Welcome to the Humanities!

In the Humanities, we seek to understand human nature and the laws and principles that guide and influence it. Humanities classes approach education through an interdisciplinary exploration of history, literature, philosophy, and art. Using the classic works of Western Civilization, we develop critical thinking skills as we read, write about, and discuss the Great Ideas that are the foundation of the world we live in today.

My Humanities class cycles through a four-year history rotation: Ancient Greece, Rome Through the Middle Ages, Renaissance to Revolutions (American and French), and finally Moderns and Post-Moderns. You do not have to start at the beginning with Ancient Greece - just jump in where we are and enjoy the ride! For the 2025-26 school year, we will be covering the Renaissance to the Revolutions.

Students, expect to work and strengthen your mental muscles in this class! I promise to help you succeed in this class, including teaching you specific study skills to enhance your experience with the readings and providing as much outside mentoring as necessary, if you are willing to show up and put in your best effort. I believe anyone can get a great education through the great books if they know a few skills and are willing to do the work. You are expected to come to class prepared by finishing the reading and writing assignment beforehand, and then to fully participate while in class. If you do this, you will have an amazing experience! You will also be prepared to take college-level classes if you so desire.

*Plan on spending a MINIMUM of 5-8 hours outside of class time each week.

This is not a writing class. HOWEVER, I see a need in the high school years for more writing mentoring. Writing hones our ability to think, and we all need to be better thinkers. This year, the writing component of the class will be more robust through additions to our weekly writing assignments and more practice with the specific components of persuasive essays. We will focus on practicing specific study skills such as note-taking, learning about the author, marking the book, and asking great questions.

And we’ll have some fun too!