Social Studies

Our Course Offerings

Specific Descriptions:

9th Grade:  

U.S. GOVERNMENT is required for all 9th graders. This course is offered as a semester course. U.S. Government provides an overview of the structure and functions of the U.S. government and political institutions and examines constitutional principles, the concepts of rights and responsibilities, the role of political parties and interest groups, and the importance of civic participation in the democratic process. This course may examine the structure and function of state and local governments and may cover certain economic and legal topics.

ECONOMICS is a required 9th-grade semester-long course that covers the fundamentals of economic systems with the main focus on market economies.  Topics such as supply, demand, market competition, and economic cycles are related to consumer choice and current issues.  There will be a strong focus placed on personal finance. Topics such as saving, debt, and investing will be covered.

OR    CP GOVERNMENT/CP ECONOMICS - Students who want a more academically challenging course may elect CP Government/Economics. Students will be using more advanced-level texts and primary source readings.  Content standards will be covered in more depth. Class activities may include seminars, panel presentations, debates, and research papers. This is a year-long course.  

10th Grade:

WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY  is a year-long course examining the major civilizations of past and present.  This course concentrates on humanity’s more significant political, economic, cultural, and intellectual achievements from 1450-present.  The impact of geography, nationalism, imperialism, and the rise of science are emphasized. World Geography provides students with an overview of world geography. Topics typically include the physical environment; the political landscape; the relationship between people and the land; economic production and development; and the movement of people, goods, and ideas. 

OR

ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORLD HISTORY* - following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level World History courses, AP World History courses examine world history from 8000 BCE to the present with the aim of helping students develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and how different human societies have interacted. This course highlights the nature of changes in an international context and explores their causes, continuities, and changes.

11th Grade 

U.S. HISTORY - 11th grade required course is a modern U.S. History examines the history of the United States from the Civil War or Reconstruction era through the present time. The course typically includes a historical review of political, military, scientific, and social developments. United States History is a two-semester course in which the history and civilization of America are examined from a broad perspective.  The course focuses on the analysis of important concepts, events, and people in the American experience.  The student is asked to use the historical method and to examine carefully the social, political, and economic forces which shaped America.

  ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY* - following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level U.S. History courses, AP U.S. History provides students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to address critical problems and materials in U.S. history. Students learn to assess historical materials and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The course examines the discovery and settlement of the New World through the recent past.  

12th grade:

PSYCHOLOGY - 12th-grade semester course that introduces students to the study of individual human behavior. Course content typically includes (but is not limited to) an overview of the field of psychology, topics in human growth and development, personality and behavior, and abnormal psychology.
 

SOCIOLOGY - 12th-grade semester course that introduces students to the study of human behavior in society. This course provides an overview of sociology, generally including (but not limited to) topics such as social institutions and norms, socialization and social change, and the relationships among individuals and groups in society.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PSYCHOLOGY* - 12th grade following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel a college-level psychology course, AP Psychology introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals, exposes students to each major subfield within psychology, and enables students to examine the methods that psychologists use in their science and practice.

Law For Everyone* - 12th-grade - examines the basic principles of the American constitutional, legal, and political systems. Students will explore topics that have immediate impact on their lives and will be able to look at government from a variety of perspectives such as the US legal and justice systems, elections, public policy, and citizenship. Although these courses emphasize the legal process, they may also cover the history and foundation of U.S. law (the Constitution, statutes, and precedents). Check out the intro video! You can also check out the syllabus for the course to get an idea of the scope and sequence.