Humanities 10: Truth and Power
“The
one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.”
--Oscar Wilde
Contact Information: Lori Fisher
This is by FAR the best way to
get in touch with me! However, I generally check my email for the last time at
around 7:30 pm, so if you need a response that night please email earlier
rather than later.
Contact Information: Stephen Sellers
Information: In the fall semester, Stephen
Sellers will be completing his student teaching with Lori Fisher. He will be co-teaching with Lori in the first
part of the semester, and then assuming the role of full classroom teacher in
the last 5-6 weeks of the semester. If
you have any questions about this, please contact Lori Fisher!
Office
Hours
Wednesdays: Lunch, or 3:15-4:15.
If the time listed above does not
work for you, please contact me in person or via email to set up another
appointment. I am open to working with
students at lunch, or after school on other days, but I will need advance notice
to make sure I can be there.
Goals of the Course
In this
course, we will work together to uncover the hidden narratives of history in
the modern era, and to deepen our knowledge of the major themes of history and
the literature of those times. Our class will always work with an eye towards
connecting our personal experiences and knowledge with the broader questions
and themes that humans have struggled with throughout their development, as
well as exploring the different approaches people have taken to answering these
questions. Remember, history was written
by individuals, and as such, is as variable as the individuals contained within
it. Our ultimate goal is to become
critical thinkers and social scientists in our own right.
Essential Questions for the Course
- How are our perspectives
shaped by the historical contexts around us? What are the implications of this for us
as individuals, and for the global society we are creating?
- How can we communicate
truths about the human experience through literature, historical writing,
art, and poetry?
- What structures of power do we live within? How can we re-enforce, create, or break these structures?
Class Materials
Please bring
the following materials to class EVERY DAY:
- Laptop, with a word
processing program.
- 3 ring binder with 5
dividers (at least 1.5”)
- Lined paper (college ruled
RULES!)
- Pencils
- Pencil sharpener
- Post-it notes in 1.5” x 2”
size (buy a pack with a bunch of these- you will use them for annotating
texts)
- Pens: Blue or Black
- Highlighter or colored pens
for marking texts
- Daily Planner (Weekly/Monthly
book form, or digital…whatever works best for you)
- Your brain, in full working
order J
Grading
20% Process: Are you doing your work?
Can you turn work in on time? Are you actively engaging in the work that is
assigned?
1.
Activities and daily assignments (in class and
homework)
2.
Essay drafts and revisions
3.
Project drafts and revisions
40% Content: Are you learning the content?
Are you learning the concepts covered in class? Can you discuss those concepts critically?
1.
Quizzes, tests, benchmark assignments
40% Application of Knowledge: Can you apply
and communicate your knowledge?
Are you creating beautiful and polished work? Are you developing your reading, writing, and
communication skills?
1.
Essay Final Drafts
2.
Final Products
3.
Socratic Seminars
To encourage you to take ownership of your own grades, I
ask that you please contact me directly with any questions about your
assignments and grades. Please do not
have your parents contact me regarding your grades until you have asked the
questions first, via email, speech, or writing.
If you or your parents still have questions after you have talked to me,
I would be happy to address your/their concerns at that point!
Grading Scale
A– Excellent work that exceeds all standards 90-100%
B– Good quality work that meets all standards 80-89%
C– Complete work that meets most standards 70-79%
D– Incomplete and/or missing work, repeat course 69-60%
F– Failing, repeat course. <
60%
Please note: I do NOT give extra credit! Don’t ask, and don’t expect to make up work
at the end of the semester—the answer will be no, barring extraordinary
circumstances.
When Assignments are Due
All
assignments are due in the first minute of class, unless otherwise noted. Class time is valuable, and I ask that you be
considerate of our time together. Please
do not ask to print an assignment after class has started. The answer will be no. If
you are emailing an assignment in the first few minutes of class, it is LATE! Assignments
not turned in using the format I requested (hard copy or digital) at the
beginning of class are considered late. Plan
ahead to print, back up your work in multiple places, and leave ample time to
finish and print assignments.
Remember, your technological crisis is not my problem.
Late Work
If you are
absent from school, it is your responsibility as a student to contact me for
missed assignments. I suggest emailing
me, or getting in touch with me as soon as you are back at school. For excused absences, you will be given the
same amount of time to complete the assignment as the rest of the class had. Whenever possible, try to plan ahead when you
know you are going to be absent.
For in-class work
and all smaller assignments, work submitted late will be docked an automatic
50%. After five days, you will no longer
be able to submit the assignment.
