Secondary Curriculum: Humanities
The Humanities program seeks to develop students' critical writing and thinking skills while instilling a sense of responsibility for and service to the world, its inhabitants, and its heritage. Students are introduced to the history of the world, from the earliest development of civilization to the present, as well as to some of the greatest works of literature.
Students not only master the art of writing the persuasive, expository, and descriptive essay but they also learn how to write a research paper in MLA format, utilizing all library resources. Peer review of essays as well as grammatical exercises assist students in improving their SAT scores.
Material is selected to engage student interest and understanding of major literary and historical concepts and patterns while emphasizing the interconnection of such issues as religion, race, gender, and class. By examining the relationship between historical events and attitudes in the past and those of the current day, we hope to instill a sense of understanding, tolerance, and respect toward the diversity of belief in the modern world.
While the acquisition of factual information about the past contributes
to the cultural literacy of our students, the program emphasizes the importance
of a personal dialogue with the past that allows students to know themselves
more fully as individuals and prepares them to respond to the ever changing
historical and cultural context of life in an increasingly global society.
English Department
Sixth-Grade English
Grade 6
10 credits
Students read short stories and poetry and participate in
lively discussions. They write responses to their reading and explore
a variety of genres, including essays, interviews, and letters to fictional
characters. Throughout the year, students also receive a comprehensive
grammar, spelling, and vocabulary review. Their writing instruction culminates
in papers that emphasize logic, clarity, and revision. Students take
an active part in their learning through peer assessment, dramatic readings,
and oral presentation. Their reading includes novels, short stories,
and poetry.
Seventh-Grade English
Grade 7
10 credits
Students are drawn into the human imagination as they read
works that include novels, poems, short stories, and a Shakespearean
comedy. They build vocabulary and dictionary skills and are taught how
new words can be understood from context. Students learn how to structure
strong paragraphs with clear topic sentences and how to support an essay’s
thesis with logically organized paragraphs. Comprehensive grammar instruction
focuses on basic sentence structure, avoiding fragments and run-ons.
Eighth-Grade English
Grade 8
10 credits
This class emphasizes critical reading skills. Students read
short stories, drama, and poetry that examine the individual’s
struggles to discover his or her identity. Expository writing focuses
on the five-paragraph essay, the development and organization of ideas,
revising, and proofreading. Discovery of a personal voice is encouraged
through creative-writing assignments and the keeping of a reading journal.
Weekly grammar instruction emphasizes the development of both formal
skills and a personal voice. Additionally, eighth-grade students begin
a comprehensive four-year vocabulary-building program in preparation
for the SAT exam at the completion of their junior year.
English I (Myths and Legends)
Grade 9
10 credits
This course examines the ways in which ancient myths and
legends continue to influence today’s world. In reading translations
of original Greek, Roman, Middle-Eastern, European, and Asian myths,
students examine universal human concerns, the presence of ancient myths
in modern culture, and the art and uses of poetry. Through the study
of Homer’s Odyssey, students learn the conventions of epic poetry
and examine the notion of the hero. Grammar instruction emphasizes
mechanics and sentence structure in increasing complexity. Students enter
the second
year of the four-year vocabulary program.
English II (World Literature)
10 credits
Students encounter literature from diverse cultures while
exploring religious and philosophical issues. Through their
reading journals, students are encouraged to reflect on their exploration
of morality,
religion, politics, and personal values. They write persuasive
essays and learn how to cite printed and electronic sources. Students
practice
polishing and tightening sentences, omitting needless words,
avoiding repetition, and enter the third year of the four-year vocabulary
program.
This course complements World Cultures.
English III (American Literature)
Grade 11
10 credits
Students read major American authors such as Poe, Hawthorne,
Emerson, Melville, Longfellow, Dickinson, Twain, Fitzgerald, and Ellison
and explore a developing American culture. Students build their own voices
in writing and deepen their understanding of the writing process through
their reading journals. They are guided in the use of electronic research,
and learn to identify reliable sources. In preparation for the SAT, students
complete the four-year vocabulary program. This course complements United
States History.
*Exceptional students may petition the Academic Dean to prepare and sit for the Advanced Placement Exam for English Language and Composition. Qualifying students make arrangements with the instructor to complete extra assignments and attend additional meeting times.
