Humanities
Humanities classes weave together many strands of content and analysis. Across classes, students learn to:
Communicate clearly and effectively in written, oral, and visual forms.
Read and analyze diverse texts including fiction, non-fiction, periodicals, technical literature, plays, and poetry.
Analyze historical texts alongside literary and artistic sources to understand both more richly.
Understand and use the social sciences, including philosophy, economics, geography, and psychology.
Employ critical theories bringing different perspectives to critique power structures in historical and contemporary society.
See opportunities for working for social justice by collaborating with local organizations.
The Humanities curriculum delves deeply into the work of others and challenges students to generate their own. Students read books and write essays, but they also simulate past events, write and perform plays, debate contemporary issues, design and build memorials to historical figures, interview experts outside the Meridian community, and carry out original primary source research.
Humanities Course Sequence
| Division | Course | Look forward to the |
|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | Heroes & Villians | Writing an Original Myth Project; Museum of Fine Arts trip |
| Division 1 | Media & Journalism | The Muckrakers Forum Project; Trips to Sturbridge Village and the Lowell Mills |
| Division 2 | Constitution Nation | Modern Activists' Project; Deerfield Overnight |
| Division 3 | American Historiography: Narratives of Abolition | Boston: Past, Present, Future (oral history and creative writing project); Boston Public Library abolitionist archives research |
| Division 3 | Africa & Europe Through Each Other's Eyes | Heritage Language Poetry Translation Project; Radical Enlightenment Philosopher Dialogue Project; African Anti-Colonial Movement Zines |
| Division 4 | Civilization from East to West | History of a Popular Commodity Research Paper; Chinese House Visit at the Peabody Essex |
| Division 4 | Rotating Courses, including The Vietnam War and The History, Practice, and Impacts of Food, Agriculture, and Cooking | Egleston Square Ethnography Project |
Students are also able to sign up for electives including:
Economics
A.P. English Literature
A.P. Psychology
A.P. United States History
A.P. World History