Humanities

Course Description

In this Humanities course taught by Ms. Small, the curriculum functions as a dynamic intersection between English and History, focusing on the study of human experience and culture. Throughout the year, we analyze various texts and media to explore complex societal themes such as identity, education, and racism. Our coursework balances academic rigor with personal reflection through large-group discussions, bi-weekly journals, and analytical essays. A major focus of the class is sharpening our communication skills through rhetorical analysis and satire, while maintaining a high level of creative freedom. Because we are often encouraged to develop our own prompts and select our own topics, the class allows us to merge historical context with original, creative writing to better understand the world around us.

Satirical Analysis Essay

One of our more recent essays, I analyzed the effectiveness of two works, one a satire and another an article which was published in a paper. I like to study World War II, so I decided to chose The Butter Battle Book, written by Dr. Seuss, which is a satire on the Cold War and the Arms Race. The other article I chose was "Gentlemen: You Are Mad! by Lewis Mumford, which was written the year after the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This project allowed me to learn a lot more about the people's response to the possibility of nuclear war. While both served slightly different audiences, the satire got across the fear people were feeling as both sides built up weaponry and made it more palatable to all audiences.

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AI in Education Essay

For this project, I wrote a persuasive essay titled "The Support of Sloth: Dangers of AI in Education" based on the prompt of "What is AI's role in education?". My goal was to argue that AI diminishes deep reflection and cognitive function by offering "excellence without effort". I analyzed how these tools can lead to social stagnation and mimic empathy without understanding the human experience. By synthesizing sources from authors like David Brooks and Zeynep Tufekci, I learned that over-reliance on AI risks replacing a student's own voice and original ideas.

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