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AP Seminar

Course Overview

AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

Expectations & Support

Students should expect a course whose focus is research, writing, and presentation. This involves both research of their choosing and research that is derived from a curated set of materials provided by the College Board. Students will hone skills required to meet their assessments throughout the course. Support is provided in whole group instruction and activities, small group discussion, and individual conferencing. As a college level class, it is the expectation that students approach their work and this class with maturity and integrity.

Exams & Assessment

  • 2 Individual Papers (1,200–2,200 word count)

  • 1 Team Presentation

  • 1 Individual Presentation

  • 1 Two-Part End of Course Exam

Materials & Resources

  • AP Classroom

  • AP Articles

  • Scholarly Articles

  • EBSCO and JSTOR databases

Time Commitment

AP Seminar requires students complete research as the basis of their writing. While time spent on these tasks may differ from student to student, on average a student can expect to spend about 3 hours of work outside of class per week to support either their individual or team research/reporting/presentation assessments.