MOONSHOT ACADEMY

MOONSHOT ACADEMY

Douglas Abrahamson

Head of English Department

Mr Abrahamson earned a Bachelor of Arts (History) at the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Winnipeg. He taught in Canada but has spent most of his career teaching MYP Social Studies, DP History, and Theory of Knowledge in Japan. He joined MSA in 2020.

In addition to English Department duties, Mr Abrahamson teaches Advanced World Literature and Advanced World History.

Curriculums2

ENGL6001: Advanced World Literature

Our English World Literature is designed for learners who are looking for an opportunity to explore literature from around the world at an advanced level. Over the course of the year, we’ll cast a large net: in terms of literary genres, we’ll look at novels and short stories, as well as drama, poetry, and literary nonfiction. Through a comparative and thematic approach, we’ll look at literature from a diverse range of cultures, including the Caribbean, Japan, Nigeria, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and England. This course will give learners front-row seats for insights into how people think and experience the world. It will expand our imaginative and emotional vocabularies and it will give us reference points for understanding the people around us. Academically, learners taking this course will become more sensitive and articulate writers and more perceptive readers. These skills will support learning in other academic disciplines and help you make a smooth transition into university.

WHIS6001: Advanced World History

History is all around us. Beijing is steeped in it. And within this city, our school has its own, brief but fascinating history. Each class you are currently studying, be it mathematics, physics, art, or literature has its own rich history. And of course you too have your own, equally amazing history that is so full of the choices you made or the ways chance may have led you to the path you’re on! With just a little reflection, we can see how these strands come together in so many bewildering ways that can make history both a unique and shared experience. How are we to understand these thick webs of intersecting timelines? What do they mean? In one way or another, we can make sense of these. Yet what the historian argues is that some ways are better than others. It is by attempting to understand past human experience methodologically – by identifying patterns of continuity and change, comparing and contrasting past civilisations and events, and exploring the role of human agency within larger patterns, we can say something both true and profound about who we are, where we come from, and perhaps even where we’re going.

This course will attempt to do so. Over two semesters, we’ll explore a thousand years of world history from roughly 1000 CE to 2000 CE. Themes such as empire, trade, ideas, conflict, and revolutions will be looked at in terms of how they affected individuals, nations, cultures, and, indeed, the world. By taking this course, you will be - not just a curious bystander - but by piecing together a range of primary and secondary documents, you will be actively engaged in the work of a historian. You will be bringing the past back to life in a meaningful way. And importantly, you will be creating a new web of understanding that helps you think about time and our place in it. You’ll be less surprised when the unexpected happens and with that knowledge comes a powerful sense of freedom and agency.

Projects3

Kapuscinski's Iran: A Poland in Disguise?

Disciplines/Subjects: AP English Language and Composition Key Themes: In his reporting on the Iranian revolution, Ryszard Kapuscinki created a narrative that seemed to speak beyond that singular moment. Under the surface, readers found allegories, parallels, and universal truths about the nature of revolutions, political power, continuity, and change. Framing these (and controversially potentially compromising the reportage on them) is the artistic power of Kapuscinski's poetic imagination which in turn opens questions about the conventions and responsibilities of the artist and reporter in their relationship to language itself. We read this text in the second semester as a way to deepen our reading and writing skills for the course. It allowed for the presentation of a range of texts (historical writing, speeches, conventional journalism, opinion writing, and literary work) and allowed for a deep examination of the conventions of them - something we began in the previous unit with the conventions of scientific texts. At the same time, this unit allowed students to learn about two important parts of the world that they might not be too familiar with. The summative assessment for the unit provides the learners with the opportunity to refine and extend their skills on an AP-style assessment: either the synthesis or analytical essay.

Presenting the "Hero"

Disciplines/Subjects: Advanced World Literature Key Themes: In this study of Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time, we explore how Lermontov's romanticism shapes themes such as "the edges of empire", "agency & fate", and "loyalty & betrayal". The unit begins with an introduction to imperial Russian history and culture and how these were shaped both by internal and external influences, such as geopolitical, intellectual, and artistic currents. With this base, over a month we explore how Lermontov explored such issues in his classic novel A Hero of Our Time (1841). The summative assessment for the unit is for learners to plan and perform a presentation that both knowledgeably and creatively explores an artistic or thematic concern that arises from the text.

The Fall of the Ming: A Case Study of Causation in History

Disciplines/Subjects: Advanced World History Key Themes: In this unit, we discuss issues regarding the rise and fall of political systems and the role that individuals, structures, and political, economic, social, and environmental factors can play in this process. The topic is embedded within our larger unit of land empires in the 1450 - 1750 period and represents a good opportunity for a deep dive into historiographical skills and some local Beijing history. We start with a survey of how historians can present explanations for how and why "events happen" and the implications these hold in terms of our understanding of human agency and historical determinism. From there, we explore issues in late Ming history such as corruption, the "Little Ice Age", rebellions, and geopolitical challenges. In the end, learners need to make a sophisticated argument that balances their new historical thinking skills and use of historical sources. The summative assessment for the unit is for learners to write an academic essay that can expertly analyze and evaluate the causes of the event in the case study.