AMERICAN STUDIES COURSE AVAILABLE North is now offering a new American Studies course that will be open to students next school year
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tarting next school year, North is introducing a new course entitled “American Studies.” The course counts as both a Social Studies and an English credit for students who choose to take the class. Studying both American history and the literary connections it holds, the course is a great combination of two core classes students must take. Teaching the Social Studies portion of the course is history teacher Dan Marsh, who has been working at North for the past 16 years. “The idea is to plan and work together to try and make the teaching and learning of both topics easier. The idea is very common across the US to link both US history and American Literature,” Marsh said. “The thought is that being exposed to both and showing the connection with both should make the learning experience enjoyable and easier to make those connections.” The idea of the combined course had been mentioned in the past, but this is the first year that it will
actually be placed into action. Marsh had the opportunity to take similar classes during his high school experiences and wanted to bring it to North as well. “The idea behind this class is something that [we] have talked about before, and have wanted to offer in the past,” Marsh said. “Moving to block scheduling has made the idea easier since the goal is to link the classes.” Like Marsh, English teacher Kelley Culp has been wanting to intertwine the two classes for a while, and after lots of discussion and encouragement, they collectively decided to pursue the class. “We have always said that history and literature are a natural fit, and Mr. Marsh and I have similar patterns in our teaching styles and expectations,” Culp said. “We were also encouraged by Mr. Jensen, the Director of Secondary Education, to pursue the course. He has been one of our biggest supporters throughout this process.” The course is set to begin at the start of next school year, and will be open for students to select as their social studies class.
The class is meant to be a medium between standard United States History classes and the AP version, being labeled as a college prep course. “This is a college prep level course, so it is intended for almost any student out there,” Culp said. “I think most students will find a challenge in the course, but it won’t be so challenging that it is overwhelming. We won’t [move] as quickly as AP does, but we will cover a lot of exciting materials.” Although the class is a more challenging alternative to other social studies courses, the class is a fit for all different types of learners. “Students who like a less traditional approach to both English and Social Studies courses will find American Studies to be a great fit for them,” Culp said. “If you are looking for something that is a little outside of the box, this is the place for you."
by Izzy Munn design by Ram Gowda
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