objective of the course is to help you interpret and analyze literature in Spanish.

Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/spanish/ap-cd-spanish-0708.pdf

AP Statistics:

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students are exposed to four broad conceptual themes:

• Exploring Data: Describing patterns and departures from patterns
• Sampling and Experimentation: Planning and conducting a study
• Anticipating Patterns: Exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation
• Statistical Inference: Estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses

Students who successfully complete the course and examination may receive credit and/or advanced placement for a one-semester introductory college statistics course. This does not necessarily imply that the high school course should be one semester long. Each high school will need to determine the length of time for its AP Statistics course to best serve the needs of its students. Statistics, like some other AP courses, could be effectively studied in a one-semester, a two-trimester, or a one-year course. Most schools, however, offer it as a two-semester course.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/statistics/ap-stats-0607.pdf

AP World History:

The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge deployed in conjunction with leading interpretive issues and types of historical evidence. The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage. Periodization, explicitly discussed, forms an organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity throughout the course. Specific themes provide further organization to the course, along with the consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study.
College world history courses vary considerably in the approach used, the chronological framework chosen, the content covered, the themes selected, and the analytical skills emphasized. The material that follows describes the choices the AP World History Development Committee has made to create the course and exam. These choices themselves are compatible with a variety of college-level curricular approaches.
Course Description Link: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/worldhistory/ap-cd-worldhist-0708.pdf

 

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