History: Latin America One Semester (Offered First Semester) Prerequisites: None
History: Stagecraft One Semester (Offered Second Semester) Prerequisites: None Theatrical design is collaborative, practical, and interdisciplinary. In this course, we will design the set, lights, costumes, props, and sound for a production of a Shakespeare play, beginning with script analysis and ending with the production. Students will learn the basics of stagecraft, research the rich history of technical theater, and form artistic interpretations of the chosen text based on their reading and research. All students will work together to create a design gallery to accompany the performance, with social studies students taking the lead on research and writing and art students taking the lead on designing the gallery’s visual elements. As this course is part of the Liggett Shakespeare Project, students will collaborate with classmates in the Shakespeare: Dramaturgy course and the Liggett Players. Stagecraft students will be responsible for completing the production design and constructing some elements of the sets, props, and costumes. Special guests to the class will include professional designers and technical staff. Seniors who opt to complete all three parts of the Liggett Shakespeare Project (Dramaturgy, Stagecraft, and Production) in a single year may be approved to waive enrollment in ARP 12.
History: Women’s History One Semester (Offered First Semester) Prerequisites: None
these changes to guide our understanding. By focusing on the experiences of ordinary people, we will gain a more intimate understanding of the transformations in politics, labor relations, and the roles of marginalized groups, such as women and African Americans. At the end of the semester, students will apply the skills they learned in the course to conduct an oral history interview of their own on a topic of their choice, contributing to a library of oral histories that future students can use for research. Text: Terkel, Studs. The Good War: An Oral History of World War II (New York: The New Press, 1984)
Latin America is unlike any other region in our planet’s history: separated for centuries from Afro-Eurasia, when the two hemispheres finally reunited the people of the Americas experienced apocalyptic catastrophe. But out of the ashes arose a plethora of entirely new cultures composed of Old and New World characteristics. The road to today has not always been smooth for the people living here. After conquest by the Spanish and Portuguese was completed, colonies soon began to dream of independence, which they eventually gained. However, self-autonomy proved just as rocky of a road as conquest, and as the twentieth century progressed, many nations suffered economic, social, and political woes. This class will examine Latin American history after 1492 CE, but will focus on three particular eras: conquest and colonization, the struggle for independence, and modern authoritarianism. The class will also take a different approach to texts: students will read a historical fiction novel, written by a contemporary author, and synthesize the themes and messages they convey. Text: Williamson, Edwin. Penguin History of Latin America . Penguin Books, 2010. ISBN: 9780141034751
History books are often filled with the adventures, accomplishments, and exploits of remarkable men; those same pages are less filled with examples of remarkable women, but not for a lack of existence. This course examines the notable, but lesser known women in history, taking a global approach in examining women’s experiences from the early modern period to present. Students will read, engage in discussion, research historical figures and topics, apply their understanding, and ultimately wrestle with paramount questions. Questions addressed include: what makes a person worthy of notice? Why is truth omitted or altered? How does censorship affect its audience? How do changing perceptions of gender affect women’s role in society?
Psychology One Semester (Offered Second Semester) Prerequisites: None
Psychology: Understanding Self, Others, and the Science of Behavior supports the school’s mission and complements existing student-support structures by strengthening students’ insight, communication, and evidence-based decision-making. Students study psychology as a science, how knowledge is developed, tested, and ethically applied, while engaging in hands-on learning that prioritizes meaningful involvement over passive memorization. Course content draws on the National Standards for High School Psychology and covers key areas including motivation and emotion, personality, stress and health, psychological disorders and therapies, and social psychology (social cognition and social influence). Students build integrity by evaluating claims using research and ethical reasoning; demonstrate respect through careful discussion of identity, culture, and mental health; practice empathy through perspective-taking and case-based learning; strengthen community through collaboration and constructive dialogue; and pursue excellence through clear writing, thoughtful analysis, and applied projects.
History: World War I One Semester (Offered First Semester) Prerequisites: None
This is a course about understanding the world we live in today by studying the past. World War I helped to shape many of the ideas and institutions we encounter in our everyday lives. This is not necessarily a course about war: the conflict will certainly play a prominent role in the class, but it is more about how humans respond to change, crisis, and tragedy. Learners will study soldiers, civilians, politicians, nurses, writers, artists, women, and many more different individuals and groups of people in a quest to understand the human condition through primary sources, academic articles, and media. In this class, learners’ own research interests are paramount. They will have an opportunity to study a topic and research question of interest in great depth, and share their understanding through a dynamic museum exhibition open to the public at the end of the course. Text: Junger, Ernst. Storm of Steel . New York: Penguin Classics, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0143108252 History: World War II One Semester (Offered First and Second Semester) Prerequisites: None No events have had a greater impact on the world than the two world wars fought in the first half of the twentieth century. This course is an in-depth look at the second of those wars, from its origins to its legacy. We will investigate the ways in which World War II redefined American politics and society. Our course text is a collection of oral histories from the era, allowing the voices of those who experienced
History: Topics in Modern Africa One Semester (Offered Second Semester) Prerequisites: None
History: Origins of Civilization One Semester (Offered Second Semester) Prerequisites: None
History loves its diametrics: historical events often demonstrate the best and worst humanity has to offer. Amidst some of the worst of human behavior (oppression, murder), paragons of the best human behavior (compassion, forgiveness) arise. In this course, students will examine some of the most troubling events in modern African history — racial segregation, genocide, and the exploitation of children. Told through the memoirs of those who lived the history themselves, students will develop their historical understanding and explore worthy questions. Through a variety of activities, students will construct and illuminate a deeper understanding of birth, growth, emotion, aspiration, conflict, and mortality— what is commonly referred to as “the human condition.” Texts: Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1995. Ilibagiza, Immaculee with Steve Erwin. Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. Carlsbad: Hay House, Inc., 2014. Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2007.
Civilization has been our way of life for thousands of years now, and as a result we do not think much about how or why we transitioned to it from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The eighteenth century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau noted that, “man was born free and everywhere he is in chains,” arguing that our agreement to live in civilization sacrifices at least a portion of that natural-born freedom. Other philosophers, like Thomas Hobbes, disagreed, choosing to believe that our species is better off in civilization than before when life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Transitioning from hunting and gathering to agriculture was no simple change; it revolutionized our way of life. What is the nature of humankind? Are humans inherently good or bad? Why did humans give up the hunting and gathering lifestyle? Why were rules and laws created? Why did our species enter into a social contract in which we give up certain rights and freedoms? This course will seek to infer answers to these questions and more. Texts: Golding, William. The Inheritors. London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2015. ISBN 978-0571329090; Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London, UK: Penguin Books, 2003. ISBN 978-0399501487
2026-2027 ULS Curriculum Guide
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