USAD is pleased to release some preliminary information on the curriculum for the 2007–2008 Academic Decathlon season. The full subject area outlines will be posted on USAD’s website on May 1 and will also be published in USAD’s Study Guide, which will begin shipping on May 15. 

The curricular theme for 2007–2008 will be The Civil War. Following is some general information on the topics in each of the subject areas. 

• SUPER QUIZ: The Super Quiz topic will be The Civil War. The Super Quiz Resource Guide will include readings on such topics as the causes of the war, critical battles and campaigns, the role of slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s leadership, and Reconstruction.
   
• LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE: The language and literature curriculum will include critical reading, one novel, and six shorter works. The featured novel will be The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.
   
• Art: The art curriculum topic will be nineteenth-century American art, and the curriculum will include the study of eighteen selected artworks.
   
• Music: The music curriculum will focus on the music of the Civil War era. The curriculum will include a companion CD, featuring fourteen listening selections.

  Music CD Announcement Although USAD initially planned to develop an 18-track Music CD (as is advertised in the Materials Brochure), the music curriculum developer and the CD developer later decided that it would be easier and more clear-cut for students if the CD presented each particular musical example or excerpt on its own individual track. (The previous plan had been to combine multiple examples on a single track.) As a result of this change, the number of tracks on the music CD has been increased to 27. However, despite the greater number of tracks, the total length of the CD is comparable to years past. We apologize in advance for any confusion this change may cause you.

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  Science: The science curriculum will focus on the transmission, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. The Science Resource Guide will include a case study on disease and the Civil War.
   
• Economics: The economics curriculum will focus on fundamentals of economics, including general topics in macro- and microeconomics and international trade and global economic development. The economics curriculum will also include a thematic section focused on slavery and the economics of the U.S. Civil War.
   
• Math: The math curriculum will cover topics in the fields of general math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and differential calculus.