Seattle Prep’s Collegio program rests on the premise that intensive, interdisciplinary study of the humanities will enrich students’ lives and help prepare them for the challenges of adulthood.  In Collegio, students will gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world by studying history and literature concurrently.  As they become familiar with the values and traditions of Jesuit education, they will see the roles that people of faith have played in a variety of cultures.  The course strengthens academic and personal skills by focusing on reading, writing, critical thinking, and public speaking.

Frosh Collegio is a unique interdisciplinary course in which works of world literature are supported by the study of   their historical contexts, while the literature also enlivens the study of the past. Using great works of literature and the lens of culture, students will examine historical civilizations to develop their own sense of identity, an identity grounded in an understanding of the past. The class will proceed chronologically through six units organized according to the following themes:

• Elements of Culture & Civilization
• Ancient Greece and the Quest for Perfection
• Rome: Power and Consequences
• Order and Chaos in the Medieval Period
• Humanism and Reformation
• Perspectives on the Atlantic World

Sophomore Collegio explores the global political, economic, social, historical, and religious trends in the modern era.  The curriculum of the class is designed to examine these trends and how they shape institutional, intergovernmental and interpersonal relationships.  Thus, the course seeks to establish these patterns in their historical contexts and to examine their impact upon cultures around the globe in order to gain an appreciation for the complexity of our world.  In addition, the course attempts to leave the students with a sense of empowerment and a "call to action" to seek out a more just world. The class will proceed chronologically through five units organized according to the following themes:

• Changing the Social Order
• Poverty and Wealth
• Economic and Cultural Imperialism
• War and Peace
• Postwar and Globalization

Second semester, students work on the model United Nations project with extensive research, public speaking, and collaboration with others. The work culminates with two day live model UN proceedings.

Junior Collegio is an interdisciplinary American Studies course. While surveying the political, cultural, economic, and social history of America from the colonial period to the present, students will read and study literature by American authors. The course seeks to analyze the connections between literature and history, and understand the universal truths they reveal about the human condition.  The class will proceed chronologically through five units organized according to the following themes:

• American Visions of Human Nature, Society, and Government
• “Race,” Oppression, and Resistance
• Native Americans, Land, and the West
• The Haves and the Have Nots
• America as a Superpower

First semester, students conduct historical inquiry and write an extensive research paper as part of the National History Day (NHD) competition.  This year, the theme is “Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events.”

In the Jesuit tradition, all levels of Collegio focus on the student and his/her formation as a leader who is intellectually competent, spiritually alive, open to growth, loving, and committed to justice. We seek to help students become “men and women for others.”