Social Studies
Faculty
To meet graduation requirements, high school students must earn three units of social studies during their four years. This includes one unit of U.S.History; one unit of World History,World Geography,World Cultures or World Studies; and one unit of Citizenship or half unit of American Government and half unit of Economics.
CITIZENSHIP Citizenship provides the student with an opportunity to better understand her/his rights, responsibilities and role in a democratic society. The course focuses primarily on American government, but also looks at other American social institutions. Typical units include: the role of the citizen in a democracy, the federal government, state government, local government, the United States in the international arena, the American family, the American educational system and the American economic system
WORLD GEOGRAPHY World Geography is designed to build upon geographic concepts and skills acquired at earlier grade levels. In the first part of the course, the students acquire an understanding of the five geographic themes (location, place, human/environment interaction, movement and region), the earth’s physical (land forms, water, soil, climate, etc.) and cultural (ideas and things devised by humans) features, their area arrangements and inter-relationships, and the forces that affect them. A subsequent study of selected cultural regions introduces students to the various ways people have coped with the limitations and opportunities of their physical surroundings. Typical units include: the physical world, sources of knowledge of the world, maps and globes, the meaning of culture, the European culture regions, the Anglo-American culture region, Latin American culture regions, African culture regions, and Asian culture regions.
WORLD HISTORY World History is a survey course which enables students to better understand the emergence of western and non-western civilizations. Content is selected to demonstrate people’s struggle to improve themselves, their standard of living, government, and total culture. The appreciation of past achievements and the continuing need for international understanding are basic aims of the course. Representative units of study are selected from the ancient, medieval, and modern periods of World History. They typically include the earliest civilizations, ancient Greece and Rome; the Middle Ages; the rise of national states; the Industrial Revolution; modern European History; Indian America; Latin America from Columbus to the present; the rise and achievements of Islamic civilization; Africa south of the Sahara; Colonialism India and southeast Asia; China from ancient roots to the present; the story of Japan; and the world today.
UNITED STATES HISTORY United States History builds upon the skills, concepts and historical perspectives achieved by students in Grades 5 through 8. It is a study of the emergence of the American society and culture. This includes an examination of the establishment of this nation as a geographic and political entry, development and interplay of the nation¿s social institutions, and the approaches Americans have used to face both domestic and international problems. Since a multi-ethnic/multicultural/ non-sexist approach is used throughout this course, students will better understand and appreciate the pluralistic nature of American Society. United States History 1 emphasizes the colonial period, the American Revolution, the Constitution and the development and launching of the federal system of government, sectionalism, manifest destiny, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. United States History 2 includes the emergence of modern industrial America, the involvement of the United States on the world scene in 1898, the Progressive Era, World War 1 and the aftermath, the Great Depression of the 1930?s and the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, Korea and Vietnam, the Civil Rights movements, and other recent developments at home and abroad. The ultimate goal is to help the students better appreciate the role of the United States in a changing world. Current affairs are related where appropriate to important issues in United States history.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT American Government provides an overview of government through the study of the U.S. Constitution and the federal system of government. As students come to understand the law making and modifying process, and the interpretative nature of the Constitution, they gain insight into the ability of our system to adjust to changing times. The structure (executive, legislative and judicial branches) and the relationships between the national, state, county and city governments are studied in depth. Students examine social legislation, the United States in world affairs, federal and states’ rights, and the role and function of political parties. The growth of government, the philosophy of the democratic process, and the obligations of citizens are thoroughly explored.
ECONOMICS Economics is the study of the production, consumption, and distribution of goods as they are related to the individual and the state. A study of the role of the individual and of government in economics seeks to enlighten the student about the productive process involving land, labor, capital, management, and technology. Consumer economics, the business world, budgeting, conservation of resources, money and banking, credit, inflation, national and international trade, and economic development are representative units of study. Comparative economic systems are studied. Emphasis is placed upon analysis and interpretation of economic data leading to the development of sound concepts of economics.
AP US HISTORY AP U.S. History is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in United States history. The program 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.
AP US GOVT POL A well-designed AP course in U.S. Government & Politics will give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. politics. Topics include: *Constitutional underpinnings of U.S. government; *Political beliefs and behaviors; *Political parties, interest groups, and mass media; *Institutions of national government; *Public policy; and *Civil rights and civil liberties.
