Social Studies

Graduation Requirements

3 credits in Social Studies should include at least .5 credit of World History, .5 credit of US History, and .5 credit of Government. The state requirement for economics will be included in the year-long Government course.

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COURSES

Freshman

World History

Academic Pathway: Honors

Term: year-long course 

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

This course is a study of world cultures and their relation to globalization. Students will gain a historical, economic, and political understanding of events, people, and movements of the Age of Revolution through the present day and how this understanding relates to current world issues.  This course will develop students’ ability to think critically about the world by developing the historical thinking skills of document analysis, continuity and change, cause and consequence, significance, and perspective. Students can expect to participate in group projects as well as individual research.  Supplemental readings will also be presented and analyzed to expand the scope and depth of information covered.

World History

Academic Pathway: Advanced College Prep

Term: year-long course 

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

This course is a study of world cultures and their relation to globalization. Students will gain a historical, economic, and political understanding of events, people, and movements of the Age of Revolution through the present day and how this understanding relates to current world issues. Students can expect to participate in group projects and individual research to deepen their understanding of the material covered in class.  Analysis of supplemental readings will challenge students to take on the role of a historian and make connections between the events of the past and our world today. 

World History

Academic Pathway: College Prep

Term: year-long course 

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

This course is a study of world cultures and their relation to globalization. Students will gain a historical, economic, and political understanding of events, people, and movements of the Age of Revolution through the present day and how this understanding relates to current world issues. Students can expect to participate in group projects as well as individual research.  Supplemental readings will also expand the scope and depth of information covered.

Sophomore

U.S. Government & Politics/Economics

Academic Pathway: Honors, Advanced College Prep, College Prep

Term: year-long course 

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

The US Government course is designed to give students a working knowledge of all levels of government found in the US, those being federal, state, county, and municipal. Beyond a theoretical understanding of the branches and Constitutional principles, such as republicanism and federalism, students will acquire a practical understanding of how to interface with the government on a local level, including local elected officials, police forces, and legal institutions. Attention will also be paid to criminal law, including such ideas as civil vs. criminal, felony vs. misdemeanor, and a basic understanding of courtroom proceedings. Students can expect to participate in group projects and individual research. The academic rigors of this course are designed to prepare students for the demands of college, and students should expect a level of coursework and homework commensurate to this purpose. 

Macroeconomics will be introduced to explain how our economy is becoming increasingly globalized. The basic structures of the market economy, i.e. free enterprise, laissez-faire, free markets, etc., will be studied from historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as how their structures compare to socialist and other economic models. The effects of the economy on individual choices, purchases, investments, and employment will be part of the focus of the class, as well as how these choices relate to Catholic social teachings regarding stewardship of wealth and responsibilities to the poor. This course will also include lessons and activities on personal finance and the effects of choices on an individual’s daily life and on larger macroeconomics principles. 

Junior

HL IB History of the Americas (Year 1)

Academic Pathway: IB  

Term: Two-year long course 

Credit: 2 full social studies credit

The IB course in the History of the Americas is designed to provide students with the analytical and critical thinking skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in the history surrounding the Western Hemisphere. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses. Students should learn to assess historical materials -- their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance -- and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The course will develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format. This course will cover the following topics over two years:  Industrialization and Progressivism (1977-1920); Foreign Affairs (1989-1930); Prosperity, Depression and the New Deal (1919-1941); the Authoritarian States of the 20th Century From Isolation to World War (1930 - 1945); Move to Global War and the Cold War (1945-1991).

History of the Americas

Academic Pathway: Advanced College Prep, College Prep

Term: year-long course 

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

This course is modeled on the SL IB History course curriculum. It is designed to provide students with the analytical and critical thinking skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in the history surrounding the United States.  The course will develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions based on an informed judgment and present arguments and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format.  Historical topics from the United States perspective include rights and protests, conflict and intervention, societies and transition, independence movements, industrialization, cause and effects of 20th-century wars, and cold war.

Senior

HL IB History of the Americas (Year 2)

Academic Pathway: IB  

Term: Two-year long course 

Credit: 2 full social studies credit

History Through Film

Academic Pathway: College Prep

Term: Year-long course

Credit: 1 full social studies credit

FACULTY