History and Social Science
History and social science courses at Buxton aim to fulfill several interconnected goals: to ensure that students acquire a solid working knowledge of political, social and cultural history; to train students in the skills of critical reading and analysis; to educate students to understand and evaluate competing arguments and to present their opinions in a clear and reasoned way, and to create engaged, informed citizens.
Students acquire a critical understanding of the society around them, learn to appreciate its complexity, grasp the ethical stakes involved in its design, and comprehend that design as historically constructed. With that understanding, they can begin to see themselves as historical actors and agents. The annual All-School Trip, in which the entire faculty and student body travel together to a North American city to study that city intensively for a week, is one of the most pivotal components of a Buxton student’s historical education.
History and Social Sciences classes include:
This Freshman Seminar explores the relevance and processes of community building within the framework of progressive education. To do this, we will delve into social psychology, community organizing, and the contributions of key figures in the progressive education movement, including Buxton’s founder, Ellen Geer Sangster. Through interactive discussions, readings, and community-based projects, we will examine what it means to be part of a community and how we can co-create learning environments that foster belonging, collaboration, and social responsibility. By applying the concepts we will be studying to our everyday experiences, my hope is that we will deepen our understanding of how to actively participate in and shape our shared environment via our relationship to learning, place, and each other.
Be in tune to this election cycle with this Political Science course! This interactive class will follow the 2024 election in real-time, exploring campaign strategies, media influence, key issues, and voter behavior. Engage in lively discussions and debates, conduct in-depth research projects, analyze political data, and explore case studies of past elections. Perfect for anyone excited to understand and impact our democratic system. Join us and explore the political process!
The Middle East is essential to the contemporary political world, but too many in the West need a deeper understanding of the area. This course will help give students a sense of contemporary issues in the Middle East with a focus on Israel and Palestine and how the area’s history informs our current political state. Beginning with a brief introduction to geography and religion, the course will cover the significant developments in the area since the decline of the Ottoman Empire, with a particular focus on Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Israel/Palestine. We will explore this region through the impact of social media, documentary film, art, current news, and a few surprise guest speakers. While the class will focus on political history, the readings will also include memoirs to help give history a human face and to give students a more textured sense of life in this part of the world.
What connects a cave drawing of a bison in Lascaux, France, to a person duct-taping a banana to a gallery wall in Miami? In this introduction to art history class, we will address questions like this by exploring the history of art around the world, from prehistoric times to contemporary works. This full-year course will follow a mostly chronological structure: the Fall will focus on pre-1800 art, the Winter on 19th-century art, and the Spring on 20th and 21st-century art.
Students will develop an understanding of artistic trends over time and across different cultures. Throughout the year, students will also work on developing theories about the meaning of specific artworks, learning to explain and support their own interpretations.
Assessments in this course will primarily be writing-based, ranging from weekly one-page reflections to longer writing assignments. Routine quizzes will require students to identify discussed artworks, including learning their titles, artists, styles, and time periods.
This class is open to all students, but juniors and seniors will be given preference.