Humanities

Our vision

Our Humanities offer for Wren students includes History, Geography, Religious Studies and Citizenship, where we aim to inspire three primary attributes for our students:

1. A sense of curiosity and engagement in the world around us.
2. A critical desire to understand and challenge the consensus from a position of knowledge.
3. An increased awareness of, and ability to tackle, ignorance in all its forms.

 

1. A sense of curiosity and engagement in the world around us:

Humanities is ultimately the study of human activity. In Geography, we consider the planet on which we live, and our impact upon it; in History the myriad of decisions, developments and legacies that have led to modern constructs being the way they are. In Citizenship, we examine these modern constructs to contextualise our understanding of how we can contribute to our society, and through RS, we consider the big questions of our existence, and the different ways these questions have been answered around the world through major religions. Through all of this, we aim to inspire students to understand the world into which they were born, and to begin to ask questions of it in order to become responsible global citizens.

2. A critical desire to understand & challenge the consensus from a position of knowledge:

Alongside student engagement with why the world is the way it is, the skills we develop through humanities, enable students to challenge the norm, to question the existing knowledge and to develop their own opinion. Crucial to this is the ability to use evidence to construct a logical, persuasive, justified, and original argument. We aim to support students to become more than receptors of accepted knowledge: they should become the creators, refiners and critics of that knowledge. This focus on analysis and understanding will help prepare students for the challenges of the 21^st century and life after school.

3. An increased awareness of, and ability to tackle, ignorance and inequality in all its forms:

Part of engaging with humanities must involve coming face to face with the problems of the world, including questions of geo-politics, historical legacy, and global inequality. Through a diverse humanities curriculum, we aim to arm students with the knowledge, confidence, and desire to combat these inequalities in all their forms. Through engaging in challenging global discussions of migration, post-colonialism, and sexuality amongst others, we hope to facilitate students in understanding the part they can play in working towards a better future for all and to develop a self-reflective outlook based on tolerance and celebration of our diverse world.