Humanities

English 9 introduces students to a variety of literary genres, including short stories, novels, and drama. The course emphasizes personal writing and class discussions as effective means of exploring literature. Students practice writing, speaking, and listening in small and whole group projects. English 9 places particular emphasis on reading, literary analysis, and study skills.

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In English 11, students learn to critically evaluate a range of literary themes and concepts while reading essays, novels, and poetry. Students aim to improve their reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar skills through a range of methods and specific instructional strategies. Along with this, students compose persuasive, expository, and research-based essays. Additional activities require students to create oral presentations either individually or as a member of a group and collaboratively create reading-based projects.  

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition aligns with an introductory college-level rhetoric and writing curriculum.  Students in this course develop evidence-based analytic and argumentative essays and evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, students read and analyze the rhetorical elements and their effects in non-fiction texts from many disciplines and historical periods.  

The senior year, specifically through English 12, provides an opportunity for students to excel by creating independent, thoughtful, critical thinkers who possess and practice the following skills: the ability to analyze situations, assess what they believe to be right, and the courage to take action. The instruction of writing serves as the foundation of the class, as the concepts and skills associated with written expression are relevant to the human experience - the authorship of our own lives. Until now, the seniors’ “stories” have been largely written by others. Through exploring whether they are merely another character in someone else’s story or an author ready to pick up the quill, they question their readiness to find their voice - their words. Emphasis is placed on reflecting, analyzing, and connecting the course’s theme with essential language skills through a multimedia approach: reading, writing, listening, viewing, and creating. 

Creative Nonfiction is a workshop course which introduces students to creative nonfiction: a broad, story-driven genre where true events gain literary significance. Students learn to read, critique, and analyze pieces, focusing on authorial voice, effective organization, and engaging structure. Students apply what they learn to complete three to four original pieces. The class will workshop each piece between drafts and share feeedback with the author. Students finishing the course will find their own voices and develop habits of clear, concise communication.

World History is a year-long required survey course that explores the key events and global historical developments since 1350 A.C.E. that have shaped the world we live in today. The scope of Modern World History provides the latitude to range widely across all aspects of human experience: economics, science, religion, philosophy, politics, and law, military conflict, literature, and the arts. The course highlights connections between our lives and those of our ancestors around the world. Students uncover patterns of behavior, identify historical trends and themes, explore historical movements and concepts, and test theories. Students refine their ability to read for comprehension and critical analysis; summarize, categorize, compare, and evaluate information; write clearly and convincingly; express facts and opinions orally; and use technology appropriately to present information. 

This course concentrates on the politics and economics of the United States, as well as the areas of military conflict, technology, popular culture, and geography. Some of the major units to be studied are: Exploration and Colonialization; Constitutional history; Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy; the Antebellum South and Slavery; the Civil War and Reconstruction; Industrialization and Immigration; the Progressive Era and World War I; the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression; World War II; the Cold War; domestic policies of Twentieth-century presidents; and 20th Century Civil Rights movements. Various individual leaders and their personalities are also discussed. 

This class will focus on subjects that mainstream academia has either ignored or has not been able to answer. 

Subjects the course will delve into may include: aliens, UFO's, missing people, ghosts, paranormal activity, cryptoids, questions of identity, and cases that have not been solved. We will also spend time looking into whether the timeline of history is accurate.

Throughout Hyde School’s history, the study of Government as it relates to self and community is a seminal part of the Senior Year experience.  As stated in Hyde:  Preparation for Life, “Government teaches us about our responsibilities to the community … [it] helps us become part of the great American experiment committed to the dignity and worth of all individuals.”  Government provides students the opportunity to explore the notion of “big citizenship” – what it means to be a part of something bigger than self.  

Using the Constitution as our guide, students critically analyze relevant theories and concepts, apply them to historic and current events, and develop connections across Hyde’s curriculum. Students study the governmental institutions provided by the Constitution (Legislative; Executive; Judicial), as well as major institutions not written in the Constitution (media; political parties; interest groups).  The goal of Senior Government is not to tell students “what” to think; instead, the goal is to teach seniors “how” to think in order to strengthen their capacity for reasoned judgment.

Students in Senior Government are assessed not only on their academic performance, but also on their contributions to the Hyde community (both inside and outside the gates) and their commitment to Hyde’s words, principles, and inner leadership deliverables.

Focusing primarily on Hollywood, Film History will introduce students to various classics dating from the silent era to contemporary film. The course will look at major figures, film landmarks, and styles across different genres and eras. We will also discuss film technology and major historical developments within the industry.

This course provides students with a general introduction to the Spanish language: sound system, pronunciation, functional vocabulary related to everyday life, cultural information and basic grammatical structures. Emphasis is on the acquisition of four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and limited writing.

Building on skills developed in Spanish 1, this course provides instruction in more complex grammar and more advanced oral and written expression in the language. Major goals of this course include developing stronger abilities to read and to present knowledge in both oral and written form with clarity, purpose, and understanding. As a class, we will learn about other Spanish-speaking cultures which will require students to evaluate contexts, perspectives, and assumptions as to why Spanish is an important, widespread language in the world today. 

The emphasis in Spanish 3 is on understanding and developing the ability to use correctly, previously learned grammatical concepts, along with new aspects of Spanish grammar, to attain proficiency in Spanish.  Students will therefore express themselves both orally and in writing at a more advanced level.  Through listening, speaking, reading, and writing the target language, students will build additional vocabulary and grow their knowledge of the culture, history, arts, traditions, and peoples of the Spanish-speaking world.

This course continues covering, more in-depth, culture and Spanish Literature by presenting more advanced vocabulary, grammatical concepts, writing, and conversational skills. All grammatical concepts are thoroughly reviewed and expanded and students will be applying these to writing compositions. Reading strategies and fundamentals of formal composition are introduced in conjunction with level-appropriate literary selections. The Spanish IV class is conducted almost exclusively in Spanish. Throughout their years of preparation for the Spanish IV course in the Spanish Language, the students are expected to practice Spanish as their level allows with designated partners, other classmates, and teachers.

This course is the beginner level in Mandarin Chinese, an introductory course for students to learn the basic skills of Mandarin; listening, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese pronunciation (pinyin) and characters. The textbook Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 covers topics like Greetings, Family, Dates and Time, Hobbies, Visiting Friends, Making Appointments, Studying Chinese traditions, School Life, Shopping, and Transportation. Students will learn how to handle everyday situations, and explain their life, family, interests, pastimes, and more in Mandarin Chinese. They will be acquainted with Chinese culture and establish a solid foundation for more advanced Chinese courses. 

Prerequisite Mandarin I. After learning basic vocabulary and getting to know the Chinese culture and language, this course allows students to experience more advanced and rigorous learning of the Mandarin language.