Social Studies Courses
Core Classes
WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY Full Year
This course is a survey of major events that have shaped western history from 1450 to the present. The students will look at history, religion, geography, philosophy, culture, politics and economics and how they have impacted human society from ancient Greek and Roman civilizations to modern democracies. The students will study the nature of revolutions in thinking, industrialization, democracy and society. Students will be able to describe the key forces that have impacted history, and how those forces are still important in our world today. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to help students understand the roots of the world we live in today. In addition to the historical content the students will study, the course also aims to develop important skills: historical source analysis, close reading of tests, note-taking, essay writing, research, oral presentation and organization.
UNITED STATES HISTORY Full Year
This course examines major turning points in American history in the 20th Century as they reflect continuity and change from the nation's beginnings. Special attention is given to the framing of the Constitution as background for understanding the contemporary constitutional issues raised throughout this course. Students will conduct research of both primary and secondary sources in order to write a paper on social problems that have occurred during the 20th Century. Students will develop skills in comprehending, analyzing and evaluating main ideas, as well as making historical interpretations and perceiving historical relationships.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Semester
This course is an integrated treatment of national, state and local government. The fundamental principles and basic functions of government in a democratic society are studied. Subject matter covered includes study of political beliefs and behavior, institutions and policy-making and the Constitutional basis of the American government. Special attention is paid to the development of the principles of the Constitution and application of these principles to American life.
ECONOMICS Semester
This is a survey course, which will present an introductory overview of both macroeconomic and microeconomic principles. This course is divided primarily into four components: (1) the philosophical grounding of the discipline via the works of Smith and Marx, (2) an introduction to basic macroeconomic concepts, (3) an introduction to basic microeconomic concepts and (4) a glimpse at the international economy. Investigations will include the principles of free market thought, key economists and their respective contributions to the discipline, personal economic decisions, public sector decisions, the laws of supply and demand, market equilibrium, the various business models, different types of market set-ups, general economic trends (the “big three” of inflation, unemployment and GDP) and an examination of the structure and function of the Federal Reserve System. Additionally, barring enough time, the conclusion of the course will entail a brief overview of special topics in economics including the economics of crime, the economics of religion, the economics of gender, the politics of economics, globalization and the rich/poor divide.
Honors & Advanced Placement
ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY Full Year
AP World History is an introductory college-level modern world history course. Students cultivate their understanding of world history from c. 1200 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like humans and the environment, cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization, and technology and innovation.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY Full Year
This course is a college-level survey course designed to prepare students to take the AP exam given in the spring. Through this course students will be provided with content, practical knowledge of U.S. history, an understanding of historical thinking skills including chronological reasoning, comparing and contextualizing, crafting historical arguments using historical evidence, and interpreting and synthesizing historical narrative, and effective writing techniques that will better prepare them for the exam and future educational endeavors. The content is organized thematically and there are key concepts that the students will understand by the end of the year. This is a rigorous course; hard work and dedication are essential to success.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & POLITICS Semester
The Advanced Placement Program is intended for qualified students who wish to complete studies in secondary school equivalent to a one semester college introductory course in American Government & Politics. This course is designed to give students a critical perspective on politics and government in the United States. The class involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that make up the American political reality. The major topics of study are: 1) constitutional underpinnings of American government; 2) political beliefs and behaviors; 3) political parties and interest groups; 4) institutions and policy processes of national government; 5) civil rights and civil liberties.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY Semester
The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT MACROECONOMICS Semester
This Macroeconomics course covers the “aggregates” of the economy; its purpose is to analyze the “big picture” of the economy as a whole. Particular areas of emphasis include basic economic concepts, measurement of economic performance, short run and long run aggregate supply and demand, the examination of national income and price-level determination and the ability of students to recognize and evaluate economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth and international economics.
ELECTIVES
BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGY Semester
This course is a survey in psychology with an emphasis on developing an understanding of hte historical, clinical and developmental processes in this social science. Students will conduct experiments and complete surveys to enhance their ability to solve problems in a social context.
PSYCHOLOGY 2 Semester
This course provides students with the opportunity to investigate current issues in psychology. Areas of study will include personality, stress, mental illness and the effects of social influences on behavior. Research projects as well as group investigations will be incorporated into the course work. Students will have the opportunity to analyze contemporary events from the perspective of social psychology.
FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES Semester
This one semester course focuses on the social dynamics of stereotyping and discrimination, using two case studies as the basis for student exploration. Through the study of the Eugenics Movement and the rise of race science in America and the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany’s Weimar Republic and the Holocaust, students will learn about the frailty of democracy to better understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens. By studying the choices that individuals made in history, students will understand that this history was not inevitable and that individuals always have choices to either strengthen democracy or undermine it.
CASE STUDIES IN HUMAN RIGHTS Semester
This one semester social studies elective open to both juniors and seniors will examine genocide and other acts of collective violence in the 20th and 21st centuries. The case studies will include the Armenian genocide during WWI, the killing fields of Cambodia, Apartheid in South Africa, religious conflict in Northern Ireland, genocide in Rwanda and the continuing genocide in the Darfur region in Sudan. Although the history of each conflict will be taught, the emphasis of this course will focus on two essential questions: What obligations does the world community and particularly the United States, have in aiding and intervening in acts of collective violence and genocide and How do societies begin to repair and reconcile after acts of collective violence and/or genocide? The class will also contain a detailed analysis of the response of the United States to each individual case study.
HISTORY AND POLITICS OF THE OLYMPICS Semester
This course will examine the politics that have affected significant Olympic Games throughout history. Starting with the Ancient Olympics and the foundations established there, the students will explore the invention of the modern Olympics in 1896, Berlin 1932, Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, the boycotts in 1980 and 1984 and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Students will analyze the importance of international politics and how the Olympics have worked to bring nations together, while also being directly impacted by strife between specific nations.
CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ISSUES Semester
This course will examine important topics to American society from a public policy point of view. The course will take on a consistent set of ongoing problem areas. Students will respond to current events which affect domestic policy at the national, state and local level.
CONTEMPORARY WORLD PROBLEMS Semester
This course focuses on the development of Third World countries - mainly the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America - and their relationship with the United States. There is also some time spent on the development and change in the Third World over the past fifty years.
COLONIZATION AND DECOLONIZATION:CASE STUDIES IN AFRICA & ASIA Semester
This course explores the concepts of colonization and decolonization, with a specific focus on their application to African and Asian history since approximately 1800. This course begins with an overview of these themes – defining the terms, discussing motives for colonization and factors leading to decolonization and identifying the regions of the world that have been involved on either side of this history. After developing the course concepts, students will focus on the history of colonization and decolonization in Africa and Asia. The timeline of the course will extend also to modern day, as students examine the legacy of decolonization and the current state of affairs in Africa and Asia. In addition to teaching historical concepts and providing a narrative of events, this course aims to develop the ability to analyze historical evidence, debate controversial topics in history and express historical understanding in writing.
LEADERSHIP Semester *
This course presents basic leadership education to students who are interested in developing their skills in this area. Class topics include goal setting, self-esteem, leadership theories, effective communication skills, meeting and organizational skills, time management, decision-making, current social issues and models and problem solving. Students will have the opportunity to become involved in events and activities where they can apply the skills they are learning.
* This class will meet during zero-period (7:00 A.M.) two mornings a week during the semester.
HISTORY OF SCIENCE Semester
An intensive semester introduction to the history of modern science, especially from
the Scientific Revolution to the mid-20th century. Emphasizing direct engagement with original source, this course examines the cultural and philosophical significance of key scientific discoveries, observations, experiments, and theories as they are described in the works of great innovators, such as Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Lavoisier, Darwin, Einstein and Bohr. We will also approach the study of science by and analyzing their work from the perspective of the liberal arts, to understand the sorts of questions people have asked about the natural world, the assumptions they made, the methods they employed, the answers they found satisfying, the shifting place of God in their understanding of nature, and the implications of the ideas and values embodied in their traditions.
BIOMEDICAL ETHICS Semester
This course will familiarize students with the predominant lines of contemporary reflection in biomedical ethics from a multitude of viewpoints. The focus will be on challenging issues that students will most likely see in their daily life, particularly those issues that they will face as they grow into young adults entering life after high school. Since biomedical issues are viewed through many different lenses, the course will be built around mainstream beliefs on various ideologies that students are most likely to be exposed to in the United States. Notably, as a social studies course this class will not tell students what to believe but instead introduce them to what various groups believe and why. An example of possible topics includes: abortion, cloning, chimeras, euthanasia, execution, gene manipulation, GMOs, organ donation/sales, and stem cell research. At its best, this course will eventually lead students to be better able to define and defend their own stances on these issues while also better understanding the thoughts of those around them. Ideally, this will aid in the development of productive and empathetic dialogue on many controversial topics of today.