The courses offered at the Monterrey site are available for students how have completed grades 7 though 12. They are enrichment courses, designed to offer students areas of study no usually available in middle or high school. They usually do not provide students with credit for advanced placement in their schools. However, if you want to inquire about receiving school credit, please show this catalog and the course you are interested in to your principal or guidance counselor. Remember that only your school can make a decision about credit or placement. The following courses are offered in English for US students. Mexican students enroll in sections taught in Spanish. While many US students may be interested in taking a course taught in Spanish, due to the pace and intensity of the program, even US students who are advanced Spanish speakers are encouraged to only enroll in courses taught in English.
Mechatronics
Mechatronics is a discipline that combines mechanical, electronic, computer science and controls to design and implement devices that can interact in our world. The machines that make the break and airbag systems in your car, the devices that control the air-flaps in an airplane, and even the new devices used to help doctors perform heart surgery are examples of mechatronic devices. Let us not forget industrial, mobile and house robots which are entirely composed of mechanical, electronic, computer software and control systems. The goal of this course is to provide students with a hands-on overview of mechatronics. You will learn by doing to design and build digital circuits, program the powerful LEGO Mindstorm. Are you up to the challenge? Lab Fee: $65
Introduction to Biomedical Sciences
Students in this course examine the intricate anatomical and physiological mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal human function. Students learn about the role and functions of the different organs and systems and explore key biochemical concepts and their importance to human health. Students leave the course with a solid introduction to the workings of the human body and the human anatomy. Lab Fee: $65
Mathematics of Money Course Canceled
This course provides students with a rigorous, mathematical grounding in central concepts of business and finance. Students investigate the mathematics of buying and selling, and apply these principles to real world situations. They gain fluency with the concepts of simple and compound interest and learn how these affect the present and future value of loans, mortgages, and interest-bearing accounts. Students also explore stocks and bonds and acquire a firmer understanding of national and international financial markets.
Gods, Blood, and Butterflies: An Analysis of Mesoamerican Culture
“Zan nompehua noncuica—Aya!—acohui ye noconehua in tan ca ye icuic in ipalnemohua. Yayahue Ohuaya ohuaya.” (I begin to sing, I elevate to the heights the song to Him by All Who Who Live. Yayahue, ohuaya, ohuaya!) So begins a famous poem of Nezahualcoyotl, the Poet-King of Texcoco that perished some 50-odd years before the European arrival. In a land that defied the descriptive powers of Europeans, civilizations such as the Maya, the Olmec, the Zapotec, the Mixtec and, of course the Aztec, prospered and transformed themselves into myth. This course examines not only the main indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica during the pre-Columbian period but also attempts to explain the outstanding social, political, religious, artistic, scientific, and engineering feats that characterized these peoples’ sojourn into history. Historically, it includes the times before and after the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the Southwestern US. It will deconstruct the model of colonization developed by 16th century Spain in the Americas and the emerging societies that shaped the Independent nations in the contemporary world stage. Both primary sources and video documentaries will present outstanding archeological sites, while the course will provide a thorough analysis of Pre-Hispanic America’s most daring and intriguing societies that bathed their temples with the blood of countless humans and yet could sing in elaborate poems about the colors of the butterflies. Field Trip Fee: $65
Advanced Intermediate Spanish
Prerequisite: Two years of Spanish language instruction. Are you ready to take your Spanish-speaking skills to the next level? In this enrichment course, students build on their Spanish language skills by focusing on the core areas of language learning: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In addition, Mexican culture is studied through immersion experiences and contextual readings in Spanish. The course is taught through project-based activities like art, cooking, dance, politics, sports, or music. For each activity, students learn more advanced vocabulary and reinforce their grammar skills through use in a variety of contexts. Although students gain proficiency in all language areas, they experience the greatest growth in vocabulary and enhanced listening and speaking proficiency. In addition to fluent Spanish-speaking instructors, the program provides students the opportunity to have constant access to native Spanish-speaking peers. Students wishing to participate in this program must be proficient with regular and irregular present, simple past, and imperfect verb tenses. They must be able to converse in basic social situations, speaking with simple sentences and commands. In addition, they should be able to use direct/indirect object pronouns, and they should be able to speak in the immediate future, but not necessarily future tense. Their current vocabulary should include the family, recreational activities, food, clothing, the home, animals, health, shopping, going to a restaurant, and daily routine. Field Trip Fee: $65
