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Announcing Laguna's New Humanities Program
Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, the Upper School is offering an honors opportunity for sophomores and juniors designed to complement the existing STEM initiative with a similar program focused on developing individual pathways and collaborative projects in the humanities. Although next year's program is full, interested students can apply for the following year by seeing Program Director Dr. Donelan.
About the Program
The program requires two years of specific coursework: the Humanities Foundations class in the sophomore year and the Humanities Capstone class in the junior year. In addition to the two required classes, students must commit to combining substantial additional courses in the humanities at Laguna with significant service learning and humanities related extracurricular activities. The program culminates in the capstone project, which is self-designed, collaborative, and conducted under the supervision and guidance of the program director and an off-campus mentor, typically either a scholar of the humanities or a working artist. These projects will be presented in a Capstone Showcase in May. Students who successfully complete the Capstone Project and the two years of coursework will receive the Humanities Honors designation on their transcript in time for college application season senior year.
The program requires two years of specific coursework: the Humanities Foundations class in the sophomore year and the Humanities Capstone class in the junior year. In addition to the two required classes, students must commit to combining substantial additional courses in the humanities at Laguna with significant service learning and humanities related extracurricular activities. The program culminates in the capstone project, which is self-designed, collaborative, and conducted under the supervision and guidance of the program director and an off-campus mentor, typically either a scholar of the humanities or a working artist. These projects will be presented in a Capstone Showcase in May. Students who successfully complete the Capstone Project and the two years of coursework will receive the Humanities Honors designation on their transcript in time for college application season senior year.
The Humanities Foundations Course
In the initial year, the program will only be accepting rising sophomores, with the capstone class added in the second year. The Foundations course employs a broad-ranging interdisciplinary curriculum designed to create connections between the students in the program and scholars and artists here in Santa Barbara and beyond. There will be regularly scheduled group excursions to plays, concerts, museums, galleries, artist studios, and public lectures. During these excursions, students will enjoy rare opportunities to go behind the scenes and to meet and talk with performers and directors. Collaborating organizations will include, but are not limited to, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, UCSB Arts and Lectures, the Granada, the Lobero, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Bowl, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
In the initial year, the program will only be accepting rising sophomores, with the capstone class added in the second year. The Foundations course employs a broad-ranging interdisciplinary curriculum designed to create connections between the students in the program and scholars and artists here in Santa Barbara and beyond. There will be regularly scheduled group excursions to plays, concerts, museums, galleries, artist studios, and public lectures. During these excursions, students will enjoy rare opportunities to go behind the scenes and to meet and talk with performers and directors. Collaborating organizations will include, but are not limited to, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, UCSB Arts and Lectures, the Granada, the Lobero, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Santa Barbara Bowl, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Students in the Foundations class will be responsible for publishing the Portfolio Literary and Arts Magazine, and will actively participate in programming a new, expanded series of performances in Spaulding Auditorium during community time. Humanities students will choose, contact, and produce events featuring artists and performers they love for the entertainment and education of their classmates.
Coursework in the Foundations class will include substantial reading, viewing, and discussion of art in every medium, from literature to video, music, and performance. The curriculum will span the entire history of art, from ancient times to the present.
The process of cultivating successful mentor relationships will begin during the sophomore year, so that students have ample opportunity to explore a variety of options before they choose to specialize. We will both travel to our mentors in order to observe them in their natural habitat and invite them in to the school to become part of our community. Selected visiting artist mentors will provide project-based intensives on campus during the Foundations year.
Consider applying if you...
Consider applying if you...
- love theater or film or music or books or any other art form and want to do more of it.
- like to discuss the stuff you like and your life would not be complete without art.
- are the kind of person who saves ticket stubs or programs or who collects things.
- are already a dedicated performer or writer or painter.
- still don’t know what you want to do but would love to meet interesting new people.
- want a taste of what the humanities are like at a great college.
- want to experience the culture of one of the world’s most artistic cities—Santa Barbara.
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Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.