AP Seminar is a part of a two-year AP Capstone program consisting of two courses: AP Seminar & AP Research, offered consecutively for sophomores, juniors, or seniors. AP Seminar is open to students who are interested in the program without imposing any entrance prerequisites for enrollment. AP Seminar is a two-semester, elective course (UC “G”) that is designed around six essential skills and their development—critical thinking and reasoning, critical reading, inquiry and research, argumentation, communicating publicly, and collaboration. This first third of the course will equip students with the skills to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. In this portion of the course students explore real-world issues from multiple perspectives and consider varied points of view to develop deep understanding of complex, divergent or competing issues and topics in order to make connections between these issues and their everyday life. Students should study a variety of contemporary issues by reading articles, listening to speeches or broadcasts, and experiencing artistic and literary works.

The primary goals of the AP Seminar course are to help students understand how to study an issue from multiple perspectives, evaluate source information, and then develop and communicate effectively a logical, evidence-based point of view. In the middle portion of the course student learning is evaluated in a number of ways, including the following required assessments: a collaborative team project and presentation, and an individual research-based essay and presentation. The final portion of the course is a College Board end-of-course examination. The instructor evaluates the first two assessments within the course, and the last assessment is a skills-based AP exam offered in May. The assessments are summative and will be used to calculate a final AP Score (using the 1-5 scale) for AP Seminar.

Successful completion of AP Seminar is required for continuation to AP Research the following year. Upon successful completion of both courses, students are eligible for either a certificate or a diploma, depending on the number of other AP courses they take and the results of their exams.