ASA: Academic Study Associates 2009 Programs

This course is the most thorough SAT preparation course offered by The Princeton Review. With 30 hours of small-group instruction and individual consultation plus 4 full-length SAT tests, your Princeton Review program will provide you with instruction in the math, critical reading, and writing strategies that you will need to perform at your highest level. Students are grouped by shared strengths and weaknesses to provide targeted instruction. Watch your scores rise as you strengthen your skills with teachers from the nation's leading test prep company. The Princeton Review guarantees that if you complete your program (program completion requires attending all classes, taking all practice exams, completing all homework, participating in a wrap-up session when you return home and taking the October SAT) and you are not satisfied with your score on the October SAT, you may take an SAT Refresher Course or extend membership to the online student center free of charge. (Supplemental Fee)

Are you a self-starter always looking for the next big idea? Do you want to develop your leadership skills and learn how to run your own company? This practically-based course introduces you to the issues involved in starting up and running a successful business. You will look at the macro- and micro-economic issues that impact every organization and examine the ins and outs of finance, accounting, marketing, and advertising. Create a full-fledged business plan to promote your innovative idea and visit local companies to gain a greater understanding of both the benefits and difficulties of running a successful business.

Learn how to apply fundamental economic concepts within your day-to-day life. Study economic systems, business practices and investing strategies while focusing on current events in the global economy. Work with your peers to analyze relevant business models and share your findings through in-class presentations.

"Going Green" has quickly become a popular expression of the 21st century, but it is more than just an expression. Explore the ways that our world is becoming cleaner, more fuel efficient, and less wasteful, both from a behavioral and institutional perspective. Learn about available future energy technologies and the incentives created by legislatures to address climate change and our right to a healthy environment. Finally, examine, critique, and discuss current methods/tools for improving energy efficiency and understand what you can personally do to help the world around us.

Expand your mathematical know-how and master the critical skills of algebra and geometry that will open the door to higher level math. Explore absolute value, linear equations and inequalities, factoring polynomials, complex numbers, quadratic equations, combinations and permutations to boost your confidence and skills. Pre-requisites: Algebra I, Geometry.

Expand your Algebra and Geometry skills and get ready for your pre-calculus course in the fall. Flex your math muscle by exploring linear and quadratic functions, polynomial functions, inequalities, exponents and logarithms, trigonometric functions, complex numbers, and sequences and series. Pre-requisites: Algebra I, II, and Geometry.

Examine the behavior of yourself and others through the psychological theories of Freud, Skinner, Maslow, Erikson and Piaget. Critically evaluate the validity of these theories in light of your own experiences of physical maturation, intellectual and moral development, sensuality and sexuality, family and peer relationships, and coping with stress and problems in everyday life. View films and read relevant articles that provide an applied understanding of developmental psychology.

What drives people to commit crimes? What are the proper punishments? Investigate the controversial issues of the criminal justice system as they relate to social inequality, poverty, morality and freedoms like speech and privacy. Explore related psychological phenomena such as "group think" and "de-individuation" and environmental factors like poverty, drug use and social upbringing. Discuss and debate these crucial topics to form knowledgeable opinions about crime in our world.

Become a professional illustrator and design advertisements, posters, and magazine covers. Learn the techniques of successful design by working with real world examples. Master the skills necessary for combining text and visual images to create total design solutions and leave with your own portfolio of work. (Supplemental Fee).

Explore your passion for photography and apply your own artistic touch in the digital darkroom. Master the basics of composition including motion, lighting and depth of field. Regardless of your ability, there is always more to learn about exposure controls, shutter speed and other features of your digital camera. Showcase your best work in an end of program ASA Art Show. Digital camera required. (Supplemental Fee).

Improve your reading, writing, and speaking skills to succeed in college and beyond. Designed for non-native speakers of English, this course will expose you to a variety of texts and writing styles. You will be taken through the entire writing process--from crafting their work to the final editing process. This course compliments your immersion in a US college setting, while providing a supportive environment to boost confidence and achievement.

