The Transcendentalists

and Senior Workshop

th st
YIHS 12 Grade 1 Quarter Humanities Class
Jacob Hundt September 5 November 10, 2017

Few places and times in history have seen the concentration of so many remarkable minds as did
the little town of Concord, Massachusetts in the middle of the 19th Century, centered on the
household of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalism, as the loose constellation of
philosophical, artistic, political, and spiritual ideas emanating from this center came to be known
broke forth as the first homegrown intellectual movement on the American continent, declaring a
spiritual independence from the Old World, much as
political independence had been established the century
before.

Nearly 200 years later, America, the world, and our

community here in the Driftless Region still resonate with
many of the ideas articulated and embodied by the
Transcendentalists. Some of these ideas are: individualism
and self-reliance, both practical and intellectual;
environmentalism and a return to nature as a source of
spiritual enlightenment and personal fulfillment;
celebration of the human body, of manual labor, and of
material simplicity as good and noble things; an advocacy
of equality and justice for men and women and people of
all races and backgrounds; and, above all, a belief in
simple acts of contemplation and self-reflection as the
gateway to transcendent truths about the meaning of life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

During this quarter, we will examine the intellectual and

historical background of the transcendentalist movement, as
well as the biographies of some of the leading protagonists,
including Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller,
and Walt Whitman. We will read and discuss essays by
Emerson and Thoreau and poems by Whitman and Emily
Dickinson. We will also examine several transcendentalist
experiments in social and political action, including
Thoreaus experiment in intentional living at Walden pond
and his articulation of civil disobedience, as we well as the
experiments in utopian community at Brook Farm and
Fruitlands. Finally, we will consider the legacy of
transcendentalism in the culture and history of the past
century and a half, including the civil disobedience
movements of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and others and
of the environmental ethos as articulated by thinkers such as
John Muir and Aldo Leopold. Henry David Thoreau
 Transcendentalism Evaluation and Assignments
Self-Evaluation:
In keeping with the spirit of the Transcendentalists and in recognition
of the fact that you are group of emerging adults who will be stepping
out in the world at the conclusion of this school year, I will be asking
you to write your own self-evaluations and assign your own grade of
Pass or Fail for the course. You must meet the minimum class
attendance requirements and complete each of the assignments for both
the Transcendentalism and Senior Workshop components of this class
(see below), but the text of your final report and your final grade based
on completed assignments will be up to you. Finally, any of the
assignments below may be modified, substituted for, or augmented by
original and more challenging projects or assignments, in consultation
with the teacher.
Walt Whitman
Attendance:
As per the school attendance policy, students who are absent for 25% of sessions (6 classes) or late for 50% of
sessions (12 classes) will receive a Fail for the class. Students who arrive more than 25 minutes late to a class
session will be considered absent for that session.

Reading and Class Participation:

To be awake is to be alive wrote Thoreau, and in this course you will be expected to be both, in addition to
being physically present. You are expected to come to class having read the required materials and ready to
participate actively in discussions, both as a contributor and as a listener. We will be working consciously on
the arts of active reading and thoughtful conversation. All students should come to class with at least two
questions arising from specific passages in the reading that they would like to discuss. I will also be seeking
student volunteers to lead class discussions as the course proceeds.

Transcendentalism & Ecology Course Journal:

As a joint assignment from the Transcendentalism and Ecology classes, students will be expected to actively
keep a journal of reflections and nature observations throughout the quarter. As a core journaling activity, you
should choose a place, an ecological niche, you can visit at least once a week (a particular tree or grove, a stretch
of a stream, a garden, even an abandoned industrial lot rewilding) to observe the life forms present there as we
make the transition from late summer to the cusp of winter. Entries can be made in a variety of media, including
prose, poetry, quantitative measurements, sketches, photographs, plant pressings, paint, etc. In addition, there
should be at least one response or reflection for each author, poet, or guest speaker we learn from in the
Transcendentalism course. Intensive personal journaling was a key creative practice for the Transcendentalists
and students are encouraged to challenge themselves to spend some time each day during this quarter engaged in
reflective writing or artistic creation. Journals will be collected for review four times during the quarter and
students should be prepared to share a sample of their journaling with the class or with a partner when requested.
Blank journals will be provided at the beginning of the class and supplemental journals will be available if
needed.

Emersonian Lyceum Essay:

Over the course of the first month, we will closely examine the methodology and style of Ralph Waldo
Emerson and develop and select from a set of Emersonian themes to serve as topics for a 5-6 page formal essay.
By Tuesday, Sept. 19, each student will be expected to have selected a theme for their essay and brainstormed
notes by Thursday, Sept. 21 a rough draft of the essay will be due. A revised draft will be due on Tues., Oct.
3 and a third draft will be due on Thurs. Oct. 12, if necessary. Once the essays have reached a suitably
polished state, they will be presented to the class as a Lyceum-style lecture. An evaluative rubric will be
provided for this assignment.
Senior Workshop
Also during this quarter, in parallel with the Transcendentalism course, the senior class will be working on a
variety of projects related to planning for life after high school, and for the remainder of the senior year.
Students will be given specific instruction, hands-on guidance, and in class work time related to a number of
essential senior year tasks, including planning for and evaluating the college tour/job shadowing week (Sept.
25-29), college applications, creation of a polished personal resume, and planning for senior projects.
Throughout the block I will also present information on related topics, including the Common & Coalition
College Application platforms, the FAFSA, applying for college financial aid, Gap Year programs, scholarship
opportunities, and a general overview of how to calculate the real cost of attending a specific college.
Satisfactory completion of all senior workshop assignments will be requirement for passing this course.

