Sequence Spotlights
Gabriella Jungwirth
Can you talk about your professors in this course?
This year we have been lucky enough to have three amazing professors. Doctor Grace Coolidge has been with us since the beginning of the school year and has been incredibly supportive and helpful in our growth throughout the year. Doctor Coolidge begins each class with explanatory lectures where she bridges the readings we have done with what was going on during that time of history. Following her lecture, there is plenty of time for an in depth discussion where we are able to voice our opinions and ideas about what we have learned and ask any questions we may have. She is very supportive and understanding of both our academic and private life and is willing to give us the assistance we need to succeed, including extensions as needed. Doctor Diane Wright was with us for the first semester and was incredibly helpful in our study of the art and literature aspect throughout Europe’s history. She is an incredibly supportive professor and is a great person to talk to about what we’re learning in class as well as what is going on in our lives. Her classes consist mostly of discussion of the texts we have read and the art we have looked at, though she does begin class with a short PowerPoint presentation. She is always willing to answer any questions we have about the course and offers assistance where we need it. Professor Isabelle Cata joined us in the second semester and structured her class in a mostly discussion based way. We begin our discussions in small groups where we come up with ideas and questions from what we have read and then bring that information into a whole class discussion. Professor Cata is very generous and supportive of our educational growth and is always willing to answer any questions we may have. Though there is a lot of reading in this class along with about six papers a semester, this course offers a lot more than just information about European history.
What has been your favorite part of this class?
My favorite part about this class has been the group presentations we have been able to do both semesters. Both Doctor Wright and Doctor Cata split us into small groups and allowed us to give input in which texts we led a lesson on. The days where we would present, the professors would sit on the side and allow us to have free reign of how we led discussions. We were able to put together an entire lesson and have a lot of fun with our classmates when engaging in interactive and informative discussions and activities on a specific text or film.
How has this class helped you in your other classes/ future career?
As I said earlier, there is a good amount of writing in this class, including multiple annotated bibliographies. With this being said, our professors grade with an attention to detail as well as a lot of feedback. Just this year, I have seen a large change in my writing and have seen this transfer over to other classes. The annotated bibliographies we did were incredibly helpful in preparing us for how to properly write and format them in the future. These assignments have made writing in other classes feel much easier and have released a lot of the pressure that comes from writing essays.
What is your biggest takeaway from your sequence?
Throughout the entire year, we have spent the majority of our time together in large discussions. These discussions have not only allowed us to voice our opinions and hear those of others, they have also helped us grow in our ability to understand the true and deeper meaning behind literature and art and see how they relate to history. This class has helped me understand how important it is to learn about and truly understand history and how we need to be active members of society rather than bystanders. In addition, this class has helped me get better at time management as some of the readings take longer than assignments in other classes might.
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