Anya Agarwal '25 Develops South Asian History Curriculum for Middle School Students

As a child, I often listened to my great-grandmother recount the story of her wedding. She described how my great-grandfather boldly lifted the thick veil that hid her face, defying societal norms. These stories connected me deeply to my heritage, but outside of my family, I noticed something was missing. Despite South Asia’s rich history and its global impact, I rarely encountered these narratives in my school curriculum.

With the immense support of Ms. Agne (6th grade social studies teacher), who shared my vision for a more inclusive and diverse education, I worked to co-create a curriculum that brings these stories to life in the classroom. I’m thrilled to announce that, starting in spring 2025, Wilmington Friends School will introduce a dedicated South Asian history unit in middle school Social Studies.

Why is this curriculum needed? Simply put, South Asia plays an increasingly important role in the world today.

“As I started to teach ancient civilizations last year in 6th grade, I began to wonder why the focus was on those particular civilizations over others in the middle and far east and Africa,” says Ms. Agne. “I came to realize that while this study is important, ancient South Asian civilization has also had significant influences on us today in science, medicine, and religion, to name a few areas, and I think it’s important to recognize this influence equally with the other civilizations we study.”

Home to nearly 2 billion people, South Asia is a region of immense cultural diversity, growing economic power, and significant political influence. From India’s booming tech industry to its space exploration achievements, this region is shaping the global future in many ways.

The curriculum I developed with Ms. Agne highlights the significant contributions of South Asia to our world. India was once called the “Golden Bird” due to its wealth and prosperity before British rule. The game of chess, which many of us enjoy, originated in India over 1,500 years ago. The rise of veganism is linked to the traditional Indian diet and the number zero was invented in India. South Asians played a pivotal role in the global struggle for independence, with leaders like Gandhi inspiring figures from Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States to Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

While developing this curriculum, we faced many challenges along the way.

“The biggest challenge was that the time period was so long and the civilization went through several phases with lots of interesting information,” says Ms. Agne. “It’s also important to give students a variety of different types of instruction and ways to demonstrate learning, so we had to develop assignments that went beyond merely reading, writing and watching videos, like making posters about the teachings of the major religions and learning some Sanskrit through doing yoga.”

Despite these challenges, our goal was to create an engaging and immersive experience for students, sparking curiosity and a deeper understanding of South Asian history. We hope this approach will help students connect more personally with the material and appreciate its significance.

“I think it fits with our school’s diversity goals to bring other non-western perspectives into our learning,” says Ms. Agne. “In high school, students take world religions, and the middle school can more closely align with the high school curriculum by giving students exposure to religions that originated in South Asia earlier in their academic journey.”

At Friends, we are always striving to make the community a more diverse space. By integrating these perspectives into our education, we hope to empower students to become more informed and empathetic individuals.