Why This Class
Politics is the study of power and how it makes people behave—and you want your student to be wary of its potential to inspire both greatness and corruption. Nothing conveys those lessons quite like a story that illustrates power dynamics in action. This course exposes your student to several of the best of those stories.

Mentors in this course guide students through a series of both fictional and real-life accounts of the impact of power on human relationships. Through thoughtful discussions and writing assignments, students investigate the factors that decide who holds power and how it changes hands. They contrast ideology and patriotism and personal conviction versus public duty. In the process, students see themselves reflected in the characters they study and refine their ideas about what it means to be free.

Students emerge from this course with enhanced respect for power—and for the personal and societal constraints that keep it in line. They feel inspired to be mindful stewards of whatever power they may hold.

Why This Class
You want your student to learn how to think for themselves—and the best way to do that is to expose them to the works of great thinkers. This course does just that by guiding your student through the most notable contributions to American literature in the last one hundred years.

With the guidance of a mentor, students in this course take a tour of the Progressive, Modern, Postmodern and Contemporary genres of American writing. Through class discussions and debates, they seek to empathize with—and think like—the authors and characters they study (including MLK and Helen Keller). Students also work with mentors to refine their analytical skills and identify the core ingredients for transformational writing as they draft thesis-driven essays on key literary works.

As a result of completing this course, students train their minds to think on a new level about human nature and the forces that shape America. They are more motivated than ever to contribute a positive verse to their national story.

Why This Class
Nothing shapes your student’s character like a great story. America has produced some of the world’s best storytellers—and you want your student to absorb the messages they shared. This course helps by exposing your student to the most influential works of early American literature.

With the guidance of a mentor, students in this course uncover the lessons and themes of the Colonial, Revolutionary, Romantic, Transcendental, and Realism genres of American writing. In the process, they get inside the hearts and minds of both authors and characters and debate the same issues they faced in dynamic class discussions. Students also hone their writing and reasoning skills as they develop thesis statements and identify elements such as setting and author-intent in literary analyses and persuasive essays.

By completing this course, students gain awareness of the power of story to shape both human lives and America itself. They feel inspired to follow the role models they discover in their readings and become more confident in their writing and storytelling skills.

Why This Class
As a parent, you seek out the best environments for your student to express and refine their unique creative gifts. With that in mind, you might enroll your student in local or alternative music, dance, theater, or visual arts classes. In case you do, this course helps ensure that your student receives high school credit for their creative pursuits.

Students in this course commit to logging sixty hours of combined practice or performance in a single art form within a given semester. Along the way, they submit four brief reports of their progress (one for every fifteen hours of work) and receive live instruction at least four times from a qualified professional teacher in their chosen field. Students submit their instructor’s contact information for Williamsburg to confirm at the beginning of the semester.

By completing this course, students earn academic credit for participating in a discipline that matters to them. They not only develop as artists, but also strengthen their capacity to set goals independently and follow through.

Why This Class
Is your student passionate about guitar music? Do you want to support them in exploring the work of great guitarists from many eras and genres? If so, this course will take your student on an expertly curated, one-of-a-kind journey through the history of guitar and its profound impact on human culture during the past 120 years.

Students in this self-paced course explore a broad range of genres and musical ideas, some of which they may never have heard before. With the guidance of a mentor, students see how the work of history’s best guitarists have brought people together and sparked revolutions in music and society at large. Through assignments including readings, videos, and online peer discussions, students become more discerning listeners and improve their understanding of 20th-century guitar music.

By completing this course, students gain awareness of the pivotal role guitar has played in recent musical history. They come to notice the common threads across all guitar music and feel inspired to contribute to guitar’s ongoing legacy themselves.

Why This Class
Does your student have a flair for fashion? Are they continually dressing up or decorating and redecorating rooms around your home? As a parent of a creative student, you want to nurture their artistic gifts. This course helps them better connect with their creativity and investigate career options in fashion and interior design.

Students in this self-paced course work independently with the assistance of a mentor and interact with other students in online discussions. They learn the basics of color and design and test their skills through hands-on projects. In the process, they discover the tools of various trades within the fashion and design worlds, including sewing, technology, and environmental design. They also explore the history of fashion and learn how to present their work as aspiring professionals in the industry.

By completing this course, students gain awareness of the foundational principles and tools that will help them pursue a career in fashion or interior design. They also get a head-start on creating a competitive portfolio of their own.

Why This Class
Is your student always listening to music? Do they constantly sing or hum or whistle? Or are they fascinated by how music influences people in ways words cannot? If the answer is yes to any of these, this comprehensive course will open your student’s eyes to the beauty and complexity of music on a new level.

Students in this self-paced course explore where music comes from by studying the mechanics of singing and various types of instruments. Next, they learn the basics of musical notation and the steps for composing a song of their own. They then take a tour of genres ranging from classical (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven) to rock, hip-hop, rap and opera as they expand their musical vocabulary and critical listening skills. Students end the course with a look at the impact of music on politics, religion, relationships, and personal growth.

Students emerge from this course with an enhanced appreciation for music in all its forms. They are more conscious of the characteristics that make great compositions stand out and better prepared to participate in the ongoing evolution of music.

Why This Class
Is your student always listening to music? Do they constantly sing or hum or whistle? Or are they fascinated by how music influences people in ways words cannot? If the answer is yes to any of these, this comprehensive course will open your student’s eyes to the beauty and complexity of music on a new level.

Students in this self-paced course explore where music comes from by studying the mechanics of singing and various types of instruments. Next, they learn the basics of musical notation and the steps for composing a song of their own. They then take a tour of genres ranging from classical (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven) to rock, hip-hop, rap and opera as they expand their musical vocabulary and critical listening skills. Students end the course with a look at the impact of music on politics, religion, relationships, and personal growth.

Students emerge from this course with an enhanced appreciation for music in all its forms. They are more conscious of the characteristics that make great compositions stand out and better prepared to participate in the ongoing evolution of music.

Why This Class

Why This Class