Continuing our series of spotlighting less-populated classes, this week we are taking a look at the History and the Future class, which is an optional social science elective that has been offered for 30 plus years. The course lasts one semester and mostly seniors are enrolled, but it is offered to 10th-12th graders.

What is History and the Future? 

Mrs. Bigley currently teaches History and the Future, which originally was started by Dr. Jim Cross in the early 1990’s. History and the Future, Mrs. Bigley says, “connects the past, present, and future with relevant topics.” Students do this by looking at “past events to see how they shape current events.” Also, the course has no textbook, which means that students are given more of an opportunity for “conversations and creative projects,” adds Mrs. Bigley.  

Throughout the semester, there are several units that the class studies. Some of these include looking at social media’s impact on mental health, examining how humans affect the environment, analyzing the effects of globalization, just to name a few. Interestingly, a large part of the studying involves watching documentaries related to various topics. These videos vary year-to-year because of availability and student interest; which essentially means that students have some degree of influence to what films are shown in class.

Furthermore, the class also has a major focus on formulating a cohesive opinion. Another large part of the class involves students discussing and collaborating on their positions in class. That’s not all of the important things the class touches on. Here is a list Mrs. Bigley shared that the course teaches: 

*   Analyzing evidence for reliability
*   Ability to articulate and defend a position in an argument
*   Safe practices in social media use
*   Healthy eating options and the ability to create their own meal plan
*   Importance of sleep & stress management
*   Guest speakers on tobacco education prevention and stress management
*   Using better environmentally friendly products
*   Post-high school goals
*   Opportunities to reflect on personal application

Why take History and the Future? 

Of course, History and the Future is not a typical history class by any measure. Mrs. Bigley says that people should join the class because it is “fun and meaningful” and that the content is significantly more present to today. Compared to other classes, the majority of the learning “focuses on current events” and “makes educated guesses on what the future holds,” which may pique the interest of many students. Additionally, Mrs. Bigley tries “to give students as much choice and flexibility as possible when it comes to projects and assessments,” which might interest students who are interested in a “student-directed” approach to learning. 

Griffin Gazette made a poll to learn from students about their interests in the class. Most students said that they love the discussion aspects of the class, as well as watching historical films and videos. 

Aubrielle Walker, a LAHS senior, says that she enjoys the class because it is “fun [to] be able to voice your opinion.” Isaac Travenia, another student, expected the class to involve, “a lot of discussion and movie watching,” and those expectations have been met. 

History and the Future class is a very unique and dynamic class that proves the importance of looking at history to better our society. As stated before, this class is probably one of the most rewarding classes to take because of its relevance to the current world.