'AP African American Studies' and 'Psychology and Literature' Debut in Classrooms

Ms. Aly and the class psychoanalyze a new piece of literature. *Photo: Lizi Sokhadze*

By LIZI SOKHADZE

Aleksa Katsiashvili contributed to this article.

This school year, Midwood is offering two brand new English electives: Psychology and Literature and AP African American Studies.

Psychology and Literature is a new course created by Ms. Menat Aly. In the class, students learn psychological theories and then apply them to fiction to get a better understanding of the characters and authors.

The course helps students interpret the deeper meanings behind a text and forge connections between the text and the real world, Ms. Aly explained. It’s a course for juniors and seniors who want to go “beyond the classroom,” she said, “to where we’re not just thinking about words and writing but also reflecting on ourselves and the world around us.”

Senior Dasha Gornyachek said she likes the course better than most English classes because the workload is not overwhelming but it keeps students “stimulated.”

“The way you can apply psychology to authors from such a long time ago, seeing their background, their childhood, and their psychological influences in the text they produced” is an interesting approach, Gornyachek said.

“They’re using these concepts to reflect on their unconscious mind, their relationships in life, and just their view of the world,” said Ms. Aly.

“I like that this is more discussion-based,” said senior Alexandra Olash. “I would recommend this class to most people, especially those who’d rather debate and discuss than do everything on paper.”

Kaylani McCall ‘25 said, “This is my first psychology-related class, and I definitely would want to take more in the future.”

Recently, the class had a psychiatrist come as a guest speaker to discuss mental health. Ms. Aly is also planning a trip to visit a museum. But her ambitions don’t end there. “I feel like it’d be really interesting and fun to further expand [the course] and do it more than one year,” she said.

Our other new English elective is AP African American Studies, headed by Dr. Simone English. It’s a pilot class from the College Board in its first year, meaning that it is currently being tested out in some schools before being fully introduced to others.

Dr. English decided to teach this course because of “a desire to provide a comprehensive and inclusive education that includes diverse perspectives and histories,” she said.

Besides “heavy and tough” but also “empowering” and “hopeful” conversations, the class features a lot of interactive projects. “I brought in drums, tambourines, and other African musical instruments for each student to access,” Dr. English said. “They sang and really enjoyed it.” The students also designed African masks, painted them, and presented them to the class.

In May, Dr. English’s students will visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. “If dreams could become a reality, I would take all the students on a visit to the [African] continent – maybe Ghana,” she said.

Dr. English’s third-period class holds a variety of students with a wide range of backgrounds. However, they agreed on the necessity of this research-based course to exist at Midwood.

“I am African American and I’ve never been taught too in-depth about my own history,” said junior Hayden Hall. “I had to do that on my own and I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to do it now.”

“In the beginning, I was nervous, but I definitely wanted to get outside of my comfort zone and learn more about the diaspora and how I can stand in solidarity with Black people,” said senior Suzie Wu. “As an Asian person, I wanted to educate myself, get myself in the community, and understand everything.”

Wu said that discussions in the class are “free-flowing” and students “bounce off of each other.” Even if you don’t speak up, the class feels like a whole conversation, she said.

“I definitely feel like this is one of the best choices I’ve ever made in my courses in Midwood,” Wu said.

AP African American Studies has been “super informative” for senior Sonia Rosa. “I feel like no matter what ethnicity you are, it’s really important to know other people’s history as well as your own,” she said. “I love learning about different cultural practices as well as the issues that many African Americans have faced.”

“Because it’s a pilot class, there are no practice exam questions,” Rosa said, “but I feel like Dr. English has really guided us through. We have a lot of different discussions about not just past issues but modern-day issues, too.”

Currently, there is only one section of the class. Students who want to take it are required to write a short essay explaining why they’re interested.

Hall encourages students to take this course because “it’s something new, it’s something fresh, and it’s something different.”