50p
Pupils of Philosophy
If you lie awake at night pondering the question “Are people born inherently good or bad?” or find satisfaction in comparing rosy Jean-Jacques Rousseau to disheartening Thomas Hobbes in their contrasting opinions of the State of Nature, or often enter into discussions with the opening argument “It’s just not quite as simple as that”, then PPE is the course for you.
Philosophy, Politics and Economics is one of the newest courses to be offered at Brentwood, presented by two pioneering teachers, Mr Bryant and Ms Steele-MacInnis. By combining their expertise in the fields of English, Law, Debate, and Public Speaking, Mr Bryant and Ms Steele-MacInnis hope this class will “fill the qualification that students in Debate should get when they are researching really tricky resolutions for tournaments and competitions.''
Offered outside of the regular school timetable, and offered to both Grade 11 and 12 students, PPE entices highly motivated and opinionated students, creating what Chiara L, Mack ‘21 describes as “the Illuminati of Debate.”
Mr Bryant explains that this course is especially beneficial because “The scope of the topics are usually well beyond the depth that an ordinary high school course in Social Studies, Science or English can be expected to cover.” To apply these teachings to our classroom setting, “Ms Steele-MacInnis came up with the excellent idea of taking a common UK body of coursework, offered originally by Oxford University, and tailoring the materials to high school students, matching needs of our students and giving them formal credit for work performed in their debate classes.”
In addition to in-depth teachings applicable to multiple areas of senior course material, PPE grants a formal credit of Philosophy 12, a credit not widely available in BC schools.
The majority of learning in the PPE classroom is accomplished through lively discussions, accentuated by opinions not limited to the Brentwood bubble. As Kameel A, Privett ‘22 aptly expresses, “PPE is a unique blend of content, combined with thorough discussion and guest speakers that, together, allow each and every one of us to develop a well-rounded view of the world through multiple perspectives.”
Students of PPE have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of learned concepts through tri-annual assignments, often in the form of essay competitions. The International Public Policy Forum Debating competition, the Aristotle Essay competition presented by the University of Toronto, and essay submissions to the new Dialexicon Journal are just a few examples of the occasions that students were able to put their knowledge and writing skills to the test against hundreds of other young scholars.
PPE is not a course for the faint of heart. It requires significant depth of thinking, the ability to defend an argument and admit when you are proven wrong, and a genuine interest in philosophy through political and economical lenses. For as much effort as is invested into this intriguing course, you are guaranteed to be repaid in new ideas, insights, and freedom of expression in written work and class discussions. As Chiara summarizes, “I joined PPE with the hope of learning about philosophy, but I was able to learn so much more than that.”
Maddy W, Hope ‘21
Philosophy, Politics and Economics is one of the newest courses to be offered at Brentwood, presented by two pioneering teachers, Mr Bryant and Ms Steele-MacInnis. By combining their expertise in the fields of English, Law, Debate, and Public Speaking, Mr Bryant and Ms Steele-MacInnis hope this class will “fill the qualification that students in Debate should get when they are researching really tricky resolutions for tournaments and competitions.''
Offered outside of the regular school timetable, and offered to both Grade 11 and 12 students, PPE entices highly motivated and opinionated students, creating what Chiara L, Mack ‘21 describes as “the Illuminati of Debate.”
Mr Bryant explains that this course is especially beneficial because “The scope of the topics are usually well beyond the depth that an ordinary high school course in Social Studies, Science or English can be expected to cover.” To apply these teachings to our classroom setting, “Ms Steele-MacInnis came up with the excellent idea of taking a common UK body of coursework, offered originally by Oxford University, and tailoring the materials to high school students, matching needs of our students and giving them formal credit for work performed in their debate classes.”
In addition to in-depth teachings applicable to multiple areas of senior course material, PPE grants a formal credit of Philosophy 12, a credit not widely available in BC schools.
The majority of learning in the PPE classroom is accomplished through lively discussions, accentuated by opinions not limited to the Brentwood bubble. As Kameel A, Privett ‘22 aptly expresses, “PPE is a unique blend of content, combined with thorough discussion and guest speakers that, together, allow each and every one of us to develop a well-rounded view of the world through multiple perspectives.”
Students of PPE have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of learned concepts through tri-annual assignments, often in the form of essay competitions. The International Public Policy Forum Debating competition, the Aristotle Essay competition presented by the University of Toronto, and essay submissions to the new Dialexicon Journal are just a few examples of the occasions that students were able to put their knowledge and writing skills to the test against hundreds of other young scholars.
PPE is not a course for the faint of heart. It requires significant depth of thinking, the ability to defend an argument and admit when you are proven wrong, and a genuine interest in philosophy through political and economical lenses. For as much effort as is invested into this intriguing course, you are guaranteed to be repaid in new ideas, insights, and freedom of expression in written work and class discussions. As Chiara summarizes, “I joined PPE with the hope of learning about philosophy, but I was able to learn so much more than that.”
Maddy W, Hope ‘21