History

Credit: 0.5
NCAA Approved
3 weeks online
Session:
June 19 – July 7, 2023

Class meeting time:
Monday-Thursday 8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT

Office Hours:
by appointment with individual students

Teacher:
Elson Oshman Blunt

Course Description:
Economics is the study of how a society uses limited resources to produce and distribute the goods needed to live healthy and fulfilling lives. Microeconomics focuses on the decisions made by individuals and firms, covering topics such as gains from trade, supply and demand, the welfare impact of taxes, and firm costs and profits. Grounded in the school’s mission with special attention to issues of stewardship and sustainability, Westtown’s Economics courses also investigate the nontraditional discipline of Ecological Economics, which probes the limits of the Earth’s resources and calls into question the basic assumption of the feasibility of ongoing growth in consumption.

Important Information About Westtown’s Online Economics Courses
Taking Economics online affords students the opportunity to learn at a distance without sacrificing the collaborative quality of education central to Westtown’s classroom experience. Course materials and goals are similar to Westtown’s school-year syllabus but will be adapted and combined with traditional textbook materials (based on Greg Mankiw’s Essentials of Economics) to take advantage of online capabilities and provide the best possible learning experience. Students will watch short whiteboard-style lecture videos created exclusively for this course, navigate labs designed to guide students to understanding through constructing and applying economic concepts, and consult with student partners as needed to help each other master the material. We will meet synchronously as a class for an hour on Zoom Monday to Thursday evenings for discussion of the current topic. The average student should expect to spend about six hours each day working independently and collaboratively to complete this course. Additional questions about the course can be emailed directly to the instructor at [email protected]. 

Credit: 0.5
Session:
June 19 – July 7, 2023

Class Meeting Time:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Office Hours:
by appointment

Teacher:
Mauricio Torres

This course is designed to speak to the state, texture, and parameters of contemporary racism. Given the mobilizations all over the country (and the world) in response to the death of George Floyd in particular and the maiming, killing, and incarceration of Black people in general, there is a yearning for resources, knowledge, accountability, and community. This raging dirge being sung by Black Americans all over the country calls for us to listen and respond. This course is designed around three central units each of which we will cover over the course of the term: understanding and contextualizing contemporary policing; epistemological violence and the ontological crime of Blackness, and visions of Black freedom. 4-6 Hours of daily asynchronous work

Credit: 0.5
NCAA Approved
3 weeks online
Session:
July 10 – July 28, 2023

Class meeting time:
Monday-Thursday 8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT

Office Hours:
by appointment with individual students

Teacher:
Elson Oshman Blunt

Course Description:
Economics is the study of how a society uses limited resources to produce and distribute the goods needed to live healthy and fulfilling lives. Macroeconomics focuses on the dynamics of the economy as a whole, covering topics such as inflation, growth, finance, and US monetary policy. Students also complete a major research paper on a topic of their choice related to Economics. Grounded in the school’s mission with special attention to issues of stewardship and sustainability, Westtown’s Economics courses also investigate the nontraditional discipline of Ecological Economics, which probes the limits of the Earth’s resources and calls into question the basic assumption of the feasibility of ongoing growth in consumption.

Important Information About Westtown’s Online Economics Courses
Taking Economics online affords students the opportunity to learn at a distance without sacrificing the collaborative quality of education central to Westtown’s classroom experience. Course materials and goals are similar to Westtown’s school year syllabus but will be adapted and combined with traditional textbook materials (based on Greg Mankiw’s Essentials of Economics) to take advantage of online capabilities and provide the best possible learning experience. Students will watch short whiteboard-style lecture videos created exclusively for this course, navigate labs designed to guide students to understanding through constructing and applying economic concepts, and consult with student partners as needed to help each other master the material. We will meet synchronously as a class for an hour on Zoom Monday to Thursday evenings for discussion of the current topic. The average student should expect to spend about six hours each day working independently and collaboratively to complete this course. Additional questions about the course can be emailed directly to the instructor at [email protected].

Credit: 0.5
Session:
July 10 – July 28, 2023

Class Meeting Time:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Office Hours:
by appointment

Teacher:
Mauricio Torres

This course examines Whiteness as a vector of power and central axis influencing the racial landscape of the United States. Central to Whiteness’ power is its invisibility—to Whites. Thus, we will first historicize Whiteness, marking its emergence as a salient but flexible identity category. Second, we will consider the epistemological features of Whiteness, examining how Whiteness operates as a means of interpreting the world. Third, we will interrogate the privilege discourse and consider its merits and weaknesses as a lens by which to examine racial power. Finally, we will consider the role of  Whites in broader quests for racial freedom. 4-6 Hours of daily asynchronous work