My Very Own Dead Poet Society?

[springrite]

I will be teaching in Dalton Academy (a famous prep school, all classes in English) in Beijing this fall. Humanity, Paychology and Poetry. The three Humanity sections (Grade 10-12) will be focused on: What is knowledge? What is change? What is Humanity? One year for each. Just finished my class summary for the other two and teacher's introduction for Dalton Academy. What do you think?


Psychology

This will not be Psych101. While students will be introduced to the different schools and theories of psychology, the more important objective is for them to see and understand psychology as permeating every aspect of modern life, from business to politics, Hollywood to Wall Street. In addition to regular class material, we will also have "Topic of the Week/Month" as chosen by students, which can range from the US election, Smartphones to Square Dance to Chinese Dama. While few if any students may choose psychology as their future career, here they will get not only a taste of what psychology is, but how psychology can be useful in their future endeavor, whatever that may be.

Poetry

Poetry is the ultimate use of language to communicate. From China to Europe, from Rumi to E.E. Cummings, students will be exposed to poetry from across the centuries and from all over the world. Students will write as well as translate poetry, and most interestingly for them, will learn poetry "from a poet's perspective".

Paul Yin was a Western Literature major at Peking University and a well known published poet at age 15. Now he is a world famous psychologist whom the German publication >Die Zeit< called "Topographer of the Chinese Soul". He has taught and lectured at all levels, from high school to The Academy of Social Sciences, from China to Africa, on subjects and topics ranging from psychology to history, education to management. Explaining his wide range of interests and topics of expertise, Paul said: Actually, it's all just about one word: people, or humanity.

[vandermolen]

Looks like a great intellectually stimulating course - sorry I can't join it myself! How old are the students? The system here is different I think and prep school is usually up to 13 whereas Year 12 is 16/17.

Surely you need to introduce your students to the music of Allan Pettersson and Havergal Brian as part the educational process.