Humanities
How can puppets change the way we communicate? Throughout history and around the world, humans have used puppets to pass down stories, share cultural practices, and revolt against censorship. A Show of Hands is a course in which you will explore how you can use puppetry to communicate about issues that are important to you.…
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How can music change society? Music That Matters takes a humanistic approach to the study and production of music, understanding music as a language and languages as attached to peoples, histories, and politics. We will take as our focus the American musical form of blues, tracings its origins, development, and appropriation alongside the vicissitudes of…
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How does public art create place? What is the geography of public art? How and where does public art happen? Drawing Lines is an Art History Elective that investigates public artworks as a tool for placemaking. What purposes does public art serve? How may art transform public spaces and people’s interaction with them? Who and…
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How can drama be used to highlight oppression? Why? All The World’s A Stage is a combined STEAM/Humanities course that focuses on the “how” of theatrical productions and the “why” of the use of dramatic dialogue. How? Students will investigate the characteristics, purposes, and function of the dramatic monologue. Students will develop an independent monologue…
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How can you become a poet of social change? If more politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place in which to live. —U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Poetic Justice asks you to explore the relationship between art and politics, uncover the history of…
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How do you live a more creative life? How do you understand and access your genius? How do you find your place in the world, and love it? How do you make the world better as you manifest your creative genius? This course explores the beauty and challenges of life through the examination of personal…
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What makes a movie a movie? How is storytelling through film different from storytelling through literature? Which films deserve a “thumbs-up” and which deserve a “thumbs-down” – and why? These are just some of the questions you will pursue in the Ollywood course. By investigating the stages of pre-production, production and post-production, you will develop…
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What is peace? What is violence? What does peace look like in your community? How does peace generate peace around the world? Why are there so many stories of nonviolent peace movements? These questions guide the Global Peace course, which is centered around the study of Gandhi’s four principles of nonviolence.
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Why is it important for art to be accessible? How does public art spark human interaction? How does art go viral? Students will examine the history of public art and its ability to transform spaces and connect people on a worldwide scale in the You Are Beautiful course. Inspired by case studies of successful public…
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What are the biggest challenges facing humanity, and what is your role in addressing them? In March 2012, the world population topped 7 billion people. While this population continues to grow exponentially, natural resources dwindle and are distributed unequally. More than ever, our world needs thoughtful, engaged, global citizens to address the world’s growing crises.…
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How will I investigate my Self to know who I am? The Who Am I course is a journey into your Self – your beliefs, origins, fears, and hopes – pursued through philosophical discussions, self-reflections, historical investigations, and diverse field experiences. The course explores the lives of people in progress, and is divided into 4 units.
How are food systems shaped, and how do they shape the world? In this course, you will be guided through the cycle of life as a metaphor for the trajectory of our global food system. Using food production as a lens, you will study the history of human societies, starting with our transition from hunter-gatherer…
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How are journeys shared? Stories have traveled through time, oral tradition, books, and art. The stories that reach us create a relationship with our ancestors, to civilizations that are long gone, and to heroes that still inspire us today. These stories contain lessons, offering new perspectives and wisdom. By reading, listening, and watching, you will…
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Why have books been forbidden throughout history? In this course, you will explore why certain books and ideas have been considered dangerous or threatening throughout history, focusing on 3 themes: politics, dogma, and diversity. In each unit, you will read original texts to understand, through the study of each text’s historical context, why its central…
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From ancient times, theater has provided an opportunity for communities to stage their challenges and rehearse ways of facing them. The Drama course provides an opportunity to study the history of theater through the lens of gender equality and how social roles have evolved across time and space. In 3 units, each analyzing a different…
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Why do certain speeches “work” and so many others do not? Rhetoric supposes that we use language to persuade, challenge and unite, in all aspects of our lives. To awaken to this reality, you will explore how language has been, and might be used to help us powerfully and clearly articulate our viewpoints. As you…
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A Nation’s Argument integrates historical and global revolutions and nation-forming with the language and logic skills needed to develop and sustain an argument. By anchoring our investigation in the birth of the United States and learning the structure and language of argument, you will explore the life of the nation within and beyond these borders…
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Policy informs students how to use both rhetoric and argument to agree on a common good, so that living together is sustainable and nurturing. In this course, you will study the decades-long civil rights movement in the U.S. and international social justice struggles, examining the process and different roles by which policies – for better…
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How do you know about the world? In this course, you will learn how to observe, analyze and report on current events through different media—Image, Sound and Text. In each of these three units, you will be challenged to conduct an exploration into a realm of journalism; you will follow a full cycle of investigation;…
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“All men are born equal”. But, what about women? And, even if we are born equal, do we live in equality? How do wealth and resources fit in? In this course, you will explore inequalities that exist based upon gender, race, and socioeconomic class differences. You will become familiar with the theories that strive to…
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