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Social Studies Course List

COURSE: World Geography
GRADE LEVEL(S): Freshman
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1/2
World Geography emphasizes the relationship between geography and culture in selected regions of the world. There will be special emphasis on the map reading and analysis skills, note taking, problem solving and predicting, and the interrelatedness of the human and physical world. Topics include the Americas, Europe, Africa, Russia and the Eurasian Republics, the Middle East, and China.


COURSE: World History
GRADE LEVEL(S): Sophomore
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1
World History is a year round course in which we discuss the story of the human experience. We will use the nine themes of History to guide us along our path of understanding this fascinating and complex subject. This course will place special emphasis on reading comprehension, analysis of primary sources, determining cause & effect, technology, and art.


COURSE: World History Honors

GRADE LEVEL(S): Sophomore
PREREQUISITES: An “A” average or better in English 9 or a “B” average or better in English 9 Honors, a minimum combined PSAT verbal and writing score of 510, and department recommendation.
CREDIT: 1
World History Honors is a college preparatory survey course designed to introduce students to a thematic approach to learning about hu-man history. Attention will be given to preparing students to think and write analytically about world historical issues, trends, and events. Course work will include examination of primary and secondary sources and the development of historical research and writing skills. Special emphasis will be placed on learning the historian’s key skills of interpreting and analyzing evidence; determining cause and effect; assessing change and continuity over time; and comparative analysis, both across societies and across time periods.


COURSE: AP World History
GRADE LEVEL(S): Sophomore
PREREQUISITE: An “A” average or better in English 9 Honors, a minimum combined PSAT verbal and writing score of 550, and department recommendation.
CREDIT: 1 AP Fee Required
Advanced Placement (AP) World History is a college level survey course designed to introduce students to a thematic approach to learning about human history and to prepare students for more advanced studies at the high school and college levels. Attention will also be given to preparing students for the AP World History Exami-nation, including extensive examination of primary and secondary sources, comparative and analytical historical research, and effective essay writing. Special emphasis will be placed on learning the his-torian’s key skills or interpreting evidence; analyzing point of view; assessing change and continuity over time; and comparative analysis, both across societies and across time periods. All students in this course must take the Advanced Placement exam in May.


COURSE: US History
GRADE LEVEL(S): Junior
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1
US History is a required course which surveys the growth and development of the United States and its people from colonization to Reconstruction (semester 1) and from the post-Civil War economic developments to the present (semester II). The events of our national history are viewed in terms of the impact they have had on the political, economic, social and cultural character of American society.


COURSE: US History Honors
GRADE LEVEL(S): Junior
PREREQUISITE: “A” average in World History or “B” average in World History Honors; combined PSAT verbal and writing
skills score of 550; department recommendation.
CREDIT: 1
US Honors is a year-long survey course which fulfills the US History requirement. Semester I will be devoted to a study of the Colonial period through the Civil War. Semester II will cover Reconstruction to the 1970s. An extensive amount of reading, writing, and research will be required.


COURSE: AP US History
GRADE LEVEL(S): Junior
PREREQUISITE: “A” average in World History Honors or “B” in AP World History; combined PSAT verbal and writing skills score of 590; department recommendation
CREDIT: 1 AP Fee Required
Advanced Placement United States History is a college-level introductory course which focuses on developing students’ abilities to think conceptually about U.S. history from approximately 1491 to the pres-ent and apply Historical Thinking Skills as they learn about the past. Seven Themes of equal importance — National Identity; Migration and Settlement; Politics and Power; Work, Exchange, and Technol-ogy; America in the World; Environment and Geography; and Culture and Society — provide areas of historical inquiry for investigation throughout the course. These require students to reason historically about continuity and change over time and make comparisons among various historical developments in different times and places. In this pursuit, the acquisition of factual knowledge is the beginning of the process, but the main focus of the course will the application of Historical Thinking Skills and Themes. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by a full year introductory college survey course, concluding the course with a comprehensive standardized test.

COURSE: U.S. Government
GRADE LEVEL(S): Senior
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1/2
U.S. Government is a required semester course which concentrates on the democratic principles upon which the United States is founded. The meaning of citizenship in terms of the rights and responsibilities of the people of the United States is stressed. Areas examined include: the adoption of the Constitution, the three branches of government, local and state governments, the art of politics, and current events.

COURSE: U.S. Government Honors
GRADE LEVEL(S): Senior
PREREQUISITES: “A” average in US History or “B” average
in US History Honors, “C” average in Advanced
Placement US History, combined PSAT verbal and
writing skills score of 570; department recommendation
CREDIT: 1/2
U.S. Government Honors is a semester survey course which examines the democratic system upon which the United States gov-ernment is based. The rights and responsibilities of citizens, the federal system as established by the Constitution, political parties, the workings of the three branches of government, and state and local governments will be studied in some depth. Emphasis will be placed on the examination of the workings of the U.S. judicial system.



COURSE: AP United States Government and Politics
GRADE LEVEL(S): Senior
PRE-REQUISITES: “A” average in US History Honors or “B” average in AP U.S. History, combined PSAT verbal and writing skills score of 590; department recommendation
CREDIT: 1 AP Fee Required
AP United States Government and Politics is a rigorous course which provides an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. It will familiarize students with various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. Politics. Topics covered include: The constitutional underpinnings of the United States government, political beliefs and behaviors, political parties, interest groups, and mass media, institutions of the national government, public policy, and civil rights and civil liberties. Students are required to take the advanced placement test in May, for which college credit may be given if a qualifying score is made.


COURSE: Economics
GRADE LEVEL(S): Senior
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1/2
Economics is a required course which aims at introducing the fundamental principles and theories of economics. Basic issues of scarcity, supply and demand, market, the role of government, employment, inflation, and money and banking are examined.


COURSE: Economics Honors
GRADE LEVEL(S): Senior
PREREQUISITES: “A” average in US History or “B” average in US History Honors or “C” average in Advanced
Placement US History combined with PSAT verbal
and math skills of 570, and department recommendation
CREDIT: 1/2
Economics Honors is a semester survey course which introduces
the fundamental principles of economics. Basic concepts of scarcity, supply and demand, price determination, the role of government, the Federal Reserve system, and business organizations will be examined. The course will focus on the impact of the commodities market on the large domestic and global economies.


COURSE: Psychology - Semester I (Honors Option)
GRADE LEVEL(S): Junior, Senior
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1/2
Psychology is an honors option, elective course that engages students in the understanding, articulation, and dissemination of psychology as a social science. Students are introduced to psychology, with the study of human development, learning, motivation, and personality. It emphasizes the empirical examination of behavior and mental processes, and it infuses varying perspectives that foster students’ growth, and promotes an understanding of social conformity and obedience. Students of psychology will acquire information from a variety of sources, use information as they draw conclusions, make evaluations, and solve problems. The study of psychology enables students to recognize and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity in human behavior.


COURSE: Sociology - Semester II (Honors Option)
GRADE LEVEL(S): Junior, Senior
PREREQUISITE: none
CREDIT: 1/2
Sociology is an honors option, elective course that engages students in the understanding, articulation, and dissemination of Sociology as a behavioral science. Students are introduced to sociology, with the study of culture, socialization, societal inequities, and social change. It emphasizes the observation of collective human behaviors, and it in-fuses varying perspectives that foster students’ growth, and promotes an understanding of social norms, values, and common practices across different societies and groups. Students of psychology will ac-quire informations from a variety of sources, use information as they draw conclusions, make evaluations, and solve problems. The study of sociology enables students to recognize and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity in societal behavior.