Yeshivat Frisch students in Mr. Eitan Kastner’s senior elective “Themes in World History” class had the opportunity to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on April 11 and complete a scavenger hunt throughout the museum. This is the first year the course has been offered and the scavenger hunt was prepared by Kastner himself.
In the course, the students have had the opportunity to engage with world history on a macro thematic level, rather than focusing chronologically or on certain geographical locations. This year, the class has studied five themes: human interaction with the environment, the development of culture, the development of states, the development of economies and the development of societies. The museum scavenger hunt challenged students to incorporate what they had learned as they searched the Met for objects showcasing these larger themes, took selfies with said works of art and uploaded them to an online map.
“The Met’s unparalleled encyclopedic collection offers a unique classroom for a world history course,” explained Kastner, who is also a licensed New York City tour guide. “Every gallery serves as a window into a different place and time. I can talk about different cultures back at school, but at the museum the students can actually experience things in a unique way.”
“Although I have visited The Met before with my family, I never really appreciated how trends in history could be learned through art until I did the scavenger hunt with Mr. Kastner,” said Benjy Katz ’18.