What is the Laguna Blanca School Humanities Research Program?
What is the Laguna Blanca School Humanities Research Program?
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The Laguna Blanca School Humanities Research Program offers a comprehensive two-year interdisciplinary experience for each student to explore a topic of personal interest. The program fosters independent thought, creative joy, intellectual curiosity, and academic rigor.
Students develop advanced research and communication skills, honing their ability to gather and evaluate information, formulate persuasive arguments, and present their findings effectively.
Through collaboration with mentors and engagement with diverse humanities subjects, students emerge from the program with a solid foundation for further academic and intellectual pursuits.
Humanities Research Program Learning Outcomes
Humanities Research Program Learning Outcomes
• Activate curiosity, introspection and area of personal passion.
• Formulate an original question, create an argument and sustain it in written and verbal communication.
• Collect, evaluate, and analyze information and resources to solve problems or answer questions.
• Begin research process with a professional mentor, sharing findings for discussion and expanded inquiry.
• Think outside of cultural norms, including one's own perspective, critically engage the larger world.
• Recognize the value of obtaining a historical perspective of topics and their meaning.
• Approach complex issues by taking a large question and breaking it down into manageable pieces.
• Create a presentation which explains research topic, methodology and process.
• Design a website portfolio to showcase student excellence.
Course Descriptions & Instructor
Course Descriptions & Instructor
Humanities Research Program (HRP 1)
Year One Course Description
Humanities Research Program (HRP 1)
Year One Course Description
The Humanities Research Program Year One (HRP 1) course trains Sophomores to cultivate inquiry-based research skills, create compelling arguments, and artfully communicate their discoveries.
The course guides students through a wide range of disciplines, including creative arts, language, journalism, literature, philosophy, history, psychology, ethnicity, gender, race and identity, political science, and religion. Students engage in critical thinking, research, and analysis as they investigate fascinating topics within these fields.
In HRP 1, students learn of the interconnectedness of different disciplines and acquire the tools to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives. By making connections across subject areas, they develop a well-rounded understanding of the human experience.
Humanities Research Program (HRP 2)
Year Two Course Description
Humanities Research Program (HRP 2)
Year Two Course Description
The Humanities Research Program Year Two (HRP 2) course, offered to Juniors and Seniors, builds upon the foundational skills from HRP 1 and engages students in a scaffolded practice of college-level interdisciplinary study. Students formulate an original thesis-driven question, create an argument, and sustain it in both written and verbal communication. Using research methods of inquiry which are evaluative, critical, and sometimes subjective, students collect, evaluate, and analyze information about a topic of personal interest. Centering on the values of introspection and curiosity, the course first asks students to identify an aspect of human culture that speaks to their passions. Disciplines of creative arts, language, literature, philosophy, history, psychology, race and identity, political science and religion are among the many subject areas open for exploration.
The interactive cadence of the course is designed to give students ownership of the generative process which mirrors “real world” professional contexts. University student researchers writing grant proposals and successful entrepreneurs “pitching” to investors use the same strategies as those modeled throughout the class. Students learn the art of skillful idea advancement, effectively requesting engagement from others in support of their vision.
Paired with a mentor who specializes in the students’ topic area, HRP 2 students conduct their independent research with one-on-one support. Students take a large question, break it down into manageable pieces, make meaningful connections among materials, and develop a sense of the “big picture” surrounding their topic. Meeting monthly with the mentor, students report their findings, refine their focus in dialogue, listen to feedback, pursue mentor suggestions, and document reliable insights through the iterative draft writing process. Students learn to assess their findings, receive constructive input, and pivot to accommodate the introduction of new information.
In addition to the freedom of curating their own relevant bibliographies, students also enjoy dynamic experiential research activities: attending performances and creative exhibits, watching relevant films, writing professional inquiries, making requests for interviews, and effectively accessing subject-expert networks.
Developing an aptitude for high-quality information-gathering in this way builds student confidence for complex problem-solving. In class, students share their “research journal” discoveries and gradually prepare to bring their findings to a wider audience. While students ultimately discover that “the research journey is the destination,” their capstone projects conclude with a written analysis, a website portfolio showcase, and a live presentation to a supportive audience.
Meet Your Teacher: Humanities Research Program Coordinator, Dr. Ashley Tidey
Meet Your Teacher: Humanities Research Program Coordinator, Dr. Ashley Tidey
Dr. Ashley Tidey, Ph.D has been an invaluable member of the Laguna Blanca School faculty since 2004, dedicating her career to fostering a love for English and humanities among her students. A daughter of independent school faculty herself, she has an impressive educational background. Dr. Tidey earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Williams College in 1987 and received her Ph.D. in English from Indiana University in 1996.
