Hopkins School 986 Forest Road New Haven, CT
Vol LXVI, no. 8
March 11, 2022
www.therazoronline.com
Hopkins Offers Several New Courses for 2022-2023 Riley Foushee '23 News Editor For the upcoming school year, Hopkins is offering several new courses across the Arts, English, History, and Science Departments, along with the Malone Schools Online Network (MSON). In total, there are 16 new courses for students to choose from. The Arts Department has two new classes: Painting, a term-length class available Term I or II for all high school students, and Songwriting and Music Composition, which is only available Term II for all high school students. The English Departments is offering three new courses, all Term II electives for senior school students. The new courses include Nature Literature, Postcolonial Literature: The Empire Writes Back, and Queer Literature. The History Department has one new addition to their curriculum: Topics in Women's History: American Women in the 20th and 21st Centuries. For students interested in a less conventional experience, the Malone Schools Online Network is offering 11 new classes next year. The two new full-year classes offered next year are German I and Introduction To Spanish-Language Literary Analysis. The Term I-only classes are Advanced Economics I; Cancer; The Science and Ethics Of Sports Performance: Genetics, Biochemistry, and Sociology; Tenements To Townhouses: Stories Of Urban New York; and Turbulent Times: History of the First Amendment and Dissent During American Wars. Term II-only classes include Advanced Economics II, Advanced Latin Literature, The History of Modern Germany: World War I to the Present, and A Nation Divided: The Literature of Civil Rights in the Modern US. The approval process for new courses is standard across each department. History Department Chair Elizabeth Gleason said, “Proposals for new courses travel the same path for every department, coming up for conversation and a vote in the department first, then in the Academic Policy Committee, and then before the full faculty.” The process for adding new courses for next year began during the 2020/21 school year. English Department Chair Joseph Addison said, “[First], we completed an audit of our curriculum. We finalized proposals in the fall of 2021, and the full faculty approved them in December.” Gleason emphasized the effect that student input has. She said, “Ideas for new courses bubble up from student interest - that’s how the Econ elective began, for example - and from department brainstorming.” Addison also highlighted the role students have in curating the curriculum. He said, “We also spent the year [2020/21] speaking with current students and alums. Based on those efforts, these three course proposals evolved to address gaps in what we teach while also serving the interests of students.” MSON has a different process for adding courses. With 28 schools from across the country, teachers propose courses that fill gaps in their own schools’ curriculum. Benjamin Taylor, Hopkins Academic Liaison to MSON, said, “[The teachers] ask their schools’ administration for permission to propose courses to our consortium and our Executive Director, Claire Goldsmith, meets with the teachers to discuss how the course would
fit it, whether it would Riley Foushee draw students, and how it could best leverage both the online platform and - above all else - the huge benefit of creating a geographically diverse roster.” Addition of courses also requires subtraction, however. Gleason said, “The tricky part is that, for every course we add, we need to retire one, so we try to be really thoughtful about our mix of offerings.” The Arts Department retired Roots of American Popular Music, the English Department retired Legends of Literature, Literature in Brief, and Magical Realism, and the History Department retired Human Rights Amir McFerren '24 browses the Course Guide. and the Politics of Music. MSON discontinued fifteen courses ranging from The American Food System: Past, Present, and Future to Camus to Orwell’s Exigence: Writing for an Urgent Moment. Students were generally enthusiastic about the new courses. Arjun Aggarwal ’23 said, “I appreciate the commitment to offering progressive courses that represent and address marginalized communities.” Luke Brennan ’23 added, “I know most people don’t focus on them, but some of the MSON courses look really cool.” Aggarwal agreed that the MSON offerings were interesting, but there was a caveat. He said, “I’m not sure I would want to have to reorganize my schedule and be online for a class.” Students may be tempted to choose one of the new courses, but there is a plethora of options, especially for rising juniors and seniors. Gleason said, “We also have several electives that we added just prior to the pandemic that may not be on students’ radars, so I really encourage everyone to take a good look at the Course Guide before making choices, and to ask their current teachers any questions they might have about electives.”
Black History Month Inspires Events on The Hill
also spoke on what the month means to him, saying, “For me at least, Black History Month is like a celebration of Black excellence. I feel like you don’t have that enough, especially in academia.” Iheanacho added, “Black history has long been overshadHopkins celebrated Black History Month this owed and put to the side as part of the larger AmeriFebruary through events including guest speakers, movie can narrative.” He continued, “It’s history that’s not screenings, and a student showcase, all organized by the been taught and is essential to our world nowadays.” Black/LatinX Student Among the events was a Union (BLSU), Students screening of the documentary United for Racial Equity I Am Shakespeare: The Henry (SURE), and the Hopkins Green Story with a Q&A with Student Diversity Board. the Director, Stephen Dest, and Nati Tesfaye ’22 a Junior School movie night and Eze Iheanacho ’22, screening of Spider-Man: Into two of the co-heads of the Spiderverse. The guest the BLSU, were some of speakers during the month inthe main organizers becluded Dr. Jennifer L. Ellis, hind this year’s celebraone of only a few Black female tion. “We want there to board-certified cardiothoracic be some type of growth surgeons in the country and a that happens as a result Hopkins Alum, and Jill Snyof this month,” said Tesder, author of Dear Mary, faye. “The biggest things Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters. that we hope to do are Speaking about the progress educate, both through that has been made in education speakers and also through around Black history, Iheanacho looking and learning said, “The type of classes that we about African-American @hopdiversityboard take, for example, the Post-Colonial culture and Black hisLiterature elective, that’s a good A poster for I Am Shakespeare. tory in general.” Tesfaye step forward. Providing the means Inside: News........1-2 Arts Page 6: Keator Features Page 3: Features....2-3 Gallery Student Spotify or Apple Op/Ed.......4 Showcase Music? Arts...........5-6 Sports.......7-8
@hop.sure
Kallie Schmeisser '22 Lead News Editor Amir McFerren '24 Assistant News Editor
A list of events held during Black History Month. to learn about Black history and people wanting to learn about Black history are all you really need. In order to move forward you have to provide the ‘why.’ People are willing to learn.” Iheanacho continued, “Many facets of everyday life have been whitewashed, whether you realize it or not. Just taking the time to un-whitewash the things you already know about is a really good step. We have the internet. Information is so accessible. Use it.”
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