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Humanities

Combining the traditional departments of English and History, our Humanities courses teach students how to find their own voice as they make sense of our complex and evolving world. Doing that begins with learning how to ask good questions, gather information, organize and evaluate that information, and then share it with others in a clear, cogent, and open-minded way that leads to further inquiry.

The foundation of our Humanities program is our 9th and 10th grade courses. These “double period,” workshop-based experiences integrate English and History content and focus on holistic education and fundamental skill development. By design, the curriculum incorporates significant community-building, self-awareness, and social-emotional learning opportunities. This skillset cultivated, students have a growing sense of who they are as learners and people, and are well prepared to enter our diverse and rigorous Deep Learning Initiative offerings in Junior and Senior years.  

 

Liz Higgins

Elizabeth Higgins

Humanities Coordinator

Joined Wooster in 2013-2014

Embedded Honors Program (9th and 10th Grades)

As part of their self-discovery and active engagement in freshman and sophomore years, students often realize they have a particular passion for the Humanities. That in mind, our Humanities I and II courses offer an opt-in, Honors element that all students may pursue. Designed around small group work where students must explain and defend their thinking to their peers and instructors, if successful in completing all requirements, they are awarded Honors distinction on their transcripts, marking the achievement and telling their story to college admission officers.

Humanities at Wooster

Building on the foundation they’ve developed in 9th and 10th grades, our Deep Learning Initiative (DLI) courses offer students a chance to extend their learning in areas of interest and passion. The antithesis of a rigid curriculum racing to nowhere and building back from a predetermined test, DLI is about expressing instructors’ passions and following students’ individual interests. As they navigate complex material and engage deep questions about our society and humanity, they find their own, unique voice, and learn how to express it confidently and respectfully, while remaining open-minded to alternative perspectives and civil disagreements.

Courses in English Include:

  • Humanities I: Foundations in Cultural Literacy
  • Humanities II: The Making of Modernity
  • Media Literacy via Current Events: Decoding the News
  • Creative Nonfiction
  • DLI Language, Analysis, and Power
  • DLI Madness, Deviance, and the Outsider in Literature
  • DLI Art and the Making of Meaning
  • DLI Humanities
  • Journalism
  • Advanced Journalism
  • Literary Magazine
  • Creative Writing

Courses in History Include:

  • Humanities I: Foundations in Cultural Literacy
  • Humanities II: The Making of Modernity
  • US History: Cultural Calamity and American Resolve
  • DLI I, Too, Am America
  • DLI Renaissance
  • DLI Civics: Premises, Promises and Processes of Citizenship
  • The American Mafia
  • Archives

Upper School Course of Study

Learn more about our course descriptions and requirements.