Senior Workshop Assignments

Note: Completion of ALL of the following is required to Pass the Quarter

Detailed plan for all 5 days of the College Tour/Job Shadowing Week (9/25-9/29)
Written REPORT on key insights and observations for college tour/job shadowing.
Polished SENIOR PROJECT PROPOSAL
SENIOR PHOTO for use on transcripts and newspaper graduation insert
Polished PERSONAL RESUME
Submitted COLLEGE APPLICATION to at least 1 college or gap year program
 Transcendentalism/Senior Workshop 2017 Schedule
Note: Schedule subject to radical change!!

Date: Topics Assignment

Tues. 9/05 Transcendentalism: Context and Legacy
Thurs. 9/07 Ralph Waldo Emerson Intro; Senior Projects Nature, Intro & Ch. 1
Fri. 9/08 Senior Workshop: Senior Projects Worktime Tour Week Plan

Tues. 9/12 Transcendental Philosophy; Nature by Emerson Nature, Ch II-VIII

Thurs. 9/14* Emersonian Themes; Self-Reliance Self-Reliance Journal Check
Senior Project, Draft 1
Fri. 9/15 FAIR DAY NO CLASS

Tues. 9/19 Poetry: Walt Whitman; Essay Workshop Essay Theme; Notes for Essay
Thurs. 9/21 Poetry: Walt Whitman; Essay Workshop Essay Draft 1
Fri. 9/22 Senior Workshop: Common App./Coalition App. Senior Project Final Draft
Senior Photo

Sept. 25-29 COLLEGE TOURS/JOB SHADOWING Take notes for report

Tues. 10/3 Henry David Thoreau Walden, Ch. 1, Essay Draft 2

Thurs. 10/5 Walden Walden, cont. Journal Check
Fri. 10/6 Senior Workshop: Resumes Tour Week Report Due

Tues. 10/10 Walden; Lyceum Lectures Walden, continued.

Thurs. 10/12 Walden; Lyceum Lectures Walden, continued.
Essay Draft 3
Fri. 10/13 Senior Workshop: Scholarships/Financial Aid Resume Draft 1

Tues. 10/17 Walden; Lyceum Lectures Walden, continued.

Thurs. 10/19 Poetry: Emily Dickinson; Lyceum Lectures Journal Check
Fri. 10/20 Senior Workshop: Gap Year Programs Resume Final Draft

Tues. 10/24 Politics & Civil Rights: Margaret Fuller Woman in the 19th Century
Thurs. 10/26 STUDENT SUPPORT SUMMITS NO CLASS College Applications
Fri. 10/27 STUDENT SUPPORT SUMMITS NO CLASS College Applications

Tues. 10/31 Politics: Civil Disobedience On Civil Disobedience

Thurs. 11/2 Civil Disobedience: Guest Speaker
Fri. 11/3 Senior Workshop College Applications Submitted

Tues. 11/7 Utopias: Fruitlands and Brook Farm/ Guest Speaker

Thurs. 11/9 Legacy/Final Lyceum Lectures Journal Due
Fri. 11/10 COURSE EVALUATIONS/SELF EVALUATIONS
 Transcendentalism/Senior Workshop 2017 Assignment Checklist
Note: Readings not included

NAME:
Assignment Due Date Date Completed
College Tour Week Plan Fri. 9/8
Senior Project Proposal Draft 1 Thurs. 9/14
Essay theme selected/brainstorm notes Tues. 9/19
Essay, Draft 1 Thurs. 9/21
Senior Project Proposal Final Draft Fri. 9/22
Senior Photo Fri. 9/22
Essay, Draft 2 Tues, 10/3
Tour Week Report Fri. 10/6
Essay, Final Draft Thurs, 10/12
Presentation of Essay Lyceum Lecture
Resume Draft 1 Fri. 10/13
Resume Final Draft Fri. 10/20
College Application Submitted Fri. 11/3
Course Self-Evaluation Fri. 11/10
JOURNAL ENTRIES (No set dates) Journals Collected: 9/14, 10/5, 10/19, 11/9
a. Ralph Waldo Emerson
b. Henry David Thoreau
c. Walt Whitman
d. Emily Dickinson
e. Margaret Fuller
f. Civil Disobedience Guest Speaker
g. Utopias Guest Speaker
h. Observations of ecological niche (at least 10 during quarter)
i. More! As the spirit moves you