As upperclassmen began to register for courses last spring, they encountered four new classes, with topics ranging from vampires to the Cold War and more.
UL Encountering Monstrosity and UL Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Theory—taught by English teachers Jade Hage and Michael Manson, respectively—are offered for the first and second semesters. Students can also choose to take the class in both semesters.
In UL Encountering Monstrosity, students study different monsters and discuss what it means to be evil. UL Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Theory covers different philosophers, theorists and writers who offer commentary on the modern world and explore ideas like feminism and Marxism.
Two new classes will not start until the second semester: History teacher Topher Dunne will teach An Introduction to Comparative Religion, and history teacher Emily Landau will teach Red Scare, White Flight, and Chicago Blues: Culture and Politics in Post-War America.
An Introduction to Comparative Religion will compare religions from around the world. Red Scare, White Flight, and Chicago Blues: Culture and Politics in Post-War America will discuss how the Cold War influenced American culture.
Teachers can create a new class by proposing the course to a curriculum review board. The board consists of various teachers and administrators. Teachers propose new courses in the fall—if approved and if enough students register, those classes start the following school year.
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In the first semester of UL Encountering Monstrosity, students read books and poetry about different monsters—among them, Carmilla, a vampire story from the 19th century, Beowulf and more.
In the second semester, students will explore more abstract ideas of monstrosity, like what it means to be evil, while discussing books like Frankenstein and The Bluest Eye.
“One of the questions that we are going to think about is how the monster is a tool for investigating and reflecting the self and the world,” Hage said. “There are these interesting similarities between the human and the monster.”
Hage said students may write a self-reflective essay where they compare themselves to a monster.
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According to Manson, UL Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Theory isn’t your average English elective.
“Theory writing is very different from writing in your typical history or English class,” Manson said. “It is more philosophical, and it is more introspective.”
Manson hopes the class will “prepare students for what they are going to get in college by discussing theories that professors are wrestling with.”
Senior Willa Wible said the class has been enjoyable so far. “It [the class] was a mix of some philosophical concepts as well as lessons about critical theory, both of which I’m really interested in and I haven’t had the time to dive into in high school yet,” she said.
“It [the class] is manageable if you found your earlier English classes on the easier side,” junior Akhil Chawla said. “If you felt they were the right difficulty, you may struggle in this course.”
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According to Landau, Red Scare, White Flight, and Chicago Blues: Culture and Politics in Post-War America “takes the Cold War as the big thing that is happening—either directly or in the background—to shape culture and politics at home.”
Landau is most excited to dive into the Cold War’s effect on rock and roll musicians, like Elvis Presley.
Landau said she proposed the class because the curriculum in one of her other classes, UL U.S. history, ends around 1945. “I really wanted to dig into the civil rights movement and the ’60s and 1968 and all of these things like the music and protests against Vietnam,” she said.
Landau said she is still deciding what specifically to cover in the class. “This course can’t actually be 25 years long. I have to fit it into a semester, so I will have to make a lot of choices in terms of what I select,” she said.
Senior Julian Shishkin, who is signed up to take the class, said he’s especially excited to learn about how the Cold War influenced musicians.
“The politics are obviously fascinating, but I’m excited to watch the movies, listen to music and explore how that intersects with the history of that time,” Shishkin said.
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Ten years ago, Dunne and other history teachers began thinking of a class that focused solely on religion. Dunne said he’s thought about the idea since, and he formally submitted a request for the class last fall.
“Ultimately we are looking at five world faiths—Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam—and allowing research opportunities in case you wanted to look at some others,” Dunne said.
Students will examine each religion’s history, sacred texts, beliefs and major practices.
Dunne said class discussions will play a large part in the class. “We start each class with a big picture question like ‘What is the role of hospitality in the faith that we are talking about now?’”