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Yearly Archives: 2023
Flourishing with Standards-Based Grading
By Colleen Finnerty, History and Social Sciences Faculty Member, Class of 2011
Flourishing with Standards-Based Grading
Faculty-Submitted Note: This paper was written for the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. The task was to address the following question: Considering positive psychology’s aim to enhance human flourishing worldwide, how can the field make a significant impact on promoting healthy environments and institutions?
Traditional grading systems use grades as rewards for desired behavior and learning practices. These rewards come in the form of point values and percentages, and students work to maximize points or percentage. Grades incentivize achievement while undermining the value of effort and progress in the learning process (Olson, 1996). Traditional grading systems also foster competition among students rather than promoting a learning community. Students see grading as a “zero-sum” practice such that one student’s success is connected to another student’s failure because of curves and grade distributions (Olson, 1996). A common practice among high schools in the United States is to establish a class rank using cumulative grade point averages. Class ranks are offered to college admissions officers and used to award prizes upon graduation such as valedictorian. However, class rank does little to actually motivate students to become lifelong learners and instead pits students against each other in the classroom (Guskey, 2013). Traditional grading systems discourage risk-taking and creative learning; former valedictorians are often hardworking in their respective professions, but they are not the ones to take chances and propose innovative ideas (Arnold, 1995). To promote flourishing among the next generation, schools have an obligation to examine their grading policies by using tenets of positive psychology.
Educators who see themselves as tasked with identifying talented students do so with teaching, assessment, and grading practices that accentuate differences between students. Educators who see themselves as tasked with cultivating talent define clear learning objectives and work to ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach the learning objectives (Guskey, 2013). Students with higher levels of happiness and well-being are more likely to succeed in academic settings, feel more competent, and have more confidence than their peers (Clarke, 2020). To help students excel in the classroom, educational institutions need to implement policies and practices that enhance student well-being. Mandated use of standards-based grading (SBG) in primary and secondary schools would improve student well-being and develop lifelong learners.
(more…)Our Drumbeat, Our Heartbeat
By Kelly Yang, Class of 2023
Our Drumbeat, Our Heartbeat
Student-Submitted Note: The installation is designed for Native American Literature class. The assignment requires the student to design an installation for a boarding school or college in Massachusetts that educates the community about the local tribe’s past, present and future presence.
Our Drumbeat, Our Heartbeat is an interactive art installation designed for Brown University that celebrates the survival and thriving of the Wampanoag community in the present and future. Brown has long committed to Indigenous people’s rights. It started a year-long exploration in 2021 into the relationship between the university, the land on which it sits on College Hill, and the local Indigenous Wampanoags, who were once the land’s sole occupants (Brown). However, from the Wampum Granoff Center exhibit in 2021 to the Native Enslavement display in 2022, Brown has focused more on showcasing the ancient history of local Native people than on demonstrating their vitality and prosperity now and in the future (Kimball). I choose Brown University for my installation because, in addition to the annual Powwow celebration at Brown, which similarly only focuses on traditional ceremonies and costumes, futuristic interactive installations can make a more persistent and visual statement about Wampanoags’ present and future existence on campus. I intentionally place the interactive installation on Brown’s College Green, a grassy park serving as a student hub for activities and games. Its open spaces have an advantage over closed buildings in that they allow maximum access to alumni, students, professors, and visitors. The grass and trees of the College Green also echo the Wampanoag spiritual beliefs of protecting Mother Earth and “car[ing] for the land” (Avant 429).
Our Drumbeat, Our Heartbeat consists of four drums triggering waves of light traveling towards a four-meter medicine wheel floating above the area. The interactive design invites Brown students, alumni, professors, and visitors on the Main Green to drum in unison to create an audio-visual extravaganza, the intensity of which is dependent on the pace and intensity of the drumming. Drumming is an indispensable part of Wampanoag culture and practice; it helps the Wampanoags to “live by the rhythms of Mother Earth” and reinforces Wampanoags’ “special relationship to the superior spiritual forces which governed the universe” (Avant 429). Similarly, the medicine wheel in the middle of the installation honors the Wampanoags’ belief in balancing life’s four stages, elements, and seasons. An interactive drumming installation helps the students and faculty understand where their school’s land comes from and the history and spiritual beliefs in this sacred place in a more engaging way.
(more…)Moral Values in Stoicism: Impulse, Evil, and Good
By Delin Liu, VI Form
Moral Values in Stoicism: Impulse, Evil, and Good
Student-Submitted Note: This piece of research work was one that I finished last summer. There are no major parameters that restricted this research, it was a self-guided research project with a mentor that constantly provided me with feedback. The topic was developed by myself, and I was the sole author of this paper. The project focused on the study of philosophy because I was mesmerized by the ideology of stoicism from Dr. Harwood’s philosophy class last fall. The research and writing process took about two months.
