Social Studies

 

 

Civics/Economics is a freshman level course created to introduce students to the inner workings of our government and to develop a basic understanding of economics.  The course is designed to provide students with real world applications of political and economic functions. Concepts such as supply and demand, money and banking, the branches of government, and functions of democracy will be the primary focus of the course.

 

 

PSP (Post-Secondary Prep) Civics is a freshman level course created to introduce students to a basic knowledge of the United States government, along with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The class requires students to read and work independently to help prepare them for the college/post secondary school experience. The goal of the course is to prepare the student to become a responsible and informed citizen who has the skills necessary to participate in our democracy.

 

 

Honors Civics is a freshman level accelerated course created to introduce students to the inner workings of our government and to develop a basic understanding of economics.  The course is designed to provide students with real world applications of political and economic functions. Concepts such as supply and demand, money and banking, the branches of government, and functions of democracy will be the primary focus of the course.  This class will be more writing intensive and help students to develop the critical reading and research skills necessary for college.

 

 

Examining current global issues that impact our world today, this course takes a thematic approach to understanding the development of human systems, human understanding of the world, and human social organization. Divided into two semesters, this high school-level course will challenge students to develop geographic skills, including learning to interpret maps, analyze data, and compare theories. Offering interactive content that will grow students’ understanding of the development of modern civilization and human systems—from the agricultural revolution to the technological revolution—this course encourages students to analyze economic trends as well as compare global markets and urban environments.

 

 

AP Human Geography is a college-level, yearlong course designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Human Geography Exam. The goal of the course is to provide students with a geographic perspective through which to view the world. Through a combination of direct instruction, documentary videos, and online readings, students will explore geographic concepts, theories, and models; human environment interactions; and interactions among human systems. Topics covered include population, culture, political organization of space, agricultural land use, industrialization, and urban land use. Students will demonstrate their understanding and acquisition of skills through essays, document-based questions, student collaborative activities, and practice AP Exams. 

 

 

PSP Modern United States History is a junior level accelerated course designed to prepare students for a college-level study of Modern United States History from approximately 1870 to the present day. Topics that will be covered in the course include industrialization and its effects on American society and politics; immigration, urbanization, and the changing demographics of the United States; Progressivism
and the struggle for social justice at the turn of the 20th century; World War I; the Roaring 20s and the Great Depression; World War II; post-World War II American affluence and social change, including the Cold War, anti-Communism, and the Civil Rights Movement; the Vietnam War; and the political realignment and social changes from the Reagan years to the present day.

 

 

 

The course is designed to be a college-style course and makes demands on students of an introductory-level college course.  Students may receive college credit on a national exam offered near the end of the academic year, as well as receive optional college credit as a College-in-High-School (CHS) course in affiliation with a local college/university.

This course will focus on American History from the post-Reconstruction Era until the modern era.  Students who choose to take the AP exam will be required to prepare for pre-American Civil War material on their own.  The APUSH course will be writing intensive in order to prepare students for the rigors of the AP exam and college.

 

 

This course is dedicated to a study of the world around us. The class starts with an introduction to geography, in which students will learn the five themes of geography, the features that define the earth, the climate patterns of the earth, how to study peoples and cultures of the earth and how to use various geographic tools.  Students will study the cultural, social, economic regions of the world and how they relate to the United States.  We will examine the political structures of certain regions of the world.  Students will also analyze how location affects economic activities in different systems throughout the world.  Students will identify the processes that influence the world’s political divisions and they will analyze how different points of view affect public policies.  Students will compare how components of culture shape the regional characteristics of countries.  The course will ask students to study the impact of technology and human modifications on the physical environment.

 

 

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.