UWC Perspectives

As an interdisciplinary course, UWC Perspectives draws from the College’s mission competencies with an emphasis on Interpersonal and Intercultural Understanding, Sustainability, Peacebuilding, Service Learning and Digital Literacy. Each unit connects with the knowledge and skills needed to unpack the deeper conceptual understandings beneath these competencies. 

Transcending the course is a systems-awareness approach. This involves the use of systems thinking tools (e.g. stock and flow diagrams and iceberg models) that enable students to unpack their thinking to arrive at deeper understandings. These tools are supported by a culture of system sensing where the classroom environment is both generative and social, enabling students to share their perspectives in a psychologically safe environment required for engaging effectively with diversity.

Grade 9 Course 

Unit One: Influences on Identity - What makes me 'me'?

Students look deeply into the influences on their own identity, considering their impact and how they have changed over time. They consider the extent to which culture, society, family & upbringing, and personality influence a person’s unique identity and how those same influences can determine what they willingly show the world and what they minimise. Models and tools serve to deepen an understanding of the influences: the Wheel of Belonging encourages students to investigate where they might be advantaged and disadvantaged, the Genderbread Person helps them to distinguish sex from gender, and the Cross Cultural Kids model unpacks the various ways of navigating cultural experiences.  The unit culminates in the production of an artefact, usually in the form of a Mandala, which is a provocation for their own personal written reflection or audio reflection. 

Unit Two: Knowing Right from Wrong - Engaging with diversity

Students begin the unit with an ethical dilemma, actively engaging with the skills needed to engage with diversity. They learn about how beliefs, ethics and morals can be influenced by bias, stereotypes and prejudice. They develop the UWCSEA skills and qualities using diversity of perspectives as an opportunity to to improve the quality of their views and to form well informed opinions. Conceptual and provocative questions form the backbone of this unit, requiring students to engage in small and large group discussions supported by collaborative norms where disagreement is invited. The unit culminates in a socratic seminar based on contemporary issues where students debate points of view and critically analyse the skills of engaging with diversity.

Unit Three: Sustainable Development - Navigating Our Changing World

In this unit, students examine perspectives on sustainability, focusing on various case studies, including major sporting events, such as the Qatar World Cup, using social, economic and environmental lenses to evaluate their impact on groups. Students apply systems thinking tools as a way of investigating and reflecting on problem solving. Connections are made to the Sustainable Development Goals throughout the unit. The unit culminates in a podcast style discussion critiquing a sustainability issue. 

Unit Four: Environment and Peace - Closing the Loop

Our investigations delve into how communities are changing due to environmental and consumption issues. Various attempts to address the issues are explored from local, national and global levels, through the lens of multinational corporations, small businesses, non-governmental organisations, national government policy, intergovernmental organisations and agreements.  Students explore how they can impact issues by better understanding their own environmental value system, through experiential learning and actively thinking about meaningful ways we can contribute to positive sustainable change. The unit culminates in a small-scale action-based project as a means of demonstrating their learning.

Grade 10 Course (new students only)

The UWC Perspectives course is a one year course. As the course is a core component of the Grade 9/10 Programme, students that are new to the College in Grade 10 will follow the same course as Grade 9 students. 

UWC Perspectives is an internally assessed UWCSEA designed course. Classroom engagements and end of unit assessments are scaffolded to build skills and knowledge over time, and end of unit assessments are designed to be inclusive and accessible using student input. Typical class engagements involve four corner debates to encourage nuanced and critical thinking, simulations to support engagement by linking ideas to what students already know, and reflection to consider a change of mindset, behaviour or perspective. End of unit assessments vary in their form and purpose ranging from reflections and socratic seminars to simulations and group projects. 

UWC Perspectives is a skills based course where students learn and practice critical thinking skills such as analysing perspectives, developing and justifying a line of reasoning, using evidence to support claims and evaluation of sources. 

Research, along with reflecting on processes and outcomes, and the development of research questions are additional areas of focus. Finally communication and collaboration are noted as critical to the objectives of the course.  

UWC Perspectives is a UWCSEA mission aligned course providing a credit towards the UWCSEA High School Diploma.