Abstract
Stoicism has made massive contributions to the philosophy of life from ancient days. The contemporary world has also witnessed its return. The main question thus pits it against ancient philosophies with the intention to discern if stoicism as a school of thought can be useful in informing man on how to find the so-called good life. This study delves into an analysis of stoicism in three parts. The first part of this proposed paper defines Impulse, Good, and Evil according to Stoic philosophy, intending to show that stoicism has a designated condition for achieving good for all humans. This is further buttressed by the second part that offers insight into the moral value of stoicism, where an exploration of its philosophical and ideological concepts serves to inform on the value it presents towards achieving happiness. Finally, the last part of this research takes into consideration ancient philosophies and the effects of these philosophies on Modern philosophers.
1. Introduction
Stoic philosophy has exerted significant influence over ethical thoughts starting from early Christianity to modern-day philosophy. There is little research that seeks to develop its influence and even appreciates the same. History places Stoics in a position where they have been drivers of claims that some may argue defy common sense and, at the same time, maintain inspiration for defenders of the philosophy’s standards.
The main belief in Stoicism is that our life should be in agreement with nature. This derives from having the ability to reason, thus forming a particular understanding of oneself and their true good. Contrary to Aristotle, whose perception was that virtue is not sufficient for happiness, Stoicism advances that virtue is the ultimate good. It is, therefore, not only necessary but also sufficient to bring happiness. To this end, this discourse shall argue that stoicism is fundamental in human life and can contribute immensely to human being finding their good.
(more…)What a Woman Is
By Katelyn Yang, VI Form
What a Woman Is
Student-Submitted Note: After reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, our class was tasked to write a 4-6 page essay about an important theme of the story or design a piece of media and write a 2-3 page reflection on your piece. I decided to construct historical notes based on the comfort women of Singapore during the Japanese Occupation while comparing them to the Handmaids from The Handmaid’s Tale.
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian fiction and feminist political novel. It is set in the near future and illustrates a group of right-wing extremists who usurp power and institute the Republic of Gilead, a monarchical state of omnipotence. Gilead’s social structure is constitutionally constructed so that men are favored over women. Each woman in Gilead is designated a stereotypical woman job, such as cooking, sex, and reproduction.
The Handmaids, who belong to the lowest class in Gilead, have no control over their lives. Subject to specific gender roles, Handmaids must adhere to these roles due to social and religious constraints. Women in Gilead are essentially men’s property. Once a month, Offred, like the other Handmaids, is forced to engage in sexual intercourse with the Commander to help reproduce and help the rapidly declining population.
During the Ceremony, while Offred and the Commander are having sex, she describes the Commander as “fucking…the lower part of my [Offred’s] body” (Atwood 94), suggesting that they are not “making love” without any emotional connection, precisely what Gilead wants. The propaganda of Gilead frames Offred’s womb as an essential part of society, where she has no bodily autonomy.
(more…)Pursuing My Passion for Finance with the Help of The Class of 1968 V Form Grant
By Kanav Sahani, Class of 2023
Pursuing My Passion for Finance with the Help of The Class of 1968 V Form Grant
Editor’s Note: This project was made possible with the support of the Class of 1968 V Form Fellowship. At their 25th reunion, the Class of 1968 created a fund to provide grants to V Form students for independent study during the school year or, more commonly, during the summer between V and VI Forms. Their intent in establishing this fund was to reward independent thinking, ingenuity, and planning and to encourage the student in exploring non-traditional fields of inquiry or using non-traditional methods of investigation.
Student-Submitted Note: I received the Class of 1968 V form grant so that I could attend a summer program at Bentley University called Wall Street 101.
I chose to attend the Wall Street 101 course at Bentley University because it provided me with a unique opportunity to pursue my passion for finance and experience firsthand the dynamic environment of a real actual trading room, unlike any other program available today.
I developed a keen interest in finance after I watched a Youtube video featuring the renowned Warren Buffett. In the video, Buffet recommended reading The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. Since then, I have enhanced my financial knowledge through books, professionals, internships, Youtube videos, and courses at Wharton and Georgetown. I wanted to share my knowledge, and to do so, I founded the finance club at my former school, Fay, and took on a leadership role in the finance club at St. Mark’s, known as SM Finance. The courses at Bentley taught me three topics that my previous research had not to fully elucidated: Stock Market & Investment Research, Portfolio Management, and Macroeconomy and Financial Markets. I plan to become an investment banker, and this course gave me an overview of all the needed knowledge.
My daily schedule involved attending a class with a professor who delivered us a unique lesson every day, listening to watching a guest speaker who shared valuable insights on finance-related topics, and collaborating with my group on our capstone project.
(more…)The George Hill Burnett History Prize: How Unions Struggle: The 1913-1914 Copper Strike in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
By Avery King, Class of 2023
How Unions Struggle: The 1913-1914 Copper Strike in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Editor’s Note: The George Hill Burnett History Prize is given to commemorate the graduation in 1902 of a grandson of the founder. It is awarded on the basis of a special essay in American history.
