Mexico City at PDS

Welcome to Mexico City at PDS, an interdisciplinary course at Princeton Day School. This course is centered around the Essential Question, “What are our responsibilities to each other?” Students explore this Question through the lens of Mexico City, a locale rich for interdisciplinary study.

Why Mexico City? Mexico City is the epicenter of Mexico’s turbulent, vibrant, and fascinating history. Mexico City is at once a foreign city, shrouded in myth and prejudice . Yet Mexico City, or Distrito Federal, affects our lives on a daily basis through e-commerce, trade, immigration, narcotics, and security. Mexico City lends itself to interdisciplinary study, in a timely and relevant context. “The makeover of Mexico City” is a prime example of the intertwining nature of Mexico City’s challenges.

Why interdisciplinary study? The problems faced by the Distrito’s residents and leaders cannot be solved by one discipline or approach. Potential solutions will draw from history, anthropology, gender studies, biology, environmental science, urban studies, literature, and language. In an increasingly complex world, fueled by the rise of globalization and the Internet, education cannot be pigeonholed into one discipline. Students must have both fluency in multiple disciplines, and the ability to synthesize what they learn, to create nuanced and powerful answers.

Over the course of four weeks, students develop the skills necessary for disciplinary fluency in history, science, and literature. Each week focuses on one discipline, and, within that discipline, a specific topic. For example, Week 1  is history, anthropology, and gender studies. The Disciplinary Theme is Membership, and accompanying disciplinary questions include, “What does it mean to be a member of society?” and “What responsibilities do different members of society have to one another? (Think government to people, neighbor to neighbor, etc).” Students learn about the rise of feminicidio in Edomex (a region of Mexico City), and explore the implications of gender-based responsibilities. Lessons are supplemented by reflections, discussions, and weekly projects. During the class’ final week, students are asked to bring their disciplinary skills to bear on a given case study. The case study does not fall neatly into history, biology, nor literature. Rather, a substantive solution will require an interdisciplinary approach. The ability to synthesize different areas of information is the hallmark of an interdisciplinary education.

What questions do we ask? The Essential Question serves as the conceptual structure and focus for the course. This year, the Essential Question is “What responsibilities do we have to each other?” This question draws on themes of moral responsibility, social justice, and activism. It explores the theme of community, especially when that community stems from a dense population facing significant problems. At first glance, one might suspect an individual will fend for themselves. This way of living can threaten a democratic approach to confronting social problems (democracy as stemming from community participation). The benefit of this question is it can be applied to the Princeton Day School community.  In our own community, most are focused on their own futures and successes (given the pressures of the education system). Within the culture of individual success, we often earn for a sense of “one for all, all for one.” Discussing what responsibilities we have to each other can begin more conversations about collaboration, community service, and how to build a functional social contract. Each discipline also have respective Disciplinary Questions and Themes to guide discussions and research.

What skills do we develop? Each discipline has its own set of skills, which are cultivated through a series of activities and projects each week. The final week consists of synthesizing these skills to produce solutions to the Essential Question. Examples of skill sets include:

• Active reading
• Listening
• Critical analysis (of written, visual, and spoken sources)
• Making arguments and drawing conclusions
• Using digital media to convey knowledge
• Data collection and analysis
• Speaking (presentations, debates, and simulations)