Noble and Greenough School Course Catalog

Homer’s Odyssey sings of a famous journey home and inspired one of the most familiar tropes in literature. Herodotus’ Histories is one of the first forays into the crafting of history. Together, they represent monumental treatments of the Aegean world and continue to speak to us today as we endeavor to understand the world around us. As classicists, we aim to piece together plausible understandings of the ancient world from careful consideration and combinations of imperfect sources. In this course, we examine various sources that evoke the ancient world–literature, history, topography, and the treasures of the archaeological record, including pottery, statues, coins, and architecture. In addition to close readings of Homer and Herodotus, we also engage archaeological questions with hands-on activities. How do we appreciate the words of the authors within the world around them? What can we still learn about the natural world, human interactions, and a life well lived? And, as we use the technology of today to connect with the past, we also have to ask: are we growing closer to the world of the Ancient Greeks with every passing year?

This advanced course provides Class I students an opportunity to build on the skills of analysis, argument, and research acquired in prior core history courses, to work as a student historians, and to pursue a substantial college-level research project, culminating in a 25-30 page honors thesis. The course is designed to help students identify and explore a research topic that interests them, develop the capacity to work independently, and use primary and secondary sources in the construction of a historical argument. In order to remain in the class and to obtain an honors distinction, students will be required to complete a series of requirements at the end of each quarter: a detailed proposal and outline at the end of the first quarter; an annotated bibliography at the end of the second quarter; a complete set of notes and full draft at the end of the third quarter; and the final essay before the end of the fourth quarter. While students will often work independently, they will also meet regularly with the instructor and their classmates to review and assess their work, and to discuss current historical literature and research methods.

O tempora, O mores! So opined Cicero in the First Catilinarian–a call of distress and moral decline as the Roman Republic teetered on the brink.

Rome had enjoyed a storied past, and for centuries after Cicero, Rome would continue to inspire the world with its military sophistication, engineering feats, and ability to govern vast swaths of territory. Forward progress was often tempered with a backward glance, as we will see in Vergil’s Aeneid, Livy’s Early History of Rome, and many other selections of history, literature, art and architecture. Rome was a city founded by Aeneas, a vanquished Trojan in exile; a city first ruled by Romulus, abandoned as an infant, raised by a wolf, who killed his brother, and set a dangerous precedent for fratricide and civil strife from the outset. Beautiful and bellicose, we will chart the course of Rome, from Troy to today. Along the way, we will come to understand the aims of our historians, who invite contemplation of our human condition thus: “in history you have a record of the infinite variety of human experience plainly set out for all to see; and in that record you can find for yourself and your country both examples and warnings; fine things to take as models, base things, rotten through and through, to avoid.” In this course we will examine how we perceive vestiges of the Romans in our current society, as well as how the Romans themselves perceived vestiges of their own past. What were the customs that formed the “original” Roman mindset? What caused later Romans to stray from those ideals? Was the past truly more ideal, or was this simply a fanciful trope of Roman rhetoric?

All Class VI students are required to take World Geography. Class VI World Geography explores the world in two phases. The first examines global issues and develops course-specific skills that will help students as they explore regions of the world in the second phase. These skills include building an adequate geographic vocabulary, developing accurate map reading and design skills, briefly surveying the earth's geologic history, covering the earth's climate and vegetation regions, examining world population and environmental concerns, and explaining governmental and economic concepts. In the second part of the course, the focus turns to the culture, history, and physical features of various regions. During this time, students will also plan their own extensive around-the-world trip from February to May. The course finishes with a three-week interdisciplinary (Geography/Science) unit in May that culminates with an Alternative Energy Project that includes the active participation of all Class VI students.

All Class V students are required to take Civics. Class V Civics introduces students to the study of citizenship as well as the political and economic systems of the United States. Centered on reading assignments from a variety of sources, the course also uses computer simulations, debate, mock trials, video, individual and group projects, Web sites and position papers to enrich and enliven the learning experience. It is a highly interactive class. Skill development includes active reading, note taking and writing, critical and evaluative thinking, thesis articulation and public speaking. The students also write a major paper in the spring, in which they are asked to examine and evaluate a series of Supreme Court decisions concerning specific and often controversial topics from U.S. society. The course also makes connections with United States History, current events and geography.

All class III students are required to take Global History II. This course builds on and expands the skill set introduced in GH I, and lays the foundation for more advanced skill development in United States History. GH II is organized around the following essential question : Why, in what ways, and with what results do the histories of Europeans, Africans and Americans interact/intersect from the 15th to 21st centuries, and to what extent do these intersections influence and shape the development of the modern world? Students also learn how to research, assess and write about the history of the Atlantic World from both the wide-ranging perspectives of those who experienced it first hand, and the different ways in which historians and scholars have explained it.

