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Making a Modern Woman: The Role of the History/Humanities Classroom in Preparing Girls for the 21st Century

The Young Women’s Leadership School of AstoriaDawn Franchina, Global HistoryBrooke Carey, English

+Quotes to worry about!!• Women's Ambition: A Surprising Report: "Declining ambition among

women is a trend" More Magazine, November 9,2011

• Women Feel Less Ambitious: “The More survey suggests only two viable routes for women--either go out on your own, or be helper to the (male) movers and shakers," The Careerist, lawjobs.com (blog) November 6, 2011

• Princeton's Woman Problem: "The Ivy, once home to Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, finds young women lagging behind men as leaders on campus." The Daily Beast, March 21, 2011

• You've Come a Long Way Baby . . . Or Have You? . . . "The leading  occupations of employed women for 2009 are secretaries, nurses, teachers, and cashiers, in that order . . ." AOL Original from The United States Department of Labor, AOL.com 2009

• Women in Top Jobs on Decline . . . "A decline in the percentage of women executive jobs world wide," Reuters New Report Video, March 8, 2011

+STEM vs.Humanities:What do you think?

“While it takes a keen analytical brain to create a new technology it takes a much larger set of skills to make that technology into something the average person will want to use, believe in, defend and yes impart with a soul. It takes a liberal education."

Dave Serchuk, "Steve Job's Liberal Hippie Education,” Forbes Magazine, October, 2011

+ Four powerful 21st century skills for young women (available “only” in your humanities classroom)

Global and Historical Awareness Global citizenship Cause and effect of Conflict Appreciation/criticism of 

systems

Empathy “Stepping into another’s

shoes” Exposure to conflicting views Appreciation of the

individual

Controversial topics     “looking for the good” “agreeing to disagree”  assertiveness instead of

apathy

Communication and  Literacy  Proficiency Strategic use of technology Reading endurance Communicating with

complexity

+Global and Historic Awareness Ladies First Presents "Women on Wax"

+Empathy: Only in humanities classes can students have these experiences...

Be encouraged to think from someone else's point of view:

"I'm truly terrified; it's an awful place to be.  I've never imagined fighting in a war.  Never. But here I am, hiding in the trench as I write to you.  There's this horrid stench in the air; the smell of defecation, urine and above all, death." 

-excerpt from a trench letter assignment done by Veronica V.

Reflect on their own opinions and beliefs:

"I recommend that all high schools, if not all Americans, learn about the LGBTQ community because it is a very important part of society.  We live in America, one of the most modern countries and difference should be accepted and supported by everyone.  During this unit I have learned about so many things that would have taken me years to learn about on my own.  I wasn't really exposed to these topics before and it was a great opportunity to get to know more about the obstacles that the individuals from the LGBTQ community face.  After all the videos and stories I saw that related to this topic, I truly feel empathy for anyone who is being treated harshly for simply being different."

-excerpt from a post-unit reflection by Hend S.

+ Collaborating on Controversial Topics “Controversial issues are also key to teaching critical thinking. 

Research shows that learning and discussing controversial issues in school helps students become more informed and more active citizens, making them more likely to vote in later life, support basic democratic values, have confidence in their ability to influence public policy, do charitable work, and take an interest in the welfare of their community.”  UNC-Chapel Hill, Center for Education

 When asked, most of my students commented on how they enjoy having the opportunity to work together in their humanities classes, although it is not always easy.  In the humanities, students always examine current and historical controversies, which allow them to:*be assertive, but not domineering*be opinionated, not apathetic

* listen to others*support their opinions

*teach and learn simultaneously

+ Collaborating on Controversial Topics: Bullying Hurts!Bully Free for Real!

++Communication and Literacy Proficiency

Writing the script for daily life in early empires

Recreating the Greek bail-out negotiating table

Integrate content in diverse formats Draw evidence from informational text for analysis

 

+ Ideas to Bring to Your Humanities Classroom

• Position papers• Mock Trial• Create Wikispaces to inform peers on historical people and events

or showcase information on various topics• Write letters to the UN/NGO's/World Bank/etc. on major issues to

encourage problem solving• Scripts/role playing• Literature circles, using both fiction and non-fiction• Read and write Editorials• View and discuss documentaries and films on controversial topics• Create your own documentaries and short films• Examine and write political cartoons• Online discussion boards• Student-led presentations• Reviews• Write reflections regularly• Create historical fiction• Design and implement community service projects• Design museum exhibits and/or reviews of museums visited• Speculate about the future and collaborate on problem solving

+According to Our Students, in Humanities Classes...

"We're more aware of our surroundings and have an understanding of world issues and life in other places." -Jessenia

"We learn about diversity...we learn from our mistakes...these classes help us with our future." -Alidina

"I get the ability to analyze more in depth the meaning of everything; what are the things I want to change for my future." -Jocelyn

"You learn not only facts, but can include your opinions as well." -Muslima

"I think that our humanities classes tend to make us think about life more.  It gets us thinking about the past, the present and the future." -Maisha

"Humanities sort of forces me to think about certain topics on a deeper level." -Veronica

"Honestly, I feel like I learn about the bigger ideas/questions.  The lessons in these classes are more applicable to life outside of high school." -Nancy

"We get to think a lot more and are able to have an opinion on things." -Tabitha

+ Humanities brought us these leaders!

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook Ann Tisch, Founder and President - Young Women's Leadership

Network Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Philanthropist - Activist, and wife of King of

Jordan Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Obama, Lawyer, wife of U.S. President Lara Logan, Journalist Elizabeth McGovern, Actress Ruth Jean Simmons, President of Brown University Condoleeza Rice, Former Secretary of State Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator, State of New York Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF

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Humanities in the classroom is an investment in individual self-determination, the development of future “global citizens,” the cultivation of empathy, and a necessary fight against injustices.

“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. " 

– Barbara Tuchman