As one of the six variants of sophomore English courses offered at Townsend Harris, Wherever You Go, There You Are, taught by English Teacher and UFT Chapter Chair Kevin McDonaugh, explores literature from a psychological angle.
Mr. McDonaugh said the class offers a “Psychoanalytic perspective on literature, which makes students identify how main characters of a story are ignorant of their true self.”
Through analysis of the internal conflicts, and psychological developments of characters within literature, this class aims to better equip students “to bring [their] ‘shadows’ into the light of day, increasing [their] own capacity for self-reflection so that we can become the unique individuals we were born to be,” according to the course guide.
The class also dives into dream analysis, the conscious and unconscious mind, and verbal irony through the play Oedipus Rex. Sophomore Priscilla Devedeux said, “It’s super cool to see how much we don’t know about ourselves. I chose this class because I love fiction,” she said. She believes this class teaches the ability to be a good person without having to be “good” all the time.
Priscilla also said, “A common theme among [the] coursework and characters in the stories that we read is the shadow. Every one of these characters has had some plague in their life and goes through a huge change once they come to a realization.”
Sophomore Pekko Hau said, “I really like how he makes his class feel very welcoming and engaged. He gives us enough time to finish essays and assignments and always greets everyone as they come in and leave.”
Sophomore Michelle Shi said she appreciates the lessons about the subconscious, the perception of others and the world, and the concept of fate. She said, “They push us to look past what we would like to think about our realities and consider what we might really be going through subconsciously.”
“When I first read through the class descriptions, this class immediately caught my eye. Its class description was nuanced and like no other ELA class I could’ve imagined,” Michelle said.
Reflecting on the class himself, Mr. McDonough said, “It is my hope and belief that by bringing something mysterious but personal to every one of us, how dreams work and [the idea of] depth psychology, into the classroom, students will be inspired to look at themselves and the world in a unique way — a way that can benefit them throughout the rest of their lives, when writing essays no longer matters.”
Sophomore English electives offer students a chance to choose their English course based on different thematic topics. Earlier this month, this year’s freshmen ranked their top choices for next year’s selective courses.
