HUMANITIES I
SVGS Arts and Humanities juniors began their class experience by examining seminal texts in their reader, A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Students read essays following thematic strands (Education, Ethics and Morality, Gender and Culture) by culturally significant theorists—Wollstonecraft, Chomsky, and Kozol, for example—and they honed their composition skills through drafting, conferencing, and revising essays while formulating arguments and defending positions based on texts. Next semester, students will develop their literary analysis skills by reading and writing about various genres from American literature and will prepare for the English End-of-Course SOL test.
HUMANITIES II
SVGS Arts and Humanities seniors began their class experience with early British literature and worked through the English Romantics. Students refined their analytical skills with college-level texts and applied those skills to both class discussions and essays. Highlights of the semester included exploration of the Anglo-Saxon epic tradition, the influence of the courtly love tradition on Medieval romances, and potential abuses of human knowledge as demonstrated by Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Next semester, students will continue to examine the role of monsters and their appearance in various literary traditions and will produce a research-based project reflecting their individual and unique understanding of monsters and society.
Shenandoah Valley Governor's School 