High School Philosophy Unit: Transcendentalism

If the United States has its own philosophical tradition, it’s Transcendentalism, a wide-reaching school of thought that spread across U.S. intellectual circles in the 19th century. It borrowed some ideas from Asian philosophies and definitely reacted to some of the rationalism of the Enlightenment, but it carved out a niche as a philosophy that both encouraged and emphasized individualism AND insisted on the importance of community and connection. Antiracist, antisexist, and antiabsolutist, Transcendentalism is a fascinating school of thought to explore. In this one-semester, 10-lesson course, we will dig into the essential tests of Transcendentalism, including works by Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller as well as modern takes on Transcendental thinking. This unit includes a midterm exam and a final project.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND INSIDE:
Files: Unit Study Guide, including all required readings, How to Read a Book, Using the Good Thinkers Toolkit
**All required readings are included in this unit.

This is a high school level unit, designed for students who are already familiar with the basic elements of literature (plot, character, theme, setting, etc.) and who are comfortable applying those skills to texts. Like most high school level curricula, it includes works that could be rated M for Mature. If mature content is a concern for you with your student, I encourage you to preview texts to asses your personal comfort level. (I read these texts with my own high school student and teach them in high school classes, but comfort levels can be very personal things.) This is a completely secular program.

(This full unit, including supplemental lectures, is available as part of the Deep Thought Year 2 curriculum. Lectures are not included with this product.)

Credit recommendations: 0.5 philosophy credit
Placement recommendation: This is a high school level unit, designed for students who are comfortable reading and understanding complex texts. Enlightenment philosophy is a helpful, though not essential, prerequisite.

Because of the nature of digital publications, all sales are final. If you have questions, please ask before you buy!