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GPAC

Awakening a global perspective.

Questions one might overhear when walking past a class in the Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC) program

“Are mega sporting events actually good for the people of the host countries?”, “What creates a successful secession?”, “How do modern cities use urban planning to manage their resources for sustainable growth?”

Recognizing that citizenship involves membership in a common whole – whether community, nation, or world – the GPAC program asks students to think beyond their own experiences in order to develop an appreciation of multiple perspectives on a given issue.

GPAC is designed to provide space for select students who are passionate about global issues and are excited to explore and conduct their own independent research.

The GPAC curriculum helps these students develop the skills and mindset necessary to navigate the rapidly changing relationships between communities, cultures, and civilizations worldwide. The concentration program empowers students with global perspectives and intercultural competencies.

Exciting Opportunities for Enrichment

Based on individual student initiative and interest, participation in GPAC may also include such experiential elements as summer travel abroad, an internship with an organization dedicated to global issues, or attendance at one of many university-sponsored Global Studies summer programs.  

Program Admission

Admission to the GPAC program is selective. The program is appropriate for students with strong reading, writing, and language skills who have an interest in world affairs. Interested students may apply for the program at the end of their freshman year at Potomac. The process includes an essay, writing samples, and an interview with the selection committee.

Students and parents pack rice and bean meals for displaced Ukrainians.

When GPAC and Service Learning Intersect

Students in GPAC 11 were tasked with devising a service learning experience. When their unit on food insecurity began, they knew they had just found a way to take action and help support Ukrainians in need. 

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An inquiry based curriculum

With a structured environment, students tend to get excited about a specific area of global studies. The curriculum offers a scaffolding approach to research and analytical writing – giving students the fundamentals for their independent research in Grade 12.

“What's special about this experience is that students get to have a space to follow their passions, and our faculty is there to support them with the resources, materials, and the skills needed to execute a high-level research paper. We don’t dictate – the students in this concentration are very much in charge of their work, especially in Grade 12.”Bridget Gagne, Upper School Faculty Member

YEAR FOCUS
GRADE 10 Each student begins the program by taking an Introduction to Global Studies. Using a combination of social theory and case studies, this year-long course introduces learners to global economics, politics, culture and citizenship; and then digs into specific larger issues such as food insecurity, pandemics, and climate change.
GRADE 11 A hallmark of the GPAC program is when students identify their own problem driven research project, working closely with Potomac faculty. They spend their junior year taking the problem they've identified, developing a research question from it, designing and executing that research.
GRADE 12 Students in the program produce a substantial research paper and give a presentation on their findings. Read descriptions of recent GPAC research projects.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Hamilton Brooks

BEYOND GPAC

When Hamilton Brooks ‘18 reads about history and the remarkable strides people have made, it brings him a degree of hope; with so much uncertainty in life, Hamilton wants to spread that hope to others. The Potomac alum puts his intentions into action and encourages others to do the same.

FINDING PASSION AND PURPOSE
GPAC Annual Assembly Explores Themes of Power
GPAC Annual Assembly Explores Themes of Power

On Wednesday, GPAC11 held its annual assembly for the Upper School. Over the past year, each student has developed an individual research project based on a global problem that they have identified. For the assembly, they collaborated to create a presentation that highlighted shared themes across their work. In their final message, they reflected on a powerful insight: “Power, when detached from accountability or cultural sensitivity, can become a tool of harm rather than healing. Whether through military operations, economic policy, or environmental governance, the consequences of irresponsible power echo far beyond borders and mandates, shaping lives, altering landscapes, and often deafening the very voices most impacted by their actions.” With their presentations complete, GPAC students will now spend the remainder of GPAC11 and GPAC12 writing their formal research papers. 

Institute of Peace Field Trip
Institute of Peace Field Trip

The juniors and seniors in the Global Perspectives and Citizenship Program (GPAC) traveled to the US Institute of Peace on Tuesday afternoon to learn about the historical foundations of the foundation as well as its broader directives. The students were able to share their individual research with the speakers as well as engage in a Q&A session to better understand how the institute – which provides expertise, training, and resources to individuals and organizations committed to peacebuilding – develops and implements peacebuilding programs that focus on advancing national security interests while promoting sustainable peace and stability in regions of conflict. As young research scholars, it was most exciting to see how research influences programming as well as U.S. policy. 

research examples

Lost in the Drug Trade: How the Sinaloa Cartel Capitalizes on Community Erosion

The Rise of Punitive Penal Policy Under the U.K. Government in the 1990s

Ethiopia: A Link in China’s Chain to Hegemony

Research Projects