Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 27 text:

ETHNIC STUDIES INTRODUCED TO CURRICULUM In the sixties, Daniel Moynihan’s book, BEYOND THE MELTING POT, explored the theory that perhaps America was not the melting pot we had always assumed. Black was declared beautiful and native American Indians re-asserted their heritage. Colleger and universities began to develop programs and add departments that focused on a number of ethnic groups — Black, Eastern, Jewish, etc. This widespread interest in ethnicity as an area of socio¬ logical interest and research was also highlighted by authors in their literary exploration into the questions of self-identity. The impact was not lost on Wellesley — Dr. Larry Fisher of the English Department and Miss Pat Reardon of the History Department worked for nearly 18 months to prepare a new elective for juniors that fulfills both English and History requirements. The question, Does assimilation into the mainstream of American culture require the sublimation of ethnic characteristicsdoes not have to be answered in the nega¬ tive. Students enrolled in the course focused on several groups: Native Americans, Irish, Jewish, Italians, Blacks and Orientals. Their perspective was unique in that they studied the history, sociology, and literature of each group during its development in this country. Each student also researched a personal family history which became for many a search into the question, What is my heritage. Who am I?” To date. Ethnic Studies is the third course, in addition to Humanities and America, that is a joint effort of team teaching offered by the departments of Social Studies and English, Memorize the Constitution?! (Maureen Gorman) 23

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SEES INCREASING TREND OF BACK TO BASICS REFLECTED IN STUDENT COURSE SELECTIONS For the 12th straight year, SAT and PSAT scores dropped dramatically nation-wide and, although Wellesley’s average scores were considerably higher than the norm across the country, juniors and seniors facing college boards still felt it necessary to elect English Skills” in such numbers that the sections grew from two in 1972 to the current 14. The popularity of Practical English,” Analytical and Expository Writing,” and Literary Criti¬ cism,” indicated that large numbers of stu¬ dents apparently believed that further study in the basic use of English was important also. BELOW: English S(k)ills (Tina Fagan, Anne Davis, Nancy Dosdall.) 81 Min •Ml ABOVE: Symbolism 5 ?? (Matt Flynn, Nelson Start, Bill Oteri, Reggie Beach.)

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FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE ' 60 ' S, LATIN MADE HEADWAY IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE Begin with us where? (David Dumouche) Je m’appelle Pierre.” (Peter Osterland) While the dress styles of years past became the fashion craze last year, Latin became vogue in the Foreign Lan¬ guage Department. Mr. Raymond Caefer, Department Head, stated that, This shift from more recent trends in language study reflects students’ concern for basic lan¬ guage development.” He also pointed out that, Latin cov¬ ers important areas in grammar, vocabulary and world his¬ tory; therefore, students develop a foundation in several academic areas ” 2i