programs : the good citizen in a good society
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.
This very successful program has been fully integrated into the BHS curriculum.