For final draft
projects and essays, or other large assignments which deeply impact your grade,
your grade will be reduced by 10% from the grade you earned for each day that
it is late.
COMMUNICATE WITH
ME AHEAD OF TIME IF YOU NEED HELP OR MORE TIME TO GET ASSIGNMENTS OR PROJECTS
DONE. I can be flexible with responsible, communicative students. Coming to me the day that the assignment is
due (or after) with excuses will do no good. Email me in advance of the due date if you
feel you need a deadline extension.
However, please do not abuse this privilege—a student who requests
extensions for every assignment will find that I quickly become less
sympathetic, and less likely to grant extensions.
Book Policy
Animas High School will lend you a number of different
books to read this year. If you neglect
to return a book, you will be charged for its replacement. Failure to remedy
the situation may result in an incomplete in the course.
The Rules
The
following are in place to ensure a respectful learning environment:
1.
Cell phone use is forbidden at
all times. Any usage of cell phones will result in the
confiscation of the phone until the end of the day. If there is a second offense, your parent
will need to pick up the phone at my convenience (which may not be very
convenient for you or them). You may use
your phones before school, on breaks, at lunch, and after school.
2.
Avoid swearing. Everyone slips up from time to time, but avoid it as a general
rule.
3.
No gum. Gross, sticky, and inevitably ends up under the tables. Or on my shoes.
4.
Follow the AHS Fashion
Guide. Nobody wants to see your
underwear.
5.
Listening to music without instructor
permission is forbidden. If I can hear your music,
I reserve the right to mock your music choices publicly! Don’t wear headphones around your neck,
either.
6.
Don’t threaten the sprinkler
heads! No swinging sticks, leaping
wildly, throwing things, etc.
The Really Really Important Rules
Respect.
For yourself, for others, and for the learning process. Acknowledge that all people with whom you
come into contact are in fact people, human beings who deserve to be treated as
such. Treat others as you wish to be
treated.
Tolerance. We will treat each student with tolerance regardless of his or her
religion, race, culture, sexual orientation, or ability. Indeed, we will strive to not only respect
one another, but to accept and celebrate our differences, for diversity is at
the heart of this class. For this
reason, any and all discriminatory and/or hurtful language is prohibited. If you are not sure if your language is
hurtful, err on the side of caution.
Semester 1: Truth, Violence, and War
WWI: Creative Historians
Questions:
1. What
causes nations to choose to fight such a deadly war?
2. What
were the experiences of people who lived through WWI, and how can you
effectively use historical fiction to communicate those experiences?
3. What
truths about war and the soldiers’ experiences can fictional stories
illuminate?
Readings:
1.
The Roots of Warfare, Barbara Ehrenreich
2. The
Constitution of the Ujedinjenje ili Smrt
3. Germany
and the Next War, General
Friedrich von Bernhardi
4.
Treaty of Versailles (excerpts)
5.
What is Propaganda?
6.
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
Final
Products:
1.
WWI
Historical Fiction Project
Slaughterhouse Five: A Tralfamadorian Novel
Questions:
1.
How do
innovative writing styles illuminate different truths of war?
2.
What does Vonnegut
have to offer on the perspective of war?
3.
How did the experience
of war change between WWI and WWII?
Readings
1.
Dresden Documents
2.
Interview with Kurt Vonnegut
3.
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
Final
Products:
1.
Tralfamadorian
Novel: Visuals and Literary Analysis
A True War Story
Questions:
1.
Is it
possible to ever write a “true” history?
2.
What is the
role of storytelling in veteran’s lives?
3.
How can we
record the stories of veterans for future generations?
Readings:
1.
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
2. Many
primary source documents about events in the Vietnam War
3. Why
Men Love War, William
Broyles Jr.
4. The
Hollow Man, Michael
Norman
Final
Products:
1.
A True
History of the Vietnam War
2.
Vietnam Era
Interviews (of veterans or civilians)
Semester Two: Peace, Power, and Poetry
Globalization and Social Justice
Poetry: Speaking Truth to Power
Questions:
1.
How can I
make my language powerful?
2.
What is the
difference between poetry and other writing?
3.
How can I
exhibit a poem in a way that is interactive and engaging?
Readings:
1.
Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh
2.
Peace Theory, Johan Galtung
3.
Poetry of
all sorts, from all eras, in all styles
Final
Products:
1.
Poem, to be
presented at exhibition (many formats are possible, including kinetic text,
music, artwork, spoken word performance, illuminated text…the possibilities are
endless!)
