HUMANITIES

This two-trimester course examines historical trends and literary developments that have significantly shaped our world. By engaging with primary sources and major works of literature, students will explore the patterns of continuity and change that have impacted the human experience. Through their work in this course, students will hone a wide variety of foundational academic skills, including effective writing techniques, analytical and historical thinking, research, critical thinking, and effective oral communication. These skills will help them develop into attentive, thoughtful, and fluent scholars of literature and history. This foundational course will help students foster the skills necessary to become attentive, thoughtful, and fluent scholars of literature and history. In this course, students study a variety of historical, cultural, and literary works that may include In the Time of the Butterflies, Purple Hibiscus, Things Fall Apart, Maus, Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, alongside a choice text unit, and a variety of poetry, short stories, primary historical sources, and art.

Humanities 10: United States History & Literature

In this two-trimester course, students will explore several significant time periods of U.S. History and important works of American literature as they seek to understand what defines American values, cultures, and identities. The course will teach students how to thoughtfully navigate a variety of texts and resources and they will examine how different stories and perspectives can reveal truths about the American experience. Students will learn about the geographic, economic, and political forces that have shaped the United States of America. The goal of this course is to prepare students to analyze texts, to interpret meaning, and to synthesize understanding in evidence-based arguments. Students will have opportunities to work individually and collaboratively to advance their reading, writing, critical thinking, and discussion skills. Students will also have the chance to express their learning in a variety of ways throughout the course (projects, presentations, essays, etc.). Course texts may include Passing, The Great Gatsby, and The Things They Carried, alongside a choice text unit and a variety of poetry, short stories, primary historical sources, and art.