Experiential Learning Excellence
Throughout her tenure at Laguna Blanca School, Dr. Tidey has been a trailblazer in creating interdisciplinary curricula. She has seamlessly integrated urban studies into her teaching, providing her students with a broader understanding of the world around them. Dr. Tidey's commitment to experiential learning has led her to organize and lead numerous educational trips to vibrant cities such as New Orleans, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and New York. These immersive experiences have allowed her students to engage with diverse cultures and gain a deeper appreciation for the humanities.
One of Dr. Tidey's notable achievements has been her ability to synthesize units with other instructors across subject areas, emphasizing the integral relationships between all disciplines. Since 2005, she has collaborated with her colleagues in science and history to create integrated teaching units that fostered cross-disciplinary understanding. By connecting various subjects, she provides her students with a holistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking and making learning more engaging and relevant.
Public Humanities in Practice
Beyond her work in the classroom, Dr. Tidey has taken an active role in the school community. Since 2014, she has served as the advisor for the SOCK (Supporting Our Community with Kindness) club, leading dedicated outreach efforts to humanize and support the homeless population. Her commitment to social responsibility and compassion has inspired her students to make a positive impact in their local community. Annually, Dr. Tidey organizes groups of students to volunteer with the Santa Barbara County "Point in Time" count of unhoused people. Her ability to weave the theoretical abstractions of the humanities into a moral practice of social stewardship has inspired students for nearly two decades.
Dr. Tidey launched the Humanities Research Program (HRP) for Laguna Blanca School in 2021. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of a two-year creative, analytical discovery where students conduct explorations on humanities topics of their own personal passion. Already, students are raving about their growth under her excellent guidance: About her experience in the HRP capstone class, one student writes: "Ms. Tidey is a phenomenal teacher. She gives so much energy to each of us. In her classes, we truly blossom to our full potential.”
Beloved by Students, Parents and Colleagues
In recognition of her exceptional influences on the success of her students, Dr. Tidey was honored as the Rhodes Inspirational Educator in 2017. Laguna Blanca graduate Cameron M. Platt (2012) received the Rhodes Scholarship in 2016 and nominated Tidey for the award, which honors teachers and professors who have had the most profound influence on students who earn the Rhodes Scholarship.
“What best explains her magic is that Dr. Tidey teaches with immeasurable love; love for her craft, her material and, above all, her students,” Platt said in her nomination letter.
Indeed, many Laguna Blanca School parents choose to send their children to the school primarily for the opportunity to be in Dr. Tidey’s classes. As one grateful father wrote in response to Dr. Tidey’s detailed narrative mid-semester report:
“Thank you for sharing with us this remarkable review of [our daughter’s] work. We are impressed by her academic and intellectual growth, but we also acknowledge how influential you have been in shaping her into a confident and driven young woman. Thank you again. She wouldn't be here without you.”
Dr. Tidey's dedication to her students' development and her innovative approach to education have made her a beloved teacher at Laguna Blanca School. Her positive impact on generations of students is immeasurable.
“What best explains her magic is that Dr. Tidey teaches with immeasurable love; love for her craft, her material and, above all, her students."
“What best explains her magic is that Dr. Tidey teaches with immeasurable love; love for her craft, her material and, above all, her students."
-- Rhodes Scholar, Cameron M. Platt, alumnus Laguna Blanca School, (2012), Princeton University (2016)
-- Rhodes Scholar, Cameron M. Platt, alumnus Laguna Blanca School, (2012), Princeton University (2016)
"I fell in love with the work on day one." - Dr. Tidey
"I fell in love with the work on day one." - Dr. Tidey
Experiential Learning Opportunities
By stepping out of the classroom and into the world, the Laguna Blanca School Humanities Research Program students engage firsthand with the elements of human expression, creativity and applied humanities practice.
Together we attend performances and film festivals. We explore museums and art galleries, visit cultural centers and enjoy exclusive audiences with experts in multiple fields. The program offers annual travel on urban studies trips to cities rich with lessons in human innovation: New York, New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Most notably, students have the opportunity to apply their learning in public service and volunteer with humanitarian outreach efforts designed to mitigate social ills in their local community.
The experiential learning component of the HRP courses promotes interdisciplinary learning by encouraging students to make connections between specialties within the humanities and beyond.
Our photo gallery is a dynamic space. Check back often to see fresh albums of student engagement on campus and in the wider world.
"The humanities, done right, are the crucible in which
our evolving notions of what it means to be fully human are put to the test;
they teach us, incrementally, endlessly, not what to do, but how to be.”
– Mark Slouka, Guggenheim award-winning author and novelist.
"The humanities, done right, are the crucible in which
our evolving notions of what it means to be fully human are put to the test;
they teach us, incrementally, endlessly, not what to do, but how to be.”
– Mark Slouka, Guggenheim award-winning author and novelist.
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