BELFAST - On a recent fall afternoon at Belfast Area High School, a group of sophomores were debating the specifics of inter-regional trade in ancient Mesopotamia. Nearby, their classmates were analyzing the family values of ancient Greek society from Homer’s Iliad. Another group was discussing the strategies used by ancient Israelite rulers to secure resources.

This is Global Studies, a course that covers the entirety of human history, from the roots of civilization to the present day. It is reputed to be the hardest class at the high school.

Part of this could be attributed to the fact that Global Studies consists of two classes: Advanced Placement World History and Honors English II. The students study history with Molly Ross during one period, then move to Megan Oliver’s room, where they delve into the literature of the time period.

“This class is beastly,” says Ross, who has taught the class since its inception twelve years ago.

But the grueling workload has not deterred students. This year, 27 students signed up for Global Studies, the most ever. For the first time, there are two Global Studies classes, referred to as “Team Kubilai” and “Team Genghis,” after Ross’s favorite historical figures. When asked about these interesting choices for favorites, Ross explains that she is fascinated by the dynamics of power. Many students draw their own connections between Global Studies and brutal Mongol conquest.  

This year’s schedule allows Ross and Oliver to bring the two groups together on occasion, something they have been wanted to do for years.

On that fall afternoon, Ross and Oliver had brought their students down to the chorus room to brainstorm for their first Five Themes assignment. This assignment asks the students to explore five broad topics: interaction between humans and the environment; development and interaction of cultures; state building and conflict; creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and development and transformation of social structures. The students must complete this assignment for each of the class's six units. The breadth of the Five Themes assignment reflects the goals and challenges of the class: it requires the students to condense centuries of history, art, and human development into two-paragraph chunks.

Belfast High School is one of the few high schools in Maine that offers AP classes to sophomores — most reserve these high-level courses for juniors and seniors. Yet the primary reason why Global Studies is offered to sophomores is a practical one: world history is typically the second-year social studies subject. Ross enjoys the challenge of teaching a college-level class to fourteen and fifteen year-olds.

“I like being students’ first AP teacher,” says Ross.

By starting early, she says, she “sets the tone” for the students’ future AP classes and helps them hone their information gathering, writing, and analytical skills.

“I like the challenge of breaking things down for students,” she says.

Oliver, who started teaching the English portion of Global Studies several years ago, agrees that Global Studies is “incredibly challenging.” The class also demands a high level of responsibility from the students, who are expected to do their reading without the threat of pop quizzes or regular reading checks.

Global Studies asks students to make big connections over time and space, such as the relationship between trade along the Silk Road and the occurrence of the Black Plague, the similarities and differences between Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and trans-Saharan trade routes, or the parallels between China’s Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire.

Oliver says she hopes the course can give students “a perspective on the vastness of the world and history.”

Because of the difficulty of teaching such a class, Ross and Oliver are happy to have each other.

“Team teaching is the most professionally rewarding experience for a teacher,” Ross says. “It gives us a chance to talk about the craft of teaching.”

For team teaching to work, the two educators must have compatible methods and personalities. Both Ross and Oliver value clarity in their teaching styles.

“We’re mildly OCD,” Ross admits. “We are constantly reworking the class to make the material as accessible as possible for the students, and we appreciate each others’ critiques.”

“We are both very blunt and clear,” says Oliver, “and there’s also a level of fun to it.”

Leander Andrews, a current Global Studies student, acknowledges the demanding workload.

“You have to be motivated,” he says.

Other students echo that feeling. One described it as having to learn “all of history!”

Despite the rigor, many students take pride in their sticking with the class.

“Its academically much harder [than other history classes],” says Jesse Snider, my younger brother who is currently enrolled in the class, “you have to put a lot of time and effort into the workload.”

For some it takes time to fully appreciate the lessons of Global Studies. Carson Beck, now a sophomore at Mount Allison University, did not enjoy Global Studies when he took the class but says that “even in university, no class has taught me more.”

Of all his high school courses, Beck says, Global Studies focused on the “foundation of academics” more than any other.

“When I say foundation of academics, I mean how they prepare you for higher learning,” he says. “[Ross and Oliver] not only taught me how to write an essay, but burned it into my memory. […] I would have failed almost everything my first year of university if it wasn’t for Mrs. Ross and Ms. Oliver.”

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Global Studies is champa rice,” says Krissy Martin, now a sophomore at University of Maine at Orono. Martin says she no longer remembers the historical significance of the term, but has come to associate it with late nights of studying and early morning classes with her close friends and “two of the most dedicated teachers at BAHS.”   

Thanks to the college credit she earned in Global Studies and other AP classes, Martin will graduate a year early from college.

Students refer to the class by the acronym GFS. When asked about the significance of the “F”, Mrs. Ross laughs. She says that one day during the first year of teaching the course she saw a student writing the the letters GFS in his homework planner. She asked him what the “F” stood for.

“Fun,” he replied. The name stuck.

Ari Snider is a senior at Belfast Area High School. Penbaypilot.com previously republished writings from his travel blog Belfast/Belgique.