Beginning in 2014-15, Darlington juniors may elect to participate in a new Global Studies Program. Students who meet all the requirements of the program by the end of their senior year will graduate with a Global Studies Certificate in addition to their Darlington diploma.
"Our mission is to instill an understanding and empathy at the global community level in line with Darlington's principles of wisdom, service and honor," said
Yensen Lambert,
co-founder of the Global Studies Program and chair of the world languages department. "
The world is changing and we need to prepare our students for these changes. We need to prepare them to be successful in the future."
The program is designed to graduate students who will have acquired an understanding of world issues from different perspectives, a sense of their own roles as global citizens and empathy with the problems facing the world community.
Juniors who enroll in the Global Studies Program will take the Global Issues course, taught by program co-founder
Eric Braun and offered by the history department.
"This course will provide a foundation to understand major global issues that affect us today and that are shaping our future," explained Braun, who has a background in international business. "We will explore six themes: global challenges, economics, international business, politics, cultural diversity, and science and technology."
Their senior year, students on the Global Studies track will take AP Comparative Government and Politics, which focuses on government forms and practices outside of the United States, and attend a minimum of five lectures in Darlington's Global Speaker Series. This new lectureship series will feature qualified professionals speaking on topics such as global politics, religion, international business and the environment.
Global Studies students will be required to complete three units of a world language in high school.
Students who complete Level 3 of a world language by their junior year will be required to take one of the following their senior year: French 4, Spanish 4, Spanish 5, AP Spanish Language or AP Spanish Literature.
Additionally, program participants will take one of the following identified electives in each of the areas below:
Fine Arts: Art History or Music Appreciation
History: World Religions, Philosophy and Thought, or Government and Economics
Math: Probability and Statistics or AP Statistics
Science: Environmental Science or AP Environmental Science
"We selected courses that will train participants for a global future and help them develop a global mindset," Lambert explained.
Lastly, students on the Global Studies track will be required to complete a study or project abroad. Darlington will offer a two-week study abroad experience for students to participate in the summer after their junior year. This trip -- which take them to Lille, France, and Brussels, Belgium in the summer 2015 -- will be complemented by four weeks of online college courses. Participants will receive three college credits after finishing the online courses and upon return from the travel experience. Alternatively, students may choose to submit a proposal to the Global Studies Committee for any international travel experience that aligns with the goals of the program. Once approved, the student will be assigned a specific project with a presentation component. This option does not garner college credit, but is another way to fulfill the travel requirement of the program.
"It's important to note that this is not a program for international students; it's a program for everyone," Braun said. "The Global Studies track will give our students an advantage in college and in the job market. It will expose them to things most people are not exposed to in high school."
For more information about the Global Studies Program, please contact
Yensen Lambert,
Eric Braun,
Brian Inman or
Brant Evans.
