Program Schedule
Exploration Courses are offered asynchronously. This means you will not have set required times to attend "live" class sessions. However you should not mistake this flexibility with a self-paced course. Each course will include discussions, lectures, readings, and assignments that will need to be completed by specific deadlines.
Each course has between 30-40 hours worth of content that may be offered over two, three, four, or ten weeks depending upon the course and semester (see individual course dates listed below). Be sure you consider carefully how this course fits into your schedule and other commitments. You should plan to log in to your course regularly to participate in activities, engage with the material, and complete assignments.
Instructors will schedule optional synchronous office hours for you to check-in and ask questions about course content. Pre-College staff will also be available to meet with you individually and to organize optional group programming.
Exploration Courses are an excellent opportunity for you to:
- Experience growth in key college readiness skills such as time management, self-reflection, and communication.
- Build confidence when interacting with professors, peers, and other professionals.
- Discover opportunities for educational and personal enrichment.
- Gain confidence in your knowledge of the subject matter of your respective course.
Course Materials
Any required text will be noted in the course descriptions below. If a text is not listed, then expect instructors to share course materials via Canvas. You will need to have a computer and Wi-Fi, and access to a camera and microphone. We do not recommend the use of a cell phone only to participate in these courses.
WashU 2FA Enrollment
Passwords are increasingly easy to compromise. They can often be stolen, guessed, hacked or phished – even without you knowing. WashU 2FA—a two-factor (or two-step) authentication service provided by Duo, an industry leader in cybersecurity services—adds a second layer of security to a WUSTL Key account when accessing the many WashU systems, which contain sensitive personal information. A smartphone or tablet with the Duo Mobile app installed is required to use this new and preferred verified push method of multi-factor authentication.
Spring 2025
Individuals interested in enrolling in spring courses should submit a registration form, copy of their transcript, and signed parent liability waiver and release to our office by January 6, 2025.
Space is limited to no more than 15 participants in these courses, so we encourage you not to wait until the deadline to submit registration materials.
Personal Narrative
January 13-March 28, 2025
Objects. Photos. Scripts. These are some of the ingredients that we will include, as we write a collection of personal narratives in this online course. As you focus your projects around that single object, a collection of photos, and a script in the first half of the course, you’ll receive comments from other students on your writing.
During the second half of the course, you’ll expand one of these pieces with an eye to the Common App essay prompts. As you experiment with these genres of personal narrative writing, you’ll develop your ability to tell your stories and to share them with others...all while gaining confidence for writing your college admission essays.
The course will culminate with your ePortfolio—a collection of your personal narrative writing and reflections on them. If you’ve ever wondered how to put a moving moment in your life into words, join us! A copy of 2024 course syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: at least two years of high school English.
Set in Stone? Monuments, Memory & Public History
January 13-March 28, 2025
The twentieth-first century has seen a radical reevaluation of public spaces worldwide. What and who is found in public spaces? Whose memory and history are on display? Whose experiences are absent or erased in these histories? Societies around the world have begun to confront these and many other critical questions about the history of their nations and how the past is portrayed and memorialized in everyday life. Monuments erected to celebrate past figures and events have, in this context, received closer scrutiny than ever before. It has become clear that our understanding of the past is neither fixed nor holistic. It should be no surprise then that the permanence of statues and monuments in our public spaces is not set in stone.
This course is designed to provide you with a historical perspective of the centrality of monuments and memory to nation building. The course walks you through an analysis of recent actions to bring down statues/monuments. The course is divided in three parts allowing for the scrutinization of the cultural importance of statues in the crafting of national memories, their place in public spaces, and the debate over their permanence after a society adopts a critical review of the past. A copy of the 2023 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: none
Introduction to Environmental Science
January 13-March 28, 2025
In this course, you will be introduced to the fields (biology, geography, sociology, economics, natural resource management, chemistry, and geology) used in understanding both the workings of the natural world and human interactions with our environment. Topics explored will include: human population growth, energy resources, land and food resources, water resources, air pollution, global climate change, and human health and toxicology, as well as a review of ecology and species diversity. Sustainability is a unifying theme throughout the course, as is an understanding of the linkages between ecosystems. This understanding will give you a greater appreciation for and better stewardship of the world in which you live. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: completed one year of high school biology by the start of the course.
Summer 2025
Individuals interested in enrolling in summer courses should submit a registration form, copy of their transcript, and signed parent liability waiver and release to our office by May 12, 2025.
Space is limited to no more than 15 participants in these courses, so we encourage you not to wait until the deadline to submit registration materials.
Registration for the summer semester opens February 3, 2025.
Personal Narrative
June 16-27, 2025
Objects. Photos. Scripts. These are some of the ingredients that we will include, as we write a collection of personal narratives in this two-week online course. As you focus your projects around that single object, a collection of photos, and a script in the first week, you’ll receive comments from other students on your writing. During the second week, you’ll expand one of these pieces with an eye to the Common App essay prompts. As you experiment with these genres of personal narrative writing, you’ll develop your ability to tell your stories and to share them with others. The course will culminate with your ePortfolio—a collection of your personal narrative writing and reflections on them. If you’ve ever wondered how to put a moving moment in your life into words, join us this this summer! A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: two years of high school English.
