Course Overview
The English Language Arts are about how we understand and connect with ourselves, others, and our world through language, images, and symbols. This year, our principle theme is Wisdom. Sophomores will pursue two primary goals: to develop their understanding of themselves and others through the study of the wisdom and perspectives the great thinkers of history, and the literary art of the world’s cultures. Throughout the term we will ask “what can I learn from others to improve my understanding of myself and the world, and to what ends can I apply this wisdom?”
Our material will be drawn from folklore and mythology, religion and philosophy, and contemporary ways of knowing. Principle readings may include Hamilton’s Mythology, Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima¸ Hesse’s Siddhartha, Marshall’s The Lakota Way, and Gaardner’s Sophie’s World.
Classroom Practices and Guidelines
- Atmosphere. The atmosphere of the course is of a colloquium: a conference of peers and experts who gather to analyze and discuss a specific topics. Student-scholars are invited to shape course direction, design and engage in thematic and project-based learning.
- Responsibility and Organization Be prepared for each class session. You must have all readings and assignments with you and completed prior to the session in which it is due. You are responsible for managing and performing your work and for your grade. Since this is a challenging program with many assignments, use your planner to manage your workload.
- Academic Honesty All opinions, honestly presented, are worth our consideration. Our ideas are not us, we adopt them when we believe them to be true, but we remain open to finding better ideas to take their place; and thus our knowledge evolves. Since this knowledge frames our decisions, and our decisions shape our lives, we continually seek to improve the knowledge we hold. Our knowledge develops by adopting the acceptable ideas of others until they become our own. In our writing and speaking, this means that you do your own work, and that any work of others you use in your assignments be properly cited.
- Timeliness Classwork and homework may not be submitted late unless the student has made a prior arrangement with the teacher. Students are responsible for retaining all class handouts and returned coursework until the semester has been completed. If you lose course materials, you are responsible for getting another copy from another student.
- Initiative. A benefit of a small school to students, as well as for teachers, is the opportunity to pursue individual interests. It is my ‘holy grail’ as a teacher to fully meet each students individual learning needs, as well as to advance each student on their own path to success, however that may be defined. Flexibility is afforded to students who take independent initiative in the pursuit of their own academic interests, and demonstrate responsibility in those pursuits.
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