Maritime Studies

 

To link classroom activities with the maritime industry, POLAHS takes advantage of its close proximity to the port. We arrange field trips, guest speakers, and internships with the diverse group of organizations that make up the maritime community. Examples of these organizations include the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, U.S. Coast Guard and Customs, U.S. Corp of Army Engineers, Marine Exchange of Southern California, shippers, shipping lines, terminal operators, the ILWU and firms providing professional services to the industry.

 

Organizations interested in partnering with POLAHS to provide internship opportunities for our students should contact:

Mr. Anthony DeSanto

Director of Maritime Studies

We offer specialized maritime studies classes. These courses supplement core classes required by the State for high school graduation.

Maritime Course Descriptions

 

This is an introductory course that exposes students to a wide variety of topics associated with the maritime industry.  Topics covered include; seamanship, navigation, terminal operations, stevedoring, logistics, naval architecture, engineering, sustainability, port security, career opportunities, and the economic connection between the Port and the global economy.  To make the connection between the classroom and the maritime industry substantial, classes go out into the port and tour businesses, and guest speakers come to the school to share their knowledge.

Maritime Studies II
Students will take the theoretical knowledge of navigation, piloting, marine engineering, boat maintenance, and apply it in an underway setting. On board the vessel students will work closely with fellow students and instructors, who are licensed operators and who have expert knowledge of the local waterways, in a setting that will foster safety, teamwork and leadership skills. Students in this course are required to earn Red Cross certification in C.P.R. and first-aid. Upon completion of the course students will have the theoretical and practical skills to qualify for work on commercial vessels.

Maritime Studies III
The class provides an overview of the concepts and substance of maritime trade, transportation, logistics, and how the components mesh with the Port operations. Topics include; management, documentation, and information flows within supply chains, including purchasing, distribution, intermodal transportation, e commerce, financial transactions, and regulations. A significant component of the class involves a variety of real life case studies which allow students to discuss, analyze, and solve logistics problems in the 21st century.

Maritime Studies IV
Each qualifying senior will have the opportunity to intern in a maritime related business or agency in the Port. Students will receive extensive instruction and experience both academically and practical in the designated maritime career path chosen. Students will receive support from POLAHS intern advisor as well as a mentor at his/her intern location. Geography The world geography course equips students with a practical familiarity with the world they live in by focusing on its physical features, cultural and political landscape, environmental issues and international trade. It also hones their analytical tools through the comprehensive and methodological investigation of world events both past and present (ranging from the ecological destruction of the Maya society to globalization and the role of modern technology in connecting countries across vast oceans).

History of the Port
Students will learn how an isolated mudflat discovered by pirates became one of the largest sea ports in the world, with trading partners around the globe and a rich history from colonial times to present day. In this study of America's Port, students will explore diverse historical sites, meet with senior executives in port operations, learn about careers at the Port, and design proposals to improve port security, efficiency, and environmental impact on the local community.

Community Research Project
This is an elective created for 12th graders. Students will utilize their reading, writing, and communication skills to create a thoughtful-research project based on a topic of their own choice, using the Maritime Industry and Port Community as the theme. Students will showcase their work in a three part process. The components include a research paper, physical project, which is a minimum of 15 hours of fieldwork and related to some aspect of the paper, and a presentation to a panel of judges. (The oral presentation is given before a panel, made up of teachers, mentors, community members, maritime industry officials, and synthesizes the first two components of the project.) Students must complete each of the three components.

Marine Biology
The course is designed to focus on the living organisms in and around the waters of the Port of Los Angeles and their interactions with each other and their environment. The course will cover topics of marine geology, physics, and chemistry, oceanic plant and animal species, marine habitats, and human impacts and interactions with the ocean.