Humanities

Humanities courses at Wasatch Academy provide students with learning opportunities to think critically about and experience the world they live in through various methods of research and reflection, reading and writing, and verbal expression and presentation.

Curricula focus on encouraging inclusivity of perspectives and inspiring richly diverse discussions, honoring both a global world and the school’s diverse student population. The humanities department guides students in how to access and analyze a variety of sources, including literary and non-literary, print and non-print publications, and subsequently how to develop a thoughtful and informed response to a global world. 

Courses

  • English I/II introduces literary and non-literary readings, including topics about humanity and issues that affect the world from a modern and historical perspective. Students are presented with learning opportunities to develop comprehensive critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, including basic essay structuring, thesis statement construction, and the recognition of nuances and literary devices in informative or literary texts. Additionally, students learn to consume and analyze literature, debate ideas, explore new perspectives, and develop a better understanding of the world around them. Students demonstrate proficiency through assessments appropriate for grade-level academic standards.

  • This course helps students enter academic discourse and hone the skills essential to its implementation. Specifically, it builds on the essay writing and drafting skills already introduced in prior courses and introduces them to the challenges particular to academic writing, like the MLA Citation system. It builds on the rhetorical knowledge they’ve already acquired by introducing more rigorous argumentative models, literary devices, and more in-depth research methods. 

  • This class prepares students for college-level literature classes. Students will review critical or “active” reading strategies, essay writing argumentative models including counterarguments and rebuttals, and a more comprehensive review of citational systems and embedded disciplinary values.  Students also hone their critical-thinking skills concerning the academic peer-review system. 

  • This course prepares students to take the AP English Language and Composition Exam as provided by the College Board. As such, it reviews claims and argumentative development and support, rhetorical devices, the theories and foundations of rhetoric, critical essay engagement and analysis strategies, and literary devices fundamental to rhetoric and rhetorical analysis.  Students are encouraged to take the AP exam in May.  *Must have completed English II and be in grade 11.

  • AP Literature and Composition follows the curricular requirements described by the College Board as found in the AP English Literature and Composition Course Description: Students build skills essential for college-level reading and writing. They engage in close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature from different time periods, genres, and cultures. The fundamental practice of reading and analyzing provocative and challenging material through various texts (traditional, digital, film, etc.) empowers students to interpret these works through verbal discussion, oral presentations, timed writing assessments, and formal essays. The practices of close reading and analytical writing serve both as preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition test and for ultimate success in college.  Students work collaboratively to explore numerous reading and writing strategies to enhance their skills in these areas. Students are encouraged to take the AP exam in May. 

    *Must have completed English III, English IV, and AP English Language or with teacher permission.

  • Socratic Seminar focuses on the Socratic Method and the art of persuasion in writing and speaking. Students have the opportunity to explore different texts and media and engage in a variety of inquiry-based dialogues.

  • This Creative Writing course is a full-year course to explore various writing genres, including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students will develop their creative writing skills in each genre through structured lessons, hands-on activities, and peer feedback. The course aims to foster creativity, critical thinking, and personal expression. By the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of polished work, understand the elements of different writing styles, and develop their unique writing voice.

  • Since ancient times, the humanities — academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture — have been considered an essential element of a well-rounded education. They include history, geography, philosophy and religion, literature, the arts, and other fields. We will begin this semester’s course of study with some basic geography before exploring the evolution and progress of mankind from prehistory to the founding of the first civilizations.

  • Global studies introduce literary and non-literary readings, including topics about humanity and issues that affect the world from a modern and historical perspective. Students are presented with learning opportunities to develop comprehensive critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, including basic essay structuring, thesis statement construction, and the recognition of nuances and literary devices in informative or literary texts. Additionally, students learn to consume and analyze information and address themes and realistic solutions. Students demonstrate proficiency through assessments appropriate for grade-level academic standards.

  • US History is a course in which students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes at various time periods. The end goal of the course is to understand pivotal moments in American history in its temporal context and as it helps frame the narrative of current events.

  • AP US History is an introductory college-level course in which students cultivate their understanding of United States history by analyzing historical sources, making connections, and crafting historical arguments. They explore concepts like national identity, migration and settlement, politics and power, America in the world, and social structures. Students are encouraged to take the AP exam in May.

  • Duration: 1 semester

    This semester’s course of study explores Vietnam’s past from antiquity to the mid-twentieth century. It begins by examining that nation’s ancient history and ends in 1954 with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the climactic battle of the First Indochina War. We investigate various topics, including Vietnam’s geography and culture, European colonialism, the rise of nationalism and communism, and the Cold War.

  • Duration: 1 semester

    The Vietnam War is America’s most controversial and least understood conflict. The goal of the course this semester is to understand its causes, events, and results. The curriculum includes more than a study of America’s military actions in Southeast Asia. We will also examine Cold War diplomacy, American politics, and the anti-war movement.

  • Duration: 1 semester

    This semester’s course of study explores the foundations, structures, and institutions of the US government at the federal, state, and local levels. We will explore the political processes to understand how the government works, the role of individuals in decision-making, and the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. 

  • Duration: 1 semester

    This course explores the government and geography of various nations in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The goal is to understand their electoral systems and political culture and how much their natural environment influences their institutions, beliefs, and values.

  • Study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the world from c. 1200 CE to the present. You’ll analyze texts, visual sources, and other historical evidence and write essays expressing historical arguments. (College Board, 2023)

  • Intro to  American History will help students to understand how the United States was discovered, and will learn about the colonists who came to the United States to seek a new life.  We will learn about people who were instrumental in developing the land and the laws and helped it to become a world leader today.  The students will develop reading, writing, discussion, analytical, and critical thinking skills. This class will help students understand and appreciate major human development themes throughout history and critique divisions and conflicts that challenge progress and peaceful coexistence.

  • AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes.

    While considering the studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with central units of study, including biological bases of behavior, cognition, development, learning, social psychology, personality, and mental and physical health.

    Throughout the course, students apply psychological concepts and employ psychological research methods and data interpretation to evaluate claims, consider evidence, and effectively communicate ideas. Students are encouraged to take the AP exam in May.

  • The general Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the study of psychology within eight units, which are more focused on depth than breadth. It aims to answer why we behave the way we do and to provide empathy for the human condition. Students will study the history of psychology as a discipline and build on modern psychological practices. There will be an emphasis on inquiry and project-based learning on topics related to the course.

  • This course will provide students with a theoretical basis and functional knowledge of economics. Economics is the study of how individuals, businesses, and governments make decisions about the use of scarce resources in a world of seemingly unlimited wants and needs. At the microeconomic level, students will investigate the smaller units of the economy and individual firms and markets. In macroeconomics, students will study the global economy and economics of nations and governments as they attempt to foster growth and stability. The course is useful in helping students acquire many life skills, including personal financial literacy, and in establishing a foundation for a more advanced study of economics.