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John Jay High School's Humanities Symposium
May 29, 2008
Humanities research students present work
Three years ago, John Jay High School instituted a new three-year program, humanities research, to allow students to perform original research and projects in the humanities. This year, the first 10 graduates from that program presented their research at a symposium, held on Thursday, May 22, at John Jay High School.
The subjects of the projects ranged across the spectrum of the humanities, touching on human rights, religion, education, politics, economics, and more. Some have won awards — seniors Kia Hunter, Harrison Jones and Parrish Wright have all received awards at the Lower Hudson regional competition for New York State History Day. Others are using their research to apply for exclusive college programs; for example, John Sarlitto has been accepted into the John Jay Fellowship at Columbia University next year.
“I love the program,” Kia told The Ledger. “I think other schools should do it, because many students who aren’t actually in the sciences still want the opportunity to do research.”
The humanities research program is modeled on the school’s science research program, where students perform original, often college-level, research. During the first year, students begin an exploration of different disciplines in the humanities, including history, literature, art, and some of the social sciences. By the second year of the program, students have narrowed down their research project to a specific question or idea, and have begun performing research with the assistance of a mentor.
“I originally thought I was going to end up with an extended history paper,” said John, who ultimately wrote a paper looking at the concept of empires from an economic perspective. “I essentially started looking at America as empire. Empires to me appeared really unsustainable ... so why does empire continually arise?”
John created a hypothesis, that empires are a way of redistributing scientific progress from highly advanced cultures to less advanced cultures, and spent a considerable amount of time researching different empires throughout history, and how they had survived.
In order to write the paper, John had to gain some additional information on economics, and so enrolled in a one-semester course on globalization at Pace University.
Some of the projects began as more personal ideas. Both Kia and Parrish began their research after investigating the histories of their grandparents.
Parrish, who wrote her paper on the effect of Dutch and Japanese colonialism on Indonesia and its modern politics, came to the subject after her grandmother spoke to the class about her experiences as a Dutch resident of Indonesia and a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II.
“It’s really great — I have a much better connection with my grandmother, and it’s really become something personally with me as well, something I want to continue studying,” Parrish said. “I think everyone’s project has become personal for them — we all have our own personal connections to them.”
Kia’s project began after talking to her step-grandfather about his experience as a German soldier during World War II. That conversation started her thinking about the effects of the war on the Germans, in particular the German women and children living under the Third Reich.
After choosing a subject, Kia went on to look at accounts of those who were actually living in Germany at that time, researching what it was like. But she did not want to just write a paper on the subject, so she decided to take a different tack — she did some extra research on theater, and she wrote a full-length play.
Her play, His Children’s War, looks at the lives of three unrelated German children from the late 1930s through the end of World War II, and how their lives changed as a result of the Nazi government’s policies.
The humanities research program was designed and is taught by Dr. Marguerite Hefferon. It is open to incoming sophomores.
“I feel like what I learned from the program is just as important as any conclusions I drew,” John said. “It’s a program that doesn’t tell you what to think, but teaches you how to think ... how to organize ideas and express them verbally and in writing.”
The projects
The following seniors have completed projects for the humanities research program:
Parrish Wright
Regionalism in Indonesia: The Legacy of the Dutch and Japanese
Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in our modern world; it fails, however, to be a leading nation. Due to its geography, and for political, social and religious reasons, Indonesia lacked unity in part due to the exploitation by the Dutch and Japanese during this century. The three main rebellious provinces, East Timor, Aceh and West Papua, all felt, for different reasons, entitled to their independence, or at least more autonomy and power within the Indonesian nation. Understanding the historical context, grievances, and current actions taking place in each of these three conflicts is imperative to creating a more stable Indonesia in the future.
John Sarlitto
The Economics of Empire: A Systemic Analysis
This paper hypothesizes that the sustainability of empires (defined as states which pursue extended and sustained policies of political or military expansion) depends on the countries’ ability to contribute to the continuing economic equilibrium of a specifically defined economic system. After exploring the evolution of empire from the expansionary factors which predispose a state toward imperialism to the varied reasons for its collapse as an imperial power, the paper addresses potential applications of empire-study to modern-day geopolitics and the omni-disciplinary phenomenon of globalization.
Hillary Nelson
Religion in American Media: Representation and Perception
Since the rise of mass media following World War II, religion has taken on a new character in America. Religion is portrayed by the news media in a distorted light; giving focus to conservative ideas and conflicts and referencing conservative leaders disproportionately more than progressive leaders. This has resulted in a skewed vision of religion by the general population, and has implanted conservative viewpoints into the forefront of social and political discussions.
Ashley Feuchs
The Nature of Corruption in Developing Nations: A Pathway to Discovering Solutions
This project explores the major causes and consequences of political and economic corruption on the impoverished continent of Africa and compares and contrasts the types and degree of corruption with other developing regions such as Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia, and with China, a wealthier nation. Possible solutions to this ongoing problem are suggested, including the privatization and international funding of education, the encouragement of “good policy” environments, economic liberalization, and an expansion of the International Criminal Court that could bring back justice to the many who are suffering at the expense of a few.
Nick Law
Optimizing Student Potential for Increased Success in Public Education
Many students in the public education system don’t reach their full potential. Research indicates that there are three major factors that affect a student’s educational experience: socioeconomic status, parental involvement, and classroom environment. Various reforms have tried to increase student achievement through focusing on these factors. However, changing socioeconomic status and parental involvement can only minimally impact a student’s education. The internal system, the classroom, has the most potential to increase student achievement.
Katherine Susman
The Lasting Mark of Genocide: Common Causes and Policies for Prevention
In the past century, over fourteen million people have been killed in genocides including regions such as Armenia, World War II Europe, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan. Efforts to suppress or prevent genocide have been attempted by the United Nations, humanitarian foundations, and even by major world powers. With the increasing propensity for genocide in the past century, diplomatic preemptive action must be taken in regions of the world where genocidal indicators can be identified.
Megan Reback
Poverty in Appalachia and the Paradox of Christianity
Appalachia is characterized by crippling poverty due to a combination of limited access to urban resources and living in a stagnant economy with limited opportunities to succeed. Its isolation has also defined its religion and cultural values. Interestingly, the Appalachian lifestyle is paradoxical because the Fundamental Christian views do not only define and isolate Appalachian people, but are also are used as a coping mechanism to compensate for the dire poverty. However, the solution to the problem (religious faith) perpetuates and exacerbates the problem of poverty even more.
Zack Lobel
National Security Policy as an Environmental Influence on Child Development
In establishing and enforcing a national security policy, governments must strike a balance between the safety and security of the state and the privacy and civil liberties of the individual. National security policies can effect the development of political perspective and self-identity in adolescence. This paper suggests a correlation between the events and policies that form political environment and the results of the process by which young humans conceptualize their role in a cooperative society.
Harrison Jones
Ad-Hoc Tribunals and the International Criminal Court: Successes and Failures
The legal systems of countries at war falter in times of distress, which is why three major ad-hoc tribunals were created to aid existing but weakened legal systems: the Nuremberg Tribunal, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. These courts all influenced the creation of the International Criminal Court, which is trying to become the first permanent international tribunal; however it will fall short without the support of major world powers such as the U.S.
Kia Hunter
His Children’s War
This is a full length play exploring the lives of three unrelated German children and their families from the late 1930’s to the end of World War II. Each child goes through a turning point experience during the play which changes his or her life forever, ultimately ruining them. This play about the effects of the Nazi government and its propaganda on the lives of German Aryan women and children resulted from research that included study of primary documents from the time period as well as interviews from survivors.
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