About Me
RELATIONSHIPS
"No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."
-John Donne
DRIVING QUESTIONS:
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How has our culture shaped and changed you?
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Other than people, what do you have deep, meaningful connections with?
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Have you ever been through the end of a relationship?
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How has technology impacted your relationships?
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How well can we really know others and ourselves?
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What is your relationship with violence?
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How can our bonds change over time?
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What makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy?
As we navigate the uncharted waters of 2019 and the years that will follow, many of you will rely on your friends and family for encouragement and guidance. Others will turn to our culture and other communities for support, understanding, and acceptance. During this time, many things may feel unsettled, beyond your control, and unknowable. Perhaps the most truthful thing you can say about your relationships is that they are always changing. We are simultaneously more and less connected to each other than ever, as the readings in this unit will demonstrate. Technology has transformed our relationship not only with each other but also with nature and the environment. Now, instead of going to the park or taking a hike in the woods, you may instead focus on whether you should use the image of the trees or the beautiful trail for your next Snap or Instagram post. You may spend too much time picking the perfect filter. You may miss the scenery and then end up deleting all of the pictures anyways.
What matters most is that we have relationships, for as the pieces in this unit illustrate, it is our relationships - with our community, the natural world, and especially the people we let close to us - that bring the greatest happiness and contribute most to our physical, spiritual, and mental health.
Those connections become a defining part of who we are (identity) and who we want/need to become (credo).
POTENTIAL core texts
UNIT RESOURCES
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"The App Generation" Lecture by Howard Gardner (Youtube)
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"Why our screens make us less happy" Ted Talk by Adam Alter (Youtube)
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"To the Boys Who May One Day Date My Teenage Daughter" by Jesse Parent (Youtube)
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"For My Grandmother" by Phil Kaye (Youtube)
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"Montauk" by Sarah Kay (Youtube)
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"An Origin Story" by Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay (Youtube)
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"19 Mexicans" by Joaquin Zihuatanejo (Youtube)
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Lettermen ESPN Documentary (Link to Short Film)