A course catalog blast from the past

At Samo, there are plenty of courses that students can opt to take. These classes range from advanced math classes like multivariable calculus to intriguing art electives, like digital design and film. However, there are a couple of courses that have been discontinued throughout Samo’s history that many current students do not know were ever even available. Let’s take a look at some of Samo’s unique and forgotten gems. Bible as Literature (Semester Long):This class was the first semester of a unique, joint-literature class. Taught by Berkeley Blatz, a retired Samo teacher and alumnus, Bible as Literature discussed the Bible through frequent roundtable discussions about students’ current thoughts on their readings and the motifs they would notice.“We studied sections of the Bible, from beginning to end, as a work of literature: themes, characterization, symbolism, stylistic techniques and a wide variety of literary genres,” Blatz said.The course would also talk about the Bible’s influence on more modern literature, art and music. After its introduction in the 1970s, the course became very popular. Surprisingly, the class never seemed to conflict with the differing religious backgrounds of Samo students. Existential Literature (Semester Long):In the second-half of the school year, Bible Literature transitioned into Existential Literature, also taught by Blatz. The class focused on  authors such as Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kafka, Camus and Sartre, all of whom had written work with recurring themes revolving around the concept of meaninglessness and nothingness. This class literally taught “nothing!” To review each book, the class would discuss the novels together each and every week, giving the class a book-club feeling. Women’s Literature:This course was discontinued just last year with the departure of Tisha Rikley from Samo’s staff. While it was still offered, Mariam Kaddoura (’10) took the course during her tenure at Samo and enjoyed the class’ comprehensive nature.“We looked at literature written by women—not just the 20th century and after… We looked at any examples we could find historically,” Kaddoura said.Once the class decided upon a book, they would dissect it just like any other English elective course, focusing on overall themes of the book and literary techniques of the authors. The class merged into a great combination of appreciation towards female authors as well as learning about writing in advanced ways. Typing:Although now thought of as an archaic class, the typing course was once ahead of its time. This course would give each student a typewriter and teach them the basics—how to adjust the settings, how to indent, etc. Students would be tested on their words-per-minute speed and every mistake made had to be manually adjusted using white out. The class was discontinued in the early ’90s, but Samo’s own Band Director and alumnus Kevin McKeown (’92) took the last typing class offered and now reflects on its old-fashioned nature.“...For example, [look at] the double spacing. You had to make sure you physically set the typewriter to put double spacing,” McKeown said. Double spacing is something we all take for granted, but it used to be necessary to teach it in class when many people didn’t know how to type efficiently.  “This was a year long class of people, in a room, writing ridiculous sentences as many times as possible to get away from hunting and pecking,” McKeown said, referring to when typers unfamiliar with a keyboard have to search for each individual letter. It sounds absurd now, but this course was a necessity toward the end of the 20th century as the internet’s influence skyrocketed. Music Appreciation:One look at the band program today and you’ll notice how the majority of courses offered are orchestral ensembles. Nearly 30 years ago, however, when the band program was nowhere near the prestigious level it is at today, Band Director Terry Sakow used to teach a class called Music Appreciation—an important part of the Samo band program’s history.The class covered a wide variety of topics: the history of music ranging from classical to modern styles, simple rhythmic ideas, instrumentation of music and so on. Sakow would play any record he could get his hands on for the class and explain the makeup of the music they were hearing. Students would discuss whether or not the music appealed to them and what stood out to them in the song. This class was open to any student regardless of their musical ability.“It was a really fun course to teach. It gave me a chance to meet kids that are not serious band students, which is a different type of student,” Sakow said.The course was unfortunately ended due to the growth of the band program. The addition of multiple ensembles made it so that there was no longer room in Sakow’s schedule to teach the course. Nonetheless, there might be a day where this course could once again bring music lovers of all grades and backgrounds together like it did nearly 30 years ago. German:Also taught by Blatz, German classes existed at Samo from beginning levels all the way to AP courses. Like many of the language classes taught at Samo today, the German classes would teach history, culture, politics, poetry, art, music and film alongside the language. The German program was phased out of Samo in 2007 and no longer exists in many California school systems. However, Blatz excitedly mentioned a potential comeback for the program.“If there's enough interest, I might consider offering a German Language and Culture seminar session once a week after school at Samo. Comeback time!” Blatz said.  Preface to Philosophy:In the 1950s, Samo had a different community, comprised of a much less diverse student population. Likewise, the courses offered at that time differed greatly from the courses offered today.Taught by John B. Kennedy and Kyle Esgate, Preface to Philosophy actually offered no study related to the history of philosophy at all. Instead, the class opted for learning other vocabulary related to the field: names of philosophers, systems and patterns of philosophy and other terms essential towards understanding university lectures in philosophy. The class also claimed that it was even for those not planning to go to college in the future, as they could learn valuable reading and study skills to assist their career after completing formal education.