English IV (English Literature)
Grade 12
10 credits
This course surveys five hundred years of English literature
and the growth of the English language as students explore the richness
of English vocabulary and syntax. As the course develops, students appreciate
how writers influence each other and how a literary tradition is formed
over time. Students record their responses to the literature in their
reading journals as they study the Anglo-Saxon period, the Renaissance,
the Enlightenment, the Romantics, Victorians, and the modern era. Seniors
further develop their personal voice while refining their expository
writing skills.
Advanced Placement English IV (English Literature)
Literature and Composition
10 credits
In addition to offering an in-depth exploration of English
literature, this course helps students develop advanced skills in interpreting
and analyzing through a close study of poetry, drama, and fiction. This
class is intended as the equivalent of a college-level literature course
and stresses fundamental interpretive strategies: the distinction between
figurative and literal language, classic figures of speech, the logic
of metaphor, imitative form, authorial intention, local detail and overall
purpose, semantic and symbolic ambiguity. To prepare students for the
Advanced Placement Literature and Composition exam in May, most writing
is done in class using prior AP tests. In addition, timed exercises train
students to write rapidly, fluidly, and with attention to usage and grammar.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the Academic Dean
Advanced Composition/College Prep
Grades 11 & 12
5 credits
This course is required for all juniors and seniors. The
purpose of this course is twofold: first, to strengthen skills needed
to do well on the SAT and SAT2 Writing Test; and second, to provide the
tools needed to improve writing skills and prepare students to write
at the college level. To this end, considerable class time is spent practicing
timed writing and polishing grammar skills. Additionally, the instructor
works closely with the College Counselor to guide students through the
college application process. The course also provides an opportunity
to explore the interrelationships among reading, writing, and thinking,
and to emphasize revision as a means of developing a voice in one’s
writing. Students learn to develop strong writing that is logically reasoned
and supported with facts and outside sources, while demonstrating clarity,
coherence, organization, grace, and style.
History Department
Ancient World History
Grade 6
10 credits
This course is a survey of the major Western and non-Western
ancient civilizations up to the Middle Ages, integrating
geography throughout. Students draw from their understanding of geography
and its significance
in the development of the human story. While studying the
ancient world, students should acquire a sense of the everyday life of
the people; their
struggles and accomplishments; their relationships to the
developing social, economic, and political structures of their society;
the tools
and technology they invented; the role of trade in their
lives and its impact on cultural diffusion; the arts, architecture, and
literature
they produced; their spiritual beliefs and understandings
of the natural world. Students develop critical thinking, map, writing,
note taking,
and beginning research skills while analyzing the interactions
among the various cultures, emphasizing their enduring contributions
and the
link, despite time, between the contemporary and ancient
worlds.
Modern World History
Grade 7
10 credits
This course begins with the Renaissance and continues through
to World War II, integrating geography throughout. Students
observe how the beginnings of modern science can be found
during the sixteenth and
early seventeenth centuries and how these developments spurred
European leadership in commerce and helped to usher in the
age of exploration and the Enlightenment. In addition, seventh-graders
examine
how the significant
Enlightenment ideas affected democratic revolutions in England,
the United States, France, and Latin America. While tracing
the emergence of global
capitalism, students explore the industrial revolution and
the rise of imperialism and colonialism. The emergence of
nationalism, imperialism,
and militarism provides the conditions for consideration
of the Great War, which significantly changed the map of
Europe and deeply affected
the rest of the world. Students make connections between
the aftermath of the Great War and how it eventually led
to the rise of totalitarianism
and World War II. Students continue to develop critical thinking,
map, writing, note taking, public speaking, and beginning
research skills.
United States History
Grade 8
10 credits
The United States History course will provide a broad foundation
of the nation, and students will explore the democratic ideas
of the Declaration of Independence and the United States
Constitution. Throughout
the course, students will examine how the ideals of the republic
have been tested throughout U.S. history. Students then learn
about the challenges
facing the new nation, with an emphasis on the causes, course,
and long-lasting consequences of the Civil War. Students
will examine the industrial transformation
of the new nation combined with the massive immigration that
took place in the United States at the turn of the (twentieth)
century, and they
will trace the social and economic conditions that ensued.
