[LeftIsSinister]

I went to the Georgia equivalent, GHP, in 1991. It was a competitive program where you picked a "major," took written tests, and went through an interview. Any student with even a slight interest in advanced classes knew about it.

Selected students spent six weeks at Valdosta State. We weren't allowed to bring cars or to ever leave campus except with parents, or on supervised Sunday afternoon trips to a nearby shopping center. I blame these regulations on the liabilities of being in charge of a bunch of high schoolers, not necessarily on some twisted agenda.

Anyway, I spent six weeks learning about math and goofing off in the dorms. My "minor" was music, and the worst mental torture I experienced was our embarrasingly bad music minor concert at the end of the program. All in all, it seemed pretty harmless. We had nothing like what's described in this article as "Area II" or "Area III."

While I can't defend what these instructors have done, this is the sort of situation that well-adjusted teenagers should be able to handle. I know I had a lot of irrational and just plain stupid thoughts as a teenager, and fought with my parents over trivial things, but I guess I placed a lot of emphasis on self-preservation and never really considered suicide. I think these kids were just messed up to begin with and this program opened the floodgates.

[Aquinasfan]

Your nickname tells me you're on to something. This was posted on the National Conference of Governor's Schools discussion board:

Begin to Share

Name: Daniel Hocutt
Email: dhocutt@richmond.edu

Comments

What kind of resources are programs developing or considering as a response to the tragedies of September 11 and the ongoing fear that anthrax scares are generating? At the Governor's School for Humanities and Visual & Performing Arts at the University of Richmond, some of the Humanities faculty develop a course last year (2001) called "Head to Head and Worlds Apart." The course examined the question, "What happens when cultures collide?" and studied several cultures and movements, including the Taliban, to foster appreciation for the difficult plight many people experience. They were even able to bring in a teen Afghan regugee to meet with the students and share his horrific experiences. How serendipitous and tragic at the same time! I am working to get a copy of their syllabus available online for others to share.

Here is a copy of the course's description.

"What happens when cultures collide? In this course we will consider the ramifications of cultural contact, conflict, and change through the lens of historical perspective and future projection. We will have the opportunity to come face to face with survivors of cultural clashes from such venues as Afghanistan and West Africa. Through field trips and reading we will look far afield at the tragedy of the Holocaust and reflect upon the legacy of cultural divide within our own country.[!] From contemporary headlines we will select, research, and compile case studies to be presented to a Model World Court."

Nothing to see here. Move along.