programs : the good citizen in the good society
Promoting greater awareness of social justice and the responsibilities of democratic citizenship.
Currently 21 students / two teachers
Stemming from a community forum on world citizenship sponsored by the 21st Century Fund, Good Citizen in the Good Society was launched in 2002 for seniors as an interdisciplinary pilot program promoting thoughtful citizenship.
The course was open to students at all levels so as to encourage the participation of a diverse group of students. The faculty designed a course curriculum to include units on social identity and membership, eugenics, genocide, the politics of power and social activism, and the issues and challenges of education. GCGS students study history, literature, art, and public policy in order to understand controversial issues and society’s responses. Students summarize their understanding by articulating their position on these issues and creating their own actions in response. The course culminates in a public presentation to the community where each student presents his/her ideas for social action. The course’s institutional partner, Facing History and Ourselves, provided extensive curriculum support to the teacher team as well as enriching our speaker series with site visits by two powerful speakers — Carl Wilkens, a missionary who chose to remain in Rwanda throughout the genocide, and Earnest Rugwizangoga, a young man from Rwanda who lived through that country’s genocide.
An initial gauge of the course’s effectiveness came in 2003 when GCGS was evaluated by Goodman Research Group, Inc. They examined students’ perspectives on the relevance of the course content to their own lives, changes in their attitudes and beliefs, and actions they have taken as a result of course participation. They identified measurable learning gains, including openness to others’ ideas and increased problem solving skills specifically within social interactions. As examples of increased activism among GCGS students, they have:
Participated in student symposiums on genocide in 2005;
Participated in a 2006 seminar at the JFK Library featuring the United Nations’ High Commissioner of Human Rights, Louise Arbour, and six survivors of different genocides;
Attended the Reebok Humanitarian Awards in 2006;
Participated on a student panel at the annual Facing History and Ourselves fundraiser and a march on Washington, D.C sponsored by a human rights group.
Note from a parent of a student in the Good Citizen in the Good Society course:
“Just wanted to share with you a wonderful moment I had with my daughter on Friday afternoon. Instead of bursting in the door full of her social plans for the evening, she was full of the discussion you'd had in class that day on reproductive rights, fertility treatments, etc.
She loved the debate, even when she was in the minority. But most exciting to me was her description of an intellectual struggle she'd had over another issue during the debate (I can't even remember the topic); she couldn't figure out where she stood and it bothered her.
She said that she sat back and really listened hard to others state their views until a light went off because something someone said changed her thinking.
This class has been inspiring for her – Thanks for teaching a terrific course in such an invigorating way.”
Notes from students that have taken the Good Citizen in the Good Society course:
“What has made this class so different and outstanding from all the others, is that its teachers are also students and its students also teach. I believe it was Freire who advocated the dialogical method, and it was Good Citizen that proved to be the prime example.” Cara Morgenstern, Class of 2004
“I really do feel that we have bonded as a class; that we have grown together over the course of the year, through our collective and individual experiences, and that we have emerged together, at the end of our high school careers, as much more worldly, critically thinking citizens of modern society…. I can easily say that this was the most interesting class that I have ever taken at the high school, and not only do I encourage all freshman through junior students to take the course when they reach senior year, but I hope to take more interdisciplinary courses myself in the future, especially ones which are as evocative and provocative as this one.” Zack Porter, Class of 2004
“Choosing Good Citizen was the best choice I ever made, and I sincerely hope the class can continue for years to come. Never have I had a class which I felt influenced me more as a student, as a citizen, and as a person. My mother even said to me that she has noticed a difference in me this year. She says she thinks that I am more aware of the world, more intellectually curious, and more confident in my beliefs. I would attribute this change to my experience in the class.” Alex Lawrence, Class of 2004
“I’ll be thrilled if even a couple of my classes in college are as rewarding and inspiring as this class has been.” Sonia, Class of 2004
“It was the best course I took at Brookline High…. I learned so many things that could not have been taught through another class. Finding things you care about and actually doing something about them is a lesson that will stay with me forever.” Rebecca Halfond, Class of 2004
“This class made sense. It made more sense than any other class because it took issues that were part of our lives and showed us different perspectives on it without telling us which perspective was right.” Michelle O’Brien, Class of 2004
“It has gone past fulfilling my expectations…. I feel I’ve really changed permanently because of this class.” Alex Daves
This very popular course has been fully integrated into the BHS curriculum.
