Welcome!

Humanities 9 explores questions regarding the individual's relationship with civilization, society, and government.  As a humanities course, this class focuses on integrating language arts skills, historical thinking skills, and skills and perspectives found in other humanities and social science disciplines.  Through a variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction, students participate in thematic projects related to local and global contemporary issues.  This thematic, project based, exploration continues through coverage of crucial topics in ancient through early modern (18th century) history.  Students examine these content areas through various humanities and social science discipline perspectives including history, sociology, psychology and philosophy.  Students completing this course will interact with a variety of perspectives that help them interpret and understand the complex relationship between society and the individual.
Through the humanities we reflect on the fundamental question: What does it mean to be human? The humanities offer clues but never a complete answer. They reveal how people have tried to make moral, spiritual, and intellectual sense of a world in which irrationality, despair, loneliness, and death are as conspicuous as birth, friendship, hope, and reason.

Projects

Socialization and Identity 

Essential Questions:
  • What is my identity?
  • How has my identity been shaped by family, friends, school, sports, religion, and the media? How much personal choice goes into shaping our identities?
  • How does my vision of my identity match with what the external world sees?
  • How can an individual break the harmful cycles of socialization and reinforce the positive cycles of liberation?
​Fall Semester:
Have you considered how interactions with others shape our beliefs and identities? Societal norms largely influence choices about clothing, careers, and relationships. However, not all societal lessons are beneficial; behaviors such as racism and bullying are learned as well.

In this project, we will examine identity through Sociology, defined as “the scientific study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture.” We will explore how socialization influences our identities and can also perpetuate harmful behaviors.

This will lead to an Action Project in the second half of the year, focused on creating positive change in our community based on your interests from this project. More information will follow!
Enduring Understandings:
  • People are shaped and influenced by the communities and society in which they live.
  • Culture and socialization are both unifying and divisive forces in society.
  • Individuals have the power to liberate themselves from harmful cycles of socialization.

The Strange in the Familiar: Creativity Project

Essential Questions:
  • How can creative writing help us see the world in a new way?
  • Why does seeing the strange in the familiar matter?

​Enduring Understandings:
  • The strange in the familiar helps us engage with the world more deeply.
  • Constraints can lead to creativity.
  • Everyone can tap into their imagination.
Spring Semester:
Creativity is essential to humanity. It allows us to see the world differently, solve new problems, and express our deepest emotions. It drives innovation, builds empathy, and promotes well being in ourselves. In a rapidly changing world, creativity empowers us to adapt, challenge the status quo, and find deeper meaning.

​In this unit, we will use creative writing to widen our perspective of the world. We will build upon last semester’s sociology framework of the “strange in the familiar” by using literary devices to re-imagine our everyday lives. We will study and practice a variety of creative writing structures including poetry, flash fiction, and monologues. Throughout the process, we will hone our literary devices, grammar, and punctuation. In short, we will master the rules so that we can intentionally wield or break them.