Course Description:
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.
In this course, deadlines are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and MUST be adhered to. It is imperative to not only meet the deadlines for College Board, but for the classroom teacher as well. Not meeting deadlines or completing assignments will result in risk of failure of the course. Participation and collaboration is KEY.
Curriculum Framework:
QUEST:
Q-Question and Explore
U-Understand and Analyze
E-Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
S-Synthesize Ideas
T-Team, Transform, and Transmit
Assessment Overview:
You will be assessed with two through-course performance tasks and one end-of-course exam. All three assessments are summative and will be used to calculate a final AP score (using the 1–5 scale) for AP Seminar.
§ Performance Task 1 --> Team Project and Presentation — 20%
§ Performance Task 2 --> Individual Research-Based Essay and Presentation — 35%
§ End-of-Course Exam (2 Hours) — 45%
Grading:
Performance Tasks (40%)
-Drafts of the Individual Research Report (IRR) or Individual Written Argument (IWA).
-Annotated bibliographies and research source logs.
-Peer review workshops and thesis statement revisions.
Presentations & Oral Defenses (25%)
-Practice Team Multimedia Presentations (TMP).
-Individual Multimedia Presentations (IMP).
-Live answers to impromptu oral defense questions.
Classwork & Formative Assessments (20%)
-Practice mock questions for the End-of-Course (EOC) Exam.
-Line-of-reasoning mapping exercises for academic articles.
-Source credibility checks using the RAVEN or CRAAP methods.
Participation & Collaboration (15%)
-Active involvement in Socratic seminars and class discussions.
-Team contract accountability and collaboration logs.
-Meeting weekly group milestones during team projects.
In Class Expectations:
It is in the students’ best interest to be in class daily but it is understood that emergencies arise. Whether a student knows that he/she will miss a class or it is unplanned, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher through email or to see the teacher to receive assignments and discuss due dates.
Students are expected to arrive at class on time and prepared. Upon arrival, your cell phone must be put on silent mode or shut off and put in your assigned slot in the cell phone holder. Any homework due that day must be immediately turned in to the teacher. Students should always be respectful while the teacher or other students are talking. All students should make every effort to participate in all in-class discussions and, when assigned in-class work, should be actively working on the assignment to avoid a reduced participation grade for the day. Electronic devices, including laptops and tablets, may not be used in class without teacher permission.
Outside Class Expectations:
AP Seminar is a rigorous, college-level course that requires a significant commitment outside of class. Students should expect to spend time reading, conducting research, analyzing sources, and working on both individual and collaborative projects. Time management is imperative, as many assignments involve long-term deadlines and multiple stages of research, writing, revision, and presentation preparation.
Students are expected to stay organized, meet deadlines, actively contribute to group work, and seek assistance when needed. Regular engagement with course materials and research will be critical to success in AP Seminar.
Late Work Policy:
As a student enrolled in an AP course, you are expected to submit the highest quality work on the date the work is due.
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Students will submit assignments on the due date determined by the teacher.
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Students who do not turn in assignments on their due dates…
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because of an excused absence approved by the attendance office, are expected to submit the assignment (hard copy and/or digitally) the next day they are present at school for no grade penalty (see Student Handbook for what constitutes an excused absence)
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For any additional days, assignments will be subject to the late work policy due to unexcused absence or general failure to submit work (see next bullet)
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because of an unexcused absence or a general failure to turn in the assignment will receive a 20% deduction for up to two successive school days, after which a “zero” will be assigned. Please do your best to NOT turn in work late. (It is very difficult to participate in peer reviews, class engagements, or move forward individually and as a class if work is submitted late or not at all.)
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A teacher may grant an extension if the student communicates a valid reason, confirmed by a parent. Extensions must be requested at least 24 hours before the due date.
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Students are required to check their Google Classroom in the event of any absence. Communication through email is essential for reporting absences, asking questions, or expressing concerns.
AP Capstone Policy on Plagiarism and Falsification or Fabrication of Information:
A student who fails to acknowledge the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else through citation, attribution or reference in the body of the work, or through a bibliographic entry, will receive a score of zero on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research Performance Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that fails to properly acknowledge sources or authors on the Team Multimedia Presentation will receive a group score of zero for that component of the Team Project and Presentation.
A student who incorporates falsified or fabricated information (e.g. evidence, data, sources, and/or authors) will receive a score of zero on that particular component of the AP Seminar and/or AP Research Performance Task. In AP Seminar, a team of students that incorporates falsified or fabricated information in the Team Multimedia Presentation will receive a group score of zero for that component of the Team Project and Presentation.
AP Capstone Policy on Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI):
Definition of Generative AI in AP Capstone Classes
Generative AI tools use predictive technology to produce new texts, charts, images, audio, video, etc. This includes not only ChatGPT and similar Large Language Models (LLMs), but also many writing assistants or plug-ins that are built on this or similar AI Technologies.
Policy on acceptable generative AI use in AP Capstone courses:
Generative AI tools must be used ethically, responsibly, and intentionally to support student learning, not to bypass it. Accordingly, all performance tasks submitted in AP Seminar and AP Research must be the student’s own work. While students are permitted to use generative AI tools consistent with this policy, their use is optional and not mandatory.
Students can use generative AI tools as optional aids for exploration of potential topics of inquiry, initial searches for sources of information, confirming their understanding of a complex text, or checking their writing-- but not rewriting-- for grammar and tone. However, students must read primary and secondary sources directly, perform their own analysis and synthesis of evidence, and make their own choices on how to communicate effectively both in their writing and presentations. Students may not use generative AI tools to write or create their assignments for them. It remains the student’s responsibility to engage deeply with credible, valid sources and integrate diverse perspectives when working on the performance tasks. Students must complete interim “checkpoints” with their teacher to demonstrate genuine engagement with the tasks.