Set in Stone? Monuments, Memory & Public History
June 16-July 3, 2025
The twentieth-first century has seen a radical reevaluation of public spaces worldwide. What and who is found in public spaces? Whose memory and history are on display? Whose experiences are absent or erased in these histories? Societies around the world have begun to confront these and many other critical questions about the history of their nations and how the past is portrayed and memorialized in everyday life. Monuments erected to celebrate past figures and events have, in this context, received closer scrutiny than ever before. It has become clear that our understanding of the past is neither fixed nor holistic. It should be no surprise then that the permanence of statues and monuments in our public spaces is not set in stone.
This course is designed to provide you with a historical perspective of the centrality of monuments and memory to nation building. The course walks you through an analysis of recent actions to bring down statues/monuments. The course is divided in three parts allowing for the scrutinization of the cultural importance of statues in the crafting of national memories, their place in public spaces, and the debate over their permanence after a society adopts a critical review of the past. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: none
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR DR. DIANA MONTANO
Introduction to Environmental Science
June 16-July 11, 2025
In this course, you will be introduced to the fields (biology, geography, sociology, economics, natural resource management, chemistry, and geology) used in understanding both the workings of the natural world and human interactions with our environment. Topics explored will include: human population growth, energy resources, land and food resources, water resources, air pollution, global climate change, and human health and toxicology, as well as a review of ecology and species diversity. Sustainability is a unifying theme throughout the course, as is an understanding of the linkages between ecosystems. This understanding will give you a greater appreciation for and better stewardship of the world in which you live. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: completed one year of high school biology by the start of the course.
Metacognating Mario: Learning and Video Games
June 16-July 11, 2025
Although we often associate education with school-based activity, human beings learn in multiple environments beyond the formal classroom. Video games, while often dismissed as frivolous entertainment, provide one such example of a significant experiential learning context: individual players develop skills in the pursuit of goals, collaborate with each other to advance their theorizing about the game's mechanics, and display deep engagement and persistence in the face of frustration despite a lack of extrinsic rewards. Among the questions encountered in this course will be: What kind of understanding is built through game play? How might games teach us about ourselves as learners? In what ways might the skills involved in learning to play a game transfer to learning in other contexts? What pedagogical lessons might teachers take from game designers? Throughout the course, readings and activities will promote rigorous, critical analysis of both games and theories of learning. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: none
Required text: What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning & Literacy, 2nd Ed. by James Paul Gee
Spandex, Spangles, and Stripes: Race, Gender, and the American Superhero
June 16-July 11, 2025
What does the popularity and ubiquity of superheroes in film and television say about contemporary US culture? According to philosopher Umberto Eco, superheroes represent the quintessential American myth. From their rugged individualism, protestant work ethic, moral exceptionalism, and grandeurs of greatness, superheroes personify American liberalism. In this course, we will complicate Eco’s claim by examining how the superhero as a character, genre, and industry has both reflected and critiqued discourses on national identity, citizenship, and globalization, especially in relation to race, gender, and sexuality. Centering graphic novels, movies, and TV shows, this course will explore how political tensions and cultural values have played out in the bodies, stories, and responses to American superheroes, including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, and the Avengers. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: none.
Biological Basis for Human Disease
June 16-July 11, 2025
Have you ever wondered how a normal cell becomes cancer? Where does a virus go inside the body to cause symptomatic infection? Why is insulin a life-saving treatment for millions of people around the world? The answers to these questions (and more) are rooted in the biology of human health and disease. This course will provide a foundational framework to better understand the pathophysiology of human disease, incorporating elements of molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, immunology, and pathology. This multi-disciplinary approach is specifically designed for students interested in the biological sciences or those interested in pursuing a future in the health sciences. A copy of the 2024 syllabus is available here.
Prerequisite: none.
Fall 2025
Individuals interested in enrolling in fall courses should submit a registration form, copy of their transcript, and signed parent liability waiver and release to our office by August 18, 2025.
Space is limited to no more than 15 participants in these courses, so we encourage you not to wait until the deadline to submit registration materials.
Courses will be announced in April. Registration for the fall semester opens June 16, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to have at home to participate in online courses?
We recommend students have a computer and Wi-Fi, and access to a camera and microphone. We do not recommend the use of a cell phone only to participate in these courses.
You will set up a WUSTL key username and password which will allow you to access courses on Canvas. WashU also requires enrollment in WashU 2FA—a two-factor (or two-step) authentication service provided by Duo, an industry leader in cybersecurity services—which adds a second layer of security to a WUSTL Key account when accessing the many WashU systems, which contain sensitive personal information. A smartphone or tablet with the Duo Mobile app installed is required to use this new and preferred verified push method of multi-factor authentication.
What platform does WashU use for online courses?
WashU uses Canvas for our learning management system. Via Canvas, instructors will also utilize Zoom and other applications for instruction.
What does asynchronous mean? Do I get to just complete the course whenever I want?
Asynchronous means that students will have daily/weekly assignments to demonstrate engagement in material rather than viewing live lectures each day. Students are expected to log into the course daily beginning on the first day of class and check their email/Canvas inbox for regular communication from the instructor.
These courses should not be confused with “on demand” or “self-paced” courses. Students are expected to be engaged participants and complete all assignments by the designated deadlines.
What if I change my mind about participating in the course?
If you find that you'd like to drop your noncredit Exploration Course you have until the eighth day of classes in fall/spring semesters or the third day of classes in summer semester to do so and receive a full refund.
If you decide to drop the class after the drop deadline, no refund will be issued and the drop will be noted on your transcript as a "W" for withdraw.