Social Studies

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 9/Required Course
This course will include an examination of world history and culture with emphasis on the modern era, history of Western Europe, world religions and various Pacific Rim countries. World geographical features are reviewed.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 9
An advanced course for recommended 9th graders which follows the course outline listed above, plus goes further to explore concepts and provides additional enrichment.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 10/Required Course
A study of United States history from the closing of the frontier to the Great Depression with a special focus given to a diverse range of racial, socioeconomic perspectives, and the creation of modern American society.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Prerequisite: Global 9 or 9H
Grade Level: 10
This is a one semester college-prep course for sophomores focusing on the structure and foundations of American government. Students will learn the principles of the U.S. Constitution, the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in a democratic society, and the workings of the three branches of government.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Prerequisite: Global 9 or 9H
Grade Level: 10 A.P.
Macroeconomics covers basic economic concepts, measurements of economic performance, (unemployment and inflation), national income and price determination, fiscal and monetary policy, foreign exchange and currency, and international economics and trade. This is a one semester college-level course for sophomores in which students who pass the A.P. Macroeconomics exam in May could receive up to 4 college credits.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 11/Required Course
This is a one-semester course focusing on the structure and foundations of American government. Students will learn the principles of the U.S. Constitution, the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in a democratic society, and the workings of the three branches (Congress, the Presidency, and the Courts) of the U.S. government.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 11
Required Course unless taking AP US History. A study of America entering the nuclear age. The course examines possible causes and consequences of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the social and political turmoil of the 1960's.

Length and Credit: Year/1.0
Prerequisite: 10th grade social studies
Grade Level: 11, 12
A college preparatory course examining American history from the colonial period to modern times. College credit available by successfully completing the A.P. exam at student expense.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 12 
This course will examine critical ecological, political, and social issues, many of which, some argue, threaten humanity itself. Through lectures, book readings, discussions, case studies, videos, and projects we will analyze a series of critical issues that frame our world today.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 12
A study of the cultural, social, economic and political history of Russia and Eastern Europe with emphasis on the key events of the 20th Century.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 12
A required course that studies the American economic system including supply and demand, wants and needs, market and monetary systems, competition, unemployment and inflation, consumer related laws and employment. Students will also create resumes, complete practice job interviews, and learn some basic personal finance relating to budgeting and banking and credit.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 11-12

This course combines conceptual, historical, and experiential ideas about racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Using past and current developments in ethnic studies scholarship, we will examine the social construction of race and ethnicity, theories of prejudice, and a historical overview of various ethnic and racial groups that have contributed to this country. The overall goal of the course is to help students develop a philosophy of cultural diversity and a body of knowledge on social, ethnic, and racial groups in America. The course will also give students greater awareness of communications and relationships in ethnically and socially diverse communities and an appreciation for the richness and value of diversity. In addition to earning 0.5 Social Studies credit, this course is also offered for College Now credit.

Length and Credit: Semester/.5
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
This course seeks to examine the development, spread, and articulations of anti-Black racism in the United States and around the world. The class will be structured through readings, lectures and discussions. First, we will explore the roots of anti-Black racism in the United States, drawing connections to African history, the history of slavery, and the Transatlantic Slave trade. Second, the course will grapple with the ideology of anti-Black racism—the ideas that undergird the creation of racial hierarchies, often shaped by pseudo-science and eugenics. Third, the course will highlight the theme of resistance, paying close attention to the range of political strategies and tactics Black activists and their allies have employed in their effort to obtain a more just and equal society here and internationally. Significantly, the course employs an intersectional analysis—taking into account how race is interwoven into other categories including ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality and nationality.

Length and Credit: One Semester/.5 credit
Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12
This course introduces students to the study of individual human behavior. Psychology is the scientific study of the ways that people think, feel, and behave. Course content typically includes (but not limited to) an overview of the field of psychology, topics in human growth and development, personality, behavior, and abnormal psychology.