All Class IV students are required to take Global History I. This course seeks to develop in students an understanding of the complex roots (ancient, economic, political, social, religious, and cultural) of contemporary civilizations and global society. Students develop the skills of research, reading comprehension, note taking, public speaking, collaboration, problem solving, and analytical writing. Experiential learning serves as a cornerstone of GH I, as the curriculum includes multiple hands-on activities and simulations. World religions comprise the content of the first quarter. An examination of empire building, imperialism, nationalism in South Asia, the Middle East, and China round out the year's content.

All Class II students are required to take U.S. History. This course surveys American involvement in world affairs with the following areas of focus: American neutrality in the early republic; The US and Latin America; The US and the world wars; The US and the global Cold War; The US and the global War on Terror. The first semester stresses the essential skills of critical reading, note taking, and writing short primary and secondary source-based essays. The second semester emphasizes independent inquiry and the skills of research, information literacy, and oral presentation. Students complete research essays on topics of their own design, and conclude the year with group research and debate projects examining the impact of the history of American involvement in foreign affairs on world affairs in the current day.

We The People: History of American Government is an intensive study of the formal and informal structures of the government and the processes of the American political system. This course includes the study of various institutions, e.g., political beliefs/parties, branches of government, and interest groups/media to become acquainted with the variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes in government and politics. The course will also explore the intersection of race, specifically, in the context of these government structures. Additionally, students will then analyze and interpret “issues” in society to understand how government at different levels (local, domestic, global) identifies, examines and proposes solutions. Examples of topics covered include: counter-terrorism, opioids, sex and human trafficking, cybersecurity, education and poverty.

This course challenges students to understand the notion of modernism from the emergence of the avant-garde in the 19th century through its full flowering in the late 20th. After defining "Modern" art and "Modernism," the course will examine major modern artists, artworks, concepts and the social, political, and intellectual contexts that shaped them. The course will focus on the relationship between development of intellectual and political ideas and the development of significant urban cultural centers in both Europe and America. Students will learn a vocabulary of terms that will enable them to articulate how a specific piece of art reflects the concerns of a given culture in its material, subject matter and iconography. This course is a History course and does not fulfill the Visual Arts requirement.

This course provides an overview of the major events, important figures, and leading trends in European history from c. 1400 to the present. We will seek to understand how and why European countries became powerful empires over the course of three centuries, and the influence that Europe has had on the rest of the world. Students in this course will sharpen their ability to analyze and weigh historical evidence from conflicting sources, to discern broader historical trends, to generalize and interpret, and to master relevant details. The development of these skills, along with regular practice on multiple-choice questions and document-based questions (DBQs), will prepare students to take the AP exam in May.

This interdisciplinary course introduces students to (1) the causes, course and consequences of genocide in the twentieth century and (2) the reasons why the United States responded as it did to genocide during that time. We will start by defining the term, studying its history and discussing the questions and patterns scholars have proposed about it – i.e., What are the politics surrounding the term? Why do states commit genocide? How do they mobilize citizens to become perpetrators? How and why do other states respond? What happens to societies in the aftermath of genocide? We will then spend most of the course exploring four case studies: Armenia, The Holocaust, Cambodia, and Rwanda. Finally, we will learn how scholars from different disciplines study genocide, and we will compare their methods, motives and conclusions. As a final assessment, students will undertake a research project about a genocide from before or after the twentieth century.

This course has an interdisciplinary focus and makes extensive use of literature, art, and film as a means of exploring selected topics in the history of Boston from the colonial era to the present. Although a rough chronological sequence governs the order of topics, the readings and discussions are essentially topical and interpretive in character. Some key topics include Puritan foundations, The American Revolution, The Abolitionist Movement and Civil War, Immigration, Demographics and Neighborhoods, School Desegregation and Busing, and Contemporary Issues. The class will end with a culminating research project which will give students an opportunity to make use of local resources and gain an insightful understanding of the discipline of history.

In this course, students will learn how to take entrepreneurial ideas or innovations from the idea stage into reality. Areas of focus will include customer and market research, writing, public speaking, working within a team, and gathering and using data to inform decision-making. In the first half of the course, students will engage in the process of learning how to use the Business Model Canvas and Lean Launchpad methodology to develop their ideas. They will learn techniques for innovation, analytical approaches to research, and evidence-based systems for decision-making. Students will learn skills such as observing, interviewing, discovering problems and forming solutions using rapid prototyping.This process will include a series of readings and discussions about entrepreneurship. Students will also work with local entrepreneurs to develop real solutions to existing problems. In the fourth quarter, students will work in teams to develop their own innovations and entrepreneurial ideas using the methodologies learned during the first half of the course.