This course will further emphasize the major turning points
during the twentieth
century when the United States becomes increasingly a world
power, and students will be able to make connections between
their historical knowledge
and contemporary events. In addition to learning about the
major actors, political leaders, and social movements throughout
U.S. history, students
will also learn about the social and cultural experiences
of everyday people living in the United States. During the
year, students will spend
five days in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol and Colonial
Williamsburg, Virginia, and learn (first-hand) about colonial
life and the foundations of United States history. Students further develop
critical
thinking, map, writing, note taking, public speaking, and
beginning research skills.
World Cultures I
Grade 9
10 credits
This course is the first part of a two-year survey of the
history of world civilizations. The course covers the period
from the formation of the first civilizations at around 3000
BCE to approximately 1500 CE. In studying a number of cultures
that have developed
both in
association and in isolation, students examine fundamental
questions about human nature and the human need to construct
meaningful cultural
representations of fundamental values, beliefs, fears, and
aspirations. While philosophical and political systems are
stressed, students will
also look at how various cultures represent themselves through
the creation of art, literature, music, and other cultural
products. In addition to
lecture, the class revolves around discussions of primary
source materials, visual arts, architectural monuments, and
literature.
World Cultures II
Grade 10
10 credits
This course is a survey of the history of world civilizations,
and the main text is A History of World Societies, by J.
McKay, B. Hill, J. Buckler & Patricia Ebrey. The course covers a
significant chronological ground, beginning in the period of the formation
of the first civilizations
at around 3000 BCE and continuing to the present day. The
first semester brings students up to the end of the European Renaissance,
and the second
semester begins with the age of discovery and ends in 2007.
World Cultures is organized around universal historical themes that appear
and reappear
in different times and places. Through case studies of civilizations
and their encounters with one another, students learn how
human societies can change dramatically even as they are shaped by the
geography, the
religious beliefs and cultural traditions, and the political
and economic structures they have inherited from the past. Students will
also look
at how various cultures represent themselves through the
creation of art, literature, music, and other cultural products. In addition
to lecture,
the class revolves around discussions of primary source materials,
visual arts, architectural monuments, and literature. This course complements
English II: World Literature.
United States History
Grade 11
10 credits
Major themes and issues of American history, from the time
of Native American settlement before the Age of European
discovery through the important issues of the twentieth century
are explored. In addition to examining the important questions
of who, what, where, and when, the course focuses on why
historical events happened. Students will explore various
topics such as the impact of diversity on the social and
cultural development of the United States, the role that
European political thinking—and particularly Enlightenment
thought—played in the development of American governmental
institutions, the emergence and meaning of America’s
role as the major world power, the movements toward equal
rights for racial minorities and women, and the consequences
of America’s growth as a material and largely Protestant
civilization. This course complements English III: American
Literature and offers cross-curricular integration with Arts
courses.
*Exceptional students may petition the Academic Dean to prepare and sit for the Advanced Placement Exam for United States History. Qualifying students make arrangements with the instructor to complete extra assignments and attend additional meeting times.
Art History
Grades 11 & 12
10 credits
AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to
secondary school students as those provided by an introductory
college course in art history: an understanding and enjoyment of architecture,
sculpture, painting and other art forms within historical
and cultural
contexts. Students broaden their understanding of historical
events through the study of visual images and monuments, focusing on
the
integral relationship between the two. The course covers
work from a variety of cultures, and students learn a variety of methods
by
which to analyze works of art critically, with both intelligence
and sensitivity. In addition to slide based discussion, students write
responses to actual works during two required field trips
to local
museums and two independent visits to museums of their choice.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the Academic Dean
*Exceptional students may petition the Academic Dean to prepare and sit for the Advanced Placement Exam for Art History. Qualifying students make arrangements with the instructor to complete extra assignments and attend additional meeting times.
Civics
Grade 12
10 credits
Students learn the fundamentals of the American political
system and think critically about the controversies that surround
them. They read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, thoroughly
explore the three branches of government, grapple with the inconsistencies
and paradoxes of the political system, and interpret some of the most
significant Supreme Court decisions based on their growing understanding
of these documents and dilemmas. In Civics class, twelfth-graders
will be encouraged to debate contemporary issues affecting U.S. citizens
at the local, state, national, and international levels, and this
dialogue will broaden their understanding of current events in order
to prepare them to be well-informed citizens. Students will also be
required to participate in the political process by volunteering in
a political experience and/or social cause during the course. Seniors
will write analytical essays, evaluate primary and secondary sources,
take and defend positions on political topics, and apply their knowledge
in oral and written presentations.