Biotechnology Course Canceled
This course introduces students to the biology, technology, and potential of genetics. Students first explore some fundamental principles of genetics, including mitosis, meiosis, and Mendelian inheritance. Next they turn to the structure and function of DNA and RNA, sources and types of mutations, and genetic biotechnology. Lab work is an integral component of this course. Lab and Field Trip Fee: $95
Rocket Science and Beyond
Students in this course take a hands-on approach as they combine aspects of physics, computer science, and aeronautics to design, construct, test, and launch a model rocket. Activities range from wind tunnel testing to robotics platform design to graphical computer programming. Lab Fee: $65
The History of Disease Course Canceled
Throughout history, humans have been burdened with countless infectious diseases. Some of these, due to their lethality, their insidious spread, or their terrifying course, have become legendary. In this course, students examine the societal impact of, and science’s response to, history’s most significant diseases, including plague, leprosy, influenza, tuberculosis, smallpox, polio, cholera, malaria, syphilis, and AIDS. Through reading, writing, and problem-based learning, students explore the effects of each disease on two levels: the biological (micro-biology, pharmacology, and immunology) and the societal (epidemiology, psychology, and sociology). Students attempt to understand the biology of each disease while also learning its historical framework. A wide variety of sources, such as medical literature, ancient Greek texts, religious writings, opera and theater, and articles from the modern media, places each scourge in the context of the society it traumatized. The ethics of infectious disease monitoring and control, including quarantines, mandatory health department notification, and the use of experimental drugs, are the focus of classroom debates. Reviewing the attempts to cure each disease, from primitive superstitions to cutting-edge designer drugs, provides an introduction to pharmacology. Students critically analyze the never-ending war between humans and microbes, contrasting modern perceptions of our victory over “germs” with the growing reality of microbial resistance. Lab Fee: None; not a lab course.
Applied Mathematics: Game Theory
Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, once said, “Business is a game—the greatest game in the world if you know how to play it.” In today’s global economy and the international political arena, the study of games and strategy continues to be a vital part of the education of historians, economists, and politicians. In this course, students learn how to use principles of probability, statistics, and combinatorics to make strategic decisions based on another party’s actions and reactions.
Latin American Political Theory
In this course, students begin with the basic questions of political theory: What is justice? What makes a society just? What constitutes citizenship? What makes a state legitimate? Who has a right to use violence in a society? Students then apply the ideas of classical and contemporary political theorists to look at a variety of recurring historical, political dilemmas in Latin America. They discuss questions like the ability of a state to govern its people, national identity particularly when it conflicts with indigenous identity, the ability of citizens to hold governments accountable for actions of the state, and successful societal transitions from authoritarian to democratic institutions. Students use historical and contemporary case studies to understand the complex nature of Latin American politics.
Advanced Spanish
Prerequisite: Three years of Spanish-language instruction. Are you ready to take your Spanish-speaking skills to the next level? In this enrichment course, students build on their Spanish language skills by focusing on the core areas of language learning: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In addition, Mexican culture is studied through immersion experiences and contextual readings in Spanish. The course is taught through project-based activities like art, cooking, dance, politics, sports, or music. For each activity, students learn more advanced vocabulary and reinforce their grammar skills through use in a variety of contexts. Although students gain proficiency in all language areas, they experience the greatest growth in vocabulary and enhanced listening and speaking proficiency. In addition to fluent Spanish-speaking instructors, the program provides students the opportunity to have constant access to native Spanish-speaking peers. Students wishing to participate in this program must be proficient with regular and irregular present, simple past, and imperfect verb tenses. They must be able to converse in basic social situations, speaking with simple sentences and commands. In addition, they must be able to speak with subjunctive and conditional clauses, and be able to use direct/indirect object pronouns. Their existing vocabulary should cover the family, recreational activities, food, clothing, the home, animals, health, shopping, going to a restaurant, and daily routine. Field Trip Fee: $65 back to top | 
