Beyond the Brentwood Bubble in Comparative Cultures 12
Our school is a collaboration of many different cultures and experiences. Meeting people from all around the world is one of the most amazing things about going to Brentwood. These international connections made at Brentwood support students throughout their post-secondary journey as they grow and explore the world on their own. Taught by Mr Pasquale, Comparative Cultures 12 goes hand in hand with Brentwood’s philosophy of embracing and celebrating people from all around the world.
So far, the class has explored anthropology and surfaced from deep-dive looks into cultures indigenous to different areas of the world and the relationship between culture, art and architecture. Basma J, Allard ‘25, says “We’ve been learning all about broadening our perspectives on the world around us” which is exactly what anthropology is all about.
In our first unit, we explored much of extremely successful Brentwood alumni, Wade Davis’ work in anthropology. Mr Davis, Privett ‘71, made a name for himself by immersing himself in cultures worldwide, most notably in Columbia along the Magdalena River in South America. Our class watched his TED Talks an
d read an article of his in Rolling Stone. His unique perspective, accumulated from his experiences worldwide, helped our class learn about the evolution of anthropology, widening our understanding of respecting cultures and being open to lives unlike our own.
Maren S, Alex ‘25 says “My favourite thing about this class is that we can analyze and understand cultures that intrigue us, whether we have connections to it or not”. A big part of this class is open dialogue, and sharing experiences, opinions and ideas, while simultaneously learning from each other. Mr. Pasquale describes the class as a “course of variety with cultures, a global course, which is why students enjoy it”.
As Brentwood prepares students to become young adults in the real world, Comparative Cultures 12 promotes a skill that will be useful in all of our futures: the skill of structured, open-minded expression and communication.
Ella W, Mack ‘25