This course aims to explore the rich history of LGBTQ people, movements, events and more in the United States from the early 20th century until now. Using an interdisciplinary approach that will focus on oral histories, first-hand accounts, film, art, literature and more, this course will cover a history that, despite being one that includes people from all races, ethnicities, ages, abilities and religions, is often ignored or under-taught. To better foster empathy and understanding, as well as a more vibrant and fully realized picture of US history, this course will explore the way queer and trans identities, and a changing understanding and acceptance of them over time has helped to shape our social, cultural and political history. Additionally, this course will delve into the intersectionality (or lack thereof) among these identity movements and how that has affected their overall success or failure. Possible topics include: the experience of queer soldiers during WW2, The Lavender Scare, The AIDS crisis and the formation of radical activist groups like ACTUP, Drag Ball Culture, The right to marry movement, and Queer and Trans representation in popular media.

This course introduces students to the overriding economic issues that confront a nation: growth, inflation, and unemployment. To this end, the students examine national income, the components of aggregate demand, the Keynesian multiplier model, money and banking, the stock market, fiscal and monetary policy, the Federal Reserve system, aggregate supply, and the different macroeconomic schools of thought. An in-depth analysis of the normative questions of inflation vs. unemployment highlights the course. This course prepares students for the AP Macroeconomics Examination.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental principles of economics. No mathematical ability is needed beyond rudimentary skills of multiplication. Students are first introduced to the basic economic concepts of scarcity, efficiency, production possibility frontiers and the laws of supply and demand. Students then investigate more advanced economic theory: elasticity, production theory and business organization, cost analysis, perfect and imperfect competition, game theory, and selected topics in labor economics. The course concludes with student-designed projects that apply microeconomic theory to the analysis of public policy.

Homer’s Odyssey sings of a famous journey home and inspired one of the most familiar tropes in literature. Herodotus’ Histories is one of the first forays into the crafting of history. Together, they represent monumental treatments of the Aegean world and continue to speak to us today as we endeavor to understand the world around us. As classicists, we aim to piece together plausible understandings of the ancient world from careful consideration and combinations of imperfect sources. In this course, we examine various sources that evoke the ancient world–literature, history, topography, and the treasures of the archaeological record, including pottery, statues, coins, and architecture. In addition to close readings of Homer and Herodotus, we also engage archaeological questions with hands-on activities. How do we appreciate the words of the authors within the world around them? What can we still learn about the natural world, human interactions, and a life well lived? And, as we use the technology of today to connect with the past, we also have to ask: are we growing closer to the world of the Ancient Greeks with every passing year?

The Vietnam War dramatically altered the place of the U.S. in the world, transformed American politics and culture and had direct impact on United States decisions to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. This course examines these conflicts from historical, political, international and domestic perspectives with a particular focus on the experiences of soldiers at war and civilians caught in the crossfire. Topics include brief histories of each nation and steps leading to war, the nature of insurgent warfare, the impact of war on American culture and race relations, and the legacies of war. The syllabus includes simulation activities, memoirs, and student interviews with and visits from a diverse group of participants in these conflicts.

Political philosophers have debated questions about justice, power, freedom, and community throughout history. Modern thinkers have added a concern with individualism, rights and equality. Our goals in this class will be both to appreciate the complexity of various classic texts and to use them to illuminate enduring political problems and contemporary ethical issues. The current political landscape will serve as a fitting backdrop by which to test long-held and debated theories about the state of nature, the nature of the state, the relationship between means and ends, and the role of ethics in politics.

Power, derived from the Latin "posse", or "be able," plays a role in all academic disciplines and in all aspects of both individual and communal life. While neither positive nor negative in a vacuum, power almost universally is exerted with value-laden goals and implications. This course will explore the psychological, sociological, philosophical, and practical meanings and functions of power in global politics, economics, and business. Our explorations will intersect with issues of gender, race, religion, wealth, human rights, and environmental resources. After learning from the work of Foucault, Nietzsche, Weber, and others, students will craft a class definition of power to be used for the remainder of the course; combine it with an understanding of inequality (definition provided); and ultimately apply this framework through a challenging culminating project. Each Power and Inequality Analysis will rely heavily on solid data and statistics, demonstrate original analysis, and propose actionable steps toward redressing the inequality in question.