Master one of the most important skills for success in high school, college, and beyond. Reach higher levels of achievement by studying the elements common to all successful writing--defining an audience, developing a thesis statement, supporting your argument, and revising for grammar and style. Through peer workshops and teacher-student conferences, you will sharpen both your expository and persuasive writing abilities. Come away with polished essays for your writing portfolio.

Marketing and advertising can make or break the success of any product. Learn how the right packaging, pricing and advertising can set any idea apart from the rest. With your classmates, dive into the complexities of consumer behavior and develop a winning marketing strategy to promote and sell a new product of your choosing. From advertising on the internet, to magazines, to the radio and TV, there's no limit to where your creativity can take you!

Get ready to buy, sell and trade your way through the basics of financial markets. Learn to navigate the stock exchange, balance between risk and return and create a diversified portfolio. Discover why some corporations succeed and others fail and use current financial news to gain an applied understanding of the global market.

Is justice really blind? Should an unemployed man who steals a loaf of bread be punished the same as an executive who embezzles millions of dollars? Should the purpose of our penal system be to punish offenders, to protect society, or to produce reformed citizens? Explore the criminal justice system in the wider social and ideological contexts of crime and punishment in America. Study controversial legal cases, hear from guest speakers, and engage in peer debates.

Explore international relations not as an abstract theory but as events affecting the lives of ordinary people. You will examine current events relating to war and terrorism, human rights, global health crises and aid for the developing world. Think critically about arguments from all sides of the political spectrum and learn how nations use diplomacy to peacefully coexist. Through research, discussion and debate, you will tackle key issues of our world today.

Why do some television shows flop and others succeed? Why do some musical artists top the charts, while others can't release their first CD? Analyze global popular culture through movies, television, music, and video games, and engage in a critical study of popular culture and its impact on the lives of teenagers today. Study different topics in the media regarding race, ethnicity and gender, and use your findings to create your own pop star sensation as a final project.

Investigate the ways psychologists differentiate healthy human development from abnormal behavior. You will examine the causes and symptoms of mental illness, from obsessive compulsive behavior to schizophrenia to eating disorders. In addition, learn about effective treatments for these behaviors, such as different types of therapy and medication.

Hone your acting ability by learning skills that go beyond the stage. Discover the importance of communication, team work, laughter, self-respect, and community involvement, and have a chance to explore your creative side. Work as a group to put together small sketches and perform for your ASA peers at the program end.

Does your stomach sink when you hear the words "Oral Presentation"? Would you prefer to stay home sick rather than participate in a class debate? From speaking in front of a class to tackling a college interview, public speaking is a skill everyone should master. Develop your ability to express yourself confidently and clearly through speech writing and performance. Sharpen your skills with the aid of videos and texts of famous speeches to deliver a performance for any occasion.

Take your love of film to the next level. Study the history and theory of cinema, and look behind-the-scenes at your favorite movies. You will explore different genres in order to examine story structure, visual style, and cinematic devices. You'll view film excerpts as well as full-length movies to provide a diverse and exciting experience.

Explore your passion for photography and apply your own artistic touch in the digital darkroom. Master the basics of composition including motion, lighting and depth of field. Regardless of your ability, there is always more to learn about exposure controls, shutter speed and other features of your digital camera. Showcase your best work in an end of program ASA Art Show. Digital camera required. (Supplemental Fee).

This course asks participants to explore the elements of creative writing - voice, character development, dialogue, setting, and narrative arc ? in a process-oriented way. We will practice generative writing techniques that inspire and allow the writer to enter a creative, receptive state and share work with peers in an atmosphere that supports risk and creative free-play. We will then draft and revise what emerges in order to develop our critical faculties as writers.

Master one of the most important skills for success in high school, college, and beyond. Reach higher levels of achievement by studying the elements common to all successful writing--defining an audience, developing a thesis statement, supporting your argument, and revising for grammar and style. Through peer workshops and teacher-student conferences, you will sharpen both your expository and persuasive writing abilities. Come away with polished essays for your writing portfolio.