Exciting New Courses for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
In the upcoming 2024-25 school year, Loomis Chaffee’s academic departments are offering an array of new courses to allow students to explore and be exposed to new areas of study. These new courses also dive into contemporary issues, established systems, and fundamental questions of life and personal identity.
Starting with the Social Science Department, CL Social Science Seminar: The U.S. Presidential Election is returning this semester. This course is only offered in the fall only during election years for juniors and seniors. “I wanted to take this course because I wanted to be more aware about how our political system works,” said Georgia Biasi, a senior currently taking the course. This seminar course covers the complexities of the election process and allows students to analyze the the presidential candidates’ views and the strengths and weaknesses of their new domestic and foreign policies. Students will also explore how economic factors and the media effects a presidential campaign. “I wanted to take this course because i wanted to be more aware about how our political system works especially since i can legally vote soon,” said Georgia. Georgia and her classmates will soon be leading a freshman seminar about the basics of the U.S political system and common views and policies for both parties.
Next, the History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Department (HPR) prioritizes diversity in both content and approach. This year, the department is offering two new courses: Intro to Religious Studies and Comparative Religion.
Intro to Religious Studies is the latest PPR course, offered to freshmen and sophomores. This course introduces students to the different philosophies of religions around the world and the fundamental questions of human existence. “We were hoping to offer younger students an opportunity to get to know the academic study of religion in an accessible setting,” said Mr. LaForest, head of the HPR Department. This course aims to familiarize and introduce students to religious studies earlier in their academic careers at Loomis.
As for Comparative Religion, it is a term course offered to juniors and seniors. This course allows seniors to inquire deeper into the study of religion with a comparative approach. After an introduction to religions across different cultures of the world, students in this course will analyze beliefs and practices of two prominent world religions and dive into deeper meanings of selfhood and truth.
“The academic study of religion can assist students in shaping their values as they prepare to enter an uncertain world. Taking the time to sit with big questions can be meaningful and even transformative for young people who are figuring out who they want to be,” said Mr. LaForest.
Lastly, the English Department is looking forward to introducing a variety of new stories and letting students explore their creative freedom. This year, the department is offering two new courses: English IV: Migrant Stories and CL English IV: Magical Realism, both of which are term courses for seniors. The English department strives to further diversify the genres of perspectives of the story they introduce to the Loomis community, which was the primary goal in introducing these two new classes.
The English IV: Migrant Stories course will introduce students to a wide genre of works with writers from a multitude of backgrounds. This course aims to highlight the common threads between personal identity and place, which is what these stories, written by people from all around the world, all center around. “Migrant stories are as old as literature. They are relevant to people from all different corners of the globe,” said Dr. Wanninger, head of the English Department. As immigration becomes prominent in the news, politics, and international affairs, literature can support students explore this topic from multiple perspectives.
The CL English IV: Magical Realism course allows students to study works that fuse fantastical elements with reality, which has been one of the most influential and popular genres in the last few decades. This genre is closely associated with many Latin American authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Jorge Luis Borges, whom students in this course will be primarily studying from. “ These Magical Realism books are some of the greatest modern classics that allow us to imagine our reality through a funhouse mirror. It’s a great opportunity to get exposed to writers that students may not have encountered before,” said Dr. Wanninger.
Since both of these courses are offered to upperclassmen, the department wants to give them an opportunity to use what they’ve learned about the structures of analytical arguments to develop questions and inquire into topics that intrigue that intrigue them without the constraints of a specific prompt.
The academic departments of Loomis Chaffee design curriculums to meet students’ needs and interests. Introducing new courses is not only a response to the ever-evolving complexities of the world, it also serves to empower Loomis students with historical, spiritual, and innovative knowledge, and expose them to diverse perspectives. The departments have a clear commitment to foster the sense of curiosity in students, which is essential in the life long journey of learning.
Katie Pham ‘27
