The latest addition to Pacifica’s curriculum is AP Seminar, a class that re-imagines what education “should” look like and dares to ask ‘why’ instead of just ‘what’. This revolutionary class replaces the traditional test-taking approach with a more open, research-based class focused on developing both soft and hard skills in students. Considering how recent and fresh this class is, not many students know about it. Still, it is the perfect opportunity for incoming sophomores to develop their critical thinking and analytical abilities.
AP Seminar is an Advanced Placement course offered by the College Board in which students investigate real-world or academic topics. This class teaches students how to research and find evidence, then use that evidence through writing and multimedia presentations to demonstrate an extensive understanding of the topic. Skills that students learn include “reading and analyzing articles, studies, and other texts. Gathering and combining information from sources, viewing an issue from multiple perspectives, and crafting arguments based on evidence” (https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-seminar). Mr. Briggs, one of Pacifica’s AP seminar teachers, explains, “AP Seminar is less about reading a single novel or writing one type of essay and more about learning how to think across disciplines. Students still read and write extensively, but they also research real-world issues, evaluate sources, collaborate with peers, and present their thinking publicly. Instead of focusing on one correct answer, the class emphasizes asking strong questions, analyzing multiple perspectives, and supporting ideas with evidence.” Moreover, students have the opportunity to take the AP Seminar assessment, comprised of three parts, two of which are completed during class. The year-long performance tasks from class are submitted online for scoring in April, and there is a fully digital exam in May. This online exam comprises three short-answer questions and one evidence-based argumentative essay.
The presentations for AP Seminar, though stressful, help students speak with confidence and demonstrate their knowledge on whichever topic they choose. These group presentations all agree to research a specific topic, and each student in the group has a different lens, such as futuristic, economic, and political. For the overall research question, they find about 20 sources, annotate them, write an essay, and finally give a presentation. This class isn’t all business, though, and students do have a certain amount of freedom in what they choose to research. For example, sophomore Miah Soto advises future seminar students to pick a topic “you are actually interested in! That’s the fun part about this class, you can pick any topic you want to research, so it really allows students to broaden their knowledge on things they are actually passionate about.”
Furthermore, from a student’s perspective, this class has additional benefits. Miah notes: “This class has helped my public speaking skills a lot with the amount of presentations. Also, it has impacted my ability to work and collaborate in a team setting.” Another sophomore taking this class, Sophia Anestsis, reflects on how this class has shaped her. She mentions, “I have developed as a leader because in our group, I tend to divide all the work equally and keep everybody on track. It has also been beneficial to have the experience of public speaking and working together in a group.”
Ultimately, the goal of AP Seminar isn’t just to pass the exam or get an A in the class; it’s to build crucial skills for future academic endeavors and careers. As Mr. Briggs puts it, “More than anything, the goal is for students to feel prepared to ask thoughtful questions, engage with complex issues, and communicate their ideas clearly in academic and real-world settings.” What is learned in this class lasts far after graduation, because the ability to dissect a complex argument and speak with confidence is a reward that will carry students far. For those willing to trade the comfort of a textbook for the challenge of a research question, AP Seminar is open for students!
