Lenses and Perspectives

In Research
Exploring different points of view and making
connections across disciplines are fundamental
components of the AP Seminar experience.
Students consider each topic through a variety
of lenses and from multiple perspectives, many
of which are divergent or competing.
Why?
Analyzing topics through multiple lenses aids
in interdisciplinary understanding and helps
students gain a rich appreciation for the
complexity of important issues.
Lense Examples
● Cultural and social
● Artistic and philosophical
● Political and historical
● Environmental
● Economic
● Scientific
● Futuristic
● Ethical
Cultural and Social
How will it:
-impact individuals?
-impact certain groups more than others?
-change culture?
-be received by people (accept/reject)?
-change social structure?
Artistic/Philosophical
How will it:
- be influenced by current popular trends and
ideas?
- change and challenge these trends and
ideas?
Political
How will it:
- change policy and legislation?
- be received by politicians (supported)?
- impact services and infrastructure?
Environmental
How will it:
- impact the environment?
- affect resources?
- change the natural world?
- impact human environmental interaction?
Economic
How will it:
- affect employment/unemployment?
- impact/be impacted by economic upturns
and recessions?
- tax financial resources?
Scientific
How will it:
- change our understanding?
- be impacted by current limitations?
- advance our current knowledge?
Futuristic
How will it:
- change our projections about future
issues/concerns?
- be affected by current estimates of available
resources?
Ethical
How will it:
- challenge our perceptions of right and
wrong?
- be impacted by ideals of individual rights?
- intrude on personal choice and freedoms?
 Perspective
● A specific argument within a lens
● Under a lense there can be multiple
competing or complementary perspectives
Example
Question: Should schools eliminate high stakes standardized testing?
Lens 1: Social/Cultural
Perspective a: Standardized tests are biased against people from poor backgrounds
Perspective b: Standardized tests make cultures value memorization more than
creativity
Perspective c: Standardized tests establish a shared understanding of basic required
knowledge in a society
Lens 2: Economic
Perspective a: Standardized tests cost school districts money that could be used to hire
more teachers
Perspective b: Standardized tests help societies by increasing employment opportunities
Perspective c: Standardized tests can help high performing schools earn donations and
grants
Should free state-subsidized post-secondary education be available to all
citizens in the United States of America?