The small piece of copper my grandmother kept in her kitchen fascinated me as a child. When she saw me staring at its glowing hues masked by green verdigris, she would smile, explaining that it was shaped like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My dad’s side of the family immigrated to the Upper Peninsula from Finland in the 1880s. I was enthralled by stories about my great-grandfather, who worked for General Motors, and his dad, my great-great-grandfather, who worked in the copper mines. It was only when I got older, however, that I began to realize how important her stories about the copper mines are, not only for my family but for organized labor everywhere.
My great-great-grandfather on the paternal side of my family was a member of the Western Federation of Miners, a prominent mining union that operated in both the Colorado Coal Mines and the Michigan Copper Mines. On the night of Christmas Eve, 1913, my great-great-grandmother, Ida K. Putansu, took her six children (including my great-grandfather Richard Putansu, who was seven years old at the time) to a Christmas Party at Italian Hall in Calumet, Michigan. Italian Hall was a public meeting place and, this night, its second floor was the site of a Union supported Christmas celebration. This meant that one had to show proof of membership in the union or have another union member vouch for them to enter the hall. The party was a nice diversion for the union members, who had been involved in a bitter strike, and their families. The crowded party was full of laughter and celebration until an unknown person shouted, “Fire!” The ensuing chaos left seventy-three people dead.
(more…)The Coleman Prize in English: The Transformative Symbolism of White Flowers: Innocence or Guilt?
By Kelly Yang, Class of 2023
The Transformative Symbolism of White Flowers: Innocence or Guilt?
Editor’s Note: The Coleman Prize in English is awarded to the student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the most outstanding essay during the academic year.
If Dorian Gray were a flower, what kind of flower would he be? In the “Picture of Dorian Gray,” Oscar Wilde uses the Victorian language of flowers to comment implicitly on aestheticism and moral corruption. He reveals the corrupting influence of purely aesthetic lives through the symbol of white flowers. From daisy to narcissus, orchid, and rose, the transformative symbolism of white flowers charts Dorian Gray’s trajectory from a figure of innocence to one of degradation.
Before Dorian Gray is corrupted by a purely aesthetic life, Wilde chooses the symbol of the white daisy to represent Dorian’s innocence and youth. Even before Dorian Gray enters the story, Wilde uses the white daisy to foreshadow Dorian’s loss of innocence. The symbol of the white daisy first appears in a garden, alluding to the Garden of Eden. Just as the Devil corrupts Adam and Eve, Wilde implies that Dorian Gray is doomed to be corrupted by the aesthetic philosophy that Lord Henry inculcates in him. In the grass of the religiously symbolic garden, “white daisies [are] tremulous” (Wilde 6). Daisies are drought-resistant wildflowers that thrive without needing much cultivation (Southern Living Editors). Intentionally placing the wild daisies in the “Garden of Eden,” Wilde suggests the unaffected nature of Dorian Gray, who has not yet been exposed to Lord Henry’s corrupting influence. By using the word “tremulous,” Wilde personifies the daisy, implying that Dorian Gray’s ethical principles are unstable and impressionable, and his understanding of his beauty will be easily subverted by Lord Henry. The symbolism of the white daisy reappears when Lord Henry preaches the significance of vanity and beauty. When Lord Henry mocks Mrs. Hallward as “a peacock in everything but beauty,” he symbolically “pulls the daisies to bits” with his fingers (Wilde 8). By comparing women to peacocks in this simile, Lord Henry dehumanizes women as vain animals that flaunt their tails. His word choice “but” in the phrase “everything but beauty” also disdainfully expresses that he only sees aesthetic values in the external beauty of women and nothing else (Wilde 8; emphasis added). When Lord Henry expresses his philosophy of aestheticism, the daisies, which represent innocence and a lack of worldliness, are torn into pieces, foreshadowing Dorian’s self-destruction due to his indulgent pursuit of beauty (Kirkby 43).
(more…)The Redmond Prize for English Narrative: The Color Of Absurdism
By Ariel Cheng, IV Form
The Color of Absurdism
The Redmond Prize for English Narrative, presented in memory of Henry S. Redmond, Class of 1923, is awarded to the student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding piece of narrative during this academic year.
There you are. Just stay perched on the platform, like a bird about to take flight, for a little while longer. I’ll wade through the dusty coats and heavy smoke and excessive coffee stains. I’ll push past the glowing vending machines and clicking suitcases. While you wait, let me tell you a story.
In the crowd there is a man cupping an orange. Do you see him? From my perspective it looks like a sun, attracting the rush-hour like a moth to a flame. We are in its orbit. Our stares swallow and gulp at the bright flesh, desperate for light and sweat and cold. Now it is sliding down his throat, peeling away like a rollercoaster over a track. But why am I still looking? The man is gone, the orange is gone, their shadows are gone. The train is gone. There and gone.
What is orange, you ask? Have they not covered this in school yet? Orange is a color, a fruit, a symbol of prosperity. But your experience of orange – the orange you see, feel, taste – is unique. I can never know what an orange tastes like for you, or for that lady with the stroller. We are all forever stuck in the cages of our own imaginations.
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LEO 