When signing up for classes, students are given the set list of required credits they need by the end of the year. In that list there are a variety of classes that remain unknown as they are not mentioned by counselors, or they were recently added to the class list.
AP Art history remains an elusive class that a small number of students who are searching for AP credits will find. When students hear about the class, the most common response remains to be “Is that another Art class?” and the response is a blatant no.
The class follows the history and types of art expression from the past as well as the present. There are no art projects that are graded on skill. A majority of the assignments are intended to educate students on the artistic world and not how to perform those artistic abilities.
Mrs. Lee is left with 18 students in her class this year, though it is a small number “It varies year after year.” Despite the small number of students Lee chalks it up to being “hard to find on the registration form” saying how “it’s listed as a fine arts class but it’s more of a humanities.” In truth AP Art History really is hard to find on the registration form, meaning that usually enrolled students are those who hear about it from their friends and teachers.
The year of 2023-24 brought about multiple new classes, the most popular being yoga and ESports. However, within the history department Mrs. Hoodzow has enlisted to teach AP European History.
Though it is new, the majority of the information included in the curriculum was already taught in the other mandatory history classes. “I think that it’s a really kind of fun way to look at a centralized part of history. We usually get a really broad spectrum, and this is much more focused on a specific year and a specific time” Hoodzow comments.
Mandatory history classes teach across the board, whereas students in AP Euro. will be spending an entire year learning about “how the world came together.” claims Hoodzow.
The definition of ‘humanities’ is exceptionally broad, for it encompasses art, history, religion, philosophy, cultures, literature, dancing, etc. As an accidental secret, it is a class that has been offered to juniors and seniors for a couple years. Mrs. Park has only started teaching this year, beginning with a class of 13 students saying how “[she] wants more.” In addition Park voices her reasoning as to why there are so few students in her class, “[they] are not really sure what [the class] is… and they just don’t even want to take it.”
Humanities can be offered as dual credit for colleges in Arizona, meaning that it can be a useful class that students are not aware of. Though other classes such as AP Literature and Composition can be classified as “humanity” the actual class itself specifically teaches about society and its rich history about cultures, art, and morality. This can be more entertaining to students who are looking to get ahead in college.
There are other classes that are offered to students that may be seen as underground or subversive. However AP European History, AP Art History and Humanities are useful classes that can benefit students’ careers in the long run without them even knowing they exist.
