Humanities IV

In the 9th grade, students will explore the heroic spirit while studying ancient civilizations from prehistory through the birth of the Renaissance. As a Humanities course, we incorporate history, geography, literature, poetry, art, and architecture in our studies to help us consider: what does it mean to be human? We are interested in exploring this question both in particular times and places, but also more universally as we learn what civilizations and humans across the ages share in common. With the heroic spirit in mind, we anchor our studies with epics from around the world, including The Epic of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamia), The Ramayana (India), The Odyssey (Greece), The Mwindo Epic (Africa), The Popol Vuh (Mesoamerica), Beowulf (England), and The Divine Comedy (Italy).

Students learn to organize their thinking, discern patterns, and articulate coherent ideas through the study of historical artifacts, the reading of sacred texts, laws, and literature produced by each civilization studied, the discussion of these works in collaborative seminars, and the composition of essays which synthesize our studies. Throughout the Humanities program at I.M. Terrell, we seek to cultivate a love of learning for learning’s sake, to nurture vibrant and compassionate community, and to foster character development through our liberal studies-- that which prepares our students to be free citizens who can participate meaningfully in the world.