Wendy's Classes

Hello homeschoolers!  I am working on the content for the fall classes, and homeschool class spaces are going very fast!  If you’re interested in anything being offered, please reach out.  I can provide you with more details and a preliminary syllabus.  As always, more information may be found on Homeschoolny and NYCHEA email lists.  Be sure to join them to keep up to date on homeschool happenings!

Medieval History! – using the Met and written primary sources as our guides

Medieval Literature! – starring Boethius, Augustine, Chaucer, Boccaccio, and the lost writers of the Tain, Mabinogion, Icelandic Sagas, Song of Roland and more!

The Universe! – Cosmology, Astronomy, Astrophysics, and the crossroads of science and culture!

Issues in the Ancient World! – Colonialism, Racism, Orientalism, Religion and all of the other ways in which we make assumptions about Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Andean peoples, Mesoamericans, and more!

Paranormal and History! – Studying world and US history through the lens of the “unexplained” – haunted castles, alien assumptions, vampires, ghosts and other examples of the otherworldly as our lens!

Governments! – using the AP Comparative Government exam as our guide to comparing the governments of China, Iran, Great Britain, Nigeria, and Mexico…as well as others, based on student interest!  More US focus available, too!

AP styled courses in US History and Europe!, but with many additional twists and museum explorations!

I am also delighted to finish the fine-tuning on my Hunter College syllabi.  Religious Experience, Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Religions of Mexico, Central and South America, and Astrology and World Religions are offered.

I’m looking forward to a great 2019-2020 year!

How Do We Look: Art and Image through the Ages will be offered next.  This class is loosely based on Mary Beard’s book, How Do We Look, and applied to the Met’s collections on Egyptian, Greek, Mesoamerican, West African, Christian, Islamic, and Renaissance Art.  How do the Met’s “masterpieces” convey meaning? How is the human figure shown?  Why is this controversial in different historical periods?  What does this tell us about culture and about ourselves?

Proposed Dates:

Tuesday, July 2 11-1 pm  Younger students (7ish and up)

2-4 pm  Tweens and Teens

Thursday, July 11  1-3  Teens

Friday, July 19       5-7 pm High School

Shifting the Gaze:  African Identities in Art begins with Titus Kaphar’s painting, “Shifting the Gaze” at the Brooklyn Museum and then examines other works of art, from antiquity to modern, that bring into question Eurocentric bias.   It’s a bit of art history, a bit of colonialist history, and a walkthrough of one of the most spectacular museums in New York.

Proposed Dates:

Thursday, July 11

5-7 pm  High School

Wednesday, July 24 

1-3 pm  Tweens and Teens

The Empire of TIBET offers another perspective, as does the Rubin Museum.   I will be holding a one day class on FRIDAY, JULY 12 from 6-8 pm for our teens who want to explore the Rubin, the concept of empire, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet’s neighbors, and current political issues facing Tibet, China, and the region at large.

Interested?  Let me know at wendyraver@hotmail.com for more information!

New Classes!  New Exhibits!  New Students!   Most of the continuing classes are full, but I’m delighted to offer a few new spring and summer one days, including History and Science, Empires, and new museum based classes!

Image from the new ISAW exhibit, “Hymn to Apollo:  The Ancient World and the Ballet Russes”

New Class!   Science and History – High Schoolers!

Do you love science, but hate history?  Do you love history, but hate science?  Can we study science through the study of history, and study history through the study of science, walking away with a good sense of these disciplines?

I’m designing a course that helps to bridge the gap between these worlds, sort of like a SHTEAM instead of just STEM or STEAM. Topics include forensics (from ancient Egyptian and Peruvian mummies to bog bodies, and more), DNA (what can DNA tell us about genetics, migration, adaptability, and evolution), climate change (how can we determine climate change over time and is there ancient evidence for climate change), technology (early attempts at artificial intelligence, inventions, etc), epidemiology (what can we learn about diseases in the ancient and medieval world through modern methodology), botany (plant evolution, GMOs, mind alternating substances and their uses), astronomy (ancient understanding of the sky), physics (before and after Aristotle’s four elements), and medicine (surgeries, cures and more).   We’ll meet at the Met, AMNH, and other locations throughout the city.

I will offer a few sections of an INTRO class, spanning different topics to gain a feel for what interested teens like and the days/times available, and then work on a syllabus reflecting their interests.  The target age group is 16 up, as the course is primarily college prep, but if there is interest in a middle school or early high school group, please reach out.  

Here are some proposed days/times for the trial:

Wednesday, January 9  2-4 pm

Thursday, January 10 2-4 pm

Sunday, January 13, 2-4 pm

The trial class will be $25, and will include museum admission (we will probably meet first at the AMNH)

If you’re interested for your teen, please message me:

-your student’s name and age

-the day(s) you are available for the trial

-special areas of interest

Happy New Year to All!

Teens!  Swing by for some last minute December one day classes on Delacroix and the 19th century, Armenia and the Medieval World, and some Treasure Hoards!  Email me at wendyraver@hotmail.com for details!

The fall semester filled up quickly, and winter session is also filling up fast!  Check offerings under “Classes Offered” or email me directly!

How can we use museum collections and popular culture to better understand themes in history and the humanities?  We will be exploring heroes such as Hercules, considering cultural appropriation and Chinese-Tibet relations, World War II, the Cold War, the mythic Hero’s Journey of Joseph Campbell, and African colonialism and imperialism — all through the lens of the Marvel Universe (plus a little DC, too).   Email me at professorwraver@yahoo.com for more information!

ANCIENT AMERICAS (Wednesday afternoons/Friday afternoons)

APPROACHES TO LITERATURE takes on Ursula Le Guin and issues of gender in science fiction. Tuesdays early afternoon

Close reading of PLATO’S REPUBLIC on Tuesday afternoons

Interested?  Email Wendy at wendyraver@hotmail.com or professorwraver@yahoo.com.  Classes begin during the first week of May, and extend to the second week of June