GPGC Blog

Here are some reports from the teachers of each of our Humanities classes for last weeks in the Program. We have organized them by class:

Freshmen Humanities (Ms. Kristen Harrell, Instructor)

On Monday, we began classes by discussing the Latin phrase on their t-shirts and what that meant in the context of this class and the program. This led into what the Latin and Greek languages were/are and why they were important to Western Civilization. They were given a Greek alphabet sheet as well as a list of ancient Greek names and their meanings. Their homework for the next few days was to choose a name from that list to be their own for the class. This usually leads to a discussion on etymology and the understanding of English words with Greek roots. Also this week, we delved into the pre-Greek culture; the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. We discussed their beliefs their structures and inferred a great deal about their lives by looking at the ruins and artifacts from the palace complex of Knossos and Mycenae. They understood that with a lack of written history, understanding archaeology and art history can help fill in the gaps. The Greek ‘middle ages’ discussion was dominated by the Iliad and the Odyssey and how that sets a standard for any epic tale or journey story for the western world even into modern society. I quizzed them over this material with an Open Notes Quiz and was able to gauge their progress in composition with a free response worksheet. We finished the week by watching excerpts from the miniseries, “The Odyssey”, and discussing everything from its accuracy, the set design, to the ‘Hollywood’ changes.

Here are some reports from the teachers of each of our Humanities classes for last weeks in the Program. We have organized them by class:

Freshmen Humanities (Ms. Kristen Harrell, Instructor)

For this week, we spent a great deal of time discussing some of Aristotle’s theories, such as the Theory of Potentiality and his concept of the Unmoved Mover. The class decided that Aristotle would have loved modern science and especially quantum physics. We also had fun when we discussed Aristotle’s ideas of Syllogism; the idea that if A=B and B=C, then A=C. The students had a lot of fun coming up with their own ‘truths’ through the use of syllogism.

For the second half of the week, we had fun with talking about the birth of the Roman republic. This is when I wish the class could be 14 weeks long! They adored talking about the Romans. Sadly though, we could only go as far as the Triumvirate before the week was finished. All in all, the kids were highly enthusiastic about history and social studies in general which makes it a blast to teach!

Grad Level, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties (Ms. Jessica Markstrom)

We finished discussions on the 14th Amendment and discrimination. We began evaluating voting rights. Students learned that voting rights primarily come from amendments to the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. We examined the 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. We also discussed issues like voter ID laws and the circumstances surrounding and effects of the Bush v. Gore decision.

This week we discussed the 14th Amendment “equal protection” clause and its application to voting rights. Discussions focused on the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments to the U.S. Constitution; the Voting Rights Act; gerrymandering, and state voting laws. The students took a 1963 Louisiana voting literacy test to see if they would have been able to vote prior to the Voting Rights Act. We dissected the current session rulings in Abbott v. Perez, Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, and Gill v. Whitford. We closed out the week watching “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which centers on Edward R. Murrow’s responses to McCarthyism and the importance of an independent press. Cases examined: Shelby County v. Holder, Citizens United v. F.E.C., Crawford v. Marion County, McCutcheon v. F.E.C., Reynolds v. Sims, Miller v. Johnson, Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, Gill v. Whitford, and Abbott v. Perez.

Here are some reports from the teachers of each of our Humanities classes for last weeks in the Program. We have organized them by class:

Freshmen Humanities (Ms. Kristen Harrell, Instructor)

At the beginning of the week, we spoke about the life of Socrates and his school of thought concerning Truth. After going over his trial and death, they made the connection between Socrates to other historical figures who’ve been killed for passive beliefs in teaching. They brought up Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and even Jesus to name a few. I had the students act out the allegory of the cave. I had students face the wall with their backs to the door. I then placed the overhead projector behind them to mimicking the fire casting shadows and I opened the door for more lighting which mimicked the outside world. I think they really enjoyed when one of the captives left the cave to discover Truth outside. For when he returned, according to Plato, and tried revealing Truth to the others, he’d be killed. They really enjoyed the play acting and no students (or teachers) were harmed in the making of the cave. At the end of the week, we continued with Plato’s concepts of Utopia and what Utopia actually means. The students brought up ideas such as socialism, capitalism, and communism. Again I let them debate with on the idea of the Philosopher-King and the caste system.

Grad Level, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties (Ms. Jessica Markstrom)

This week we covered the 14th Amendment “due process” clause and “equal protection” clause. Students learned about substantive due process and the rights formed from interpretations of the “due process” clause (privacy; procreation; marriage; private, consensual adult sexual relationships; and abortion). We also began an evaluation of civil rights with a focus on discrimination and the “equal protection clause.” Additionally, students watched documentaries on religious freedom and school integration. Documentaries watched this week included: “First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty” by PBS and “Frontline – Separate and Unequal” by PBS. Cases discussed this week included: Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Skinner v. Oklahoma, Loving v. Virginia, Lawrence v. Texas, Dred Scott v. Sanford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education (I and II), Grutter v. Bolinger, Fisher v. Texas (I and II), etc.