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Center for the Humanities and Civic Engagement

Curriculum

Curriculum

All Center courses emphasize the reading and analysis of primary sources, writing across disciplines, and an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the humanities. All English, social studies, and humanities courses are connected through the themes outlined below for each grade level; therefore, the English and social studies courses may contain additional or varied readings and assignments while still allowing students to meet all the state and county requirements. Students also take Advanced Placement (AP) courses as part of  the Humanities Center curriculum, including AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP U.S. History, AP Human Geography, and  AP Government & Politics.

    • World History II (Honors) or AP World History
    • English 9 (Honors)
    • Humanities I

    Humanities Elective
    Honors; required for Grade 9/Level I

    • Explores the human condition through literary, historical, cultural and artistic expression with an emphasis on the foundations in the humanities.​
    • Topics may include: pre-history, African folk and oral traditions, Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece and Rome, Greek philosophy, world religions, theater, sculpture and architecture.
    • Develop skills in expository, analytical and creative writing, research, creativity, logic and reasoning, use of contextual evidence, presentations with the appropriate use of technology, communication in a team environment, the Socratic Method and service learning.
    • Examines the themes:
      • Myth and Global tradition.
      • Pursuit of the Ideal.
      • The Faces of Love.
      • Heroes and Heroines.

    A group of students smiling together in a colorful classroom.

     A smiling person wearing a light green sweater stands on a brick sidewalk outside a brick building.

     Three young people pose playfully in an art gallery in front of four large, solid-color vertical paintings in green, black, red, and blue. 

     A student wearing a mask hugs a large cardboard statue of an Egyptian pharaoh in a classroom.

    Four young women smile around a rustic wooden table in a restaurant with a blue mural on the wall.

    • AP Human Geography
    • English 10 (Honors)
    • AP Seminar/Humanities II

    Humanities Elective
    Honors; required for Grade 10/Level II

    • Explores the human condition through literary, historical, cultural and artistic expression with an emphasis on the advancements in the humanities.
    • Topics may include: Renaissance art and thought, classical and traditional music, European architecture, East Asian art and philosophy, and the Western “Great Works.”
    • Develop additional skills in critical thinking, inter-disciplinary learning, oral expression, analytical reading, research and writing, the Socratic Method, and service-learning.
    • Examines the themes:
      • Influence and Innovation.
      • Power and Authority.
      • Mixed Messages.
      • Challenge and Growth.

    • AP Language and Composition
    • AP U.S. History
    • AP Research/Humanities III

    Humanities Elective
    Honors; required for Grade 11/Level III

    • Explores the human condition through literary, historical, cultural, and artistic expression with an emphasis on the humanities of America.
    • Topics may include: Native American cultures, development of American art and music, progression of American philosophy, reflections of the American Dream, Jazz and Blues, and American theater.
    • Develop additional skills in descriptive writing, persuasive argument, interdisciplinary thinking, self-directed learning, the Socratic Method and service-learning.
    • Examines the themes:
      • Identity: A Clash of Cultures and Ideas.
      • Character: Defining America.
      • Convergence: A New Way of Life.
      • Self-Discovery and Responsibility.
         

    • AP English Literature & Composition
    • AP Government & Politics
    • Capstone/Humanities IV

    Humanities Elective
    Honors; required for Grade 12/Level IV

    • Explores the human condition through literary, historical, cultural and artistic expression with an emphasis on the contemporary humanities.
    • Topics may include: modernism and post-modernism, genocide, social justice, gender, environmental and conceptual art, contemporary architecture, world film, globalization of cultures.
    • Master skills in research, the Socratic Method, presentation with the use of technology, use of contextual evidence, formulation of argument and reasoning.
    • Develop additional skills in written and oral communication, aesthetic analysis and appreciation, cross-cultural awareness, self-guided learning, and community service leadership.
    • Examines the themes:
      • Freedom: Human Rights and Human Experience.
      • Truth: Perception and Culture.
      • Earth: World and Environment.
      • Future: Past, Present and Possibility.

    A diverse group of five people stand smiling indoors, with a small dog sitting at their feet. 

    A large group of students stands together on outdoor stairs, posing for a group photograph. 

    A large, diverse group of students and teachers stand on outdoor school steps on a bright, sunny day.

     A large group of students gathers on the front steps of a brick building beneath an entrance banner.