News Detail
Lyceum Program Enters Second Year
Over 40 students and almost a dozen members of the adult community of faculty, staff, and spouses attended the first EHS Social Studies Lyceum of the school year on Sunday, October 30.
The presentation by social studies teachers Caroline English and Peter Goodnow offered a historical background of the electoral college process and a framework to better understand the 2016 election. Each program lasts about an hour with a presentation and time for questions and discussion.
The Lyceum series, organized by social studies department chair Heidi Huntley, enters its second year at Episcopal with strong support and energy behind it.
“It’s something for the whole community, and it’s not about a grade,” Huntley said. “We get genuine dialogue between the presenters and the audience. One of the great things students here get to see is the adults engaged and learning alongside them.”
A Lyceum event is offered every 4-6 weeks on Sundays throughout the year. The aim is to offer a historical context for a matter of topical or newsworthy interest, and often to include discussion time to allow participants to dive in and unpack their understandings.
Last year, in its first go-round, offerings included a look at race relations throughout American history by US History teacher Mike Reynolds, a discussion of the Trans Pacific Partnership by economics teacher Mike Miller, a look at the primary election season by government teacher Peter Goodnow, a breakdown of the history behind recent Supreme Court decisions by social studies teacher Stephanie Smith, and guest speaker Stephen Bennett from George Washington University’s Institute for Middle East Studies explored the “ISIS propaganda machine” and their use of social media.
This year, upcoming offerings include a look into the history and power of photojournalism, the far reaching implications of the crisis in Syria, potential Supreme Court nomination hearings, the EU & Brexit vote , and other possible topics requested by students.
“The goal is to help students, and the entire community, better understand the larger context and complexities of events they come across in the news,” Huntley explained. The term “current events,” she noted, can do a disservice to the topics, as so much of what happens in the present day carries with it a complex history. Each Lyceum event includes the opportunity (but not requirement) to do “pre-reading” from resources supplied by the presenter, usually with the trusty assistance and research from librarian Kate Newton.
“These are team efforts,” Huntley said, “and more often than not the subjects reach across departments, as issues in the news so often do.”
Anyone interested in receiving the pre-reading resources can contact Heidi.
