Course Description:
Humanities, taught by Ms. Small, is an engaging, discussion-based course that blends history, literature, psychology, and social studies to explore the fundamental question: "What does it mean to be human?" Through analysis of various texts, documentaries, discussions, and writing, students examine how humanity has evolved over time and are encouraged to explore different perspectives on society, education, satire, race and identity.
Education Essay
The first big essay written for Humanities was an open-ended assignment where we got to discuss and share our opinions on a current issue in the American education system. I chose to discuss the issue with the current US grading system, and how some professionals believe this can be a good motivator for students while others argue that the US grading system is set up in such a way that it rewards students for memorizing topics taught in the classroom instead of developing a deep understanding, leading to more memorization and cheating in hopes of receiving good grades.
Walden Skit
Over the summer, we were instructed to read the infamous Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and write a reflection for every chapter. In the first few weeks of school, we got to create our own Walden Skits, taking a certain aspect of the reading and putting a spin on it for our skit. Lauren, Ayaan, Andrew, Niranjan, Adel, and I did a skit on an ant fight in a gladiator arena, and this symbolizes Thoreau’s superiority complex and the contrast between elitism and humility, bringing attention to the issues with being egotistical.